
Is Metapod Good in Yellow Playthrough?
Every level between Caterpie and Butterfree feels slow, but the payoff matters more in Yellow than anywhere else. Brock is waiting and Pikachu can't help you.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Brock's team.
Misty's typing presses Butterfree's defenses.
Lt. Surge's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Blaine's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Giovanni's team.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Lorelei's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Agatha's team.
Lance's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Catchable
Catch Metapod in Viridian Forest (walking, Lv 4-6, uncommon).
Catch Caterpie
Catch Caterpie in Viridian Forest (walking, Lv 3-6, common).
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 3)
- LV 3NormalTacklePower 35Accuracy 95%PP 35
How to Get Metapod in Yellow
You can find Metapod itself in Viridian Forest, though it's the uncommon side of the grass there. Catching a low Caterpie and bumping it to level 7 is the faster path.
1 location to catch Metapod1 location to catch Caterpie
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Catch Caterpie at any of the 1 location below, then level it up to 7 — it evolves into Metapod.
Where To Catch Metapod in Y
Step 1Catch Caterpie
Step 3Evolve into Butterfree
To plan your throws, open the Yellow catch rate calculator with Metapod preloaded.
Metapod Weakness
Metapod's Bug typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Flying, and Rock. Metapod's physical bulk (base 55 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Poison, Flying, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Ground |
- 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 Metapod Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Metapod
Pidgeotto Normal | C | |
Nidoran♂ (male) Poison | D | |
Nidoran♀ (female) Poison | D | |
Metapod Evolutions
Metapod connects Caterpie to Butterfree as a Bug type. Can't breed at 205 stats, just keep evolving. So far, Defense got the biggest boost (+20 from Caterpie). The final form adds another 190 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Y Metapod Best Moveset
Harden raises Defense on a Pokemon with nothing to attack with and nothing worth defending. One evolution from Butterfree's MoveSleep Powder, which is the only thing keeping this line relevant.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- String Shot
- Tackle
- Harden
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
A compact toolkit overall. The offense runs through Bug STAB for Metapod, with limited coverage doing what it can. Don't expect versatility from this one.
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
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Hardens its shell to protect itself. However, a large impact may cause it to pop out of its shell.
Metapod Yellow Guide
In Yellow, for a casual playthrough, Metapod works as a placeholder. Bug coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Butterfree. That's where the stats start mattering.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Metapod appears in 19 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Metapod have the longest track record of availability in the series.
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 Metapod.