Mixed
Pivot
440Average
115Fast
BTier

Free switch-ins on Ghost moves make Persian useful in any team that needs that coverage. Only 1 weaknesses keeps it safe in most matchups. Known as the Classy Cat Pokemon. Can go either physical or special depending on the set.

Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Persian's Speed does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 2 Speed EVs per KO. Moderately hard to find, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
440Above
HP65
C
Attack70
C
Defense60
C
Sp. Atk65
C
Sp. Def65
C
Speed115
B
Total440
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Persian yields +2 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Details
Catch90Challenging•Medium Fast1M XP•1m / 3'03"•32kg / 70.5 lbs•154Base XP
Pokedex Entries

The gem in its forehead glows on its own! It walks with all the grace and elegance of a proud queen.

Yellow

Persian Weakness

Good

Fighting-type moves hit Persian for super-effective damage. The upside? Ghost-type moves can't touch it at all. At base 115 Speed, Persian outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.

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
Fighting
½xResisti
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
Ghost
STABi
No super-effective STAB
1Weak
0Resist
1Immune
Scorei+1
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
LimberPrevents paralysis.
TechnicianStrengthens moves of 60 base power or less to 1.5× their power.
UnnerveHAPrevents opposing Pokémon from eating held Berries.

You get Persian from Meowth by leveling up. This Normal type hits 440 total but remains in the Undiscovered group. The evolution from Meowth pushed Persian to 440 total stats. HP saw the largest single gain at +25.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Meowth
#052Meowth
High Friendship
Persian
#053Persian
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Meowth
Normal
Persian
Normal
HP
40
65+25
ATK
45
70+25
DEF
35
60+25
SP.ATK
40
65+25
SP.DEF
40
65+25
SPE
90
115+25
BST
290C-Tier
440C-Tier+150
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Start with flexible EVs EVs. A nature nature gives Persian the right balanced lean, an item adds extra utility, and an ability works in the background. Slash is the main damage option.

Best Build

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

Best Persian Moveset

  • SlashSTAB
  • Bubble Beam
  • Hyper BeamSTAB
  • ThunderboltCoverage

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosGood
Snorlax
SnorlaxGood
Chansey
ChanseyDecent

The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Persian's Dark and Water coverage all comes from technical machines, built on top of Hyper Beam and Skull Bash for same-type damage. Double-Edge and Hyper Beam are the payoff moves.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bite
6010025Normal
Lv 1
Growl
—10040Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Screech
—8540Normal
Lv 12
Bite
6010025Normal
Lv 17
Pay Day
4010020Normal
Lv 24
Screech
—8540Normal
Lv 37
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 51
Slash
7010020Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM08
Body Slam
8510015Normal
TM11
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM16
Pay Day
4010020Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM40
Skull Bash
10010010Normal
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM25
Thunder
1107010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM12
Water Gun
4010025Water

Egg Moves

Persian doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Persian can't learn any Tutor moves

Persian isn't available in the wild in Yellow. Start by transferring Meowth from Blue, Silver, or Platinum. The evolution path from Meowth to Persian is covered in the steps below.

How to Obtain Persian in Yellow

  1. Meowth
    Step 1Obtain Meowth

    Catch in the wild in:

    BlueWalking · Route 6

    Then trade to Yellow to continue the evolution chain.

    Also found in:

    SilverCrystalEmeraldFireRedDiamondPlatinum
  2. Persian
    Step 2Persian ✓

  • Persian looks average on paper at 440 BST. But Technician is why it sees play — build around that and it pulls its weight. B-Tier pivot on our tier list.

  • Watch for Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Persian. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Persian's base 115 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • Meowth evolves into Persian by leveling up. Persian is the final evolution in a 4-stage line starting from Meowth. It sits at 440 BST in its evolved form.

  • Persian is a mixed attacker — base 70 Attack and 65 Sp. Atk. But the speed tells the real story — base 115 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.

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

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