Physical
Balanced
365Low
65Moderate
DTier

Mid-stage Pokemon like Nidorino rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Nidoking, which is where the real potential kicks in. Only weak to Ground and Psychic. Known as the Poison Pin Pokemon.

Nidorino's stats barely vary. 0 sit in respectable range with no real gaps. It's a blank slate for EV investment. Worth 2 Attack EVs, 1.06M XP medium-slow curve to max.

Base Stats
365Avg
HP61
C
Attack72
C
Defense57
D
Sp. Atk55
D
Sp. Def55
D
Speed65
C
Total365
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Nidorino yields +2 Atk
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch120Moderate•Medium Slow1.06M XP•0.9m / 2'11"•19.5kg / 43 lbs•128Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It is easily angered. By swinging its well-developed horn wildly, it can even punch through diamond.

Fire Red

An aggressive POKéMON that is quick to attack. The horn on its head secretes a powerful venom.

Leaf Green

Nidorino Weakness

Avg

Ground and Psychic-type moves hit Nidorino for super-effective damage. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
GroundPsychic
½xResisti
GrassFightingPoisonBug
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (1)i
Grass
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesAbsorbs on switch
Abilities
Poison PointHas a 30% chance of poisoning attacking Pokémon on contact.
RivalryIncreases damage inflicted to 1.25× against Pokémon of the same gender, but decreases damage to 0.75× against the opposite gender.
HustleHAStrengthens physical moves to inflict 1.5× damage, but decreases their accuracy to 0.8×.

Nidorino is partway through a three-stage line between Nidoran♂ (male) and Nidoking. The chain involves an evolution item, so it's not a straightforward grind. So far, Defense got the biggest boost (+17 from Nidoran M). The final form adds another 140 stats on top.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Nidoran♂ (male)
#032Nidoran♂ (male)
16
Level 16
Nidorino
#033Nidorino
Moon Stone
Nidoking
#034Nidoking
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Nidoran♂ (male)
Poison
Nidorino
Poison
Nidoking
PoisonGround
HP
46
61+15
81+20
ATK
57
72+15
102+30
DEF
40
57+17
77+20
SP.ATK
40
55+15
85+30
SP.DEF
40
55+15
75+20
SPE
50
65+15
85+20
BST
273D-Tier
365D-Tier+92
505C-Tier+140
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Attacker
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Mixed
Breeding
Moderate

Breed with Nidorino to get Nidoran M eggs using 102 partners from the Ground and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Confusion and 4 more.

Egg Groups
GroundMonster
Gender
♂100.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
7moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosvenusaurcharizardblastoisemeganiumferaligatrsceptileswampert
12 of 102·

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Coverage runs deep. Nidorino can hit 10 types beyond STAB, including Flying and Fighting. The offense anchors on Sludge Bomb and Poison Sting while TMs handle everything else.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Peck
3510035Flying
Lv 8
Focus Energy
——30Normal
Lv 12
Double Kick
3010030Fighting
Lv 18
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 22
Horn Attack
6510025Normal
Lv 26
Helping Hand+5
——20Normal
Lv 34
Fury Attack
158520Normal
Lv 43
Flatter
—10015Dark
Lv 53
Horn Drill
—305Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM34
Shock Wave
60—20Electric
TM36
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
——5Fire
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Amnesia
——20Psychic
Egg
Beat Up
—10010Dark
Egg
Confusion
5010025Psychic
Egg
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
Egg
Disable
—5520Normal
Egg
Supersonic
—5520Normal
Egg
Take Down
908520Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Tutor
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
Tutor
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Tutor
Mimic
——10Normal
Tutor
Substitute
——10Normal

Nidorino appears at decent spawn rates across 7 spots in mid-game routes. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.

Where To Catch Nidorino in FireRed & LeafGreen

Nidoran♂ (male) is your first catch on the way to Nidorino. You'll find walking and trade encounters from Lv. 6-33 across 17 total spots in the chain.

  1. Nidoran♂ (male)
    Step 1Catch Nidoran♂ (male)
    Route 3
    FireRedGrassLv.6-7UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 3
    LeafGreenGrassLv.6RareEarlyRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Safari Zone - Center
    FireRedGrassLv.22UncommonMidFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - West
    FireRedGrassLv.22UncommonMidFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - East
    FireRedGrassLv.24UncommonMidFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - North
    FireRedGrassLv.30UncommonMidFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - East
    LeafGreenGrassLv.24RareMidFacility
    CHALLENGING
    Safari Zone - West
    LeafGreenGrassLv.30RareMidFacility
    CHALLENGING
    Route 5
    LeafGreenIn-game tradeLimitedRouteTrade for (give Nidoran♀)
    LEGENDARY
    Underground Path 5-6
    LeafGreenIn-game tradeLimitedRouteTrade for (give Nidoran♀)
    LEGENDARY
  2. Nidorino
    Step 2Nidorino ✓
    Safari Zone - North
    FireRedGrassLv.30UncommonMidFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - West
    FireRedGrassLv.30UncommonMidFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - North
    LeafGreenGrassLv.30RareMidFacility
    CHALLENGING
    Safari Zone - Center
    FireRedGrassLv.31UncommonLateFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - East
    FireRedGrassLv.33UncommonLateFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - Center
    LeafGreenGrassLv.31RareLateFacility
    CHALLENGING
    Route 11
    LeafGreenIn-game tradeLimitedRouteTrade for (give Nidorina)
    LEGENDARY
    or evolve from Nidoran♂ (male) (Step 1)

  • Nidorino isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Nidoking to unlock its full potential. At 365 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • Watch for Rhydon (Ground) and Alakazam (Psychic) when using Nidorino. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Nidoran M evolves into Nidorino at level 16. Nidorino evolves into Nidoking using a Moon Stone. Nidorino is a middle-stage evolution in the Nidoran M line.

  • Poison Point has a 30% chance of poisoning attacking Pokémon on contact — that's the one you want on Nidorino. Hustle is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Rivalry works too if your team needs something different.

  • Nidorino fills the balanced role. It's a physical attacker with base 72 Attack. At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often.

  • Nidorino appears in 19 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Nidorino has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 19 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.