Nature
Natures (Japanese: せいかく Personality) are the Pokémon analogue of personalities. They were introduced in the Generation III games and remain a game mechanic in Generation IV. Each Pokémon in these games has one of 25 natures, as listed and described in the table below.
A Pokémon's nature usually affects the growth rate of two of its stats, ultimately increasing one of its stats by 10% and decreasing another of its stats by 10%. Five of the possible natures, however, have no effect on the Pokémon's stat growth. (Note that despite these relationships to a Pokémon's development, natures do not affect experience or individual values.) Natures also determine the Pokémon's favorite flavor of food and which flavor it dislikes. The exception is again the five previously mentioned "neutral" natures, which cause a Pokémon to not like or dislike any flavor. In HeartGold and SoulSilver the stat increased or decreased by a Pokémon's nature has a red or blue shadow respectively when viewing that Pokémon's Summary Screen.
From Emerald onwards, a Ditto or a female Pokémon (though increasing evidence points to BOTH genders) that holds an Everstone has a 50% chance of passing its nature to its offspring when at the Pokémon daycare, but only if both Pokémon and the trainer all come from a game in the same language. Also from Emerald onwards, if the Pokémon with the ability Synchronize is leading the party, there is a 50% chance of encountering a wild Pokémon with the same nature. Synchronize does not have this effect on stationary legendaries on Emerald, however it works on virtually all Pokémon in every game released since; the only known exceptions in Generation IV are when Pokémon are received from an NPC, such as the Eevee given out by Bill in HeartGold and SoulSilver, when Pokémon are received in a museum after being resurrected from fossils, or when catching Pokémon during a stroll in the Pokéwalker bundled with HeartGold and SoulSilver games.
Natures also dictate the manner in which Pokémon battle by themselves at the Battle Palace, different natures make the Pokémon use different methods of attacks and change tactics when they are low on health. Also, the five non-increasing/decreasing natures have different battle styles at the Battle Palace. A man in a house closest to the Sunyshore City Heritage Site asks to see Pokémon with different natures (Naive, Serious, and Quirky), and will give the player three Pokétch applications.
There is a different nature for every possible combination of stat increase and decrease; the five "neutral" natures are technically natures that increase and decrease the same stat.
List of natures
The following table lists each nature and its effect on a Pokémon. It may be rearranged by clicking the boxes next to each column's heading.
| Nature | Japanese | Increased stat | Decreased stat | Favorite flavor | Disliked flavor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardy | がんばりや | — | — | — | — |
| Lonely | さみしがり | Attack | Defense | Spicy | Sour |
| Brave | ゆうかん | Attack | Speed | Spicy | Sweet |
| Adamant | いじっぱり | Attack | Sp. Attack | Spicy | Dry |
| Naughty | やんちゃ | Attack | Sp. Defense | Spicy | Bitter |
| Bold | ずぶとい | Defense | Attack | Sour | Spicy |
| Docile | すなお | — | — | — | — |
| Relaxed | のんき | Defense | Speed | Sour | Sweet |
| Impish | わんぱく | Defense | Sp. Attack | Sour | Dry |
| Lax | のうてんき | Defense | Sp. Defense | Sour | Bitter |
| Timid | おくびょう | Speed | Attack | Sweet | Spicy |
| Hasty | せっかち | Speed | Defense | Sweet | Sour |
| Serious | まじめ | — | — | — | — |
| Jolly | ようき | Speed | Sp. Attack | Sweet | Dry |
| Naive | むじゃき | Speed | Sp. Defense | Sweet | Bitter |
| Modest | ひかえめ | Sp. Attack | Attack | Dry | Spicy |
| Mild | おっとり | Sp. Attack | Defense | Dry | Sour |
| Quiet | れいせい | Sp. Attack | Speed | Dry | Sweet |
| Bashful | てれや | — | — | — | — |
| Rash | うっかりや | Sp. Attack | Sp. Defense | Dry | Bitter |
| Calm | おだやか | Sp. Defense | Attack | Bitter | Spicy |
| Gentle | おとなしい | Sp. Defense | Defense | Bitter | Sour |
| Sassy | なまいき | Sp. Defense | Speed | Bitter | Sweet |
| Careful | しんちょう | Sp. Defense | Sp. Attack | Bitter | Dry |
| Quirky | きまぐれ | — | — | — | — |
Battle Style
Depending on a Pokémon's nature, its battle style changes in the Battle Palace or the Battle Tent of Verdanturf Town. Though this does not affect its battling outside of those areas.
All attacks are grouped into three categories: Attack, Defense, and Support. The following is the list of attacks per category:
- Attack: Any attack not listed under Defense or Support.
