Sky Attack (move)

Effect

Generation I

Sky Attack deals damage, has a 9.8% chance of causing the target to flinch, and has an increased critical hit ratio.

Sky Attack does nothing on the turn it is selected, other than say that the user is glowing. On the following turn, Sky Attack will deal damage, PP will be deducted from it, and it will count as the last move used. Once Sky Attack is selected, the user won't be able to switch out until it is disrupted or fully executed.

If Sky Attack is not fully executed, PP will not be deducted from it, and it will not count as the last move used. If the target uses Mirror Move during the turn that the user is glowing, Mirror Move will copy the move that the user executed immediately before using Sky Attack (or fail if it can't).

Sleep, freeze, partial trapping, and flinching will pause but not disrupt the duration of Sky Attack.

In Stadium, Mirror Move will copy Sky Attack on either of the turns it takes to execute.

Generation II-III

Sky Attack now has a 10% chance of causing the target to flinch. Otherwise, it is exactly the same as Generation I.

Generation IV

Sky Attack now displays "<name> became cloaked in a harsh light!" instead of "<name> is glowing!". Otherwise, it is exactly the same as Generation II and III.

Learnset

Generation I

By leveling up

#   Pokémon Type Level 0146 Moltres Fire Flying 60 Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move. Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form gets STAB from this move.

By TM43

#   Pokémon Type 0016 Pidgey Normal Flying 0017 Pidgeotto Normal Flying 0018 Pidgeot Normal Flying 0021 Spearow Normal Flying 0022 Fearow Normal Flying 0084 Doduo Normal Flying 0085 Dodrio Normal Flying 0142 Aerodactyl Rock Flying 0144 Articuno Ice Flying 0145 Zapdos Electric Flying 0146 Moltres Fire Flying 0151 Mew Psychic Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move. Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form gets STAB from this move.

Generation II

By leveling up

#   Pokémon Type Level 0146 Moltres Fire Flying 73 Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move. Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form gets STAB from this move.

By breeding

Template:Breedlist |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0163 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Hoothoot
| colspan="1" style="background:#9FA19F; text-align: center;" | Normal || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Pidgeot
Spearow, Fearow
Doduo, Dodrio
Aerodactyl |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0198 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Murkrow
| colspan="1" style="background:#624D4E; text-align: center;" | Dark || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Pidgeot
Spearow, Fearow
Doduo, Dodrio
Aerodactyl
Hoothoot, Noctowl
Skarmory |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0227 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Skarmory
| colspan="1" style="background:#60A1B8; text-align: center;" | Steel || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Pidgeot
Spearow, Fearow
Doduo, Dodrio
Aerodactyl

|- | colspan="6" | Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move.
Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution gets STAB from this move.
*Indicates Pokémon that can only learn the move through chain breeding. |} |}

Generation III

By leveling up

#   Pokémon Type Level 0146 Moltres Fire Flying 85 0334 Altaria Dragon Flying 59 Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move. Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form gets STAB from this move.

By breeding

Template:Breedlist |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0021 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Spearow
| colspan="1" style="background:#9FA19F; text-align: center;" | Normal || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Altaria |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0163 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Hoothoot
| colspan="1" style="background:#9FA19F; text-align: center;" | Normal || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Altaria |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0198 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Murkrow
| colspan="1" style="background:#624D4E; text-align: center;" | Dark || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Spearow, Fearow
Hoothoot, Noctowl
Skarmory
Taillow, Swellow
Swablu, Altaria |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0227 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Skarmory
| colspan="1" style="background:#60A1B8; text-align: center;" | Steel || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Altaria |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0276 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Taillow
| colspan="1" style="background:#9FA19F; text-align: center;" | Normal || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Altaria

|- | colspan="6" | Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move.
Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution gets STAB from this move.
*Indicates Pokémon that can only learn the move through chain breeding. |} |}

By move tutor

In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

#   Pokémon Type 0016 Pidgey Normal Flying 0017 Pidgeotto Normal Flying 0018 Pidgeot Normal Flying 0021 Spearow Normal Flying 0022 Fearow Normal Flying 0084 Doduo Normal Flying 0085 Dodrio Normal Flying 0142 Aerodactyl Rock Flying 0144 Articuno Ice Flying 0145 Zapdos Electric Flying 0146 Moltres Fire Flying 0151 Mew Psychic 0163 Hoothoot Normal Flying 0164 Noctowl Normal Flying 0176 Togetic Normal Flying 0177 Natu Psychic Flying 0178 Xatu Psychic Flying 0198 Murkrow Dark Flying 0225 Delibird Ice Flying 0227 Skarmory Steel Flying 0250 Ho-Oh Fire Flying 0276 Taillow Normal Flying 0277 Swellow Normal Flying 0278 Wingull Water Flying 0279 Pelipper Water Flying 0333 Swablu Normal Flying 0334 Altaria Dragon Flying Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move. Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form gets STAB from this move.

