Utility
Cannon
455Average
65Moderate
CTier

115 base Attack is no joke, but Banette can't afford to take a hit back. And it's not fast enough to guarantee moving first, which makes it fragile in practice. Known as the Marionette Pokemon. A competitive option since Gen 3.

Banette's built around physical offense. Attack leads the charge, Sp. Def pays for it. Tough to catch, worth 2 Attack EVs. Follows a fast 800K XP curve.

Base Stats
455Above
HP64
C
Attack115
B
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk83
C
Sp. Def63
C
Speed65
C
Total455
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Banette yields +2 Atk
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch45ChallengingFast800,000 XP1.1m / 3'07"12.5kg / 27.6 lbs159Base XP
Pokedex Entries

An abandoned plush doll became this POKéMON. They are said to live in garbage dumps and wander about in search of the children that threw them away.

Emerald

Banette Weakness

Excellent

Type-wise, Banette takes extra damage from Ghost and Dark. Normal and Fighting moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
½xResisti
¼xResisti
None
STAB (2)i
2Weak
2Resist
2Immune
Scorei+4
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
InsomniaPrevents sleep.
FriskReveals an opponent's held item upon entering battle.
Cursed BodyHAHas a 30% chance of Disabling any move that hits the Pokémon.

Banette is the evolved form of Shuppet. Breeding produces Shuppet eggs, and they're average hatch time. Evolving from Shuppet gave Banette the biggest boost in Attack (+40), bringing the total to 455 stats.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Shuppet
Ghost
Banette
Ghost
HP
44
64+20
ATK
75
115+40
DEF
35
65+30
SP.ATK
63
83+20
SP.DEF
33
63+30
SPE
45
65+20
BST
295D-Tier
455C-Tier+160
ROLE
Balanced
Cannon
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Easy

Breed with Banette to get Shuppet eggs easily using 22 partners from the Indeterminate egg group. Notable egg moves include Astonish, Destiny Bond, Disable and 2 more.

Egg Groups
Indeterminate
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
25 cycles·6,425 steps
Moderate~6 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
5moves
Breed With (best first)
gardevoirkirliacastformraltsmukgengarweezingswalotmagcargohaunterwobbuffetkoffing

Insomnia helps Banette stick around while dealing real damage. Leftovers for passive recovery each turn, flexible EVs EVs for the right balance, and Hiddenpowerfighting as the main threat. Not the fastest, but it doesn't need to be.

Best Build

Physical Sweeper
Ability
Insomnia
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Adamant+ATK
EVs

Best Banette Moveset

  • Hidden Power Fighting
  • Shadow BallSTAB
  • Will O Wisp
  • Knock Off

The egg pool carries weight here. Astonish and Destiny Bond aren't available any other way for Banette, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Shadow Ball and Astonish for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Curse
10Ghost
Lv 1
Knock Off
6510020Dark
Lv 1
Night Shade
10015Ghost
Lv 1
Screech
8540Normal
Lv 8
Screech
8540Normal
Lv 13
Night Shade
10015Ghost
Lv 20
Curse
10Ghost
Lv 25
Spite
10010Ghost
Lv 32
Will-O-Wisp
7515Fire
Lv 39
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Lv 48
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
Lv 55
Snatch+4
10Dark
Lv 64
Grudge
5Ghost

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM04
Calm Mind
20Psychic
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
HM05
Flash
7020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM34
Shock Wave
6020Electric
TM48
Skill Swap
10Psychic
TM49
Snatch+4
10Dark
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Astonish
3010015Ghost
Egg
Destiny Bond
5Ghost
Egg
Disable
5520Normal
Egg
Foresight
10040Normal
Egg
Imprison
10Psychic

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Tutor
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Tutor
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
Tutor
Endure+4
10Normal
Tutor
Icy Wind
559515Ice
Tutor
Metronome
10Normal
Tutor
Mimic
10Normal
Tutor
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Tutor
Psych Up
10Normal
Tutor
Sleep Talk
10Normal
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Substitute
10Normal
Tutor
Swagger
9015Normal
Tutor
Thunder Wave
10020Electric

A few locations for Banette with decent spawn rates across late-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.

Where To Catch Banette in Emerald

To get Banette, start by catching Shuppet through walking encounters at Lv. 22-38. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Shuppet
    Step 1Catch Shuppet
    Mt. Pyre - 1F
    GrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 2F
    GrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 3F
    GrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 4F
    GrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 5F
    GrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 6F
    GrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - Summit
    GrassLv.24-30CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 121
    GrassLv.26-28CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 123
    GrassLv.26-28CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - Outside
    GrassLv.27-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
  2. Banette
    Step 2Banette
    Sky Pillar - 1F
    GrassLv.37-38UncommonLateBuilding
    EASY
    Sky Pillar - 3F
    GrassLv.37-38UncommonLateBuilding
    EASY
    Sky Pillar - 5F
    GrassLv.37-38UncommonLateBuilding
    EASY
    or evolve from Shuppet (Step 1)
  • Banette has a 455 base stat total and ranks as C-Tier — a situational pick that fills a niche. It works best as a cannon. Base 115 Attack is where it shines.

  • Banette's biggest threats include Gengar (Ghost) and Houndoom (Dark), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Shuppet evolves into Banette at level 37. Banette is the fully evolved form. It sits at 455 BST in its evolved form.

  • Insomnia is the go-to ability for Banette. It prevents sleep. Its hidden ability Cursed Body can work in specific setups. Frisk is the other option — pick based on what your team needs.

  • Banette fills the cannon role. It's leaning toward the physical side (base 115 Attack). At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often.

  • Banette appears in 15 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.

Banette first appeared in Ruby & Sapphire and spans 15 games across 7 generations. It later gained a Mega form in Generation 7, adding new dimensions to its competitive identity.