Is Primeape Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Mankey evolves at level 28. Fighting-type with AbilityVital Spirit. Fast with good Attack. Handles Pryce, and Rock and Steel trainers across Kanto. Not the flashiest Fighting-type, but available and reliable.
Mankey has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Mankey trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Mankey has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Mankey trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Chuck's typing presses Mankey's defenses.
Primeape resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Primeape resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Primeape resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Primeape resists most of Lt. Surge's coverage and hits back hard.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Primeape trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Primeape trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Primeape trades roughly evenly with Will's team.
Primeape trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Primeape trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catch Mankey
Catch Mankey on Route 42 (walking, Lv 15, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- LV 37FightingCross ChopPower 150Accuracy 80%PP 5
- LV 41NormalThrashPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 49FightingClose CombatPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 5
Evolve Mankey to Primeape
Mankey evolves into Primeape at Level 28. Your Mankey should hit Level 28 before you reach Jasmine, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- LV 41FightingCross ChopPower 150Accuracy 80%PP 5
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 47NormalThrashPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 59FightingClose CombatPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 5
How to Get Primeape in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Primeape appears wild on a couple of HeartGold routes, rare to uncommon and ranging up to level 39. The faster path is evolving a Mankey at level 28, since SoulSilver players have to import the whole line anyway.
Wild Primeape may be holding when caught:
Payapa Berry (5% chance) If held by a Pokemon, it weakens a foe's supereffective Psychic-type attack.2 locations to catch Primeape2 locations to catch Mankey
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Catch Mankey at any of the 2 locations below, then level it up to 28 — it evolves into Primeape.
Badge 6
Badge 7 Badge 8Where To Catch Primeape in HGSS
The only way to get Primeape during the story is evolving Mankey (Lv 28).
- Step 2Primeape ✓Route 9Lv.15GrassHeartGoldRate 5%Cerulean Cave - 1FLv.38-39CaveHeartGoldRate 14%Morning/dayCerulean Cave - 1FLv.39CaveHeartGoldRate 4%Nightor evolve from Mankey (Step 1)
To plan your throws, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver catch rate calculator with Primeape preloaded.
How to Get Shiny Primeape in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Primeape storms Route 9 in HeartGold, so breed it Masuda-style with a foreign parent at 1 in 1,638. Compare Shiny Primeape odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Primeape Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
For time estimates and charm math, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds calculator with Primeape already selected.
Primeape Weakness
Flying and Psychic 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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Flying, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Bug, Rock, Dark |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Primeape Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Primeape
 Latios DragonPsychic | S | |
Obtain MethodPewter City Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Latios builds →Dream Eater 2x135-159%KO Fly 2x67-79% | ||
 Mewtwo Psychic | S | |
Obtain MethodCerulean Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Mewtwo builds →Future Sight 2x189-222%KO Aerial Ace 2x53-63% | ||
 Latias DragonPsychic | S | |
Obtain MethodPewter City Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Latias builds →Dream Eater 2x118-139%KO Fly 2x61-72% | ||
 Lugia Psychic | S | |
Obtain MethodWhirl Islands Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Lugia builds →Dream Eater 2x99-117%KO Aeroblast 2x99-117%KO | ||
 Ho-Oh Fire | S | |
Obtain MethodBell Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Ho-Oh builds →Brave Bird 2x183-216%KO Dream Eater 2x79-93% | ||
 Rayquaza Dragon | S | |
Obtain MethodEmbedded Tower Interact Encounter | ||
 Gardevoir Psychic | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Gardevoir builds →Future Sight 2x156-184%KO | ||
 Dragonite Dragon | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Dragonair (Dragons Den Super Rod) | ||
 Kadabra Psychic | A | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Kadabra builds →Future Sight 2x151-178%KO | ||
 Xatu Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Xatu builds →Future Sight 2x124-147%KO Fly 2x88-103%KO | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
 Honchkrow Dark | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Honchkrow builds →Fly 2x133-156%KO Dream Eater 2x75-89% | ||
 Yanmega Bug | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Primeape View Yanmega builds →Air Slash 2x93-109%KO Dream Eater 2x82-97% | ||
Primeape Evolutions
Primeape is the evolved form of Mankey. Breeding produces Mankey eggs, and they take an average time to hatch. Evolving from Mankey gave Primeape the biggest boost in HP (+25), bringing the total to 455 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Primeape to get Mankey eggs easily using 131 partners from the Field egg group. Notable egg moves include Beat Up, Close Combat, Counter and 7 more.
HGSS Primeape Best Moveset
Fast physical Fighting power: 105 Attack behind MoveClose Combat at 95 Speed hits before most defensive targets can react. The moveset trades durability for output, and AbilityVital Spirit preventing sleep means one fewer way to shut it down.
Best Build
Primeape best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Punch
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Coverage runs deep. Primeape can hit 13 types beyond STAB, including Dark and Normal. The offense anchors on Focus Punch and Close Combat while TMs handle everything else.
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
All 29 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
If approached while asleep, it may awaken and angrily give chase in a groggy state of semi-sleep.
It becomes wildly furious if it even senses someone looking at it. It chases anyone that meets its glare.
Primeape HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Yes. Wild Primeape in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Payapa Berry (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Payapa Berry.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Primeape has 455 BST, so weigh it against what your team already covers.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Primeape as an attacker. Physical side carries the damage. Speed is middling,
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Jolly on Primeape. +Speed is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the attacker role.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, build your team around Lucario. These have the highest co-usage rates with Primeape in competitive formats. They cover each other's weaknesses.
Game Availability
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.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
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 7Let's Go
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
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