Is Zapdos Good in Gold & Silver Playthrough?
Not available in Gold or Silver. Requires trading from a Gen 1 game. The Power Plant exists in Kanto but Zapdos isn't there.
Zapdos resists most of Falkner's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Zapdos resists most of Chuck's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Zapdos resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Brock's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Lance'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 Falkner
- TM39NormalSwiftPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 20Union Cave
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 105Accuracy 95%PP 15Cianwood City
- After Jasmine
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a fisherman in a house at Lake of Rage
- After Lt. Surge
- TM07ElectricZap CannonPower 150Accuracy 50%PP 5Gift from the Power Plant manager after returning the Machine Part
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Celadon Game Corner
- TM47SteelSteel WingPower 70Accuracy 90%PP 25Route 28
- LV 49FlyingDrill PeckPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 73ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10
How to Get Zapdos in Gold & Silver
No wild Zapdos exists in this generation. Like the other Kanto birds, it is locked out of the catch list entirely, and the sole route to one is transferring from an older game.
Zapdos is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
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 Gold & Silver
Zapdos stays out of Gold and Silver entirely and roams nowhere in Johto, so the only shiny one has to be traded in from a game that offers the legendary bird. 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
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
What is Zapdos Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Zapdos
 Jynx IcePsychic | B | |
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Rhydon builds →Rollout 2x30-36% Blizzard 2x33-39% | ||
 Dewgong WaterIce | C | |
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Sudowoodo builds →Rock Slide 2x59-70% Ice Punch 2x16-19% | ||
 Piloswine IceGround | C | |
 Graveler RockGround | B | |
 Delibird Ice | C | |
 Onix RockGround | C | |
 Sneasel DarkIce | B | |
 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
GS Zapdos Best Moveset
MoveThunderbolt from 125 Sp. Atk with Electric/Flying TermStab covering nearly everything without being resisted. 100 Speed outspeeds most threats, and Ground immunity via Flying removes the primary Electric weakness. MoveThunder Wave cripples anything faster. MoveRest plus MoveSleep Talk sustains. Complete offensive and defensive package.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Hidden Power Ice
- Thunder
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Level-up moves are just the starting point for Zapdos. TMs unlock Normal and Ground coverage and more and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Zap Cannon and Thunder 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.
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
19 of 26 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
This legendary bird POKéMON causes savage thunderstorms by flapping its glittering wings.
This legendary bird POKéMON is said to appear only when a thundercloud parts into two halves.
Zapdos Gold & Silver Guide
In Gold & Silver, use Zapdos as a sweeper. Splits damage between physical and special. It outspeeds most threats, Thunder 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.
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 · Gold & SilverGold & Silver Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Gold & Silver Tier List