Stats & Training
You won't find a real weakness in Ekans's stat line. It's well-rounded for the Snake Pokemon, and what it does with that depends on moveset and items. Yields 1 Attack EV, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
An EKANS curls itself up in a spiral while it rests. This position allows it to quickly respond to an enemy from any direction with a threat from its upraised head.
Ekans Weakness
Ekans's Poison typing leaves it vulnerable to Ground and Psychic. The Poison typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Ekans's Poison typing only leaves 2 gaps to cover.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Poison, Bug |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
In Emerald, Flygon can KO Ekans with Earthquake (194-229%). Medicham's Shadow Ball hits Ekans for 48-57%.
 Flygon GroundDragon | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Flygon builds →Earthquake 2x194-229%KO Rock Slide48-57% | ||
 Medicham FightingPsychic | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityPure Power ItemSalacberry NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Medicham builds →Shadow Ball48-57% Rock Slide45-54% | ||
Emerald Evolution
Ekans is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Arbok. Check the evolution method below. A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 160 total stats over Ekans. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
Breeding
Breed Ekans easily with 27 breeding partners from the Dragon and Ground egg groups. Pass egg moves like Beat Up, Poison Fang, Pursuit and 2 more to offspring.
Emerald Ekans Best Moveset
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves
The natural movepool does the job, but Beat Up and Poison Fang from the egg pool give Ekans something extra.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Get Ekans in Emerald
Ekans can't be caught in Emerald. Bring it over from Red, Gold, or Brilliant Diamond instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
Ekans Guide
Get Ekans to Arbok at level 22. At 288 BST, Ekans is just the starting point.
Level 22 gets you Arbok. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
In Emerald, For a casual playthrough, Ekans works as a placeholder. Poison coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Arbok. That's where the stats start mattering.
You can find Ekans in Emerald. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 19 other games across the series.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Ekans appears in 20 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Ekans have the longest track record of availability in the series.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves