Attack and Defense carry most of Tapu Bulu's stat budget. HP's the obvious dump stat. Near-impossible to catch and yields 3 Attack EVs. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.
Tapu Bulu's Grass/Fairy typing leaves it vulnerable to Poison, Fire, Ice, Flying, and Steel. Poison hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Dragon-type attacks completely. With 6 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Tapu Bulu's overall bulk (70/115/95) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Poison |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Flying, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Fighting, Ground, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Dragon |
Incineroar can KO Tapu Bulu with Flare Blitz (93-110%). Gholdengo's Shadow Ball hits Tapu Bulu for 62-73%. Chien-Pao deals 43-51% with Ice Shard.
 Incineroar FireDark | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemSafetygoggles NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Tapu Bulu View Incineroar builds →Knock Off12-15% Flare Blitz 2x93-110%KO | ||
 Gholdengo SteelGhost | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityGoodasgold ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Tapu Bulu View Gholdengo builds →Shadow Ball62-73% | ||
 Chien-Pao DarkIce | S | |
Recommended Build AbilitySwordofruin ItemFocus Sash NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Tapu Bulu View Chien-Pao builds →Sucker Punch19-22% Ice Shard 2x43-51% | ||
 Vullaby Dark | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityWeakarmor ItemEviolite NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Tapu Bulu View Vullaby builds →Knock Off10-12% Heat Wave 2x25-29% | ||
 Foongus GrassPoison | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemEviolite NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Tapu Bulu View Foongus builds →Sludge Bomb 4x91-107%KO Giga Drain9-11% | ||
You can't breed Tapu Bulu or evolve it into anything else. This Grass/Fairy legendary packs 570 stats and doesn't need a chain to be relevant. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Horn Leech is the main STAB option after a Swords Dance boost. Heavy-Duty Boots gives Tapu Bulu hazard immunity on every switch-in to survive the setup turn, and max Attack and Speed EVs make the boosted hits count. The remaining moves catches resists.
Best Build
Tapu Bulu best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Horn Leech
- Zen Headbutt
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Bulky Support Moveset
- Natures Madness
- Leech Seed
- Facade
- Bulk Up
Recommended Teammates
Physical Tank Moveset
- Horn Leech
- Bulk Up
- Substitute
- Darkest Lariat
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Physical Tank Moveset
- Superpower
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Rock Slide
Recommended Teammates
Bulky Support Moveset
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
- Wood Hammer
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Physical Tank Moveset
- Superpower
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Rock Slide
Recommended Teammates
Bulky Support Moveset
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
- Wood Hammer
Recommended Teammates
Moves
Level-up moves are just the starting point for Tapu Bulu. TMs unlock coverage across 8 types and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Wood Hammer and Solar Beam into something with actual range.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Level-up moves are just the starting point for Tapu Bulu. TMs unlock coverage across 8 types and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Wood Hammer and Solar Beam into something with actual range.
Level-up moves are just the starting point for Tapu Bulu. TMs unlock coverage across 7 types and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Wood Hammer and Solar Beam into something with actual range.
Tapu Bulu can't be caught in Sword & Shield. Bring it over from Sun or Ultra Sun instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
Tapu Bulu waits at a fixed spot in this game. Head to Ruins of Abundance for a one-time encounter. No random spawns or encounter rates involved — it's a set battle at a known location.
Best Locations to Catch Tapu Bulu in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
Tapu Bulu is a fixed encounter, not a random spawn. Walk up to it, interact, and the battle starts immediately. Head to Ruins of Abundance when your team is ready for the fight.
Best Locations to Catch Tapu Bulu in Sun & Moon
At 570 BST, Tapu Bulu is built different. We rank it B-Tier. As a Legendary Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a wallbreaker.
Watch for Nidoking (Poison), Blaziken (Fire), and Weavile (Ice) when using Tapu Bulu. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Nidoking is the most dangerous since Poison moves deal 4x damage. Flying and Steel-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Grassy Surge when this Pokémon enters battle, it changes the terrain to Grassy Terrain. That's the one you want on Tapu Bulu. Telepathy is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses.
Base 75 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Tapu Bulu is a physical attacker with base 130 Attack. Defensively? Tanky enough to absorb a few hits. Best used as a wallbreaker.
Run Horn Leech, Highhorsepower, Close Combat, and Swords Dance on Tapu Bulu. Horn Leech is the most common pick at 24% usage. This set covers the wallbreaker role with a mix of damage and utility.
First obtainable in Sun & Moon, Tapu Bulu has been featured in 3 titles across 4 generations. Legendary status means a single encounter per playthrough in most games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SMDebut
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves