Some Pokémon do not stay the same shape. A few change in the middle of a battle, a few change when you give them an item, and a few follow the seasons. The change is not always only cosmetic. Some forms have different types or very different stats. This page groups the changes by what triggers them. The type and stat figures come from the pokee.si data, and we checked the triggers against the ability and item pages of Pokémon Database and Serebii.
Forms that change in battle
These changes are caused by an Ability, so the Pokémon needs that Ability and the game does the rest. The pokee.si data lists 18 species with a battle form. The eight below are a good place to start.
| Pokémon | Change | What changes (from the data) | What triggers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aegislash | Shield to Blade | Attack 50 to 140, Defense 140 to 50, Sp. Atk 50 to 140, Sp. Def 140 to 50 | Stance Change: it turns to Blade when it uses a damaging move and back to Shield when it uses King's Shield. |
| Castform | Normal to Sunny | type Normal to Fire | Forecast: it follows the weather (sunshine). |
| Castform | Normal to Rainy | type Normal to Water | Forecast: it follows the weather (rain). |
| Castform | Normal to Snowy | type Normal to Ice | Forecast: it follows the weather (snow). |
| Darmanitan | Standard to Zen | type Fire to Fire/Psychic; Attack 140 to 30, Defense 55 to 105, Sp. Atk 30 to 140, Sp. Def 55 to 105, Speed 95 to 55 | Zen Mode: it changes shape when its HP is half or less. |
| Darmanitan | Galarian Standard to Galarian Zen | type Ice to Ice/Fire; Attack 140 to 160, Speed 95 to 135 | The same Zen Mode rule. |
| Minior | Meteor to Core | Attack 60 to 100, Defense 100 to 60, Sp. Atk 60 to 100, Sp. Def 100 to 60, Speed 60 to 120 | Shields Down: it is a Meteor while its HP is over half, and the shell breaks open to the Core when HP is half or less. |
| Wishiwashi | Solo to School | Attack 20 to 140, Defense 20 to 130, Sp. Atk 25 to 140, Sp. Def 25 to 135, Speed 40 to 30 | Schooling: from level 20, it forms a school while its HP is above 25% and goes back to Solo below that. |
| Mimikyu | Disguised to Busted | no change to type or stats | Disguise: once per battle the costume protects it from an attack, and the torn costume leaves the Busted form. |
| Palafin | Zero to Hero | Attack 70 to 160, Defense 72 to 97, Sp. Atk 53 to 106, Sp. Def 62 to 87 | Zero to Hero: it becomes Hero Form when it switches out. |
| Morpeko | Full Belly to Hangry | no change to type or stats | Hunger Switch: it swaps between the two modes at the end of every turn, and its Aura Wheel changes type with the mode. |
A few details from the table are worth a second look.
Aegislash swaps its strengths and keeps its total (see the second table below). In Shield Forme it has 140 Defense and Special Defense, and in Blade Forme it has 140 Attack and Special Attack. Pokémon Database notes that the change happens when you pick the move, even if the attack then fails.
Castform's three weather forms only change its type. Its stats stay the same.
Wishiwashi is the biggest jump in the table. Its base stat total goes from 175 to 620, and its height goes from 0.2 m to 8.2 m. The change needs level 20 or more, and the school breaks up again when HP falls below a quarter.
Palafin's base stat total goes from 457 to 650 in Hero Form, and it becomes a hero by switching out. So you swap it out once, then bring it back.
Mimikyu and Morpeko change shape, but not their stats. Pokémon Database says Disguise works like a Substitute for one attack. In the data, Disguised and Busted Mimikyu have the same types and the same total, 476. The same goes for Morpeko (total 436), which switches at the end of every turn. What changes is its signature move, Aura Wheel. Pokémon Database says the move's type follows the mode. Our move data lists Aura Wheel as Electric.
Total stats before and after
| Pokémon | Base stat total before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Wishiwashi | 175 | 620 |
| Palafin | 457 | 650 |
| Darmanitan | 480 | 540 |
| Minior | 440 | 500 |
| Aegislash | 500 | 500 |
| Mimikyu | 476 | 476 |
| Morpeko | 436 | 436 |
Forms that need an item
Giratina has two forms. Altered Forme is the default, and Origin Forme appears when it holds the Griseous Orb. The stat changes are small: Attack 100 to 120, Defense 120 to 100, Sp. Atk 100 to 120, Sp. Def 120 to 100 (total 680 in both; 6.9 m tall in Origin Forme).
Arceus is the other item Pokémon. Its Ability, Multitype, changes its type if it is holding a Type Plate. Pokémon Database says Plates also give the matching move type STAB. The pokee.si Pokédex shows Arceus as a single Normal-type entry with a total of 720, so the Plate forms are not in our data.
Forms that need an appliance
Rotom can move into household machines, and each one gives it a new type and the same boost in stats. Pokémon Database lists an oven, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a fan and a lawnmower. Rotom's base stat total goes from 440 to 520 in every appliance form, and the stat changes are the same each time: Attack 50 to 65, Defense 77 to 107, Sp. Atk 95 to 105, Sp. Def 77 to 107, Speed 91 to 86.
| Form | Type | Appliance Rotom possesses |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Rotom | Electric/Fire | an oven |
| Wash Rotom | Electric/Water | a washing machine |
| Frost Rotom | Electric/Ice | a refrigerator |
| Fan Rotom | Electric/Flying | a fan |
| Mow Rotom | Electric/Grass | a lawnmower |
Forms that follow the seasons
Deerling and its evolution Sawsbuck change colour with the year. Pokémon Database says the coat colour and scent follow the seasons, and it names a Winter Form. Our data keeps them as single entries, so we have no figures to compare.
Changes that are not on this page
Some changes have their own pages. Mega Evolution, Gigantamax and Terastallization are battle features in their own right, and regional forms such as Alolan Rattata are separate Pokémon that belong to a region. See the regional forms list and Tera types. The Abilities behind many of the changes above are covered in Pokémon Abilities explained. You can open any form on its Pokémon page. Rotom, for example, lists all its appliance forms.