Pin Missile (move)

Pin Missile ミサイルばり Missile Needle

Battles Type  Bug Category  Physical PP  20 (max. 32) Power  25 Accuracy  95% Priority  0 Does not make contact Affected by Protect Not affected by Magic Coat Not affected by Snatch Affected by King's Rock

Range Opponent Opponent Opponent Self Ally Ally Normal: May affect anyone adjacent to the user

Availability Introduced  Generation I Not a TM, TR, HM, or Move Tutor move.

Contests Condition  Cool Appeal  2 ♥♥ Jam  1 ♥ Startles the Pokémon that has the Judge's attention.

Super Contests Condition  Cool Appeal  2 ♥♥ Allows performance of the same move twice in a row.

Contest Spectaculars Condition  Cool Appeal  0   Jamming  0

On Smogon's Movedex: Generation I Generation II Generation III Generation IV Generation V Generation VI Generation VII Generation VIII Generation IX

Pin Missile (Japanese: ミサイルばり Missile Needle) is a damage-dealing Bug-type multi-strike move introduced in Generation I.

Effect

Generation I

Pin Missile inflicts damage, hitting 2-5 times per use. There is a 37.5% chance that it will hit 2 times, a 37.5% chance that it will hit 3 times, a 12.5% chance that it will hit 4 times, and a 12.5% chance that it will hit 5 times. On average, it will hit 3 times, giving it an average power of 42, ignoring the possibility of missing. Although only the first strike can be a critical hit, each successive one will deal the same amount of damage.

Pin Missile will end immediately if it breaks a substitute. Bide and Counter will only acknowledge the last strike of this move.

Pin Missile has a base power of 14 and an accuracy of 85%.

Generation II

All strikes now do damage independently, consequently enabling any of them to be critical.

Generations III and IV

Pin Missile may now continue attacking after a substitute is broken.

Pokémon with the Ability Skill Link will always hit five times when using Pin Missile if it does not miss. However, no Pokémon could naturally possess both Skill Link and Pin Missile until Generation VI.

Generation V

There is now a 33.3% chance that it will hit 2 times, a 33.3% chance it will hit 3 times, a 16.7% chance it will hit 4 times, and a 16.7% chance it will hit 5 times. On average, it will hit 3.168 times, giving it an average power of 44.352, ignoring the possibility of missing.

Unlike previous generations, if Focus Sash, Focus Band, or Sturdy activate before the last strike is dealt, the following one will cause the defending Pokémon to faint; however, Focus Band can still activate repeatedly to prevent fainting, but each chance is independent of the previous one. Each strike will cause Weak Armor to activate.

Generation VI

Pin Missile now has a base power of 25 and an accuracy of 95%. On average, it will hit 3.168 times, giving it an average power of 79.2, ignoring the possibility of missing.

Description

Games Description An attack that fires many needle-like projectiles from the body. Strikes several times. Fires pins that strike 2-5 times. RSE Sharp pins are fired to strike 2 to 5 times. FRLG Sharp pins are shot at the foe and hit two to five times at once. Sharp pins are shot at the foe in rapid succession. They hit two to five times in a row. Sharp spikes are shot at the target in rapid succession. They hit two to five times in a row.

Learnset

By leveling up

#	Pokémon		Type		Level
					I		II		III		IV		V		VI
015		Beedrill	Bug	Poison	30			35			35			28				28			28
135		Jolteon	Electric		Electric	48	36	36			36			36				36	25	25
167		Spinarak	Bug	Poison										36				36			36
168		Ariados	Bug	Poison										41				41			41
211		Qwilfish	Water	Poison				28			28	21	37				37			37
214		Heracross	Bug	Fighting																	31
263		Zigzagoon	Normal		Normal							25			25				25			25
331		Cacnea	Grass		Grass							21			21				21			21
332		Cacturne	Grass	Dark							21			21				21			21
451		Skorupi	Poison	Bug										12				12	9	9
452		Drapion	Poison	Dark										--, 12				12	9	9
556		Maractus	Grass		Grass														10			10
597		Ferroseed	Grass	Steel														18			18
598		Ferrothorn	Grass	Steel														18			18
650		Chespin	Grass		Grass																	18
651		Quilladin	Grass		Grass																	20
652		Chesnaught	Grass	Fighting																	20
Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move. Italics indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move. A dash (−) indicates a Pokémon cannot learn the move by the designated method. An empty cell indicates a Pokémon that is unavailable in that game/generation.

