For the Red & Blue meta, At 615 BST, Zapdos is built different. We rank it S-Tier. As a Legendary Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a setup sweeper. Drill Peck anchors the moveset.

What is Zapdos weak to?

In Red & Blue, watch for Cloyster (Ice) and Golem (Rock) when using Zapdos. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Zapdos has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.

What role does Zapdos play in battle?

Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Zapdos is a mixed attacker with base 90 Attack and 125 Special. Defensively? Tanky enough to absorb a few hits. Best used as a setup sweeper.

What counters Zapdos?

For Red & Blue, Zapdos 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.

What are the best moves for Zapdos?

In Red & Blue, run Drill Peck, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, and Agility on Zapdos. Drill Peck is the most common pick at 25% usage. Thunderbolt provides reliable STAB damage. Agility lets it set up before sweeping.

Zapdos - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Mixed

Setup Sweeper

STier

100Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

Special and Speed carry most of Zapdos's stat budget. Defense's the obvious dump stat. Near-impossible to catch and yields 3 Special stat exp. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats

Legend

HP90

Attack90

Defense85

Sp. Atk125

Sp. Def125

Speed100

Total615

Details

Catch Rate

Legendary3 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height1.6 m

Weight52.6 kg

Base XP290

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

Pressure

Increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.

StaticHA

Has a 30% chance of paralyzing attacking Pokémon on contact.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpA+3SpDSpe

Strong Special Attack training target

Pokedex Entries

A legendary bird POKéMON that is said to appear from clouds while dropping enormous lightning bolts.

Zapdos Weakness

Ice and Rock moves hit Zapdos for super-effective damage. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Zapdos's special bulk (base 125 Special) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Zapdos Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Ice, Rock
0.5x (Resist)	Grass, Fighting, Flying, Bug
0x (Immune)	Ground

Type ChartExcellent

2Weak

4Resist

1Immune

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

Ice Rock

½xResist

Grass Fighting Flying Bug

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Ground

STAB (5)

Water Flying Grass Fighting Bug

How to Beat Zapdos in Red & Blue (Best Counters)

Lapras WaterIce	B
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Ice BeamTM13 Damage vs Zapdos Blizzard 2x 57-67% Ice Beam 2x 46-55% View Lapras builds →
Graveler RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideTM48 Rock ThrowLv. 16 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 58-69% Rock Throw 2x 40-47% View Graveler builds →
Onix RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideTM48 Rock ThrowLv. 19 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 34-40% Rock Throw 2x 23-27% View Onix builds →
Rhyhorn GroundRock	C
TM Move Moves Rock SlideTM48 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 54-64% View Rhyhorn builds →
Dewgong WaterIce	C
Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Ice BeamTM13 Aurora BeamLv. 35 Damage vs Zapdos Blizzard 2x 49-58% Ice Beam 2x 40-47% Aurora Beam 2x 29-35% View Dewgong builds →

Red & Blue Evolution

A Electric/Flying-type legendary, Zapdos doesn't evolve or breed. At 615 total stats, it's meant to stand on its own. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution

#145ZapdosDoes not evolve

Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Red & Blue Zapdos Best Moveset

Best Build

Recommended

Utility

Ability

Not in Gen 1

Item

Not in Gen 1

Nature

Not in Gen 1

Utility Moveset

Drill PeckSTAB
ThunderboltSTAB
Thunder WaveSTAB
AgilitySetup

Recommended Teammates

TaurosGood

SnorlaxGood

ChanseyGood

Moves

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Zapdos. TMs unlock Normal coverage and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Sky Attack and Thunder into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Drill Peck

S8010020Flying

Lv 1

Thunder Shock

—4010030Electric

Lv 51

Thunder

B1107010Electric

Lv 55

Agility

S——30Psychic

Lv 60

Light Screen

D——30Psychic

TM Moves

TM34

Bide+1

———10Normal

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM10

Double-Edge

C12010015Normal

HM05

Flash

——7020Normal

HM02

Fly

—709515Flying

TM15

Hyper Beam

B150905Normal

TM31

Mimic

———10Normal

TM20

Rage

—2010020Normal

TM02

Razor Wind

—8010010Normal

TM33

Reflect

C——20Psychic

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM43

Sky Attack

B140905Flying

TM50

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM39

Swift

C60—20Normal

TM09

Take Down

—908520Normal

TM25

Thunder

B1107010Electric

TM45

Thunder Wave

S—10020Electric

TM24

Thunderbolt

S9510015Electric

TM06

Toxic

C—9010Poison

TM04

Whirlwind-6

———20Normal

Egg Moves

Zapdos doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Zapdos can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Zapdos in Red & Blue

Zapdos is a fixed encounter, not a random spawn. Walk up to it, interact, and the battle starts immediately. Head to Power Plant when your team is ready for the fight.

