As a baby Pokemon, Riolu is mostly a stepping stone. It eventually becomes Lucario, and that's where you want to end up. The Emanation Pokémon — cute, but not battle-ready. Only weak to Flying and Psychic.
Riolu's spread isn't flashy. Attack leads, Sp. Atk trails, 0 stats clear the bar. Moderately hard to find and worth 1 Attack EV, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
It has the peculiar power of being able to see emotions such as joy and rage in the form of waves.
Riolu Weakness
AvgRiolu's Fighting typing leaves it vulnerable to Flying and Psychic moves. Its Fighting typing keeps the defensive matchups simple. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Riolu is the baby form here. It evolves into Lucario by leveling up, but you can't breed it directly. Hatch one by breeding the evolved forms instead. The evolved forms gain up to 240 total stats over Riolu.
How to Evolve
One guaranteed turn is all Riolu needs. Focus Sash buys it, max HP and Speed EVs make it count, and Prankster adds something extra. The goal: deal early damage and deal damage with Copycat. Utility options gives it play beyond just the lead turn.
Best Build
Best Riolu Moveset
- Copycat
- Roar
- Unknown
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
The natural movepool does the job, but Agility and Bite from the egg pool give Riolu something extra. Pair those with Focus Punch and High Jump Kick for STAB and coverage across 9 types for reach, and the kit fills out nicely.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
moderate rates is the best you'll get on Riolu in endgame routes. Use the sort toggle below. Best shows where the odds peak, Earliest shows where you can access it soonest in your playthrough.
Best Locations
Before you go hunting for Riolu, check which of the 4 spots belong to your version. Black and White each have different walking encounters at Lv. 49-50.
Riolu isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Lucario to unlock its full potential. At 285 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Riolu evolves into Lucario by leveling up. Riolu is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Run Prankster on Riolu. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Riolu also gets Steadfast and Inner Focus, but they don't compare.
Riolu fills the balanced role. It's leaning toward the physical side (base 70 Attack). At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.
Riolu appears in 14 games, including Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and Diamond & Pearl.
Riolu first appeared in Diamond & Pearl and has been available in 14 games across 6 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form in most titles where it appears.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
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 IVDPDebut
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