Is Ninjask Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
AbilitySpeed Boost makes Ninjask faster every turn. The problem is that 90 Attack isn't enough to threaten gym leaders. More of a Swords Dance passer than a standalone attacker. Niche.
Nincada trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
Ninjask resists most of Gardenia's coverage and hits back hard.
Shedinja has the type edge here and should clean up Gardenia's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Gardenia:
Ninjask has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Shedinja trades roughly evenly with Maylene's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Maylene:
Ninjask trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Shedinja trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Crasher Wake:
Ninjask trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Shedinja trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Fantina:
Ninjask trades roughly evenly with Byron's team.
Shedinja has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Byron:
Ninjask has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Shedinja has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Candice:
Ninjask trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Shedinja trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Volkner:
Ninjask has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Aaron's team hits Shedinja's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Aaron:
Ninjask trades roughly evenly with Bertha's team.
Shedinja trades roughly evenly with Bertha's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bertha:
Ninjask trades roughly evenly with Flint's team.
Flint's team hits Shedinja's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Flint:
Ninjask has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Shedinja trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lucian:
Ninjask trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Shedinja trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Cynthia:
Catch Nincada on Eterna Forest (Poké Radar, Lv 10-12, common).
Your Nincada should hit Level 20 before you reach Gardenia, at typical leveling pace.
Your Nincada should hit Level 20 before you reach Gardenia, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Ninjask in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Ninjask doesn't appear wild. Catch Nincada instead, it shows up at decent rates. Evolve it at level 20 to get Ninjask. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.
How to Obtain Ninjask in BDSP
To get Ninjask, start by catching Nincada through walking and special encounters at Lv. 10-63. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch NincadaEterna ForestLv.10-12Using PokeRadarRate 22%Grassland CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameRiverbank CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStill-Water CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSunlit CavernLv.58-63CavePost-game
Step 2Ninjask ✓
Ninjask Weakness
Ninjask's Bug/Flying typing leaves it vulnerable to Rock, Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying. Rock hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Ground-type attacks completely. At base 160 Speed, Ninjask outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Rock |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Electric, Ice, Flying |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Bug |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
What is Ninjask Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Ninjask
 Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x192-226%KO Thunderbolt 2x69-82% | ||
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Graveler builds →Stone Edge 4x300-353%KO Fire Blast 2x60-71% | ||
 Manectric Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Manectric builds →Thunderbolt 2x138-162%KO Overheat 2x129-153%KO | ||
 Golbat Poison | C | |
Obtain MethodMt Coronet Surfing | ||
 Luxray Electric | C | |
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x192-226%KO Thunderbolt 2x69-82% | ||
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Graveler builds →Stone Edge 4x300-353%KO Fire Blast 2x60-71% | ||
Manectric Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Manectric builds →Thunderbolt 2x138-162%KO Overheat 2x129-153%KO | ||
Golbat Poison | C | |
Obtain MethodMt Coronet Surfing | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x181-214%KO Thunderbolt 2x67-79% | ||
 Staraptor Normal | B | |
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Graveler builds →Stone Edge 4x292-345%KO Fire Blast 2x56-67% | ||
 Dodrio Normal | C | |
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x179-211%KO Thunderbolt 2x66-78% | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
Staraptor Normal | B | |
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Graveler builds →Stone Edge 4x288-339%KO Fire Blast 2x56-67% | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x176-207%KO Thunderbolt 2x66-78% | ||
Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
 Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Mamoswine builds →Stone Edge 4x249-293%KO Ice Fang 2x122-145%KO | ||
Staraptor Normal | B | |
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x176-207%KO Thunderbolt 2x66-78% | ||
Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Mamoswine builds →Stone Edge 4x249-293%KO Ice Fang 2x122-145%KO | ||
Staraptor Normal | B | |
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 4x385-453%KO Avalanche 2x77-91% Fire Blast 2x56-66% Thunderbolt 2x46-55% | ||
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x182-215%KO Thunderbolt 2x68-80% | ||
 Magcargo FireRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Magcargo builds →Ancient Power 4x159-188%KO Overheat 2x169-199%KO | ||
Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Tyranitar can KO Ninjask with Stone Edge (783-922%). Arcanine threatens a KO with Flare Blitz (249-293%).
 Tyranitar RockDark | A | |
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Tyranitar builds →Crunch157-185%KO Stone Edge 4x783-922%KO | ||
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemRocky Helmet NatureHasty Moves
Damage vs Ninjask View Arcanine builds →Extreme Speed56-65% Flare Blitz 2x249-293%KO Flamethrower 2x128-151%KO | ||
 Salamence Dragon | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemLife Orb NatureAdamant Moves View Salamence builds →
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Ninjask Evolutions
Out of 2 evolutions from Nincada, Ninjask comes from the level-up path. The method you use determines which form you end up with. Breed through Nincada to get eggs. Stat-wise, Ninjask comes out 220 points ahead of Shedinja, mostly thanks to a bigger Speed gain. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
BDSP Ninjask Best Moveset
Crashed from S-tier as 160 Speed and AbilitySpeed Boost stacking even more Speed each turn couldn't compensate for 90 Attack on Bug/Flying typing. The moveset outspeeds literally everything but E-tier because the offensive stats behind that Speed can't break through dedicated answers. Raw pace without power.
Best Build
Ninjask best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Swords Dance
- Protect
- Leech Life
- U Turn
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
You'll want to breed for Bug Bite and Final Gambit on Ninjask. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Bug Buzz and X-Scissor, they expand what Ninjask can actually threaten in practice.
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
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Because they move so quickly, they sometimes become unseeable. They congregate around tree sap.
Ninjask Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Don't let Ninjask's 456 base stat total fool you. Speed Boost is what makes it tick. It punches way above its weight class. We rate it B-Tier as a pivot. Swords Dance with Focus Sash is the standard set.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, watch for Golem (Rock), Charizard (Fire), and Raikou (Electric) when using Ninjask. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Golem is the most dangerous since Rock moves deal 4x damage. Ice and Flying-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. Ninjask's base 160 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Run Speed Boost on Ninjask. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Ninjask also gets Infiltrator, but they don't compare.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Ninjask fills the pivot role. It's a physical attacker with base 90 Attack. Base 160 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. And it's fragile, can't afford to take many hits.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, run Swords Dance, Protect, Leechlife, and U Turn on Ninjask. Swords Dance is the most common pick at 0% usage. This set covers the pivot role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Ninjask first appeared in Ruby & Sapphire and has been available in 14 games across 8 generations. Obtainable through wild encounters in most titles where it appears.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
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 7LGPE
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