Is Aipom Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Headbutt trees across Johto from Azalea Town onward. Normal-type with AbilityPickup finding items. HGSS gives Aipom a Gen 4 evolution into Ambipom by leveling with Double Hit learned. The new form is faster and stronger. Available early.
Aipom has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Ambipom trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Ambipom has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Aipom on Route 33 (Headbutt, Lv 3-8, limited).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
- LV 43NormalLast ResortPower 195Accuracy 100%PP 5
Evolve Aipom to Ambipom
Usually ready to evolve before you reach Bugsy, at typical party pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 225Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- LV 43NormalLast ResortPower 195Accuracy 100%PP 5
How to Get Aipom in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Aipom is a Headbutt-only catch, never found in normal grass. Tree-thumping turns it up across a string of Johto routes at low levels, with much higher-level ones waiting on the late Kanto crossing and Mt. Silver trees.
8 locations to catch Aipom
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Aipom in HGSS
Aipom is where the line starts, caught through headbutt encounters at Lv. 2-48. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.
- Step 2Evolve into Ambipom
Bring the right balls: check Aipom catch odds in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Catch Rate Calculator before you throw.
How to Get Shiny Aipom in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Aipom shakes out of headbutt trees near Azalea Town, but a shiny comes faster from Masuda breeding. Compare Shiny Aipom odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Aipom Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Planning a longer hunt? Set up Aipom in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
Aipom Weakness
Type-wise, Aipom takes extra damage from Fighting. Ghost moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. Just 1 weak spot to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ghost |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Aipom Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Aipom
 Hariyama Fighting | B | |
 Hitmonchan Fighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tyrogue (Mt Mortar Gift) | ||
 Primeape Fighting | C | |
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
 Medicham FightingPsychic | C | |
Aipom Evolutions
Aipom doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need knowing a specific move to push it forward to Ambipom. Evolving adds up to 122 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Aipom easily with 131 breeding partners from the Field egg group. Pass egg moves like Agility, Beat Up, Bounce and 8 more to offspring.
HGSS Aipom Best Moveset
70 Attack and 85 Speed, fast for a pre-evolution. AbilityPickup finds items after battle, not useful competitively. The moveset fires physical Normal hits. Evolve to Ambipom for AbilityTechnician and real speed.
Best Build
Aipom best EVs are Speed and Attack
Utility Moveset
- Fake Out
- Return
- Brick Break
- Shadow Claw
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Stall teams hate this. Aipom can spread damage across 12 types, with Ghost and Dark punishing common defensive pivots. STAB from Last Resort and Uproar keeps the pressure honest on everything else.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
All 30 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Its tail is so powerful that it can use it to grab a tree branch and hold itself up in the air.
It lives atop tall trees. When leaping from branch to branch, it deftly uses its tail for balance.
Aipom HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, you can run Aipom through the first few routes without issues. 360 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Ambipom as fast as you can.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Aipom plays as a balanced. Speed is middling, so pick your spots carefully. Return is the primary attack.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Jolly is the go-to nature for Aipom. That's +Speed / -Sp. Atk. Pair it with 76 HP / 196 Atk / 236 Spe EVs. Fits the balanced role.
Game Availability
Available in 17 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Aipom spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
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