Is Riolu Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Transfer only in HGSS. Fighting with AbilitySteadfast. Lucario at friendship is the goal. Without native access, Riolu requires importing from Sinnoh.
Riolu has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Riolu has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Riolu resists most of Whitney's coverage and hits back hard.
Riolu trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Riolu trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Riolu resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Riolu resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Riolu trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Riolu has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Riolu trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Riolu has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Erika's typing presses Riolu's defenses.
Janine's team hits Riolu's weaknesses hard.
Sabrina's team hits Riolu's weaknesses hard.
Riolu has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Riolu trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Will's team hits Riolu's weaknesses hard.
Koga's team hits Riolu's weaknesses hard.
Riolu trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Riolu trades roughly evenly with Karen's team.
Lucario trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Riolu in the Safari Zone (walking, Lv 45-46). Requires 42 Peak and 28 Forest objects placed in Meadow.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 45)
- LV 45FightingForce PalmPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Bugsy
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- After Whitney
- TM60FightingDrain PunchPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 5Route 39
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Prize for defeating Jasmine
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
Evolve Riolu to Lucario
Riolu evolves into Lucario with high friendship. Raise its friendship in the post-game, after you beat Lance.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 47)
- LV 47FightingClose CombatPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 5
- LV 47FightingAura SpherePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 47NormalSwords DancePower —Accuracy 100%PP 30
- After Bugsy
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 150Accuracy 75%PP 15Prize for defeating Jasmine
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
How to Get Riolu in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Riolu starts showing up in post-game Safari Zone areas at moderate rates across 1 encounter spot. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
1 location to catch Riolu
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Where To Catch Riolu in HGSS
- Step 2Evolve into Lucario
To plan your throws, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver catch rate calculator with Riolu preloaded.
How to Get Shiny Riolu in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Riolu comes from breeding a Lucario, so run the Masuda Method with a foreign parent for a shiny of its own. Compare Shiny Riolu odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Riolu 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 Riolu already selected.
Riolu Weakness
Riolu's Fighting typing leaves it vulnerable to Flying and Psychic. Its Fighting typing keeps the defensive matchups simple. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.
| 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 Riolu Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Riolu
 Gardevoir Psychic | B | |
 Scyther Bug | C | |
 Gliscor Ground | B | |
 Altaria Dragon | C | |
 Vespiquen Bug | C | |
 Kadabra Psychic | A | |
 Golbat Poison | C | |
 Yanmega Bug | B | |
 Skarmory Steel | B | |
 Ninjask Bug | C | |
 Xatu Psychic | C | |
 Dodrio Normal | C | |
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing | ||
 Mr. Mime Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Riolu View Mr. Mime builds →Psychic 2x175-206%KO Aerial Ace 2x44-52% | ||
Riolu Evolutions
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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
HGSS Riolu Best Moveset
70 Attack and 60 Speed with AbilityInner Focus preventing flinching. Physical Fighting hits that preview Lucario's power. Evolve through friendship during daytime.
Best Build
Riolu best EVs are Attack and Sp. Def
Bulky Support Moveset
- Bullet Punch
- Crunch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breadth over depth defines this movepool. Riolu won't stack one type's damage ceiling, but coverage across 11 types means it always has an effective option. Focus Punch and High Jump Kick anchor the STAB core.
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 26 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
They communicate with one another using their auras. They are able to run all through the night.
Riolu Event Distributions
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Riolu is a one-time Mystery Gift event Pokemon rather than a repeat giveaway.
Dear Pokemon Trainer:HeartGoldDiamondPearlNot shiny
Riolu HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- Where in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone can I find Riolu?
See the Locations section above for where to find Riolu in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Riolu from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Riolu easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Riolu has 285 BST and evolves into Lucario. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
Game Availability
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.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DPDebut
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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