Talk:Masuda method

Confused

I'm a tad comfused on how this works, can this be explained more clearly? Does it mean like i could get a japanese pokemon from the GTS and breed it with one of my pokemon? -- GoldHusky (talk) 14:11, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

Exactly. And the offspring has a higher chance of being shiny. —darklordtrom 19:36, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

Does anyone know if this works for ALL languages, or just Japanese? Say I get my hands on a British/English Pokemon and put it on my American card, does it work the same? - unsigned comment from YourMooseyFate (talk • contribs)

May I?

The information in the article is a little confusing to read unless you read it through four times straight. May I make a section on the article listing everything that counts and doesn't? For example saying "Players can use one Pokémon from their own game (male or female) and one Pokémon from a foreign game (male or female), this will increase the chances of the egg hatching a shiny. Using two Pokémon from a foreign game will have the same odds, and Pokémon from Meister do not count as they are not from a foreign cartridge of the game" ect, ect. So yeah, can I? - Takoto 20:35, 15 December 2009 (UTC)

Ditto?

I realize this works with a foreign, say, Marill and your own Ditto, but would it work with a foreign Ditto and your own Marill? Basically, I'm asking if Ditto is an exception at all. Sadistic Blaziken 04:57, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

There are no exceptions to this rule. Just as long as the Pokemon was generated on a foreign game (so basically, no Lt Surge's Pikachu, or Meister's Magikarp), it'll work. So yeah, foreign Ditto/your Marill would work. ▫▫ティナ^♫★ 05:27, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

In Game Trades?

If I use the foreign Pikachu in HG/SS or the foreign Magikarp in D/P/P as a parent, will the Masuda method work on their offspring? CubeShapedWatermelon 04:34, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Nope. It's generated by your own game, so it won't work. See the section above. ▫▫ティナ^♫★ 04:38, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Evolve foreign in you own game

What happens if you evolve a foreign Pokémon in your own game? Does it still count as foreign or not? - unsigned comment from Mr.Char (talk • contribs)

Yes, it still counts as foreign. —Minimiscience 22:54, 23 February 2011 (UTC)

OK, fairly major discovery here!

Take a look at this! Research from Smogon proves that not only does the Masuda method now take the Everstone into consideration, but now the shiny chance is 1 in 1366! Hello! - unsigned comment from Missingno. Master (talk • contribs) 01:43, 26 February 2011 (UTC)

Questions & Answers

Quote So if you have a forgein Mamoswine and your own ditto the massuda metod would'nt work? Nintendo100Nintendo100 20:33, 14 April 2011 (UTC)

The Masuda method will work. The OTs don't matter; only the native languages do. —Minimiscience 20:45, 14 April 2011 (UTC)

Quick question

If I have a Japanese Vulpix from, say, SoulSilver, and an English Ditto from Black, will the method still work? Or do I need the two Pokemon to both be from the same generation? Ratikate {{SUBST:ani|282}} 04:15, 23 May 2011 (UTC)

It has to be from Generation IV onward. Pokémon aren't marked with a nationality until Generation IV, and transferred Generation III Pokémon are marked by the game they get transferred to. I don't know what that would mean for a Pikachu caught in a Japanese copy of Emerald and traded to an American game, then Pal Parked, though. All I know is that whatever language it's marked as in Generation IV, it doesn't change on transfer to Generation V. The only things that IV to V prevents is transfer between different-language versions of the game, probably to prevent people from just importing the game. - unsigned comment from TTEchidna (talk • contribs)

Which languages count as foreign?

A list of them would be nice, given it sounds like Italian and Spanish pokémon wouldn't count because they aren't "localized" unlike German and French ones. Luna Tiger * the Arc Toraph 03:42, 30 May 2011 (UTC)

Since it is based on the country of origin byte, I would assume that even the country difference between US and UK games would work to produce this effect. However, it is possible that the game restricts to countries of differing languages. I think it is quite likely that Italian and Spanish games would work for the Masuda method. --SnorlaxMonster 12:39, 8 September 2011 (UTC)

Wait a moment.

