While most trainers evolve Primeape into Annihilape immediately, the unevolved form has a niche with Eviolite boosting its defenses. Only weak to Flying and Psychic. Sits at a decent but contested Speed tier. Known as the Pig Monkey Pokemon.
Primeape's built around physical offense. Attack leads the charge, Defense pays for it. Moderately hard to find, worth 2 Attack EVs. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
Always furious and tenacious to boot. It will not abandon chasing its quarry until it is caught.
Primeape Weakness
AvgFlying and Psychic-type moves hit Primeape for super-effective damage. Its Fighting typing keeps the defensive matchups simple. Primeape leans offensive (base 105 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.
- 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
Partway through Mankey's chain, Primeape is a Fighting type pushing toward Annihilape. No breeding at this stage. So far, HP got the biggest boost (+25 from Mankey). The final form adds another 80 stats on top.
How to Evolve
The recommended build leans into Primeape's strengths as an attacker. An item provides extra utility, and flexible EVs EVs back that up. An ability rounds out the package.
Best Build
Best Primeape Moveset
- Rock Slide
- Submission
- Hyper Beam
- Body Slam
Recommended Teammates
Without TMs, Primeape's movepool is bare bones. With them, you get Normal and Ground coverage and more on top of Submission and Karate Chop for STAB. The natural kit handles basics, but TMs are doing the real work.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
You're catching Mankey first, not Primeape. Mankey appears at solid rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 2-stage line with evolution methods between each stage.
How to Obtain Primeape in Red & Blue
The path to Primeape starts with Mankey at Lv. 10-20 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch MankeyEFFORTLESSRoute 5GrassLv.10-16CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 6GrassLv.10-16CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 7GrassLv.17-20CommonMidRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 8GrassLv.18-20CommonMidRoute
Step 2Primeape ✓
Primeape isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Annihilape to unlock its full potential. At 455 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Watch for Aerodactyl (Flying) and Alakazam (Psychic) when using Primeape. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
Mankey evolves into Primeape at level 28. Primeape evolves into Annihilape using a Rage Fist 20 Times. Primeape is a middle-stage evolution in the Mankey line.
Primeape fills the pivot role. It's a physical attacker with base 105 Attack. Base 95 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many.
Primeape appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
Primeape has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A