Poliwhirl is meant to evolve into Poliwrath . At 385 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

What is Poliwhirl weak to?

In Red & Blue, watch for Raikou (Electric) and Venusaur (Grass) when using Poliwhirl. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

How do you evolve Poliwhirl?

In Red & Blue, Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl at level 25. Poliwhirl can evolve into Poliwrath and Politoed depending on the method. Poliwhirl is a middle-stage evolution in the Poliwag line.

What role does Poliwhirl play in battle?

Base 90 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Poliwhirl is a special attacker with base 50 Special. Best used as a pivot.

Should I use Poliwhirl?

For Red & Blue, you can run Poliwhirl through the first few routes without issues. 385 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Poliwrath as fast as you can.

Poliwhirl - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Special

Pivot

DTier

90Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Speed and HP carry most of Poliwhirl's stat budget. Special's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 2 Speed stat exp. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats

Avg

HP65

Attack65

Defense65

Sp. Atk50

Sp. Def50

Speed90

Total385

Details

Catch Rate

Moderate120 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Slow1.06M XP

Height1.0 m

Weight20.0 kg

Base XP135

Abilities

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

Water Absorb

Absorbs water moves, healing for 1/4 max HP.

Damp

Prevents self destruct, explosion, and aftermath from working while the Pokémon is in battle.

Swift SwimHA

Doubles Speed during rain.

Water Absorb grants Water immunity

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2

Speed training target

Pokedex Entries

Capable of living in or out of water. When out of water, it sweats to keep its body slimy.

Poliwhirl Weakness

Electric and Grass moves hit Poliwhirl for super-effective damage. Few weaknesses and 3 resistances make the typing clean. Just 2 weak spots to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.

Poliwhirl Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Water, Ice

Type ChartAvg

2Weak

3Resist

0Immune

Score-1

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

Electric Grass

½xResist

Fire Water Ice

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (3)

Fire Ground Rock

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

Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainTM21 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Mega Drain 2x 47-56% Absorb 2x 26-32% View Oddish builds →
Bulbasaur GrassPoison	D
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Moves Moves Razor LeafLv. 27 Vine WhipLv. 13 Mega DrainTM21 Damage vs Poliwhirl Razor Leaf 2x 56-67% Vine Whip 2x 47-56% Mega Drain 2x 41-49% View Bulbasaur builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Mega DrainTM21 Damage vs Poliwhirl Vine Whip 2x 51-60% Mega Drain 2x 45-53% View Bellsprout builds →
Paras BugGrass	D
TM Move Moves Mega DrainTM21 Damage vs Poliwhirl Mega Drain 2x 33-39% View Paras builds →
Voltorb Electric	D
TM Move Moves ThunderboltTM24 Damage vs Poliwhirl Thunderbolt 2x 80-95% View Voltorb builds →

Red & Blue Evolution

Partway through Poliwag's chain, Poliwhirl is a Water type pushing toward Politoed. No breeding at this stage. So far, HP got the biggest boost (+25 from Poliwag). The final form adds another 125 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms

#060Poliwag

Level 25

#061Poliwhirl

Water Stone

#062Poliwrath

Stat Comparison 3 Stages

Poliwag

Water

Poliwhirl

Water

Poliwrath

WaterFighting

65+25

90+25

ATK

65+15

95+30

DEF

65+25

95+30

SP.ATK

50+10

70+20

SP.DEF

50+10

90+40

SPE

70-20

BST

300D-Tier

385D-Tier+85

510C-Tier+125

ROLE

Balanced

TYPE

Utility

Physical

Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Red & Blue Poliwhirl Best Moveset

Best Build

Experimental

Utility

Ability

Not in Gen 1

Item

Not in Gen 1

Nature

Not in Gen 1

Utility Moveset

AmnesiaUtility
HypnosisUtility
BlizzardCoverage
SurfSTAB

Recommended Teammates

TaurosGood

ExeggutorGood

ChanseyGood

Moves

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Poliwhirl. TMs unlock Normal and Ice coverage and more and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Hydro Pump and Surf into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Bubble

