Is Nidoran♂ (male) Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Grand Underground catch. Evolve with Moon Stone into Nidoking for a powerful mixed attacker.
Roark's team hits Nidoran♂ (male)'s weaknesses hard.
Nidorino has the type edge here and should clean up Gardenia's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Volkner's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Bertha's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catch Nidoran M on Route 201 (Poké Radar, Lv 2, rare).
Your Nidoran♂ (male) should hit Level 16 before you reach Gardenia, at typical leveling pace.
You can usually obtain this item before you reach Maylene.
How to Get Nidoran♂ (male) in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
decent spawn rates across 18 locations for Nidoran♂ (male) in early-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.
Where To Catch Nidoran♂ (male) in BDSP
The path to Nidoran♂ (male) starts with Nidoran♂ (male) at Lv. 2-63 via walking and special encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Nidoran♂ (male) ✓Route 201Lv.3Using PokeRadarShining PearlRate 20%Route 201Lv.2Using PokeRadarBrilliant DiamondRate 2%Bogsunk CavernLv.58-63GrassPost-gameDazzling CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameGrassland CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameRiverbank CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStargleam CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameStill-Water CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSunlit CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSwampy CaveLv.58-63GrassPost-game
Step 2Catch or Evolve into NidorinoValor LakefrontLv.21-22Using PokeRadarShining PearlRate 20%Route 221Lv.29Using PokeRadarShining PearlRate 20%Valor LakefrontLv.22Using PokeRadarBrilliant DiamondRate 2%Route 221Lv.30Using PokeRadarBrilliant DiamondRate 2%Bogsunk CavernLv.58-63GrassPost-gameDazzling CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameGrassland CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameRiverbank CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStargleam CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameStill-Water CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSunlit CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSwampy CaveLv.58-63GrassPost-gameor evolve from Nidoran♂ (male) (Step 1)
Step 3Evolve into Nidoking
Nidoran♂ (male) Weakness
Nidoran♂ (male) is weak to Ground and Psychic. The Poison typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Nidoran♂ (male)'s Poison typing only leaves 2 gaps to cover.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Fairy |
What is Nidoran♂ (male) Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Nidoran♂ (male)
 Marowak Ground | C | |
 Kadabra Psychic | B | |
 Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
 Bronzor SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Bronzor builds →Dream Eater 2x74-87% Earthquake 2x49-58% | ||
 Girafarig NormalPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Girafarig builds →Dream Eater 2x174-205%KO Earthquake 2x104-124%KO | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
 Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Bronzong builds →Dream Eater 2x156-183%KO Earthquake 2x113-133%KO | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
Girafarig NormalPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Girafarig builds →Dream Eater 2x170-200%KO Earthquake 2x103-122%KO | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Bronzong builds →Dream Eater 2x151-178%KO Earthquake 2x109-129%KO | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
Girafarig NormalPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Girafarig builds →Dream Eater 2x167-197%KO Earthquake 2x100-119%KO | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Kadabra builds →Future Sight 2x258-304%KO | ||
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Bronzong builds →Future Sight 2x183-216%KO Earthquake 2x111-131%KO | ||
 Steelix SteelGround | B | |
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Landorus's Rock Slide hits Nidoran♂ (male) for 74-88%. Hatterene threatens a KO with Psyshock (260-306%).
 Landorus Ground | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySheerforce ItemLife Orb NatureNaive Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Landorus builds →Rock Slide74-88% | ||
 Hatterene PsychicFairy | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Bounce ItemLeftovers NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Hatterene builds →Psyshock 2x260-306%KO | ||
Nidoran♂ (male) Evolutions
The three-stage chain from Nidoran♂ (male) through Nidorino ends here at Nidoran♂ (male). Want more? Breed for Nidoran♂ (male) eggs. A massive partner pool available via two egg groups. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Nidoran♂ (male) to get Nidoran M eggs using 131 partners from the Ground and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Confusion and 10 more.
BDSP Nidoran♂ (male) Best Moveset
57 Attack and 50 Speed on a Poison pre-evo where hidden AbilityHustle boosts Attack at accuracy cost but can't be used competitively. The moveset waits for Nidoking where hidden AbilitySheer Force at 102 Attack reaches A-tier.
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves List
The TM pool is where it gets interesting. Coverage across 12 types means almost nothing walls Nidoran♂ (male) cleanly, with Sludge Bomb and Poison Jab anchoring the STAB side. Matchup flexibility isn't a problem.
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
It scans its surroundings by raising its ears out of the grass. Its toxic horn is for protection.
Nidoran♂ (male) Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Nidoran♂ (male) at 273 BST is a stepping stone. Evolve it when you can for a real stat jump.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Nidoran%e2%99%82 Male appears in 19 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Nidoran%e2%99%82 Male 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 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