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
Catch45Challenging•Fast800,000 XP•1.1m / 3'07"•12.5kg / 27.6 lbs•159Base XP
Pokedex Entries

BANETTE generates energy for laying strong curses by sticking pins into its own body. This POKéMON was originally a pitiful plush doll that was thrown away.

Ruby

A cursed energy permeated the stuffing of a discarded and forgotten plush doll, giving it new life as BANETTE. The POKéMON’s energy would escape if it were to ever open its mouth.

Sapphire

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
GhostDark
½xResisti
PoisonBug
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
NormalFighting
STAB (2)i
PsychicGhost
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
Shuppet
#353Shuppet
37
Level 37
Banette
#354Banette
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
12 of 22·

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

Recommended Teammates

Jolteon
JolteonGood
Tyranitar
TyranitarGood
Skarmory
SkarmoryDecent

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
60—20Dark
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
60—20Electric
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

Banette can't learn any Tutor moves

Banette appears at decent spawn rates across 3 spots in endgame routes. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.

Where To Catch Banette in Ruby & Sapphire

Shuppet is your first catch on the way to Banette. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 22-56 across 17 total spots in the chain.

  1. Shuppet
    Step 1Catch Shuppet
    Mt. Pyre - 1F
    SapphireGrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 2F
    SapphireGrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 3F
    SapphireGrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 4F
    SapphireGrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 5F
    SapphireGrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 6F
    SapphireGrassLv.22-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - Summit
    SapphireGrassLv.24-30CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 121
    SapphireGrassLv.26-28CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 123
    SapphireGrassLv.26-28CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - Outside
    SapphireGrassLv.27-29CommonMidCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Pyre - 4F
    RubyGrassLv.25-29UncommonMidCave
    EASY
    Mt. Pyre - 5F
    RubyGrassLv.25-29UncommonMidCave
    EASY
    Mt. Pyre - 6F
    RubyGrassLv.25-29UncommonMidCave
    EASY
    Mt. Pyre - Summit
    RubyGrassLv.26-30UncommonMidCave
    EASY
  2. Banette
    Step 2Banette ✓
    Sky Pillar - 1F
    GrassLv.48-50UncommonPostBuilding
    EASY
    Sky Pillar - 3F
    GrassLv.51-53UncommonPostBuilding
    EASY
    Sky Pillar - 5F
    GrassLv.54-56UncommonPostBuilding
    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.