Mixed
Sweeper
CTier
100Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

Special and Speed carry most of Tentacruel's stat budget. Defense's the obvious dump stat. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Special stat exp. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats
High
HP80
C
Attack70
C
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk120
A
Sp. Def120
A
Speed100
B
Total555
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging60 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.6 m
5'03"Average
Weight55.0 kg
121.3 lbsStandard
Base XP180
High Yield
Abilities
Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.
Clear Body
Prevents stats from being lowered by other Pokémon.
Liquid Ooze
Damages opponents using leeching moves for as much as they would heal.
Rain DishHA
Heals for 1/16 max HP after each turn during rain.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpD+2Spe
Special Defense training target
Pokedex Entries

The tentacles are normally kept short. On hunts, they are extended to ensnare and immobilize prey.

Tentacruel Weakness

Electric, Ground, Psychic, and Bug moves hit Tentacruel for super-effective damage. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Tentacruel's special bulk (base 120 Special) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Tentacruel Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Ground, Psychic, Bug
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Poison
Type ChartVulnerable
4Weak
5Resist
0Immune
Score-3
Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
ElectricGroundPsychicBug
½xResist
FireWaterIceFightingPoison
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
STAB (5)
FireGroundRockGrassBug
How to Beat Tentacruel in Red & Blue (Best Counters)

In Red & Blue, Cloyster's Explosion hits Tentacruel for 81-95%. Jolteon's Thunderbolt hits Tentacruel for 61-72%. Golem's Earthquake also KOs at 119-141%.

Cloyster
CloysterResists Water, threatens with Rest, walls physical sets
WaterIce
A
Recommended Build
Moves
  • Explosion
  • ClampSTAB
  • BlizzardSTAB
  • RestRecovery
Damage vs Tentacruel
Explosion
81-95%
Clamp
5-6%
Blizzard
15-17%
View Cloyster builds →

Red & Blue Evolution

You get Tentacruel from Tentacool at level 30. This Water/Poison-type hits 555 total stats and can't produce eggs. Special grew the most through evolution (+70 over Tentacool), and Tentacruel peaks at 555 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Tentacool
#072Tentacool
30
Level 30
Tentacruel
#073Tentacruel
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Tentacool
WaterPoison
Tentacruel
WaterPoison
HP
40
80+40
ATK
40
70+30
DEF
35
65+30
SP.ATK
50
80+30
SP.DEF
100
120+20
SPE
70
100+30
BST
335C-Tier
515B-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Mixed
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Red & Blue Tentacruel Best Moveset

Best Build

Experimental
Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Utility Moveset

  • WrapCoverage
  • BlizzardCoverage
  • ToxicUtility
  • SurfSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosDecent
Exeggutor
ExeggutorDecent
Jolteon
JolteonDecent

Moves

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Tentacruel. TMs unlock Normal and Ice coverage and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Hydro Pump and Surf into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Acid
C4010030Poison
Lv 1
Supersonic
——5520Normal
Lv 1
Wrap
S158520Normal
Lv 7
Supersonic
——5520Normal
Lv 13
Wrap
S158520Normal
Lv 18
Poison Sting
—1510035Poison
Lv 22
Water Gun
C4010025Water
Lv 27
Constrict
—1010035Normal
Lv 35
Barrier
B——30Psychic
Lv 43
Screech
D—8540Normal
Lv 50
Hydro Pump
A120805Water

TM Moves

TM
TM34
Bide+1
———10Normal
TM14
Blizzard
A110905Ice
TM11
Bubble Beam
C6510020Water
HM01
Cut
—509530Normal
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
C9510010Ice
TM21
Mega Drain
D4010010Grass
TM31
Mimic
———10Normal
TM20
Rage
—2010020Normal
TM33
Reflect
C——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM40
Skull Bash
C10010010Normal
TM50
Substitute
C——10Normal
HM03
Surf
A9510015Water
TM03
Swords Dance
B——30Normal
TM09
Take Down
—908520Normal
TM06
Toxic
A—9010Poison
TM12
Water Gun
C4010025Water

Egg Moves

Tentacruel doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tentacruel can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Tentacruel in Red & Blue

Can't catch Tentacruel directly. Start with Tentacool at solid rates from the locations below, then evolve at level 30. The 2-stage line from Tentacool to Tentacruel is where the leveling time goes.

How to Obtain Tentacruel in Red & Blue

To get Tentacruel, start by catching Tentacool through fishing and surfing encounters at Lv. 5-40. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.

  1. Tentacool
    Step 1Catch Tentacool
    Route 19
    BlueSurfing on water Lv.5-40 Route
    100%Early
    Route 19
    RedSurfing on water Lv.5-40 Route
    100%Early
    Route 20
    BlueSurfing on water Lv.5-40 Route
    100%Early
    Route 20
    RedSurfing on water Lv.5-40 Route
    100%Early
    Route 21
    BlueSurfing on water Lv.5-40 Route
    100%Early
    Route 21
    RedSurfing on water Lv.5-40 Route
    100%Early
    Pallet Town
    BlueSuper Rod Lv.15 City
    50%Early
    Pallet Town
    RedSuper Rod Lv.15 City
    50%Early
    Viridian City
    BlueSuper Rod Lv.15 City
    50%Early
    Viridian City
    RedSuper Rod Lv.15 City
    50%Early
    Route 12
    BlueSuper Rod Lv.5 Route
    25%Early
    Route 12
    RedSuper Rod Lv.5 Route
    25%Early
    Route 13
    RedSuper Rod Lv.5 Route
    25%Early
    Route 13
    BlueSuper Rod Lv.5 Route
    25%Early
    Route 17
    BlueSuper Rod Lv.5 Route
    25%Early
    Route 17
    RedSuper Rod Lv.5 Route
    25%Early
    Route 18
    BlueSuper Rod Lv.5 Route
    25%Early
    Route 18
    RedSuper Rod Lv.5 Route
    25%Early
  2. Tentacruel
    Step 2Tentacruel ✓

Tentacruel Guide

  • For Red & Blue, we rate Tentacruel C-Tier: a niche pick in Red & Blue's meta. At 555 BST, it fits the sweeper role. Wrap anchors the moveset.

  • In Red & Blue, watch for Raikou (Electric), Golem (Ground), and Starmie (Psychic) when using Tentacruel. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Bug-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Tentacruel is a mixed attacker with base 70 Attack and 120 Special. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a sweeper.

  • In Red & Blue, run Wrap, Blizzard, Toxic, and Surf on Tentacruel. Wrap is the most common pick at 18% usage. Surf provides reliable STAB damage.

  • For Red & Blue, Tentacruel has answers, but so do you. Priority moves (Mach Punch, Aqua Jet, Ice Shard) bypass its speed. Bulky walls that resist its STAB also shut it down.

Game Availability

One of the original 151, Tentacruel has appeared in 21 games — nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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