Why it said before (not sure how long ago) that in Gen IV chance was 1/2048 (4 times more), but now it says 1/1639 (5 times more) Now I am confused which one is actually true. Marked +-+-+ 19:16, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

Language or home location?

In the Usage it mentions language as being the determining factor between whether or not you can perform the masuda method with two pokemon, while in the mechanics, it says the marker that determines home location is used. which is correct? I would assume home location, as it allows for more options when looking for foreign pokemon, but i want to know for sure. Sinthrill (talk) 03:05, 20 June 2012 (UTC)

Everstone details

The article says that foreign-language Pokémon are not able to pass down their nature to their offspring if they hold an Everstone. However, I'm breeding two Scythers in Pokémon Platinum (En-US): One is a female, Adamant Scyther originated in and migrated from Pokémon FireRed (En-US) which is holding an Everstone, and the other is a male, Hardy Sichlor originated in Pokémon FeuerRote (German), but migrated from the English copy of FireRed. While it is stated in the article that the Everstone doesn't have an effect when held by a foreigner, I have already hatched 14 Scyther eggs, and none of them had the Adamant nature, even though the mother is from the same language as the game and holds an Everstone. Does the fact that both parents come from different languages that nullifies the Everstone's effect? Or is just that I have bad luck? BTW, The male Sichlor is indeed recognized as a foreigner by the game, as I've got the Deutsch Pokédex entry for Scyther with him. hfc2X 02:40, 14 July 2012 (UTC)

"In Gen IV, does not work if the parent comes from a game in a different language" - You are breeding in Platinum, which is Generation IV. Marked +-+-+ (talk) 10:00, 17 July 2012 (UTC)

My question is about article accuracy, not which generation my game belongs to. hfc2X 03:48, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

Marked answered your question. Because your Pokemon are from two different languages, which is stated in the article, Everstone doesn't work. But only in Gen IV. --It's Funktastic~! (talk) 03:50, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

It's not about the parents being a different language to your game, it's about the parents being a different language to each other. So yes, in your situation the Everstone would fail. --SnorlaxMonster 04:01, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

Okay, it's now clear in the article. Thanks. hfc2X 02:27, 20 July 2012 (UTC)

Location identifier byte

Does anyone have a list of them? I think it might be useful to see which work. Would Canadian English and Canadian French HGSS work? --Abcboy (talk) 14:05, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Union room question

Will the masuda method still work if i trade an English pokémon over to my Japanese game through the union room as opposed to from the GTS/PGL?

• Yes. It doesn't matter how they were traded as long as the pokemon was GENERATED in a foreign game. I should know - I trade foreign pokemon from my Spanish Black to my English Black/White all the time over the Union Room and Infrared, and it doesn't affect the odds since they were still made in a foreign language version of the game. Someday I'll get that shiny froslass. Lugia61617 (talk) 08:54, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Black and White 2 Masuda Method + Everstone Nature

I am a little confused about this right now, i need some directions, i will picture a scenario

i have a Modest Male Hydreigon and i have a ditto from a japanese version, if i give the everstone to Hydreigon, will it pass the Modest down to the Deino when it hatches? or will it depend on the nature of the ditto, or will it be prevented from working?

-Shadow7615

So basically here's what is going on: I'm trying to hatch for a shiny Ponyta in White 1. I'm using a Ponyta (US Version) from white 1, and a Ditto (Japan) from Platinum version. I received the ditto from a GTS Trade in Platinum, and then transferred it over to White. It still marks it in my Pokedex as foreign, yet I've hatched over 3390 (and counting) Ponyta's with no results. So my question is, does the fact that the Ditto is transferred from Platinum somehow affecting my chances for hatching a shiny? Scratched Disk (talk) 03:32, 13 December 2012 (UTC) Scratched Disk

Language, or Country?