Best Locations to Catch Zapdos in Red & Blue

Power Plant

RedInteract with Pokemon Lv.50 Power-plant

LimitedPost

Power Plant

BlueInteract with Pokemon Lv.50 Power-plant

LimitedPost

Zapdos Guide

For the Red & Blue meta, At 615 BST, Zapdos is built different. We rank it S-Tier. As a Legendary Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a setup sweeper. Drill Peck anchors the moveset.
In Red & Blue, watch for Cloyster (Ice) and Golem (Rock) when using Zapdos. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Zapdos has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.
Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Zapdos is a mixed attacker with base 90 Attack and 125 Special. Defensively? Tanky enough to absorb a few hits. Best used as a setup sweeper.
For Red & Blue, Zapdos 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.
In Red & Blue, run Drill Peck, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, and Agility on Zapdos. Drill Peck is the most common pick at 25% usage. Thunderbolt provides reliable STAB damage. Agility lets it set up before sweeping.

Game Availability

First obtainable in Red & Blue, Zapdos has been featured in 20 titles across 10 generations. Legendary status means a single encounter per playthrough in most games.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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Onix RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideTM48 Rock ThrowLv. 19 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 35-42% Rock Throw 2x 25-30% View Onix builds →
Geodude RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideTM48 Rock ThrowLv. 16 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 51-60% Rock Throw 2x 35-42% View Geodude builds →

Lapras WaterIce	B
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift TM Move Moves Ice BeamTM13 Damage vs Zapdos Ice Beam 2x 48-57% View Lapras builds →
Onix RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideTM48 Rock ThrowLv. 19 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 36-42% Rock Throw 2x 24-28% View Onix builds →
Geodude RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideTM48 Rock ThrowLv. 16 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 53-62% Rock Throw 2x 36-42% View Geodude builds →

Lapras WaterIce	B
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Ice BeamTM13 Damage vs Zapdos Blizzard 2x 54-63% Ice Beam 2x 46-54% View Lapras builds →
Onix RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideTM48 Rock ThrowLv. 19 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 33-38% Rock Throw 2x 22-27% View Onix builds →
Rhyhorn GroundRock	C
TM Move Moves Rock SlideTM48 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 52-62% View Rhyhorn builds →
Geodude RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideTM48 Rock ThrowLv. 16 Damage vs Zapdos Rock Slide 2x 49-58% Rock Throw 2x 33-38% View Geodude builds →
Dewgong WaterIce	C
Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Ice BeamTM13 Aurora BeamLv. 35 Damage vs Zapdos Blizzard 2x 47-56% Ice Beam 2x 39-46% Aurora Beam 2x 29-35% View Dewgong builds →

GyaradosDrops Attack via Intimidate, threatens with Blizzard WaterFlying	B
Recommended Build Moves Hyper Beam Hydro Pump Blizzard Body Slam Damage vs Zapdos Hyper Beam 46-55% Hydro Pump 21-24% Blizzard 2x 27-32% Body Slam 26-31% View Gyarados builds →
KinglerWalls physical sets Water	B
Recommended Build Moves Swords Dance CrabhammerSTAB Hyper Beam Body Slam Damage vs Zapdos Crabhammer 16-19% Hyper Beam 48-57% Body Slam 27-32% View Kingler builds →
Charizard FireFlying	B
Recommended Build Moves Earthquake Fire Blast Swords Dance Hyper Beam Damage vs Zapdos Fire Blast 33-39% Hyper Beam 33-39% View Charizard builds →
DodrioOutspeeds NormalFlying	C
Recommended Build Moves Drill Peck Hyper Beam Body Slam AgilitySetup Damage vs Zapdos Drill Peck 17-20% Hyper Beam 63-74% Body Slam 36-42% View Dodrio builds →
VenusaurResists Electric, wears down with Toxic GrassPoison	C
Recommended Build Moves Razor Leaf Sleep Powder Leech Seed Body Slam Damage vs Zapdos Body Slam 19-22% View Venusaur builds →