By breeding

#	Pokémon		Type		Father
					II		III		IV		V		VI
204		Pineco	Bug		Bug
315		Roselia	Grass	Poison
406		Budew	Grass	Poison
543		Venipede	Bug	Poison
595		Joltik	Bug	Electric
Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move. Italics indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move. A dash (−) indicates a Pokémon cannot learn the move by the designated method. An empty cell indicates a Pokémon that is unavailable in that game/generation.

In the anime

Jolteon Chespin Ferrothorn Drapion
The opponent is hit with a massive amount of pins.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Used In		Notes
	Jolteon's fur becomes spiky and it fires yellow needles from its fur at the opponent.
Sparky's Jolteon	The Battling Eevee Brothers		Debut
Ethan's Jolteon	Get Along, Little Pokémon		None
	Qwilfish sucks up water to make its body expand. Then, it glows white and shoots white needles from its body at the opponent. As it's shooting the Pin Missiles, its body shrinks back to regular size.
Harrison's Qwilfish	Dueling Heroes		None
Dorian's Qwilfish	Just Add Water		None
	Beedrill puts its arms in front of it and the arm stingers on its arms start to glow white. It then releases multiple white needles from the arm stingers all over the battlefield, or Beedrill's arm stingers start to glow white and it releases two large needles the size of the arm stingers at the opponent.
Jimmy's Beedrill	The Legend of Thunder!		None
Galen's two Beedrill	Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea		None
	Cacnea points one or two of its arms out and the dark green spikes on its hands glow white. It then shoots a barrage of white needles at the opponent, or Cacnea's hands glow white and multiple white, arrow-headed streams of pins are released from them at the opponent. Sometimes the pins are fired from the dark spines in its head.
James's Cacnea	A Poached Ego!		None
	Cacturne releases multiple white glowing streams of pins from the dark green patches on its arms and legs at the opponent.
Harley's Cacturne	Rhapsody in Drew		None
	Drapion's claws glow white and it brings them back above its head, and a thin white line connects the two claws. It then thrusts its claws forward and it releases multiple glowing white streams of pins from them at the opponent. It can also release glowing white pins from the claw at the end of its tail.
J's Drapion	Ill-Will Hunting!		None
Aaron's Drapion	A Trainer and Child Reunion!		None
Paul's Drapion	Familiarity Breeds Strategy!		None
	The ball on Mime Jr.'s head glow white. Its hands also glow white and it releases glowing white streams of pins from its hands at the opponent.
James's Mime Jr.	Dawn's Early Night!		Used via Mimic
	The claws on Skorupi's arms glow white and it fires multiple glowing white streams of pins with arrowheads from the claws at the opponent.
A Coordinator's Skorupi	Another One Gabites the Dust!		None
	The three claws on the end of one of Maractus's hands glow white and it fires three streams of glowing white pins from its claws at the opponent, or Maractus raises its arms and points both of them at the opponent. The claws at the end of both arms glow white and it releases three stream of white pins from each hand at the opponent.
Toby's Marra	A Maractus Musical!		None
Toby's Racca	A Maractus Musical!		None
Toby's Tussy	A Maractus Musical!		None
	Ferrothorn's arms glow white and it fires multiple glowing white streams with arrowheads from the arms at the opponent.
Cameron's Ferrothorn	The Road to Humilau!		None

