On paper, Tatsugiri looks underwhelming. In practice, Storm Drain redirects Water moves and boosts its Sp. Atk — and that's the whole story. Dragon/Water typing means only weak to Dragon and Fairy. Known as the Mimicry Pokemon.
Tatsugiri's spread isn't flashy. Sp. Atk leads, Attack trails, 3 stats clear the bar. Moderately hard to find and worth 2 Sp. Atk EVs, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
Bird Pokémon are its main prey. This Pokémon knows it’s weak, so it hunts with a partner.
It’s one of the most intelligent dragon Pokémon. It camouflages itself by inflating its throat sac.
Tatsugiri Weakness
GoodType-wise, Tatsugiri takes extra damage from Dragon and Fairy. Its Dragon/Water typing keeps the defensive matchups simple. Storm Drain grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Tatsugiri's special bulk (base 95 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
Breeding is the whole story for Tatsugiri. A decent partner pool through one egg group, eggs are slow to hatch, and you won't need to evolve anything.
How to Evolve
Breed Tatsugiri with 34 breeding partners from the Water2 egg group.
Water coverage is what separates a good sweep from a wasted boost. After Nasty Plot, Tatsugiri threatens a wide range with max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs and Heavy-Duty Boots backing every hit.
Best Build
Best Tatsugiri Moveset
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Nasty Plot
Recommended Teammates
TMs define Tatsugiri's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Draco Meteor and Outrage, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Psychic and Normal coverage and more. That's where the options open up.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
TMs define Tatsugiri's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Draco Meteor and Outrage, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Normal and Ground coverage and more. That's where the options open up.
Finding Tatsugiri at moderate rates takes patience. 6 spots are available in endgame routes, but the rate difference between them matters. Lock in the top one from the sorted list below.
Best Locations
6 walking encounters at Lv. 49-65 for Tatsugiri across Violet and Scarlet. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.
Tatsugiri doesn't appear in Legends: Z-A. Transfer it from Scarlet to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
Tatsugiri is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Catch in the wild in:
Then trade to Legends: Z-A.
Don't let Tatsugiri's 475 base stat total fool you. Storm Drain is what makes it tick — it punches way above its weight class. We rate it B-Tier as a wallbreaker.
Tatsugiri doesn't evolve and has no evolutionary line. It's a Dragon/Water-type Pokemon with a 475 base stat total.
Run Storm Drain on Tatsugiri. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Tatsugiri also gets Commander, but they don't compare.
Tatsugiri fills the wallbreaker role. It's a special attacker with base 120 Sp. Atk. Base 82 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
Tatsugiri can be found in Legends: Z-A and Scarlet & Violet.
Introduced in Scarlet & Violet, Tatsugiri has appeared in 2 games across 1 generation. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.
- 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 IVDP
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 IXSVDebut
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A