In Red & Blue, 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.

What is Nidorino weak to?

In Red & Blue, watch for Rhydon (Ground), Alakazam (Psychic), and Pinsir (Bug) when using Nidorino. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

How do you evolve Nidorino?

In Red & Blue, 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.

What role does Nidorino play in battle?

In Red & Blue, 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.

Should I use Nidorino?

In Red & Blue, Nidorino does the job early-game if you need a Poison type on your team. Evolve it into Nidoking before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

Nidorino - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Balanced

DTier

65Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

Nidorino's stats barely vary. None sit in respectable range with no real gaps. It's a blank slate for EV investment. Worth 2 Attack stat exp, 1.06M XP medium-slow curve to max.

Base Stats

Avg

HP61

Attack72

Defense57

Sp. Atk55

Sp. Def55

Speed65

Total365

Details

Catch Rate

Moderate120 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Slow1.06M XP

Height0.9 m

Weight19.5 kg

Base XP128

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

Poison Point

Has a 30% chance of poisoning attacking Pokémon on contact.

Rivalry

Increases damage inflicted to 1.25× against Pokémon of the same gender, but decreases damage to 0.75× against the opposite gender.

HustleHA

Strengthens physical moves to inflict 1.5× damage, but decreases their accuracy to 0.8×.

EV Yield

HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe

Attack training target

Pokedex Entries

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

Nidorino Weakness

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

Nidorino Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Ground, Psychic, Bug
0.5x (Resist)	Grass, Fighting, Poison

Type ChartVulnerable

3Weak

3Resist

0Immune

Score-3

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

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Ground Psychic Bug

½xResist

Grass Fighting Poison

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (2)

Grass Bug

How to Beat Nidorino in Red & Blue (Best Counters)

Dugtrio Ground	C
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 101-119%KO View Dugtrio builds →
Onix RockGround	C
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 58-69% View Onix builds →
Sandshrew Ground	C
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 82-98% View Sandshrew builds →
Geodude RockGround	C
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 86-101%KO View Geodude builds →
Cubone Ground	D
Available Moves Moves DigTM28 Bone ClubLv. 1 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 61-72% Bone Club 2x 52-61% View Cubone builds →

Red & Blue Evolution

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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms

#032Nidoran♂ (male)

Level 16

#033Nidorino

Moon Stone

#034Nidoking

Stat Comparison 3 Stages

Nidoran♂ (male)

Poison

Nidorino

Poison

Nidoking

PoisonGround

61+15

81+20

ATK

72+15

102+30

DEF

57+17

77+20

SP.ATK

55+15

85+30

SP.DEF

55+15

75+20

SPE

65+15

85+20

BST

273D-Tier

365D-Tier+92

505C-Tier+140

ROLE

Balanced

Attacker

TYPE

Utility

Physical

Mixed

Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Red & Blue Nidorino Best Moveset

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.

Moves

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

D3510035Normal

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

D3010030Fighting

TM Moves

TM34

Bide+1

———10Normal

TM14

Blizzard

D110905Ice

TM08

Body Slam

C8510015Normal

TM11

Bubble Beam

D6510020Water

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM10

Double-Edge

C12010015Normal

TM07

Horn Drill

——305Normal

TM13

Ice Beam

D9510010Ice

TM31

Mimic

———10Normal

TM20

Rage

—2010020Normal

TM33

Reflect

C——20Psychic

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM40

Skull Bash

C10010010Normal

TM50

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM09

Take Down

—908520Normal

TM25

Thunder

D1107010Electric

TM24

Thunderbolt

D9510015Electric

TM06

Toxic

C—9010Poison

TM12

Water Gun

D4010025Water

Egg Moves

Nidorino doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Nidorino can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Nidorino in Red & Blue

A handful of locations for Nidorino with moderate 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.

