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, Psychic, and Bug. 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

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

Red / Blue

Nidorino Weakness

Vulnerable

Ground, Psychic, and Bug-type moves hit Nidorino for super-effective damage. 3 weaknesses is about average, nothing too hard to play around.

Gen I Type Chart
  • 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
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
GroundPsychicBug
½xResisti
GrassFightingPoison
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (2)i
GrassBug
3Weak
3Resist
0Immune
Scorei-3
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×.

Partway through Nidoran♂ (male)'s chain, Nidorino is a Poison type pushing toward Nidoking. No breeding at this stage. 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 not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Best Build

Gen 1 build content has limited support (no abilities, held items, or natures).

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

Without TMs, Nidorino's movepool is bare bones. With them, you get Normal and Fighting coverage and more on top of Poison Sting for STAB. The natural kit handles basics, but TMs are doing the real work.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Horn Attack
6510025Normal
Lv 1
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 8
Horn Attack
6510025Normal
Lv 14
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 23
Focus Energy
——30Normal
Lv 32
Fury Attack
158520Normal
Lv 41
Horn Drill
—305Normal
Lv 50
Double Kick
3010030Fighting

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM14
Blizzard
110905Ice
TM08
Body Slam
8510015Normal
TM11
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
TM07
Horn Drill
—305Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM40
Skull Bash
10010010Normal
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM25
Thunder
1107010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM12
Water Gun
4010025Water

Egg Moves

Nidorino doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Nidorino can't learn any Tutor moves

A handful of locations for Nidorino with decent spawn rates across mid-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.

Where To Catch Nidorino in Red & Blue

To get Nidorino, start by catching Nidoran♂ (male) through walking and gift encounters at Lv. 2-33. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Nidoran♂ (male)
    Step 1Catch Nidoran♂ (male)
    Route 22
    RedGrassLv.2-4CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 22
    BlueGrassLv.3-4RareEarlyRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Safari Zone - Center
    RedGrassLv.22CommonMidFacility
    EFFORTLESS
    Safari Zone - North
    RedGrassLv.22CommonMidFacility
    EFFORTLESS
    Safari Zone - East
    RedGrassLv.24CommonMidFacility
    EFFORTLESS
    Safari Zone - West
    RedGrassLv.25CommonMidFacility
    EFFORTLESS
    Safari Zone - East
    BlueGrassLv.24RareMidFacility
    CHALLENGING
    Safari Zone - West
    BlueGrassLv.25RareMidFacility
    CHALLENGING
  2. Nidorino
    Step 2Nidorino ✓
    Safari Zone - North
    RedGrassLv.30UncommonMidFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - North
    BlueGrassLv.30UncommonMidFacility
    EASY
    Celadon City - Game Corner
    BlueGift from NPCLv.17LimitedMidCityPurchase: 1,200 coins
    MODERATE
    Safari Zone - Center
    BlueGrassLv.31UncommonLateFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - Center
    RedGrassLv.31UncommonLateFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - East
    RedGrassLv.33UncommonLateFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - West
    RedGrassLv.33UncommonLateFacility
    EASY
    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), Alakazam (Psychic), and Pinsir (Bug) when using Nidorino. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • 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.

  • 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.