What is the strongest Pokémon move?

Explosion has the highest base power at 250 across all generations. Raw power isn't everything, though. Accuracy, type matchups, and secondary effects like burn or flinch often matter more than the number on the tin.

What is the difference between Physical and Special moves?

Physical moves deal damage using the Attack stat against the target's Defense. Special moves use Sp. Atk against Sp. Def. Before Gen 4, the move's type decided the category (all Fire moves were Special, all Fighting were Physical). Since Gen 4, each move has its own fixed category.

How do Priority moves work in Pokémon?

Priority moves go before normal moves regardless of Speed. Quick Attack (+1) and Extreme Speed (+2) always strike first in their bracket. Negative priority moves like Trick Room (-7) and Vital Throw (-1) always go last. Same priority? The faster Pokémon moves first.

What are TMs, HMs, and TRs in Pokémon?

TMs (Technical Machines) and HMs (Hidden Machines) teach moves to compatible Pokémon. TMs became reusable in Gen 5 and stayed that way until Scarlet and Violet made them craftable single-use items again. HMs taught required field moves like Surf and Fly, but Ride Pokémon replaced them in Gen 7. TRs were a single-use TM variant exclusive to Sword and Shield.

What moves were added in the latest generation?

Generation 9 added 69 new moves to the game. New moves usually pair with new Pokémon and abilities from the same generation, and balance changes to existing moves shake up team building across the board.

The Complete Move Database

Pokémon Moves

Q: How many moves are in Pokémon?

There are 952 moves across all generations, split across Physical, Special, and Status categories and all 18 types. New moves get added each generation, and older ones sometimes get reworked or cut entirely.

Every move across every generation. Filter by power, accuracy, type, effects, and battle properties to find what you need.

COMPLETE MOVE LIST

Move Spotlight

Revival Blessing

—

#1 PickStatus

Revival Blessing

NormalStatus

Power—

Accuracy—

PP1

Used by

No move in Pokemon history had ever revived a fainted teammate during battle until Revival Blessing in Scarlet & Violet. Pawmot and Rabsca could bring back a knocked-out partner to half HP, breaking the fundamental rule that losing a Pokemon means losing it for the match. Teambuilding had to account for something that never existed before.

Revival Blessing (Normal / Status)

No move in Pokemon history had ever revived a fainted teammate during battle until Revival Blessing in Scarlet & Violet. Pawmot and Rabsca could bring back a knocked-out partner to half HP, breaking the fundamental rule that losing a Pokemon means losing it for the match. Teambuilding had to account for something that never existed before.

Ice Spinner

#2 PickPhysical

Ice Spinner

IcePhysical

Power80

Accuracy100%

PP15

Used by

Gen 9 made terrain a core competitive mechanic, and Ice Spinner was built to counter it. 80 base power physical Ice that removed any active terrain on hit. Iron Bundle and Baxcalibur used it for both damage and tactical terrain control, making it one of the most flexible moves in Scarlet & Violet.

Ice Spinner (Ice / Physical)

Gen 9 made terrain a core competitive mechanic, and Ice Spinner was built to counter it. 80 base power physical Ice that removed any active terrain on hit. Iron Bundle and Baxcalibur used it for both damage and tactical terrain control, making it one of the most flexible moves in Scarlet & Violet.

Make It Rain

120

#3 PickSpecial

Make It Rain

SteelSpecial

Power120

Accuracy100%

PP5

Gholdengo's Make It Rain paired Steel-type spread damage with Good as Gold, which blocked every status move in the game. No burns, no paralysis, no Toxic. Gholdengo couldn't be slowed down through status, and it hit both opponents in doubles. The most dominant offensive presence in Gen 9 competitive play.

Make It Rain (Steel / Special)

Gholdengo's Make It Rain paired Steel-type spread damage with Good as Gold, which blocked every status move in the game. No burns, no paralysis, no Toxic. Gholdengo couldn't be slowed down through status, and it hit both opponents in doubles. The most dominant offensive presence in Gen 9 competitive play.

952movesGen 1–93 categories

No active filters

Must-Know

Moves Every Trainer Should Know

The moves that define Pokémon battling, whether you are playing through the story or building your first team. Start here.

Evolution

How Moves Changed

Moves are not static. A handful of changes across the generations reshaped how the whole game is played.

Gen I
The Original 165
165 moves launch with Red & Blue
The entire vocabulary of Pokemon battling starts here. Earthquake, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Swords Dance are all Gen I originals and still among the best moves in the game nine generations later.
Gen II
The Special Split
Special to Sp. Atk + Sp. Def
Gold and Silver split the original Special stat into Sp. Atk and Sp. Def. Every attacking and defending move is balanced around this divide to this day.
Gen III
Abilities Change Everything
Abilities introduced
Ruby and Sapphire give every Pokemon a passive Ability that changes how moves work. Levitate ignores Earthquake, Intimidate weakens physical hits before they land. Dragon Dance debuts the same generation.
Gen IV
Physical & Special Per Move
Category set per move, not type
The biggest mechanical shift in franchise history. Before Gen IV, all Fire moves were Special and all Fighting moves were Physical because the type decided. Now each move has its own category. Hundreds of Pokemon become viable overnight.
Gen V
TMs Become Reusable
TMs: single-use to infinite
Technical Machines can finally be used more than once. No more hoarding that one Earthquake TM. Teach it to your whole team.
Gen VI
Fairy Type Arrives
18th type added to the game
The Fairy type rebalances the entire type chart. Dragon moves lose their dominance, and new moves like Moonblast and Play Rough give every team a Dragon answer.
Gen VIII
The Move Purge
Dozens of moves removed
Sword and Shield removes dozens of long-standing moves from the game entirely, including Hidden Power and Return. The biggest shake-up to available movesets in franchise history.
Gen IX
TMs Go Craftable
TMs craftable from materials
Scarlet and Violet makes TMs single-use again but now you craft them from materials dropped by wild Pokemon. Learning moves becomes part of the exploration loop.

Questions

Pokémon Moves: Frequently Asked

What is STAB?

STAB stands for Same-Type Attack Bonus. A Pokémon using a move that matches its own type gets a 1.5x damage boost. So a Water-type using Surf hits 50% harder than if a Normal-type used it. That bonus stacks with super effective damage too.

Physical vs Special: what is the difference?

Physical moves calculate damage using Attack against Defense. Special moves use Sp. Atk against Sp. Def instead. Before Gen IV, the type of the move decided the category. All Fire moves were Special, all Fighting were Physical. Now each move has its own category set individually.

How many moves are in Pokémon?

Over 900 moves exist across nine generations of Pokémon games. Not every move shows up in every game, though. Sword and Shield cut several long-standing ones entirely, and each new generation adds fresh moves while occasionally retiring others.

Can any Pokémon learn any move?

No. Every Pokémon has a fixed learnset. You can pick up moves through leveling, TMs, breeding (Egg Moves), or Move Tutors. Some moves are locked to certain Pokémon or evolution lines. Checking learnsets before you build a team saves a lot of wasted time.

What does priority mean?

Priority decides which move goes first regardless of Speed. Most moves sit at priority 0. Quick Attack (+1) and Protect (+4) go before normal moves every time. Negative priority moves like Trick Room (-7) always go last. Within the same priority level, Speed decides the order.

Moves Every Trainer Should Know

How Moves Changed

The Original 165

The Special Split

Abilities Change Everything

Physical & Special Per Move

TMs Become Reusable

Fairy Type Arrives

The Move Purge

TMs Go Craftable