Is Zapdos Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
Transfer-only Electric/Flying legendary. AbilityPressure doubles PP consumption. If imported, Zapdos handles Crasher Wake, Aaron, and both Water E4 members. Stronger than any native Electric option in Sinnoh except maybe Electivire.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
Zapdos resists most of Gardenia's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos resists most of Maylene's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Crasher Wake's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Byron's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Zapdos resists most of Aaron's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Bertha's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Zapdos resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Cynthia's team.
Trade
Zapdos cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Veilstone Game Corner
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Route 213
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- After Maylene
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 135Accuracy 95%PP 15Inside the Galactic Warehouse in Veilstone City
- LV 50ElectricDischargePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 71FlyingDrill PeckPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
- LV 78ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10
How to Get Zapdos in Diamond & Pearl
Zapdos has no Sinnoh encounter at all, sharing the locked-out status of the other two Kanto birds. The only way to add the electric bird is to migrate one in using Pal Park.
Zapdos cannot be caught in the wild in Diamond & Pearl, but you can still get it via these paths:
Obtain and trade from these games:
Then trade to Diamond & Pearl.
Also Obtainable In:
Pokemon transfers only go forward through generations, never backward. Direct cross-gen trades aren't supported.
How to Get Shiny Zapdos in Diamond & Pearl
Zapdos has no presence in D/P, so a shiny one has to be brought from HeartGold, SoulSilver, or Platinum, where it roams the map. See every game where Shiny Zapdos can be hunted
Shiny Zapdos Evolution
Does Not EvolveZapdos Weakness
Ice and Rock moves hit Zapdos for super-effective damage. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. With 90 HP and balanced defenses, Zapdos can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ice, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Flying, Bug, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Zapdos Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Zapdos
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 2x99-116%KO Avalanche 2x40-47% | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
 Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Oreburgh City Gift) | ||
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Hearthome City Gift) | ||
 Cradily RockGrass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Lileep (Oreburgh City Gift) | ||
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Abomasnow builds →Ice Beam 2x67-79% Rock Slide 2x37-44% | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | B | |
 Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Oreburgh City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Kabutops builds →Stone Edge 2x89-104%KO Ice Beam 2x33-40% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
 Solrock RockPsychic | C | |
 Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Mamoswine builds →Ice Fang 2x64-75% Stone Edge 2x66-78% | ||
 Lunatone RockPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Lunatone builds →Ice Beam 2x45-54% Stone Edge 2x49-58% | ||
 Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodOreburgh City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Aerodactyl builds →Stone Edge 2x82-96% Ice Fang 2x36-42% | ||
 Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Zapdos Evolutions
A Electric/Flying-type legendary, Zapdos doesn't evolve or breed. At 580 total stats, it's meant to stand on its own. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
DP Zapdos Best Moveset
125 Sp. Atk and 100 Speed on an Electric/Flying type that only loses 25% to MoveStealth Rock instead of the 50% other Flying legendaries pay. The moveset runs devastating special Electric and Flying attacks with enough defensive bulk to take hits and come back for more.
Best Build
Zapdos best EVs are HP and Defense
Wall Moveset
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Hidden Power Ice
- Heat Wave
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Level-up moves are just the starting point for Zapdos. TMs unlock Rock and Normal coverage and more and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Thunder and Fly into something with actual range.
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
33 of 35 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
A legendary Pokémon that is said to live in thunderclouds. It freely controls lightning bolts.
Zapdos Diamond & Pearl Guide
Zapdos isn't catchable in Diamond & Pearl. Catch one in Platinum, HeartGold, or SoulSilver, then trade it to Diamond & Pearl.
In Diamond & Pearl, use Zapdos as a support. Splits damage between physical and special. It outspeeds most threats, Thunderbolt is the primary attack.
Zapdos has a Galarian form that swaps the typing and reshuffles the stats. Introduced in Gen 8. Worth checking if the original version doesn't fit your team.
For Diamond & Pearl, run Bold on Zapdos. +Defense is what matters, and the -Attack cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the support role.
Game Availability
First obtainable in Red & Blue, Zapdos has been featured in 20 titles across 9 generations. Legendary status means a single encounter per playthrough in most games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
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 8SwShGalarian
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
Explore
Where to go next after Zapdos.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List