Special
Pivot
505High
100Fast
CTier

Ninetales doesn't stand out in any single area, but it gets the job done for in-game teams. Only weak to Water, Ground, and Rock. Been around since Gen 1. Known as the Fox Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

Nothing fancy in Ninetales's spread. It leans mixed with Sp. Def out front. And you'll get 2 Sp. Def and Speed EVs per KO for it. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
505High
HP73
C
Attack76
C
Defense75
C
Sp. Atk81
C
Sp. Def100
B
Speed100
B
Total505
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Ninetales yields +1 SpD, +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpD+1Spe+1
Details
Catch75Challenging•Medium Fast1M XP•1.1m / 3'07"•19.9kg / 43.9 lbs•177Base XP
Pokedex Entries

Very smart and very vengeful. Grabbing one of its many tails could result in a 1000-year curse.

Red / Blue

Ninetales Weakness

Avg

Type-wise, Ninetales takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. The Fire typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Ninetales's special bulk (base 100 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

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
WaterGroundRock
½xResisti
FireGrassIceBug
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (3)i
GrassIceBug
3Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei-2
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Flash FireProtects against fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.
DroughtHASummons strong sunlight that lasts indefinitely upon entering battle.
Flash Fire grants Fire immunity

Vulpix's chain leads to Ninetales (using a Fire Stone). A Fire type at 505 stats, sitting in the Undiscovered group. The evolution from Vulpix pushed Ninetales to 505 total stats. HP saw the largest single gain at +35.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Vulpix
#037Vulpix
Fire Stone
Ninetales
#038Ninetales
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Vulpix
Fire
Ninetales
Fire
HP
38
73+35
ATK
41
76+35
DEF
40
75+35
SP.ATK
50
81+31
SP.DEF
65
100+35
SPE
65
100+35
BST
299D-Tier
505B-Tier+206
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Mixed
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

the remaining moves keeps opponents guessing about Ninetales's real targets. An item provides extra utility while flexible EVs EVs and a nature nature handle the stat profile. An ability ties it together.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Best Ninetales Moveset

  • Confuse Ray
  • Fire SpinSTAB
  • Fire BlastSTAB
  • Body Slam

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosGood
Snorlax
SnorlaxGood
Chansey
ChanseyDecent

Most of Ninetales's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Fire Blast and Flamethrower, but Normal and Ground and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 1
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 1
Roar-6
——20Normal
Lv 1
Tail Whip
—10030Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM08
Body Slam
8510015Normal
TM28
Dig
10010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM40
Skull Bash
10010010Normal
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Ninetales doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Ninetales can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
Confuse Ray
—10010Ghost
Rem
Fire Spin
357015Fire
Rem
Flamethrower
9510015Fire

Ninetales doesn't appear wild. Catch Vulpix instead, it shows up at solid rates. Evolve it through a special method to get Ninetales. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.

How to Obtain Ninetales in Red & Blue

Vulpix is your first catch on the way to Ninetales. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 15-35 across 6 total spots in the chain.

  1. Vulpix
    Step 1Catch Vulpix
    Route 8
    GrassLv.15-18UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 7
    GrassLv.18-20UncommonMidRoute
    EASY
    Pokémon Mansion - 2F
    GrassLv.32CommonLateBuilding
    EFFORTLESS
    Pokémon Mansion - 3F
    GrassLv.33UncommonLateBuilding
    EASY
    Pokémon Mansion - 1F
    GrassLv.34UncommonLateBuilding
    EASY
    Pokémon Mansion - B1F
    GrassLv.35UncommonLateBuilding
    EASY
  2. Ninetales
    Step 2Ninetales ✓

  • Ninetales looks average on paper at 505 BST. But Drought is why it sees play — build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier pivot on our tier list.

  • Ninetales's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Golem (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

  • Vulpix evolves into Ninetales using a Fire Stone. Ninetales is the final evolution in a 3-stage line starting from Vulpix. At 505 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • Ninetales is a special attacker with base 81 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.

  • Ninetales appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Available since Red & Blue, Ninetales appears in 21 games spanning 9 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained an Alolan form in Generation 7.