Does the Masuda Method only work with Pokemon from different countries, or Pokemon from different language games? For example, would a British Ditto work on my American Game? Whitsoxrule (talk) 23:06, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

It's language, afaik, so it wouldn't work. --It's Funktastic~!_{話してください} 23:07, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Would that mean that the Masuda two Pokémon from the same cartridge (or on two cartridges from the same region), one caught while playing the game in one language and one caught while playing on the same cartridge in a different language?Yoshisaur (talk) 14:15, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

different eggs?

I'm trying this method out and i have my party stocked with charmander eggs, I save the game and ride my bike until they hatch. I wanted to know if i need to new eggs every time or if i can just turn my DS off and try and hatch the same ones? any help would be appreciated.(SquirtleSquad1988 (talk) 07:15, 22 November 2013 (UTC))

You need new eggs. A Pokemon being shiny is determined by its personality value, and this personality value is set as soon as you receive an egg from the day care man. Thus, as soon as you receive an egg from the day care man, the game determines whether it is shiny or not. Alternatively, you can save right before receiving an egg from the day care man, and then receive the egg, and hatch it. If it's not shiny, you can reset the game, load your profile again, and receive the egg again, and this egg will have a different personality value, and thus, another chance of being shiny. --NOBODY (talk) 01:51, 24 November 2013 (UTC)

Requesting explanation of Masuda Method in regards to practical mechanics

I'm interested in knowing how exactly the Masuda Method increases the chance of a shiny pokemon. I'm aware that Shininess is determined by the pokemon's Personality Values and the trainer's IDs when it hatches, so if the PVs are randomly generated, how does having a parent from a foreign generation increase the odds so drastically? Zemedelphos (talk) 03:32, 26 November 2013 (UTC)

Q: if the PVs are randomly generated, how does having a parent from a foreign generation increase the odds [...]? A: See Mechanics and reasoning section, second sentence. Tiddlywinks (talk) 04:01, 26 November 2013 (UTC)

Artwork

Do we have a shiny artwork for each Pokémon? Cinday123 (Talk) 07:47, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

Pokémon artwork are not typically released in Shiny coloration, just standard coloration. - Kogoro - Talk to me - 08:22, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

Everstone in Gen VI

I think the Everstone thing no longer applies in gen VI. My Japanese, Timid, 5IV Charizard I got in WT (as a Charmander) is able to pass down his nature via Everstone to his offspring. That's how I got my Battle Box Charizard with 5IVs to be Timid as well. So are all his brothers and sisters I WT or released. Yamitora1 (talk) 15:08, 9 February 2014 (UTC)

"In Generation IV, if the Masuda method is in effect, so both parents come from different countries, the Everstone will fail to increase the chance of passing on a nature." It specifically states that was only in Gen IV that it happened. --It's Funktastic~!_{話してください} 15:11, 9 February 2014 (UTC)

Oh ok, sorry ^^; Yamitora1 (talk) 15:22, 9 February 2014 (UTC)

Replace country with language

The article mentions that the game looks at 0x17 in the Pokemon data, and that it is called the "home location". However, we already know now that 0x17 is used to store the original language, and that there is no geographical information stored, such as the country. I think that it would clear up a lot of confusion if we just finally clarified that it is indeed the original language that matters for the Masuda Method; I still see a lot of people confused over this and claiming that it is indeed the country because they read so here. Any thoughts? Miau (talk) 21:04, 26 February 2014 (UTC)

So, in X and Y the Masuda Method activates depending on the language the game is set to play in? If I buy two copies of X in USA and set one's language to English and the other to Japanese, will trading between the two allow the Masuda Method to activate? Alternatively, if I bought one USA copy of X and one Japanese copy of X and set both to play in English, would trading between these two allow the Masuda Method to work? TheGameNinja (talk) 04:45, 12 March 2014 (UTC)

My bad, I meant for the clarification to be only for Gen 5 games; actually there is geographical information stored in Gen 6 data, so I have no idea how it is supposed to work now. I do suspect that it's only used for Vivillon patterns though, and that the MM takes into consideration the original language of the game, not the language you chose. But again, this is only my speculation, and we won't know for sure until someone breaks the codes to confirm anything. Miau (talk) 18:24, 2 April 2014 (UTC)

Does it have to be a Ditto or the same species?