—2010030Water

Lv 1

Hypnosis

S—6020Psychic

Lv 1

Water Gun

D4010025Water

Lv 16

Hypnosis

S—6020Psychic

Lv 19

Water Gun

D4010025Water

Lv 26

Double Slap

—158510Normal

Lv 33

Body Slam

D8510015Normal

Lv 41

Amnesia

S——20Psychic

Lv 49

Hydro Pump

C120805Water

TM Moves

TM34

Bide+1

———10Normal

TM14

Blizzard

S110905Ice

TM08

Body Slam

D8510015Normal

TM11

Bubble Beam

D6510020Water

TM18

Counter-5

D—10020Fighting

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM10

Double-Edge

C12010015Normal

TM26

Earthquake

C10010010Ground

TM27

Fissure

——305Ground

TM13

Ice Beam

D9510010Ice

TM05

Mega Kick

D120755Normal

TM01

Mega Punch

D808520Normal

TM35

Metronome

D——10Normal

TM31

Mimic

———10Normal

TM29

Psychic

D9010010Psychic

TM46

Psywave

——10015Psychic

TM20

Rage

—2010020Normal

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM19

Seismic Toss

D—10020Fighting

TM40

Skull Bash

C10010010Normal

HM04

Strength

—8010015Normal

TM17

Submission

D808025Fighting

TM50

Substitute

C——10Normal

HM03

Surf

S9510015Water

TM09

Take Down

—908520Normal

TM06

Toxic

C—9010Poison

TM12

Water Gun

D4010025Water

Egg Moves

Poliwhirl doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Poliwhirl can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Poliwhirl in Red & Blue

high spawn rates for Poliwhirl across 4 locations in mid-game fishing spots. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.

Where To Catch Poliwhirl in Red & Blue

The path to Poliwhirl starts with Poliwag at Lv. 10-23 via fishing encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.

Step 1Catch Poliwag
Celadon City
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Celadon City
RedGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Cerulean Cave - 1F
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Cave
50%Early
Cerulean Cave - 1F
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Cave
50%Early
Cerulean Cave - B1F
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Cave
50%Early
Cerulean Cave - B1F
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Cave
50%Early
Fuchsia City
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Fuchsia City
RedGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Pallet Town
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Pallet Town
RedGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Route 10
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 10
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 11
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 11
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 12
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 12
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 13
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 13
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 17
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 17
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 18
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 18
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 19
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 19
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 20
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 20
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 21
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 21
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 22
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 22
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 23
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 23
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 24
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 24
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 25
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 25
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 6
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Route 6
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Route
50%Early
Safari Zone - Center
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Facility
50%Early
Safari Zone - Center
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Facility
50%Early
Safari Zone - East
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Facility
50%Early
Safari Zone - East
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Facility
50%Early
Safari Zone - North
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Facility
50%Early
Safari Zone - North
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Facility
50%Early
Safari Zone - West
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Facility
50%Early
Safari Zone - West
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Facility
50%Early
Seafoam Islands - B4F
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Water
50%Early
Seafoam Islands - B4F
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Water
50%Early
Seafoam Islands - B3F
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 Water
50%Early
Seafoam Islands - B3F
RedGood Rod Lv.10 Water
50%Early
Vermilion City - City
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Vermilion City - City
RedGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Vermilion City - Harbor
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Vermilion City - Harbor
RedGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Viridian City
BlueGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Viridian City
RedGood Rod Lv.10 City
50%Early
Pallet Town
BlueSuper Rod Lv.15 City
50%Early
Pallet Town
RedSuper Rod Lv.15 City
50%Early
Route 22
BlueSuper Rod Lv.15 Route
50%Early
Route 22
RedSuper Rod Lv.15 Route
50%Early
Viridian City
BlueSuper Rod Lv.15 City
50%Early
Viridian City
RedSuper Rod Lv.15 City
50%Early
Train until Level 25
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓
Celadon City
BlueSuper Rod Lv.23 City
50%Mid
Celadon City
RedSuper Rod Lv.23 City
50%Mid
Route 10
BlueSuper Rod Lv.23 Route
50%Mid
Route 10
RedSuper Rod Lv.23 Route
50%Mid
or evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)

Poliwhirl Guide

Poliwhirl is meant to evolve into Poliwrath. At 385 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
In Red & Blue, watch for Raikou (Electric) and Venusaur (Grass) when using Poliwhirl. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
In Red & Blue, Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl at level 25. Poliwhirl can evolve into Poliwrath and Politoed depending on the method. Poliwhirl is a middle-stage evolution in the Poliwag line.
Base 90 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Poliwhirl is a special attacker with base 50 Special. Best used as a pivot.
For Red & Blue, you can run Poliwhirl through the first few routes without issues. 385 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Poliwrath as fast as you can.

