Physical
Balanced
70Speed · Below Avg

Zorua Best Moveset

Dark at 80 Sp. Atk and 65 Speed with AbilityIllusion disguising it as the last Pokemon in the party. The deception makes opponents guess wrong about typing and resistances. Pre-evolution stats limit the payoff. Evolve to Zoroark for 120 Sp. Atk and the Illusion mindgames that create real competitive value.

SABCDEFEEEEEBlack & White / B2W2VBW/B2W2PEAKX & Y / ORASVIXY/ORASSun & Moon / USUMVIISM/USUMSword & Shield / BDSPVIIISS/BDSPScarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AIXSV/LZACURRENT
Gen V — Black & White / B2W2E

Zorua saw minimal competitive use in Gen V (Black & White / B2W2). This was Zorua's competitive peak. Its most popular set ran Illusion with Life Orb, favoring a Timid nature.

Hidden Abilities became available

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 49
Nasty Plot
DarkCOMMONUtility
Egg
Dark Pulse
Dark80COMMONCoverage
TM10
Hidden Power (Fighting)
Fighting60COMMONCoverage
TM89
U-turn
Bug70COMMONCoverage
Egg
Counter
FightingCOMMONCoverage
Lv 29
Foul Play
Dark95COMMONCoverage
Lv 25
Taunt
DarkCOMMONUtility
TM45
Attract
NormalCOMMONSTAB

Best Build

Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Illusion
Item
Life OrbPOWER
Best Nature for Zorua
Timid+SPE

Zorua best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Nasty Plot
  • Dark Pulse
  • Hidden Power Fighting
  • U Turn
Gen VI — X & Y / ORASE

Zorua saw minimal competitive use in Gen VI (X & Y / ORAS). Zorua maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Illusion with Leftovers, favoring a Hardy nature.

Fairy type added to the gameMega Evolution became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
TM97
Dark Pulse
Dark80POPULARCoverage
TM30
Shadow Ball
Ghost80COMMONSTAB
Egg
Detect
FightingCOMMONPriority
Tutor
Hyper Voice
Normal90COMMONSTAB
Lv 49
Nasty Plot
DarkRAREUtility
Egg
Extrasensory
Psychic80RARECoverage
TM17
Protect
NormalRARESTAB
TM4
Calm Mind
PsychicRAREUtility
Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Illusion
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Zorua
HardyNEUTRAL
EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Dark Pulse
  • Shadow BallSTAB
  • DetectFAST +4
  • Hyper VoiceSTAB
Gen VII — Sun & Moon / USUME

Zorua saw minimal competitive use in Gen VII (Sun & Moon / USUM). Zorua maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Illusion with Focus Sash, favoring a Adamant nature.

Z-Moves became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Tutor
Knock Off
Dark65COMMONCoverage
TM89
U-turn
Bug70RARECoverage
Egg
Sucker Punch
Dark70RARECoverage
Egg
Counter
FightingRARECoverage
TM97
Dark Pulse
Dark80RARECoverage
Lv 37
Agility
PsychicRARESetup
Egg
Extrasensory
Psychic80RARECoverage
Egg
Copycat
NormalRARESTAB
Experimental
Physical Sweeper
Ability
Illusion
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Zorua
EVs

Physical Sweeper Moveset

  • Knock Off
  • U Turn
  • Sucker Punch
  • CounterSLOW -5Coverage
Gen VIII — Sword & Shield / BDSPE

Zorua saw minimal competitive use in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield / BDSP). Zorua maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Illusion with Eviolite, favoring a Hardy nature.

Gigantamax became availableDynamax became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
TR58
Dark Pulse
Dark80COMMONCoverage
TR49
Calm Mind
PsychicRAREUtility
Tutor
Burning Jealousy
Fire70RARECoverage
Lv 24
Knock Off
Dark65RARECoverage
Lv 32
Agility
PsychicRARESetup
Egg
Extrasensory
Psychic80RARECoverage
Lv 48
Foul Play
Dark95RARECoverage
Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Illusion
Item
EvioliteBULK
Best Nature for Zorua
HardyNEUTRAL
EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Dark Pulse
  • Calm Mind
  • Burning Jealousy
  • Knock Off
Gen IX — Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AE

Zorua saw minimal competitive use in Gen IX (Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-A). Zorua maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Illusion with Focus Sash, favoring a Naive nature.

