Is Butterfree Good in Ruby & Sapphire Playthrough?
AbilityCompound Eyes is the reason Butterfree exists in Gen 3. 97.5% MoveSleep Powder accuracy makes catching legendaries easier. Trade-only in RS, and the Bug/Flying typing is still terrible for battles. A utility import for the catching game.
Roxanne's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree resists most of Brawly's coverage and hits back hard.
Wattson's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Flannery's team.
Norman's typing presses Butterfree's defenses.
Winona's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Tate & Liza's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Wallace's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Sidney's team.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Phoebe's team.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Glacia's team.
Drake's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Steven's team.
Trade
Butterfree cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four. Alternatively, transfer the pre-evolution and level it up to Lv 10.
Recommended Moves
- LV 14GrassStun SporePower —Accuracy 75%PP 30
- LV 15GrassSleep PowderPower —Accuracy 75%PP 15
- After Brawly
- TM29PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Mauville Game Corner
- After Norman
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Lilycove Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Safari Zone
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Mt. Pyre
- After Winona
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Winona
- LV 47BugSilver WindPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 5
How to Get Butterfree in Ruby & Sapphire
Butterfree closes out a traded Caterpie line, with Metapod at level 7 and Butterfree at level 10. Hoenn runs its own bug lines instead.
How to Obtain Butterfree in RS
- Step 1Obtain CaterpieCARTRIDGE TRADEfrom FireRed & LeafGreenAvailableCatch in FireRed & LeafGreen via Walking · Viridian Forest, then trade to the current game via link cable.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Red & BlueNot TradeableAppears in Red & Blue via Walking · Viridian Forest. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom YellowNot TradeableAppears in Yellow via Walking · Viridian Forest. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Gold & SilverNot TradeableAppears in Gold & Silver via Headbutt · Route 34. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom CrystalNot TradeableAppears in Crystal via Walking · Route 24. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
- Step 2Evolve into Metapod
- Step 3Butterfree ✓
How to Get Shiny Butterfree in Ruby & Sapphire
Butterfree flutters outside the Hoenn dex, so evolve a shiny Caterpie in FireRed or LeafGreen and bring the Butterfree across. See every game where Shiny Butterfree can be hunted
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Rock |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Electric, Ice, Flying |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Bug |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Butterfree Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Butterfree
 Rayquaza Dragon | S | |
Obtain MethodSky Pillar Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Rayquaza builds →Overheat 2x133-157%KO Ancient Power 4x165-195%KO Fly 2x144-170%KO Ice Beam 2x91-107%KO | ||
 Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Blaziken builds →Overheat 2x153-180%KO Rock Tomb 4x114-134%KO Aerial Ace 2x68-80% | ||
 Aggron SteelRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Aggron builds →Rock Tomb 4x159-188%KO Aerial Ace 2x63-75% Fire Blast 2x54-64% Ice Beam 2x43-51% | ||
 Regirock Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 111 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Regirock builds →Ancient Power 4x176-208%KO Thunderbolt 2x37-44% | ||
 Armaldo RockBug | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Rustboro City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Armaldo builds →Ancient Power 4x212-250%KO Aerial Ace 2x70-83% | ||
 Camerupt FireGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Camerupt builds →Eruption 2x157-185%KO Rock Slide 4x145-171%KO | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Rhydon builds →Rock Tomb 4x184-217%KO Fire Blast 2x44-52% Ice Beam 2x35-41% Thunderbolt 2x35-41% | ||
 Altaria Dragon | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Altaria builds →Sky Attack 2x151-178%KO Fire Blast 2x61-71% Ice Beam 2x49-57% | ||
 Magneton ElectricSteel | A | |
 Magcargo FireRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Magcargo builds →Overheat 2x129-152%KO Rock Slide 4x129-152%KO | ||
 Torkoal Fire | C | |
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Walrein IceWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Spheal (Shoal Cave Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Walrein builds →Ice Beam 2x92-109%KO Rock Tomb 4x83-97% | ||
 Salamence Dragon | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Butterfree View Salamence builds →Fly 2x132-156%KO Rock Tomb 4x126-149%KO Fire Blast 2x87-103%KO | ||
Butterfree Evolutions
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
Breeding
Breed with Butterfree to get Caterpie eggs easily using 37 partners from the Bug egg group.
RS Butterfree Best Moveset
Near-guaranteed sleep is the entire identity. AbilityCompound Eyes boosts MoveSleep Powder accuracy to 97%, making it one of the most reliable sleep moves available. The Sp. Atk still can't follow up, but that accuracy earns a support niche. Held ItemLeftovers sustains.
Best Build
Butterfree best EVs are HP and Speed
Support Moveset
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore
- Thief
- Whirlwind
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
TMs define Butterfree's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Silver Wind and Aerial Ace, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Psychic and Normal coverage and more. That's where the options open up.
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 22 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
BUTTERFREE has a superior ability to search for delicious honey from flowers. It can even search out, extract, and carry honey from flowers that are blooming over six miles from its nest.
Butterfree Ruby & Sapphire Guide
No. Butterfree isn't catchable in Ruby & Sapphire. Obtain one in FireRed or LeafGreen, then trade it over.
Game Availability
Butterfree first appeared in Red & Blue and spans 19 games across 9 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
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
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 8SwShGigantamax
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
Explore
Where to go next after Butterfree.
Keep playing · Ruby & SapphireRuby & Sapphire Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Ruby & Sapphire Tier List