Is Zapdos Good in Emerald Playthrough?
Electric/Flying legendary. Zapdos with AbilityPressure handles Juan, Wallace, and most of the E4 through legendary Electric power. The typing answers Emerald's Water-heavy endgame perfectly. If you can import one, Zapdos is among the best things to bring.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Roxanne's team.
Zapdos resists most of Brawly's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Wattson's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Flannery's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Norman's team.
Zapdos resists most of Winona's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Tate & Liza's team.
Zapdos resists most of Juan's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Sidney's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Phoebe's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Glacia's team.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Drake's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Wallace'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 Brawly
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from Wattson after clearing New Mauville
- After Wattson
- TM34ElectricShock WavePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Wattson
- After Norman
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 105Accuracy 95%PP 15Given by your rival after you defeat them on Route 119
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Lilycove Department Store
- After Winona
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Winona
- After Tate & Liza
- TUTORNormalDouble-EdgePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Sootopolis City
- LV 49FlyingDrill PeckPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
- Post-Game
- TUTORNormalSwiftPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 20Battle Frontier
- LV 85ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10
How to Get Zapdos in Emerald
No corner of Emerald hides Zapdos, leaving transfer as the only way to register the electric bird. Its home routes belong to Kanto-rooted games, never this region.
Zapdos cannot be caught in the wild in Emerald, but you can still get it via these paths:
Obtain and trade from these games:
Then trade to Emerald.
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 Emerald
Zapdos strikes at no Hoenn route; bring one across from FireRed or LeafGreen, where you save before it in the Power Plant and soft-reset for the shine, then carry the sparkling bird over. 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 |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Zapdos Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Zapdos
 Regice Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 105 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Regice builds →Ice Beam 2x72-85% Ancient Power 2x19-22% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Rhydon builds →Rock Tomb 2x50-59% Ice Beam 2x26-31% | ||
 Walrein IceWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Spheal (Shoal Cave Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Walrein builds →Ice Beam 2x68-81% Rock Tomb 2x22-26% | ||
 Solrock RockPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodMeteor Falls Surfing | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodBattle Frontier Interact Encounter | ||
 Glalie Ice | C | |
 Armaldo RockBug | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Rustboro City Gift) | ||
 Regirock Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 111 Interact Encounter | ||
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
 Cradily RockGrass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Lileep (Rustboro City Gift) | ||
 Aggron SteelRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Aggron builds →Rock Tomb 2x44-52% Ice Beam 2x32-38% | ||
 Magcargo FireRock | C | |
 Shuckle BugRock | B | |
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
E Zapdos Best Moveset
Zapdos dominates the Electric/Flying niche with virtually no competition, combining 125 Sp. Atk at 100 Speed with a Ground immunity from Flying. The moveset fires MoveThunderbolt for elite Electric TermStab while AbilityPressure drains PP from defensive answers trying to outlast it. MoveHidden Power adds coverage, and MoveRest sustains through prolonged matches.
Best Build
Zapdos best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Attacker Moveset
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Grass
- Baton Pass
- Thunder Wave
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Level-up moves are just the starting point for Zapdos. TMs unlock Normal and Fighting 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
All 23 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
ZAPDOS is a legendary bird POKéMON that has the ability to control electricity. It usually lives in thunderclouds. It gains power if it is stricken by lightning bolts.
Zapdos Emerald Guide
Zapdos isn't catchable in Emerald. Find it in FireRed or LeafGreen, then trade it to Emerald.
In Emerald, use Zapdos as a sweeper. 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 Emerald, run Timid on Zapdos. +Speed is what matters, and the -Attack cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the sweeper 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 · EmeraldEmerald Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Emerald Tier List