Terastallization became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Egg
Sucker Punch
Dark70RARECoverage
Egg
Counter
FightingRARECoverage
Egg
Detect
FightingRAREPriority
TM7
Protect
NormalRARESTAB
Lv 44
Nasty Plot
DarkRAREUtility
Lv 32
Agility
PsychicRARESetup
Lv 24
Knock Off
Dark65RARECoverage
Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Illusion
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Zorua
Naive+SPE
EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Sucker Punch
  • CounterSLOW -5Coverage
  • DetectFAST +4
  • ProtectFAST +4

Zorua Weakness

Type-wise, Zorua takes extra damage from Dark. Normal, Fighting, and Ghost moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. Only 1 weakness makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.

Zorua Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Dark
0.5x (Resist)Poison, Bug
0x (Immune)Normal, Fighting, Ghost

What is Zorua Weak Against

Fortress
1Weak
2Resist
3Immune
Score+9
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
½xResist
¼xResist
None

What is Zorua Strong Against

2Strong
0Resisted
0Immune
Score+2
2xStrong
½xResisted
None
0xImmune
None

Best Pokemon Against Zorua

Tyranitar can KO Zorua with Knock Off (344-405%).

Evolution

Zorua evolves into Zoroark. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 180 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Evolutions
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Zorua
Dark
HP
40
60+20
60+20
ATK
65
105+40
105+40
DEF
40
60+20
60+20
SP.ATK
80
120+40
120+40
SP.DEF
40
60+20
60+20
SPE
65
105+40
105+40
BST
330D-Tier
510B-Tier+180
510C-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Sweeper
Sweeper
TYPE
Special
Mixed
Mixed

Breeding

Moderate

Breed Zorua with 278 breeding partners from the Ground egg group.

Egg Groups
Gender
87.5%12.5%
Hatch Time
25 cycles·6,425 steps
Moderate~6 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy

How to Get Hisuian Zorua

All 9 games

low spawn rates across 6 encounter spots for Zorua. That's the kind of hunt where you pick one location and settle in. Sort by Best below to see where the odds are highest.

Where To Catch Zorua in SV

The path to Zorua starts with Zorua at Lv. 16-31 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Zorua
    Step 1Zorua
    Tagtree Thicket - Forest
    Lv.16-31Overworld
    Rate 3%
    West Province (Area Three) - Forest
    Lv.16-31Overworld
    Rate 3%
    West Province (Area Three) - Grass
    Lv.16-31Overworld
    Rate 2%

Base Stats

Zorua's spread isn't flashy. Sp. Atk leads, HP trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Moderately hard to find and worth 1 Sp. Atk EV, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
Avg
HP35
F
Attack60
C
Defense40
D
Sp. Atk85
C
Sp. Def40
D
Speed70
C
Total330
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging75 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Slow1.06M XP
Height0.7 m
Weight12.5 kg
Base XP66
Abilities
Illusion
Takes the appearance of the last conscious party Pokémon upon being sent out until hit by a damaging move.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpA+1SpDSpe
Special Attack training source
Pokedex Entry

To protect themselves from danger, they hide their true identities by transforming into people and Pokémon.

Pokemon Violet

Zorua Guide

  • Zorua does the job early-game if you need a Normal/Ghost type on your team. Evolve it into Zoroark before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

  • Yes. Hisuian Zorua is a regional variant with different typing and a reworked stat spread. Introduced in Gen 8. Plays completely differently from the original.

Game Availability

Zorua first appeared in Black & White and spans 9 games across 6 generations. It later gained a Hisuian form in Generation 8, adding new dimensions to its competitive identity.

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Want to tell us more?
What was most useful?
What could be improved?
Thanks for your feedback