- Defense: All moves targeting itself, as well as Bide. These include Acid Armor, Agility, Amnesia, Aromatherapy, Barrier, Baton Pass, Belly Drum, Bide, Bulk Up, Calm Mind, Camouflage, Charge, Conversion 2, Conversion, Cosmic Power, Defense Curl, Destiny Bond, Detect, Double Team, Dragon Dance, Endure, Focus Energy, Follow Me, Growth, Grudge, Hail, Harden, Haze, Heal Bell, Helping Hand, Howl, Imprison, Ingrain, Iron Defense, Light Screen, Meditate, Milk Drink, Minimize, Mist, Moonlight, Morning Sun, Mud Sport, Perish Song, Protect, Rain Dance, Recover, Recycle, Reflect, Refresh, Rest, Safeguard, Sandstorm, Sharpen, Slack Off, Softboiled, Splash, Stockpile, Substitute, Sunny Day, Swallow, Swords Dance, Synthesis, Tail Glow, Teleport, Water Sport, Wish, and Withdraw.
- Support: All moves that do not deal damage and are not categorized under Defense, as well as Counter and Mirror Coat. These include Assist, Attract, Block, Charm, Confuse Ray, Cotton Spore, Counter, Curse, Disable, Encore, Fake Tears, FeatherDance, Flash, Flatter, Foresight, Glare, GrassWhistle, Growl, Hypnosis, Kinesis, Leech Seed, Leer, Lock-On, Lovely Kiss, Magic Coat, Mean Look, Memento, Metal Sound, Metronome, Mimic, Mind Reader, Mirror Coat, Mirror Move, Nature Power, Nightmare, Odor Sleuth, Pain Split, Poison Gas, PoisonPowder, Psych Up, Roar, Role Play, Sand-Attack, Scary Face, Screech, Sing, Sketch, Skill Swap, Sleep Powder, Sleep Talk, SmokeScreen, Snatch, Spider Web, Spikes, Spite, Spore, String Shot, Stun Spore, Supersonic, Swagger, Sweet Kiss, Sweet Scent, Tail Whip, Taunt, Teeter Dance, Thunder Wave, Tickle, Torment, Toxic, Transform, Trick, Whirlwind, Will-O-Wisp, and Yawn.
All natures have a set ratio of Attack, Defense, and Support moves; these change when the Pokémon's HP falls below 50%. This represents the likelihood a particular category of attack is chosen. During battle, a random attack from the Pokémon's moveset in the selected category is chosen; if no such attack exists, the Pokémon will "appear incapable of using its power", and will skip its turn.
The following table lists each nature and its move type preferences; it may be rearranged by clicking the boxes next to each column's heading.
| Nature | Attack | Defense | Support | Attack (<50%) | Defense (<50%) | Support (<50%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardy | 61% | 7% | 32% | 61% | 7% | 32% |
| Lonely | 20% | 25% | 55% | 84% | 8% | 8% |
| Brave | 70% | 15% | 15% | 32% | 60% | 8% |
| Adamant | 38% | 31% | 31% | 70% | 15% | 15% |
| Naughty | 20% | 70% | 10% | 70% | 22% | 8% |
| Bold | 30% | 20% | 50% | 32% | 58% | 10% |
| Docile | 56% | 22% | 22% | 56% | 22% | 22% |
| Relaxed | 25% | 15% | 60% | 75% | 15% | 10% |
| Impish | 69% | 6% | 25% | 28% | 55% | 17% |
| Lax | 35% | 10% | 55% | 29% | 6% | 65% |
| Timid | 62% | 10% | 28% | 30% | 20% | 50% |
| Hasty | 58% | 37% | 5% | 88% | 6% | 6% |
| Serious | 34% | 11% | 55% | 29% | 11% | 60% |
| Jolly | 35% | 5% | 60% | 35% | 60% | 5% |
| Naive | 56% | 22% | 22% | 56% | 22% | 22% |
| Modest | 35% | 45% | 20% | 34% | 60% | 6% |
| Mild | 44% | 50% | 6% | 34% | 6% | 60% |
| Quiet | 56% | 22% | 22% | 56% | 22% | 22% |
| Bashful | 30% | 58% | 12% | 30% | 58% | 12% |
| Rash | 30% | 13% | 57% | 27% | 6% | 67% |
| Calm | 40% | 50% | 10% | 25% | 62% | 13% |
| Gentle | 18% | 70% | 12% | 90% | 5% | 5% |
| Sassy | 88% | 6% | 6% | 22% | 20% | 58% |
| Careful | 42% | 50% | 8% | 42% | 5% | 53% |
| Quirky | 56% | 22% | 22% | 56% | 22% | 22% |
