Mixed
Cannon
405Average
95Moderate
CTier

Mid-stage Pokemon like Haunter rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Gengar, which is where the real potential kicks in. Normal and Fighting moves can't touch it, and only 3 types hit it super-effectively. Known as the Gas Pokemon.

Haunter's built around special offense. Sp. Atk leads the charge, HP pays for it. Moderately hard to find, worth 2 Sp. Atk EVs. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
405Above
HP45
D
Attack50
D
Defense45
D
Sp. Atk115
B
Sp. Def55
D
Speed95
B
Total405
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Haunter yields +2 SpA
HPAtkDefSpA+2SpDSpe
Details
Catch90Challenging•Medium Slow1.06M XP•1.6m / 5'03"•0.1kg / 0.2 lbs•142Base XP
Pokedex Entries

By licking, it saps the victim’s life. It causes shaking that won’t stop until the victim’s demise.

Yellow

Haunter Weakness

Good

Ground, Psychic, and Ghost-type moves hit Haunter for super-effective damage. The upside? Normal and Fighting-type moves can't touch it at all. Haunter leans toward special offense (base 115 Sp.Atk) instead of trying to wall anything.

Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
GroundPsychicGhost
½xResisti
Grass
¼xResisti
Poison
0xImmunei
NormalFighting
STAB (3)i
GhostGrassBug
3Weak
2Resist
2Immune
Scorei+3
Abilities
LevitateEvades ground moves.
Levitate grants Ground immunity

Partway through Gastly's chain, Haunter is a Ghost/Poison type pushing toward Gengar. No breeding at this stage. So far, Sp.Def got the biggest boost (+20 from Gastly). The final form adds another 95 stats on top.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Gastly
#092Gastly
25
Level 25
Haunter
#093Haunter
Trade
Gengar
#094Gengar
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Gastly
GhostPoison
Haunter
GhostPoison
Gengar
GhostPoison
HP
30
45+15
60+15
ATK
35
50+15
65+15
DEF
30
45+15
60+15
SP.ATK
100
115+15
130+15
SP.DEF
35
55+20
75+20
SPE
80
95+15
110+15
BST
310C-Tier
405C-Tier+95
500A-Tier+95
ROLE
Attacker
Cannon
Sweeper
TYPE
Special
Special
Special
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Start with flexible EVs EVs. A nature nature gives Haunter the right balanced lean, an item adds extra utility, and an ability works in the background. Hypnosis is the main damage option.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Best Haunter Moveset

  • HypnosisUtility
  • ExplosionCoverage
  • Night ShadeSTAB
  • ThunderboltCoverage

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosGood
Snorlax
SnorlaxGood
Chansey
ChanseyGood

Without TMs, Haunter's movepool is bare bones. With them, you get Psychic and Normal coverage and more on top of Lick and Night Shade for STAB. The natural kit handles basics, but TMs are doing the real work.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Confuse Ray
—10010Ghost
Lv 1
Lick
2010030Ghost
Lv 1
Night Shade
—10015Ghost
Lv 29
Hypnosis
—6020Psychic
Lv 38
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM42
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM47
Explosion
2501005Normal
TM21
Mega Drain
4010010Grass
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM46
Psywave
—10015Psychic
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM36
Self-Destruct
2001005Normal
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
TM25
Thunder
1107010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Haunter doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Haunter can't learn any Tutor moves

Haunter sits at moderate rates across 5 spots in mid-game routes. Pick one from the sorted list and commit to it. Jumping between areas wastes more time than waiting in the right location.

Where To Catch Haunter in Yellow

To get Haunter, start by catching Gastly through walking encounters at Lv. 18-29. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Gastly
    Step 1Catch Gastly
    Pokémon Tower - 3F
    GrassLv.18-25CommonMidBuilding
    EFFORTLESS
    Pokémon Tower - 4F
    GrassLv.18-25CommonMidBuilding
    EFFORTLESS
    Pokémon Tower - 5F
    GrassLv.21-27CommonMidBuilding
    EFFORTLESS
    Pokémon Tower - 6F
    GrassLv.21-27CommonMidBuilding
    EFFORTLESS
    Pokémon Tower - 7F
    GrassLv.23-29CommonMidBuilding
    EFFORTLESS
  2. Haunter
    Step 2Haunter ✓
    Pokémon Tower - 3F
    GrassLv.20-25RareMidBuilding
    CHALLENGING
    Pokémon Tower - 4F
    GrassLv.20-25RareMidBuilding
    CHALLENGING
    Pokémon Tower - 5F
    GrassLv.22-27RareMidBuilding
    CHALLENGING
    Pokémon Tower - 6F
    GrassLv.22-27RareMidBuilding
    CHALLENGING
    Pokémon Tower - 7F
    GrassLv.24-29RareMidBuilding
    CHALLENGING
    or evolve from Gastly (Step 1)

  • Haunter isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Gengar to unlock its full potential. At 405 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • Watch for Rhydon (Ground), Alakazam (Psychic), and Misdreavus (Ghost) when using Haunter. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • Gastly evolves into Haunter at level 25. Haunter evolves into Gengar by trading. Haunter is a middle-stage evolution in the Gastly line.

  • Haunter fills the cannon role. It's a mixed attacker — base 50 Attack and 115 Sp. Atk. Base 95 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

  • Haunter appears in 22 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Haunter has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 22 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.