Utility
Balanced
245Low
55Slow
DTier

Mid-stage Pokemon like Zubat rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Crobat, which is where the real potential kicks in. Part of the Gen 1 roster. Ground moves can't touch it, which offsets the 4 weaknesses somewhat.

You won't find a real weakness in Zubat's stat line. It's well-rounded for the Bat Pokemon, and what it does with that depends on moveset and items. Yields 1 Speed EV, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
245Below
HP40
D
Attack45
D
Defense35
F
Sp. Atk30
F
Sp. Def40
D
Speed55
D
Total245
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Zubat yields +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Details
Catch255GuaranteedMedium Fast1M XP0.8m / 2'07"7.5kg / 16.5 lbs49Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It sleeps in caves during the day. It has no eyes, so to check its surroundings while flying, it emits ultrasonic waves.

Sun

When exposed to sunlight, they suffer burns. The frequency of their ultrasonic waves can differ slightly from colony to colony.

Moon

Zubat Weakness

Excellent

Electric, Ice, Psychic, and Rock-type moves hit Zubat for super-effective damage. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. The Poison/Flying typing picks up 5 resistances to work with.

4xCriticali
None
½xResisti
0xImmunei
4Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Scorei+3
Stealth Rock25% on switch
Abilities
Inner FocusPrevents flinching.
InfiltratorHABypasses light screen, reflect, and safeguard.

Zubat kicks off a three-stage evolution line through Golbat all the way to Crobat. For breeding, quick to hatch with no compatible partners via one egg group. The evolved forms gain up to 290 total stats over Zubat.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Zubat
#041Zubat
22
Level 22
Golbat
#042Golbat
High Friendship
Crobat
#169Crobat
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Zubat
PoisonFlying
Golbat
PoisonFlying
Crobat
PoisonFlying
HP
40
75+35
85+10
ATK
45
80+35
90+10
DEF
35
70+35
80+10
SP.ATK
30
65+35
70+5
SP.DEF
40
75+35
80+5
SPE
55
90+35
130+40
BST
245D-Tier
455D-Tier+210
535B-Tier+80
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Zubat easily from the Flying egg group. Pass egg moves like Brave Bird, Curse, Defog and 11 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Flying
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
14moves

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 7.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Don't skip the egg moves. Zubat picks up Brave Bird and Curse only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Brave Bird and Fly while coverage across 8 types adds range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Absorb
4010025Grass
Lv 5
Supersonic
5520Normal
Lv 7
Astonish
3010015Ghost
Lv 11
Bite
6010025Dark
Lv 13
Wing Attack
6010035Flying
Lv 17
Confuse Ray
10010Ghost
Lv 19
Air Cutter
609525Flying
Lv 23
Swift
6020Normal
Lv 25
Poison Fang
5010015Poison
Lv 29
Mean Look
5Normal
Lv 31
Leech Life
8010010Bug
Lv 35
Haze
30Ice
Lv 37
Venoshock
6510010Poison
Lv 41
Air Slash
759515Flying
Lv 43
Quick Guard+3
15Fighting

TM Moves

Src
TM62
Acrobatics
5510015Flying
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM100
Confide
20Normal
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM76
Fly
909515Flying
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM28
Leech Life
8010010Bug
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM19
Roost
10Flying
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM88
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM36
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM51
Steel Wing
709025Steel
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
8515Normal
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison
TM89
U-turn
7010020Bug
TM09
Venoshock
6510010Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Brave Bird
12010015Flying
Egg
Curse
10Ghost
Egg
Defog
15Flying
Egg
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Egg
Giga Drain
7510010Grass
Egg
Gust
4010035Flying
Egg
Hypnosis
6020Psychic
Egg
Nasty Plot
20Dark
Egg
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Egg
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Egg
Steel Wing
709025Steel
Egg
Venom Drench
10020Poison
Egg
Whirlwind-6
20Normal
Egg
Zen Headbutt
809015Psychic

Tutor Moves

Zubat can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 1
Bide+1
10Normal
Gen 4
Captivate
10020Normal
Gen 2
Detect+4
5Fighting
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
10Normal
Gen 1
Mega Drain
7510015Grass
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal
Gen 4
Natural Gift
10015Normal
Gen 4
Ominous Wind
601005Ghost
Gen 5
Pluck
6010020Flying
Gen 1
Rage
2010020Normal
Gen 1
Razor Wind
8010010Normal
Gen 6
Secret Power
7010020Normal
Gen 1
Take Down
908520Normal
Gen 4
Twister
4010020Dragon

high spawn rates in early-game routes across 22 locations. Zubat's one of the easier catches on the list. Two different catch methods are in play here. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.

Best Locations

You can catch Zubat through 22 walking, gift, and more encounters from Lv. 7-55, but availability differs between Sun and Moon. Some spots are exclusive to one version.

Seaward Cave
SunSurfing on waterLv.15-1880%EarlyCave
EFFORTLESS
Seaward Cave
MoonSurfing on waterLv.15-1880%EarlyCave
EFFORTLESS
Verdant Cavern - Trial Site
SunGrassLv.8-1170%EarlyCave
EFFORTLESS
Verdant Cavern - Trial Site
MoonGrassLv.8-1170%EarlyCave
EFFORTLESS
Seaward Cave
SunGrassLv.9-1270%EarlyCave
EFFORTLESS
Seaward Cave
MoonGrassLv.9-1270%EarlyCave
EFFORTLESS
Ten Carat Hill - Inside
SunGrassLv.10-1330%Early
EFFORTLESS
Ten Carat Hill - Inside
MoonGrassLv.10-1330%Early
EFFORTLESS
Hau'oli Cemetery
MoonGrassLv.7-1020%Early
EASY
Hau'oli Cemetery
SunGrassLv.7-1020%Early
EASY
Lush Jungle - East Cave
SunGrassLv.18-2170%MidForest
EFFORTLESS
Lush Jungle - East Cave
MoonGrassLv.18-2170%MidForest
EFFORTLESS
Diglett's Tunnel
SunGrassLv.19-2270%MidCave
EFFORTLESS
Diglett's Tunnel
MoonGrassLv.19-2270%MidCave
EFFORTLESS
Memorial Hill
SunGrassLv.20-2320%Mid
EASY
Memorial Hill
MoonGrassLv.20-2320%Mid
EASY
Poké Pelago - Ula'ula Island reached
SunGift from NPCLv.21-276%Mid
EASY
Poké Pelago - Ula'ula Island reached
MoonGift from NPCLv.21-276%Mid
EASY
Poké Pelago - Poni Island reached
SunGift from NPCLv.37-435%Late
EASY
Poké Pelago - Poni Island reached
MoonGift from NPCLv.37-435%Late
EASY
Poké Pelago - Elite Four defeated
SunGift from NPCLv.49-554%Post
MODERATE
Poké Pelago - Elite Four defeated
MoonGift from NPCLv.49-554%Post
MODERATE
  • At 245 BST, Zubat is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Golbat before bringing it to any serious fight.

  • Watch for Raikou (Electric), Lapras (Ice), and Starmie (Psychic) when using Zubat. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Rock-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Zubat evolves into Golbat at level 22. Zubat is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Inner Focus prevents flinching — that's the one you want on Zubat. Infiltrator is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses.

  • Zubat is leaning toward the physical side (base 45 Attack). Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — at base 55 Speed, it won't be moving first often.

  • Zubat appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Present since Red & Blue, Zubat appears in 21 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Zubat have the longest track record of availability in the series.