Physical
Balanced
CTier
70Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

Butterfree's spread isn't flashy. Sp. Atk leads, Attack trails, 2 stats clear the bar. Tough to catch and worth 3 Sp. Atk and Sp. Def stat exp, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
Avg
HP60
C
Attack45
D
Defense50
D
Sp. Atk80
C
Sp. Def80
C
Speed70
C
Total385
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height1.1 m
3'07"Small
Weight32.0 kg
70.5 lbsLight
Base XP178
Average
Abilities
Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.
Compound Eyes
Increases moves' accuracy to 1.3×.
Tinted LensHA
Doubles damage inflicted with not-very-effective moves.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpA+2SpD+1Spe
Strong Special Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

It flits from flower to flower, collecting honey. It can even identify distant flowers in bloom.

Crystal

Butterfree Weakness

Butterfree is weak to Rock, Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying. Watch out for Rock attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Ground-type moves entirely. Butterfree's special bulk (base 80 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Butterfree Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
4x (Critical)Rock
2x (Weak)Fire, Electric, Ice, Flying
0.5x (Resist)Bug
0.25x (Resist)Grass, Fighting
0x (Immune)Ground
Type ChartVulnerable
5Weak
3Resist
1Immune
Score-4
Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCritical
Rock
2xWeak
FireElectricIceFlying
½xResist
Bug
¼xResist
GrassFighting
0xImmune
Ground
STAB (5)
GrassPsychicDarkFightingBug
How to Beat Butterfree in Crystal (Best Counters)
Onix
Onix
RockGround
C
Available Move
Moves
  • Rock ThrowLv. 14
Damage vs Butterfree
Rock Throw 4x
90-108%KO
View Onix builds →

Crystal Evolution

Butterfree is the final form in a three-stage chain from Caterpie through Metapod. Breeding this form produces Caterpie eggs (quick to hatch). Evolving from Caterpie gave Butterfree the biggest boost in Sp.Atk (+60), bringing the total to 385 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Caterpie
#010Caterpie
7
Level 7
Metapod
#011Metapod
10
Level 10
Butterfree
#012Butterfree
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Caterpie
Bug
Metapod
Bug
Butterfree
BugFlying
HP
45
50+5
60+10
ATK
30
20-10
45+25
DEF
35
55+20
50-5
SP.ATK
20
25+5
90+65
SP.DEF
20
25+5
80+55
SPE
45
30-15
70+40
BST
195D-Tier
205D-Tier+10
395C-Tier+190
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Special

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Butterfree to get Caterpie eggs easily using 23 partners from the Bug egg group.

Egg Groups
Bug
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
parasectparasshuckleforretressvenomothgligarariadosbeedrillledianyanmavenonatscyther
12 of 23·

Crystal Butterfree Best Moveset

Best Build

Experimental
Support
Ability
Not in Gen 2
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Not in Gen 2

Support Moveset

  • Sleep Powder
  • PsychicCoverage
  • Stun Spore
  • Giga Drain

Recommended Teammates

Starmie
StarmieDecent
Beedrill
BeedrillDecent
Ledian
LedianDecent

Moves

TMs define Butterfree's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Gust, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Psychic and Normal coverage. That's where the options open up.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Confusion
D5010025Psychic
Lv 10
Confusion
D5010025Psychic
Lv 13
Poison Powder
——7535Poison
Lv 14
Stun Spore
A—7530Grass
Lv 15
Sleep Powder
S—7515Grass
Lv 18
Supersonic
——5520Normal
Lv 23
Whirlwind-6
C——20Normal
Lv 28
Gust
—4010035Flying
Lv 34
Psybeam
—6510020Psychic
Lv 40
Safeguard
D——25Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
D—10015Normal
TM03
Curse
C——10Ghost
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM20
Endure+4
D——10Normal
HM05
Flash
D—7020Normal
TM21
Frustration
D—10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
A751005Grass
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM50
Nightmare
——10015Ghost
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
S9010010Psychic
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM35
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM13
Snore
—4010015Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
C12010010Grass
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM34
Swagger
C—8515Normal
TM12
Sweet Scent
——10020Normal
TM39
Swift
D60—20Normal
TM06
Toxic
A—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Butterfree doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Butterfree can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Rem
Rem
Harden
———30Normal
Rem
String Shot
B—9540Bug
Rem
Tackle
D3510035Normal

How to Get Butterfree in Crystal

A handful of locations for Butterfree with moderate rates across early-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 Butterfree in Crystal

To get Butterfree, start by catching Caterpie through walking and headbutt encounters at Lv. 3-18. The chain covers 3 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Caterpie
    Step 1Catch Caterpie
    Route 24
    Grass Lv.8-10 Route
    60%Early
    Morning/day
    Route 30
    Grass Lv.3-4 Route
    50%Early
    Morning/day
    Route 2
    Grass Lv.3 Route
    30%Early
    Morning/day
    Route 31
    Grass Lv.4 Route
    30%Early
    Morning/day
    Ilex Forest
    Grass Lv.5 Forest
    30%Early
    Morning/day
    Route 25
    Grass Lv.10 Route
    30%Early
    Morning/day
    National Park - Bug Catching Contest
    Grass Lv.7-18 Facility
    20%Early
    Ilex Forest
    Headbutting special trees Lv.10 Forest
    15%Early
    National Park
    Grass Lv.10 Facility
    5%Early
    Morning/day
  2. Metapod
    Step 2Catch or Evolve Metapod
    Ilex Forest
    Grass Lv.7 Forest
    20%Early
    Morning/day
    Route 24
    Grass Lv.12 Route
    20%Early
    Morning
    National Park - Bug Catching Contest
    Grass Lv.9-18 Facility
    10%Early
    Route 25
    Grass Lv.12 Route
    10%Early
    Morning/day
    Ilex Forest
    Headbutting special trees Lv.10 Forest
    5%Early
    or evolve from Caterpie (Step 1)
  3. Butterfree
    Step 3Butterfree ✓
    Route 2
    Grass Lv.7 Route
    10%Early
    Morning/day
    Ilex Forest
    Headbutting trees Lv.10 Forest
    5%Early
    National Park - Bug Catching Contest
    Grass Lv.12-15 Facility
    5%Early
    Route 24
    Grass Lv.14 Route
    5%Early
    Morning/day
    Route 25
    Grass Lv.14 Route
    5%Early
    Morning/day
    or evolve from Metapod (Step 2)

Butterfree Guide

  • In Crystal, Butterfree's biggest threats include Golem (Rock), Charizard (Fire), and Raikou (Electric), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Golem is the most dangerous since Rock moves deal 4x damage. Ice and Flying-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.

  • In Crystal, Metapod evolves into Butterfree at level 10. Butterfree is the final evolution in a 3-stage line starting from Caterpie.

  • Honestly, in Crystal Butterfree is a tough sell at 385 BST. Plenty of stronger Bug/Flying options exist. Fun pick, not a practical one.

  • In Crystal, Butterfree has a 385 base stat total and ranks as C-Tier: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. It works best as a balanced. Sleep Powder with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In Crystal, Bug/Flying typing gives Butterfree 4 resistances plus Ground immunity. Base 80 Sp. Atk is the standout stat. Dual typing means STAB coverage on both Bug and Flying moves.

Game Availability

Butterfree first appeared in Red & Blue and spans 19 games across 10 generations. It later gained a Gigantamax form in Generation 8, adding new dimensions to its competitive identity.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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