#0012 · Kanto · Generation 1

Butterfree

Butterfly Pokémon · Bug/Flying-type

Butterfree is a Bug/Flying-type Pokémon, the Butterfly Pokémon, number 12 (#0012) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 1 and comes from the Kanto region. It is 1.1 m tall and weighs 32 kg.

Butterfree is the Butterfly Pokémon, a purple Bug and Flying type whose wings shed poisonous scales yet repel rain, so it can keep collecting honey in the heaviest downpour. It can pick out blooming flowers from about 10 km (6 miles) away.

How to pronounce Butterfree

Butterfree is pronounced BUT-er-free. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Butterfree said out loud:

In Japanese it is バタフリー.

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Butterfree is a purple, vaguely human-shaped butterfly, 1.1 m tall and 32 kg, with big red eyes that the Pokédex says are made of countless tiny eyes. Its white, black-veined wings are coated in poisonous scales that flake off in flight, and breathing them in causes status conditions. A female's lower wings carry black oval marks where a male's are white.

Behaviour

Butterfree collects honey every day, carrying it home on the hairs of its legs. If it sees birds going after Caterpie, it scatters its scales over them until they leave, and in flower fields it fights Cutiefly for territory. In Pokémon Sleep it sleeps while flapping and accidentally puffs out toxic dust.

Habitat

The Pokédex habitat list says Forest, and Bulbapedia describes temperate forests and jungles. In Sword and Shield it turns up in Galar's Slumbering Weald and Rolling Fields.

Diet

Flower nectar is its favourite food, and the Pokédex says it can find blooms with only a trace of pollen. In the anime it also drinks sap from trees that Heracross have pierced.

Powers

Compound Eyes raises its moves' accuracy, and the hidden Ability Tinted Lens doubles damage from not-very-effective moves. It learns Sleep Powder, Stun Spore and Poison Powder at level 12, then Bug Buzz and Quiver Dance. Gigantamax Butterfree grows to 17 m, and its G-Max Move, G-Max Befuddle, can paralyse, poison or put foes to sleep. Its base Special Attack is 90.

Name origin

Butterfree may combine 'butterfly' and 'free', and may also involve patapata, a word for the flutter of wings, and furu, 'to flap'. The Japanese name is Butterfree (バタフリー).

Design inspiration

The black-veined white butterfly appears to be Butterfree's model. Its pairing with Beedrill may nod to Muhammad Ali's boxing line about floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee, which the English dub of the anime adapts to Butterfree and Beedrill in two episodes. These are fan readings.

Evolution notes

Butterfree evolves from Metapod at level 10. That ties it with Beedrill, Beautifly and Dustox for the earliest final evolution among three-stage Pokémon that evolve by levelling up.

In the games

A Butterfree sends you to rescue her child Caterpie on the first mission of Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team. Gigantamax Butterfree appears in raid battles in Sword and Shield and the Crown Tundra. It first appeared in Red and Green (Red and Blue outside Japan), but Bulbapedia lists it as unobtainable in Scarlet and Violet and in Legends: Z-A.

In the anime

Ash's Butterfree evolved in 'Challenge of the Samurai' and, in 'Bye Bye Butterfree', became the first Pokémon Ash released, leaving to mate with a pink Butterfree. Goh caught a male Butterfree in 'Working My Way Back to Mew!'.

Fun facts

• The pink Butterfree in 'Bye Bye Butterfree' was the first Pokémon in the anime with an alternate colouring; a Shiny Butterfree, by contrast, has green eyes and pink wings.
• Its FireRed and LeafGreen artwork was missing a line on one lower wing, which was fixed by the time of X and Y.
• Butterfree and Beedrill are version exclusives in opposite games: Butterfree's line is in White, White 2 and Brilliant Diamond, Beedrill's in Black, Black 2 and Shining Pearl.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Butterfree (Pokémon) · Serebii: Butterfree (Sword/Shield Pokédex; page not found in the Scarlet and Violet Pokédex)

Base stats

• HP: 60
• Attack: 45
• Defense: 50
• Sp. Atk: 90
• Sp. Def: 80
• Speed: 70

Butterfree’s base stat total is 395. Its highest stat is Sp. Atk.

