Metapod resembles a chrysalis. Its soft body is protected by a hard outer shell while it undergoes metamorphosis. While this shell is said to be as hard as steel, a sudden, powerful impact could cause its tender body to pop out, leaving it completely exposed. Metapod generally remains motionless, preparing its soft innards for evolution inside its hard shell. If an enemy discovers Metapod, it is unable to do anything other than harden its outer shell. Metapod lives in forests.
In the anime
Metapod in the animeMetapod's original evolution method
Samurai, in Challenge of the Samurai, battled Ash's Metapod with his own Metapod, but because both Metapod only knew Harden, the battle went on for hours until a swarm of Beedrill forced the battle to end.
In Gettin' The Bugs Out, Bugsy used a Metapod against Ash for the Gym Battle. Unlike most Metapod, this one was actually able to fight back by using Tackle. Multiple other Metapod were also seen in the Azalea Gym in the same episode.
In Caterpie's Big Dilemma, Xander's Caterpie became giant-sized after eating some enhanced Rare Candies. Xander's Caterpie knocked down part of a radio tower in order to make a place for it to evolve into Metapod. It later evolved again to become a Butterfree.
Multiple Metapod appeared in Butterfree and Me!, including one that Ash worked with to help it eventually evolve into Butterfree.
Metapod, Caterpie's next stage. It has encased its body in a hard shell. This specimen reached this stage faster than any previously discovered Pokémon of this variety.
Ash's Butterfree makes a brief appearance in the manga series The Electric Tale of Pikachu. It was first caught in Pikachu, I See You! as a Caterpie and then evolved into Metapod in Play Misty For Me. In this appearance it appears to be slightly thinner than other Metapod, as well as having a large spike on its back.
Ash's Metapod evolves into Butterfree in Play Misty For Me during Ash's Gym battle with Misty. Its last appearance as a Butterfree was in Haunting My Dreams, battling a giant Haunter.
Bugsy also uses two Metapod on his team, one the first appeared in Into the Unown. It again appeared in Ursaring Major where it, a Kakuna and Bugsy visited the Azalea Town's well where Team Rocket had been.
According to the end of the Volume 1 & 2's Pokédex, Red captured a Butterfree which evolved from a Caterpie and then a Metapod.
In the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga
The shell covering this Pokémon's body is as hard as an iron slab. Metapod does not move very much. It stays still because it is preparing its soft innards for evolution inside the hard shell.
The shell covering this Pokémon’s body is as hard as an iron slab. Metapod does not move very much. It stays still because it is preparing its soft innards for evolution inside the hard shell.
They also share the same base stat total, learnset, Ability, and EV yield.
This ties them as the evolved Pokémon with the lowest base stat total.
Metapod is the first Pokémon to evolve in a movie, and part of the first evolution cycle in an episode.
Until the release of Pokémon Platinum, when its pre-evolution became able to learn Bug Bite, Metapod was unable to damage Ghost-type Pokémon except by using Struggle. It shared this trait with Caterpie.
Due to this, it was impossible to complete a Generation I game using only Caterpie or Metapod since Struggle could not hit Ghost types at the time.
Metapod is usually depicted with white sclera, such as in the games, trading cards, and promotional illustrations, but it has yellow sclera in the anime.
In the anime episode Challenge of the Samurai, the process of Metapod's evolution was similar to a real life butterfly emerging from its cocoon. In laterepisodes, however, Metapod is shown to evolve like any other Pokémon.
Ume Aoki, a Japanese cartoonist famous for her work on the manga Hidamari Sketch, utilizes a likeness of herself cosplaying as a Metapod to represent herself in her works.
Origin
It to be based upon an amalgamation of butterfly chrysalises, resembling the general shape of a Black Swallowtail chrysalis (or possibly a Large White) with a large nose-like protrusion and side portrusions resembling a Polydamas Swallowtail or Pipevine Swallowtail chrysalis.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.
For other sprites and images, please see Metapod images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