Generation IV

By leveling up

#   Pokémon Type Level 0146 Moltres Fire Flying 78 0164 Noctowl Normal Flying -- 0249 Lugia Psychic Flying 99 0250 Ho-Oh Fire Flying 99 0334 Altaria Dragon Flying 70 0468 Togekiss Normal Flying -- Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move. Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form gets STAB from this move.

By breeding

Template:Breedlist |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0021 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Spearow
| colspan="1" style="background:#9FA19F; text-align: center;" | Normal || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Noctowl
Altaria
Togekiss |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0163 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Hoothoot
| colspan="1" style="background:#9FA19F; text-align: center;" | Normal || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Noctowl
Altaria
Togekiss |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0198 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Murkrow
| colspan="1" style="background:#624D4E; text-align: center;" | Dark || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Spearow, Fearow
Hoothoot, Noctowl
Skarmory
Taillow, Swellow
Swablu, Altaria
Togekiss |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0227 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Skarmory
| colspan="1" style="background:#60A1B8; text-align: center;" | Steel || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Noctowl
Altaria
Togekiss |- | style="background: #FFF; font-family:monospace,monospace" | 0276 | style="background: #FFF; text-align: center;" | | style="background: #FFF" | Taillow
| colspan="1" style="background:#9FA19F; text-align: center;" | Normal || style="background:#81B9EF" align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" | Flying | style="background: #FFF" | Noctowl
Altaria
Togekiss

|- | colspan="6" | Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move.
Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution gets STAB from this move.
*Indicates Pokémon that can only learn the move through chain breeding. |} |}

By move tutor

In HeartGold and SoulSilver

#   Pokémon Type 0018 Pidgeot Normal Flying 0022 Fearow Normal Flying 0085 Dodrio Normal Flying 0142 Aerodactyl Rock Flying 0144 Articuno Ice Flying 0145 Zapdos Electric Flying 0146 Moltres Fire Flying 0151 Mew Psychic 0164 Noctowl Normal Flying 0169 Crobat Poison Flying 0178 Xatu Psychic Flying 0225 Delibird Ice Flying 0227 Skarmory Steel Flying 0249 Lugia Psychic Flying 0250 Ho-Oh Fire Flying 0277 Swellow Normal Flying 0279 Pelipper Water Flying 0334 Altaria Dragon Flying 0398 Staraptor Normal Flying 0430 Honchkrow Dark Flying 0441 Chatot Normal Flying 0468 Togekiss Normal Flying 0472 Gliscor Ground Flying Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move. Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form gets STAB from this move.

In the anime

File:Paul'sMurkrow SkyAttack2.jpg Murkrow File:Honchkrow sky attack.png Honchkrow
The user glows silver and attacks the opponent.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Used In		Notes
	Skarmory's body glows white or orange and flies into the opponent at top speed.
Attila's Skarmory	The Legend of Thunder!		Debut
A wild Skarmory	All Torkoal, No Play		None
	Altaria's body becomes surrounded in red flames and it flies into the opponent.
Drake's Altaria	Vanity Affair		None
	Murkrow's body becomes surrounded by a white aura and it flies into the opponent
Paul's Murkrow	Top-Down Training!		None
	Honchkrow's body becomes surrounded by a white aura and it flies into the opponent.
Paul's Honchkrow	Lost Leader Strategy!		None
	Togekiss's body becomes surrounded by a white aura and it flies into the opponent.
Dawn's Togekiss	DP171		None

Trivia

• Except Mew, all Pokémon who can learn Sky Attack are Template:Type2 Pokémon, and thus receive STAB for using it.
• Sky Attack has the highest base power of any Flying-type attack.
• Sky Attack and Brave Bird share similar in-game animations; the only major difference is that where the former has a blue aura, the latter's is red.
• Mew, Crobat and Gliscor are the only non-archosaurian Pokémon to learn this move.

In other languages

• Dutch: Luchtaanval
• French: Piqué
• German: Himmelsfeger
• Hindi: Aasmani Hamla
• Italian: Aeroattacco
• Spanish: Ataque Aereo
• Brazilian Portuguese: Ataque Aéreo
• Latin America: Ataque Celestial