Is Inkay Good in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Playthrough?
Breed-only. Dark/Psychic with AbilityContrary reversing stat changes. Evolves to Malamar by leveling past 30 with the console held upside down. The gimmick evolution is fun. The typing handles Phoebe and Tate and Liza.
Inkay trades roughly evenly with Roxanne's team.
Inkay trades roughly evenly with Brawly's team.
Inkay trades roughly evenly with Wattson's team.
Inkay trades roughly evenly with Flannery's team.
Norman's typing presses Inkay's defenses.
Inkay trades roughly evenly with Winona's team.
Inkay has the type edge here and should clean up Tate & Liza's team.
Inkay trades roughly evenly with Wallace's team.
Sidney's typing presses Inkay's defenses.
Inkay has the type edge here and should clean up Phoebe's team.
Inkay has the type edge here and should clean up Glacia's team.
Drake's team hits Inkay's weaknesses hard.
Inkay trades roughly evenly with Steven's team.
Inkay 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.
How to Get Inkay in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
No wild encounters for Inkay in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. Bring Inkay over from X & Y, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, or Sword & Shield, then level through the stages. Each step in the chain is laid out below.
How to Obtain Inkay in ORAS
Step 1Inkay ✓CARTRIDGE TRADEfrom X & YAvailableCatch in X & Y via Walking · Azure Bay, then trade to the current game via link cable.LATER APPEARANCENot TradeableAppears in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon via Walking · Route 1. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Sword & ShieldNot TradeableAppears in Sword & Shield via Walking · Hammerlocke Hills · Overcast. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
Step 2Evolve into Malamar
Inkay Weakness
Type-wise, Inkay takes extra damage from Bug and Fairy. Watch out for Bug attacks, those deal 4x damage. Psychic moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Bug |
| 2x (Weak) | Fairy |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
What is Inkay Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Inkay
 Ninjask Bug | B | |
 Anorith RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
 Volbeat Bug | C | |
 Masquerain Bug | C | |
Obtain MethodPetalburg City Surfing | ||
 Beautifly Bug | C | |
Ninjask Bug | B | |
Anorith RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
Volbeat Bug | C | |
Masquerain Bug | C | |
Obtain MethodPetalburg City Surfing | ||
Beautifly Bug | C | |
Ninjask Bug | B | |
Masquerain Bug | C | |
Obtain MethodPetalburg City Surfing | ||
Anorith RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
Volbeat Bug | C | |
Beautifly Bug | C | |
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
 Pinsir Bug | C | |
 Crustle BugRock | C | |
Masquerain Bug | C | |
Obtain MethodPetalburg City Surfing | ||
Beautifly Bug | C | |
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Pinsir Bug | C | |
 Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Rustboro City Gift) | ||
Crustle BugRock | C | |
Masquerain Bug | C | |
Obtain MethodPetalburg City Surfing | ||
In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Genesect can KO Inkay with U-turn (283-334%).
 Genesect BugSteel | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityDownload ItemChoice Scarf NatureHasty Moves
Damage vs Inkay View Genesect builds →U Turn 4x283-334%KO Ice Beam38-45% Explosion167-197%KO | ||
Inkay Evolutions
Inkay is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Malamar. Check the evolution method below. Plenty of partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 194 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Inkay easily with 87 breeding partners from the Water1 and Water2 egg groups. Pass egg moves like Camouflage, Destiny Bond, Flatter and 2 more to offspring.
ORAS Inkay Best Moveset
Dark/Psychic at 54 Attack with AbilityContrary reversing stat changes. Fairy resists Dark. The moveset fires at pre-evolution power. Malamar one evolution away puts Contrary and MoveSuperpower to competitive use.
Best Build
Inkay best EVs are Attack and Sp. Def
Physical Revenge Killer Moveset
- Psycho Cut
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- Switcheroo
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding's the move. Camouflage and Destiny Bond give Inkay options it can't learn any other way, and Normal and Flying coverage and more already covers a decent range on top of Foul Play and Psychic. The egg moves push it further.
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
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Opponents who stare at the flashing of the light-emitting spots on its body become dazed and lose their will to fight.
It flashes the light-emitting spots on its body, which drains its opponent’s will to fight. It takes the opportunity to scuttle away and hide.
Inkay Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Guide
In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, For a casual playthrough, Inkay works as a placeholder. Dark/Psychic coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Malamar. That's where the stats start mattering.
Game Availability
Since X & Y, Inkay has been obtainable in 7 games. A Generation 6 debut means a shorter history, but Inkay has appeared steadily across every generation since.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
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 6XYDebut
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
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