
Is Machop Good in Red & Blue Playthrough?
Machop is slow and fragile on the special side but hits hard physically. Fighting coverage is valuable throughout Red and Blue. The goal is Machamp, but that requires trading through Machoke.
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.
Catchable
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 Machop in Red & Blue
Machop works Rock Tunnel and Victory Road, ten spots, common in the latter. A dependable Fighting-type once you reach the mid-game tunnels, present in both versions.
2 locations to catch Machop
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Where To Catch Machop in RB
The line opens with Machop at Lv. 15-24 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 2Catch or Evolve into MachokeVictory Road - 2FLv.41CaveRate 5%Victory Road - 3FLv.42-45CaveRate 5%Victory Road - 1FLv.42CaveRate 4%or evolve from Machop (Step 1)
Step 3Evolve into Machamp
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in Red & Blue for Machop.
Machop Weakness
Type-wise, Machop takes extra damage from Flying and Psychic. Its Fighting typing keeps the defensive matchups simple. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.
| 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 Machop Weak Against
AvgMachop Evolutions
Machop starts a line toward Machamp. Can't breed this Fighting type (305 stats), so keep the evolution path going. Evolving adds up to 200 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
RB Machop Best Moveset
Fighting pre-evolution with stats too low to compete. The typing actively hurts in a meta where Psychic dominates everything. Evolve through Machoke toward Machamp.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Low Kick
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
TMs define Machop's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Submission and Karate Chop, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Normal and Ground 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.
- 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 23 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Loves to build its muscles. It trains in all styles of martial arts to become even stronger.
Machop Red & Blue Guide
In Red & Blue, Machop does the job early-game if you need a Fighting type on your team. Evolve it into Machoke before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Game Availability
Machop has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 21 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
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 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
Explore
Where to go next after Machop.