
Is Machamp Good in Red & Blue Playthrough?
Trade evolution locks Machamp behind having a friend with a link cable. If you can get it, one of the hardest-hitting Pokemon in the game. Handles Brock, Giovanni's Normal-types, and chunks through anything that doesn't resist Fighting. Slow but powerful enough to not care.
Brock's typing presses Machop's defenses.
Misty's typing presses Machop's defenses.
Machop has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Erika's typing presses Machop's defenses.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Sabrina's team hits Machamp's weaknesses hard.
Machamp has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Machamp has the type edge here and should clean up Giovanni's team.
Machamp has the type edge here and should clean up Lorelei's team.
Machamp has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Agatha's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Catch Machop
Catch Machop in Rock Tunnel (walking, Lv 15-17, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Brock
- TM28GroundDigPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Returned by the Team Rocket thief after you defeat him in Cerulean City
- After Misty
- TM08NormalBody SlamPower 85Accuracy 100%PP 15S.S. Anne
- After Lt. Surge
- TM05NormalMega KickPower 120Accuracy 75%PP 5Celadon Department Store
- TM10NormalDouble-EdgePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Rocket Hideout
- After Erika
- TM40NormalSkull BashPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- After Koga
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Silph Co.
- LV 46FightingSubmissionPower 120Accuracy 80%PP 25
- After Blaine
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Prize for defeating Cinnabar Gym Leader Blaine
Evolve Machop to Machamp
Machoke evolves into Machamp when traded. Most players are ready to trade before reaching Koga.
Recommended Moves
- After Brock
- TM28GroundDigPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Returned by the Team Rocket thief after you defeat him in Cerulean City
- After Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Rocket Game Corner
- TM05NormalMega KickPower 120Accuracy 75%PP 5Celadon Department Store
- TM10NormalDouble-EdgePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Rocket Hideout
- After Erika
- TM40NormalSkull BashPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- After Koga
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Silph Co.
- After Blaine
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Prize for defeating Cinnabar Gym Leader Blaine
- LV 52FightingSubmissionPower 120Accuracy 80%PP 25
How to Get Machamp in Red & Blue
Machamp has no wild encounters and cannot evolve on its own. A Machoke must be traded to another player to finish the job, so a partner is non-negotiable.
Catch Machop or Machoke at any of these 2 spots to eventually evolve into Machamp.
Encountered via tall grass encounters
How to Obtain Machamp in RB
To get Machamp, start by catching Machop through walking encounters at Lv. 15-24. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 2Catch or Evolve MachokeVictory Road - 2FLv.41CaveRate 5%Victory Road - 3FLv.42-45CaveRate 5%Victory Road - 1FLv.42CaveRate 4%or evolve from Machop (Step 1)
Step 3Machamp ✓
Machamp Weakness
Machamp is weak to Flying and Psychic. Not many exploitable gaps in the Fighting typing defensive chart. With 90 HP and balanced defenses, Machamp can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Flying, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Bug, Rock |
- 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
What is Machamp Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Machamp
Mewtwo Psychic | S | |
Obtain MethodCerulean Cave Interact Encounter | ||
Moltres Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodVictory Road Interact Encounter | ||
Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
Exeggutor GrassPsychic | S | |
Dodrio Normal | B | |
Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodCinnabar Island Gift | ||
Hypno Psychic | C | |
Articuno Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodSeafoam Islands Interact Encounter | ||
Slowbro WaterPsychic | B | |
Fearow Normal | C | |
Starmie WaterPsychic | S | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Staryu (Route 19 Super Rod) | ||
Pidgeot Normal | C | |
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Golbat Poison | C | |
Machamp Evolutions
Machamp is the evolved form of Machop, reached by trading. A Fighting type at 485 stats that still can't breed. The evolution from Machop pushed Machamp to 485 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +50. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
RB Machamp Best Moveset
130 Attack in a type that Psychic-types completely shut down. MoveEarthquake and MoveBody Slam often do more useful damage than Fighting TermStab since the matchups that matter are all Psychic-dominated. Powerful physically but the type works against it at the top.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Submission
- Low Kick
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Most of Machamp's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Submission and Karate Chop, but Normal and Ground and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- 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.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM 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 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 24 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Using its heavy muscles, it throws powerful punches that can send the victim clear over the horizon.
Machamp Red & Blue Guide
Machamp is obtained by trade-evolving Machoke. Catch or evolve a Machoke first, then trade.
In Red & Blue, Machamp plays as a wallbreaker. Not the fastest, so pick your spots carefully. Submission is the primary attack.
Gigantamax Machamp is exclusive to Sword & Shield, so it's not usable in Red & Blue. The form has a unique appearance and a signature G-Max move.
Game Availability
Available since Red & Blue, Machamp appears in 21 games spanning 9 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained a Gigantamax form in Generation 8.
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 Machamp.