Game Availability

One of the original 151, Poliwhirl has appeared in 20 games — most mainline games. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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Pikachu Electric	C
Available Move Moves Thunder ShockLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Thunder Shock 2x 48-60% View Pikachu builds →
Bulbasaur GrassPoison	D
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Upcoming Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 13 Learns Vine Whip at Level 13 View Bulbasaur builds →

Pikachu Electric	C
Available Move Moves Thunder ShockLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Thunder Shock 2x 39-47% View Pikachu builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Absorb 2x 29-35% View Oddish builds →
Bulbasaur GrassPoison	D
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 13 Damage vs Poliwhirl Vine Whip 2x 49-59% View Bulbasaur builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Vine Whip 2x 55-65% View Bellsprout builds →
Paras BugGrass	D
Upcoming Move Moves View Paras builds →

Pikachu Electric	C
Available Moves Moves ThunderboltTM24 Thunder ShockLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Thunderbolt 2x 78-94% Thunder Shock 2x 39-47% View Pikachu builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Absorb 2x 29-35% View Oddish builds →
Bulbasaur GrassPoison	D
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 13 Damage vs Poliwhirl Vine Whip 2x 49-59% View Bulbasaur builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Vine Whip 2x 55-65% View Bellsprout builds →
Paras BugGrass	D
Upcoming Move Moves View Paras builds →

Parasect BugGrass	C
TM Move Moves Mega DrainTM21 Damage vs Poliwhirl Mega Drain 2x 40-47% View Parasect builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Petal DanceLv. 33 Mega DrainTM21 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Petal Dance 2x 132-156%KO Mega Drain 2x 47-56% Absorb 2x 26-31% View Oddish builds →
Bulbasaur GrassPoison	D
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Moves Moves Razor LeafLv. 27 Vine WhipLv. 13 Mega DrainTM21 Damage vs Poliwhirl Razor Leaf 2x 55-66% Vine Whip 2x 47-56% Mega Drain 2x 42-50% View Bulbasaur builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Razor LeafLv. 33 Vine WhipLv. 1 Mega DrainTM21 Damage vs Poliwhirl Razor Leaf 2x 58-69% Vine Whip 2x 50-59% Mega Drain 2x 45-53% View Bellsprout builds →
Voltorb Electric	D
TM Move Moves ThunderboltTM24 Damage vs Poliwhirl Thunderbolt 2x 79-94% View Voltorb builds →

Tangela Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Mega DrainTM21 AbsorbLv. 29 Damage vs Poliwhirl Solar Beam 2x 162-191%KO Mega Drain 2x 55-66% Absorb 2x 29-34% View Tangela builds →
Parasect BugGrass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Mega DrainTM21 Damage vs Poliwhirl Solar Beam 2x 108-127%KO Mega Drain 2x 39-45% View Parasect builds →
Weepinbell GrassPoison	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Razor LeafLv. 38 Vine WhipLv. 1 Mega DrainTM21 Damage vs Poliwhirl Solar Beam 2x 142-168%KO Razor Leaf 2x 67-80% Vine Whip 2x 55-66% Mega Drain 2x 50-59% View Weepinbell builds →
Gloom GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Petal DanceLv. 38 Solar BeamTM22 Mega DrainTM21 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Petal Dance 2x 142-168%KO Solar Beam 2x 142-168%KO Mega Drain 2x 50-59% Absorb 2x 27-32% View Gloom builds →
Exeggcute GrassPsychic	D
Available Move Moves Solar BeamLv. 42 Damage vs Poliwhirl Solar Beam 2x 108-127%KO View Exeggcute builds →