Type matchups

What is Butterfree weak to?

Butterfree takes extra damage from Rock (4×), Fire (2×), Electric (2×), Ice (2×), Flying (2×) moves.

It resists Grass (¼×), Fighting (¼×), Bug (½×).

It is immune to Ground moves.

Evolution

What does Butterfree evolve from?

Butterfree evolves from Metapod at level 10.

Butterfree is the final stage of its evolution family.

The whole family: Caterpie, Metapod, Butterfree.

• Caterpie evolves into Metapod at level 7.

Forms

• Gigantamax Butterfree (Gigantamax): Bug/Flying-type, base stat total 395 (HP 60, Attack 45, Defense 50, Sp. Atk 90, Sp. Def 80, Speed 70). Abilities: Compound Eyes, Tinted Lens (hidden).

Abilities

• Compound Eyes: Increases moves' accuracy to 1.3×.
• Tinted Lens (hidden ability): Doubles damage inflicted with not-very-effective moves.

Moves

Moves Butterfree learns by level up in Sword / Shield

“Evo” means Butterfree learns the move the moment it evolves: Gust.

TM moves (33)

Butterfree can learn 33 moves from TMs in Sword / Shield: Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Solar Beam, Safeguard, Rest, Thief, Snore, Protect, Giga Drain, Attract, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Facade, Swift, U-turn, Venoshock, Round, Acrobatics, Electroweb, Draining Kiss, Air Slash, Psychic, Substitute, Endure, Sleep Talk, Baton Pass, Shadow Ball, Skill Swap, Iron Defense, Bug Buzz, Energy Ball, Hurricane, Pollen Puff.

Move tutor moves (1): Dual Wingbeat.

Breeding & training

• Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
• Egg groups: Bug.
• Egg cycles: 15 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 1,920).
• Catch rate: 45 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
• Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 2 Sp. Atk and 1 Sp. Def effort values.
• Base experience yield: 178.

Pokédex entries

It collects honey every day. It rubs honey onto the hairs on its legs to carry it back to its nest. (Gold, HeartGold, Shield)

In battle, it flaps its wings at great speed to release highly toxic dust into the air. (LeafGreen, Sword)

Its wings, covered with poisonous powder, repel water. This allows it to fly in the rain. (Let’s Go, Pikachu!, Let’s Go, Eevee!)

Nectar from pretty flowers is its favorite food. In fields of flowers, it has heated battles with Cutiefly for territory. (Ultra Moon)

Its wings are covered in toxic scales. If it finds bird Pokémon going after Caterpie, Butterfree sprinkles its scales on them to drive them off. (Ultra Sun)

When attacked by other Pokémon, it defends itself by scattering its poisonous scales and fluttering its wings. (Moon)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Highest Sp. Atk among Bug types in Gen 1: 90, shared with 1 other.
• Taller than 54% of all Pokémon (1.1 m).
• Heavier than 54% of all Pokémon (32 kg).
• Base stat total 395, ranked #640 of 1,025.
• One of 13 Pokémon that are both Bug and Flying.
• One of 88 white Pokémon.
• Number 12 of 151 Pokémon introduced in Generation 1 (Kanto).
• Part of an evolution family of 3 Pokémon.
• Can learn 49 different moves in Sword / Shield.
• Catch rate 45: about 5.9% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Has 1 alternate form.
• Appears in 15 distinct Pokédex entries.

Sources and fact-checking

• Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
• Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Butterfree (Pokémon), Serebii: Butterfree (Sword/Shield Pokédex; page not found in the Scarlet and Violet Pokédex).
• Pronunciation (BUT-er-free): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 19 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Bug-type Pokémon · Flying-type Pokémon · Bug/Flying weaknesses and matchups · Kanto region guide · Compound Eyes ability · Tinted Lens ability · Compare Butterfree · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

Gen 1 Bug-type Pokémon · Gen 1 Flying-type Pokémon · Gen 1 Pokémon list · White Pokémon list · Bug egg group · Pokémon that start with B · Bug Pokémon · Butterfly and Moth Pokémon

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