In the manga

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

Jolteon Eevee
The user fires pins from their body at the opponent.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Chapter Used In		Notes
	Jolteon raises its backside in the air slightly and the fur around it grows longer and sharp. Jolteon then fires multiple spear-like pins from the spiked fur at the opponent.
Sparky's Jolteon	To Evolve or Not to Evolve, That is the Question!		Debut
	Eevee raises its backside in the air slightly and its grows longer and spikes out. Eevee then fires multiple spear-like pins from the spiked fur at the opponent.
Mikey's Eevee	To Evolve or Not to Evolve, That is the Question!		Used via Mimic

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Jolteon Qwilfish
The user fires pins from their body at the opponent.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Chapter Used In		Notes
	Jolteon fires multiple large triangle-shaped pins from the collar around its neck at the opponent.
Red's Vee	Clefabulous Clefable		Debut
	Qwilfish releases two beams of energy from its eyes at the opponent.
The Battle Factory's Qwilfish	VS. Seedot		None

In other generations

Generation I	RBY	Generation I (Japanese)	Generation I (international)	Generation II	Generation II (Japanese)	Generation II (international)	Crystal	Generation III	Generation III (Japanese)	Generation III (international)	RS	FRLG	FRLGE	Generation IV	Generation IV (Japanese)	Generation IV (international)	PtHGSS	HGSS	Generation V	BW	B2W2	Generation V (Japanese)	Generation V (international)	Generation VI	XY	ORAS	Generation VII	SMUSUM	LGPE	Generation VIII	SwSh	BDSP	Legends: Arceus	Generation IX	Stadium (JP)	Stadium	Stadium 2	Colosseum	XD	Battle Revolution	Battrio	MD: Red and Blue	MD:Time, Darkness, andSky	MD: Blazing, Stormy, & Light Adventure Squad	MD: GTI	SMD	MD: RTDX	Rumble	Rumble Blast	Masters EX

																																			File:Pin Missile Stadium.png
Generation I	RBY	Generation I (Japanese)	Generation I (international)	Generation II	Generation II (Japanese)	Generation II (international)	Crystal	Generation III	Generation III (Japanese)	Generation III (international)	RS	FRLG	FRLGE	Generation IV	Generation IV (Japanese)	Generation IV (international)	PtHGSS	HGSS	Generation V	BW	B2W2	Generation V (Japanese)	Generation V (international)	Generation VI	XY	ORAS	Generation VII	SMUSUM	LGPE	Generation VIII	SwSh	BDSP	Legends: Arceus	Generation IX	Stadium (JP)	Stadium	Stadium 2	Colosseum	XD	Battle Revolution	Battrio	MD: Red and Blue	MD:Time, Darkness, andSky	MD: Blazing, Stormy, & Light Adventure Squad	MD: GTI	SMD	MD: RTDX	Rumble	Rumble Blast	Masters EX

Trivia

• Before Generation VI, Pin Missile was the only move with a base power of 14. It was one of three moves in the main series games to have a base power that is not a multiple of 5, the other two being Comet Punch and Fury Swipes.
  • All of these moves happen to be multi-strike moves.

In other languages

Language Title Mandarin Chinese 飛彈針 Fēi​dàn​ Zhēn​ Danish Nålemissil Dutch Naaldraket Finnish Neulaohjus (EP040) Piikkiohjus (Advanced Generation) French Dard-Nuée German Nadelrakete Greek Βλήματα Βελόνες Indonesian Jarum Rudal Peluru Jarum Italian Missilspillo Korean 바늘미사일 Bineul Missile Norwegian Nålestikk Polish Szpilo Pocisk Portuguese Brazil Míssil de Espinhos Portugal Ataque Míssil Míssil (Black and White series) Romanian Proiectilul Ascuțit Serbian Bodljikavi Projektil Spanish Latin America Misil Aguja (anime) Spain Pin Misil

This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.