Physical
Balanced
253Low
72Moderate
DTier

Almost nobody uses Rattata in battle. It exists to evolve into Raticate, which is a completely different story. Get it there and you won't regret it. Known as the Mouse Pokemon. An original Gen 1 pick.

Speed and Attack carry most of Rattata's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Easy to catch and yields 1 Speed EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
253Below
HP30
F
Attack56
D
Defense35
F
Sp. Atk25
F
Sp. Def35
F
Speed72
C
Total253
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Rattata yields +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Details
Catch255GuaranteedMedium Fast1M XP0.3m / 1'00"3.5kg / 7.7 lbs51Base XP
Pokedex Entries

Its fangs are long and very sharp. They grow continuously, so it gnaws on hard things to whittle them down.

Fire Red

Bites anything when it attacks. Small and very quick, it is a common sight in many places.

Leaf Green

Rattata Weakness

Good

Rattata's Normal typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting moves. It shrugs off Ghost-type attacks completely. Just 1 weak spot to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
½xResisti
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
STABi
No super-effective STAB
1Weak
0Resist
1Immune
Scorei+1
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Run AwayEnsures success fleeing from wild battles.
GutsIncreases Attack to 1.5× with a major status ailment.
HustleHAStrengthens physical moves to inflict 1.5× damage, but decreases their accuracy to 0.8×.

One evolution ahead. Rattata grows into Raticate through a straightforward two-stage chain. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are quick to hatch. The evolved forms gain up to 160 total stats over Rattata.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Rattata
Normal
Raticate
Normal
HP
30
55+25
ATK
56
81+25
DEF
35
60+25
SP.ATK
25
50+25
SP.DEF
35
70+35
SPE
72
97+25
BST
253D-Tier
413C-Tier+160
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Rattata easily with 102 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Bite, Counter, Flame Wheel and 5 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
8moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy

Liechiberry and Guts form the backbone. Rattata invests max Attack and Speed EVs to play its physical attacker role properly, and Adamant nature pushes Attack higher. Endeavor handles the heavy lifting on offense. Utility options rounds it out.

Best Build

Physical Attacker
Ability
Guts
Item
LiechiberryRECOVERY
Nature
Adamant+ATK
EVs

Best Rattata Moveset

  • EndeavorSTAB
  • SubstituteUtility
  • Quick AttackSTAB
  • Thunder Wave

You'll want to breed for Bite and Counter on Rattata. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Double-Edge and Uproar, they expand what Rattata can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 1
Tail Whip
10030Normal
Lv 7
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 13
Hyper Fang
809015Normal
Lv 20
Focus Energy
30Normal
Lv 27
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Lv 34
Super Fang
9010Normal
Lv 41
Endeavor
1005Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM34
Shock Wave
6020Electric
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Bite
6010025Dark
Egg
Counter-5
10020Fighting
Egg
Flame Wheel
6010025Fire
Egg
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Egg
Reversal
10015Fighting
Egg
Screech
8540Normal
Egg
Swagger
9015Normal
Egg
Uproar
9010010Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Tutor
Counter-5
10020Fighting
Tutor
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Tutor
Mimic
10Normal
Tutor
Substitute
10Normal
Tutor
Thunder Wave
10020Electric

high spawn rates in early-game routes across 20 locations. Rattata's one of the easier catches on the list. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.

Best Locations

You can catch Rattata through 20 walking encounters from Lv. 2-28, but availability differs between FireRed and LeafGreen. Some spots are exclusive to one version.

Route 1
FireRedGrassLv.2-4CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 1
LeafGreenGrassLv.2-4CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 2
FireRedGrassLv.2-5CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 2
LeafGreenGrassLv.2-5CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 22
FireRedGrassLv.2-5CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 22
LeafGreenGrassLv.2-5CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 4
FireRedGrassLv.8-12CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 4
LeafGreenGrassLv.8-12CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 9
FireRedGrassLv.14-17CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 9
LeafGreenGrassLv.14-17CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 16
FireRedGrassLv.18-22CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 16
LeafGreenGrassLv.18-22CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
Pokémon Mansion - 1F/2F/3F
FireRedGrassLv.26-28UncommonMidBuilding
EASY
Pokémon Mansion - 1F/2F/3F
LeafGreenGrassLv.26-28UncommonMidBuilding
EASY
Route 17
FireRedGrassLv.22RareMidRoute
CHALLENGING
Route 17
LeafGreenGrassLv.22RareMidRoute
CHALLENGING
Route 18
FireRedGrassLv.22RareMidRoute
CHALLENGING
Route 18
LeafGreenGrassLv.22RareMidRoute
CHALLENGING
Pokémon Mansion - B1F
FireRedGrassLv.26RareMidBuilding
CHALLENGING
Pokémon Mansion - B1F
LeafGreenGrassLv.26RareMidBuilding
CHALLENGING
  • Rattata is meant to evolve into Raticate. At 253 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Watch for Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Rattata. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Rattata evolves into Raticate at level 20. Rattata is the base form of this evolutionary line.

  • Run Away ensures success fleeing from wild battles — that's the one you want on Rattata. Hustle is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Guts works too if your team needs something different.

  • Base 72 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Rattata is a physical attacker with base 56 Attack. Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

  • Rattata appears in 18 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Rattata has appeared in 18 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received an Alolan form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.