Step 1Catch Nidoran♂ (male)
Route 22
RedGrass Lv.2-4 Route
40%Early
Route 22
BlueGrass Lv.3-4 Route
40%Early
Safari Zone - Center
RedGrass Lv.22 Facility
20%Mid
Safari Zone - North
RedGrass Lv.22 Facility
20%Mid
Safari Zone - East
RedGrass Lv.24 Facility
20%Mid
Safari Zone - West
RedGrass Lv.25 Facility
20%Mid
Safari Zone - East
BlueGrass Lv.24 Facility
5%Mid
Safari Zone - West
BlueGrass Lv.25 Facility
5%Mid
Train until Level 16
Step 2Nidorino ✓
Safari Zone - North
RedGrass Lv.30 Facility
10%Mid
Safari Zone - North
BlueGrass Lv.30 Facility
5%Mid
Celadon City - Game Corner
BlueGift from NPC Lv.17 City
LimitedMid
Purchase: 1,200 coins
Safari Zone - Center
RedGrass Lv.31 Facility
10%Late
Safari Zone - East
RedGrass Lv.33 Facility
10%Late
Safari Zone - West
RedGrass Lv.33 Facility
10%Late
Safari Zone - Center
BlueGrass Lv.31 Facility
5%Late
or evolve from Nidoran♂ (male) (Step 1)

Nidorino Guide

In Red & Blue, 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.
In Red & Blue, watch for Rhydon (Ground), Alakazam (Psychic), and Pinsir (Bug) when using Nidorino. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.
In Red & Blue, 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.
In Red & Blue, 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.
In Red & Blue, Nidorino does the job early-game if you need a Poison type on your team. Evolve it into Nidoking before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

Game Availability

Nidorino has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 19 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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Rhydon GroundRock	S
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 163-192%KO Dig 2x 131-154%KO View Rhydon builds →
Dugtrio Ground	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 131-154%KO Dig 2x 104-124%KO View Dugtrio builds →
Sandslash Ground	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 131-154%KO Dig 2x 104-124%KO View Sandslash builds →
Nidoqueen PoisonGround	C
Obtain MethodEvolve Nidorina (Celadon City Gift) TM Move Moves EarthquakeTM26 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 124-146%KO View Nidoqueen builds →
Nidoking PoisonGround	C
Obtain MethodEvolve Nidorino (Celadon City Gift) TM Move Moves EarthquakeTM26 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 133-157%KO View Nidoking builds →

Sandshrew Ground	C
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 86-102%KO View Sandshrew builds →
Geodude RockGround	C
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 90-108%KO View Geodude builds →
Abra Psychic	C
Upcoming Move Moves View Abra builds →
Paras BugGrass	D
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 54-64% View Paras builds →

Sandshrew Ground	C
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 86-102%KO View Sandshrew builds →
Geodude RockGround	C
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 90-108%KO View Geodude builds →
Abra Psychic	C
Upcoming Move Moves View Abra builds →
Paras BugGrass	D
TM Move Moves DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Dig 2x 54-64% View Paras builds →

Dugtrio Ground	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 131-155%KO Dig 2x 106-126%KO View Dugtrio builds →
Onix RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 73-87% Dig 2x 60-71% View Onix builds →
Rhyhorn GroundRock	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 115-135%KO Dig 2x 92-110%KO View Rhyhorn builds →
Sandshrew Ground	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 103-123%KO Dig 2x 85-100%KO View Sandshrew builds →
Cubone Ground	D
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Bone ClubLv. 1 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 78-94% Dig 2x 66-77% Bone Club 2x 55-65% View Cubone builds →

Dugtrio Ground	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 125-148%KO Dig 2x 102-120%KO View Dugtrio builds →
Onix RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 70-82% Dig 2x 55-66% View Onix builds →
Rhyhorn GroundRock	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 111-131%KO Dig 2x 89-105%KO View Rhyhorn builds →
Sandshrew Ground	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 102-120%KO Dig 2x 81-96% View Sandshrew builds →
Cubone Ground	D
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeTM26 DigTM28 Bone ClubLv. 1 BonemerangLv. 43 Damage vs Nidorino Earthquake 2x 75-89% Dig 2x 59-70% Bone Club 2x 49-59% Bonemerang 2x 40-47% View Cubone builds →