Is Nidorino Good in Ruby & Sapphire Playthrough?
Trade-only mid-stage. Moon Stone into Nidoking as soon as possible. The Gen 3 TM list gives even more coverage options than Gen 2 did.
Nidorino has the type edge here and should clean up Roxanne's team.
Nidorino has the type edge here and should clean up Brawly's team.
Wattson's typing presses Nidorino's defenses.
Nidorino has the type edge here and should clean up Flannery's team.
Nidorino trades roughly evenly with Norman's team.
Nidorino has the type edge here and should clean up Winona's team.
Tate & Liza's team hits Nidorino's weaknesses hard.
Nidorino trades roughly evenly with Wallace's team.
Nidorino has the type edge here and should clean up Sidney's team.
Phoebe's team hits Nidorino's weaknesses hard.
Nidorino trades roughly evenly with Glacia's team.
Nidorino trades roughly evenly with Drake's team.
Steven's team hits Nidorino's weaknesses hard.
Trade
Nidorino cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four. Alternatively, transfer the pre-evolution and level it up to Lv 16.
Recommended Moves
- After Brawly
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Abandoned Ship
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Mauville Game Corner
- After Wattson
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Rusturf Tunnel
- After Norman
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Dewford Town
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Lilycove Department Store
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Lilycove Department Store
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Norman
- After Wallace
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Meteor Falls
How to Get Nidorino in Ruby & Sapphire
Nidorino is a leveled-up Nidoran-M, reached at level 16 from a traded base. No wild ones exist in Hoenn.
How to Obtain Nidorino in RS
- Step 1Obtain Nidoran♂ (male)CARTRIDGE TRADEfrom FireRed & LeafGreenAvailableCatch in FireRed & LeafGreen via Walking · Safari Zone, then trade to the current game via link cable.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Red & BlueNot TradeableAppears in Red & Blue via Walking · Route 22. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom YellowNot TradeableAppears in Yellow via Walking · Route 22. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Gold & SilverNot TradeableAppears in Gold & Silver via Walking · Route 35. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom CrystalNot TradeableAppears in Crystal via Walking · Route 35 · the Yanma swarm that Bug Catcher Arnie reports by. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Diamond & PearlNot TradeableAppears in Diamond & Pearl via Pokeradar · Route 201. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom PlatinumNot TradeableAppears in Platinum via Pokeradar · Route 201. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
- Step 2Nidorino ✓
- Step 3Evolve into Nidoking
How to Get Shiny Nidorino in Ruby & Sapphire
Nidorino is missing from Hoenn, so a shiny must be caught in the Safari Zone's Center in FireRed or LeafGreen before you trade it across. See every game where Shiny Nidorino can be hunted
Nidorino Weakness
Ground and Psychic 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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Poison, Bug |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Nidorino Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Nidorino
 Latios DragonPsychic | S | |
Obtain MethodRoaming Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latios builds →Psychic 2x151-178%KO Earthquake 2x80-94% | ||
 Latias DragonPsychic | S | |
Obtain MethodRoaming Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latias builds →Psychic 2x130-154%KO Earthquake 2x73-86% | ||
 Metagross SteelPsychic | S | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Beldum (Mossdeep City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Metagross builds →Earthquake 2x112-132%KO Psychic 2x116-136%KO | ||
 Gardevoir Psychic | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Gardevoir builds →Future Sight 2x194-228%KO | ||
 Kadabra Psychic | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Kadabra builds →Future Sight 2x187-220%KO | ||
 Xatu Psychic | C | |
 Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
 Girafarig NormalPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Girafarig builds →Psychic 2x110-130%KO Earthquake 2x73-86% | ||
 Chimecho Psychic | C | |
 Grumpig Psychic | C | |
 Donphan Ground | B | |
 Flygon GroundDragon | B | |
 Swampert WaterGround | S | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Mudkip (Route 101 Gift) | ||
 Sandslash Ground | A | |
Nidorino Evolutions
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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Nidorino to get Nidoran M eggs using 102 partners from the Field and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Confusion and 4 more.
RS Nidorino Best Moveset
Middle-stage Poison improving toward Nidoking. AbilityPoison Point adds passive poison. Moon Stone brings the movepool that defines the competitive role.
Best Build
Nidorino best EVs are Defense and HP
Wall Moveset
- Sludge Bomb
- Double Edge
- Poison Sting
- Toxic
Moves List
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.
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
All 25 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
NIDORINO has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might.
Nidorino Ruby & Sapphire Guide
Nidorino isn't catchable in Ruby & Sapphire. Catch one in FireRed or LeafGreen, then trade it to Ruby & Sapphire.
Game Availability
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.
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 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Nidorino.
Keep playing · Ruby & SapphireRuby & Sapphire Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Ruby & Sapphire Tier List