Okay let's just say I'm trying for a shiny Shroomish, and have a foreign Breloom. Does the other parent have to be a Ditto? And if not, then does it have to be another Breloom, or can I just use a Poke from the same egg group? - unsigned comment from The Ninja Sheep (talk • contribs)

The parent can be anything that is compatible with Breloom and Shroomish. So long as it's foreign, and is male (The baby will always be the same species as the mother so you should make sure the mother is a Breloom if you decide to use something other than a Breloom or a Ditto.) ^★Jo the Marten^★ ಠ_ಠ♥ 01:49, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

Probability

The probability using the shiny method is off, because the actual probability is 1-((1-(1/4096))^6) not 6*(1/4096). Zombiedude347 (talk) 00:12, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

Update Required?

The information in this article seems rather outdated. Can anyone help update this article? I'd do it myself, but I don't know the mechanics of this method. LittleOmu (talk) 00:28, 6 February 2015 (UTC)

Trade Type

Does anyone know if the Masuda Method works with IR trading and not just Link Trading? Or if there's any differences at all? Thanks!

HaunterBaby626 (talk) 16:07, 18 August 2015 (UTC) HaunterBaby626

The method of getting the foreign Pokémon does not matter, so yes it would work with IR trading. Litwick96 20:10, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

Update needed for Gen VI mechanics

This has been brought up a few times before on this discussion page, but I hope to revive the topic again: the article needs to be updated–the Masuda method in Gen VI now looks at game language, although to be technical, the Masuda method has always been looking at game language. The use of "region", "country" or "location" is a misnomer, because in Gen V and before, the language of the game is locked to the game region, leading to the idea that it is the region which matters.

What 0x17 records in Gen V is the game language (source). This was expanded in Gen VI, with the relevant markers being:

Marker (byte)	Data recorded
0xE3 (the old 0x17)	Language
0xE0	Country
0xE1	Region
0xE2	3DS region

0x17 in Gen VI now records data relevant to Super Training. (source, with PKHeX also referencing these same bytes)

0xE3 determines the language tag appearing above the dex number in the Pokemon's summary screen. 0xE0, 0xE1, 0xE2 depend on the 3DS settings, and as far as I know, are not visible nor possible to determine in-game. Chenzw (talk) 13:16, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

I've always wondered that, but it's not that easy to confirm by myself. Is it really the language, then? Like, in Gen IV, can you have a Pokemon from a US game and a Pokemon from a European (English) or Australian game, and between the two Pokemon, the game region (or something, or multiple bytes) will be different but the language bytes will be the same, and since the language is the same they won't trigger the Masuda method? Tiddlywinks (talk) 16:31, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

Unfortunately, it's hard for me to confirm this with physical games too, so I left the text here. In Gen V and before, there is no separate region byte, only the language byte. Region/country/3DS region only started being recorded in Gen VI. Geographically speaking, Gen V and below Pokemon from a US game and an Australian game will be treated by the game as originating from the same "region". Chenzw (talk) 16:46, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

Sorry for the successive edits, but it seems that the article in the past did indeed talk about game language: Special:Diff/1724585. Chenzw (talk) 16:48, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

Let me ask it another way, then. Do you know if a Pokemon from a US game and a Pokemon from a European-English or Australian game really have the same "language"/"country of origin" byte? Not, like, they can have different values which the game may understand as both equating to "English"? Tiddlywinks (talk) 16:55, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

I can confirm that for Gen V and VI, for Pokemon originating from different English-language games, the language byte is the same value, i.e. it is a value corresponding to "English", and that there is no "American English" or "European English". However, I don't have any evidence to say the same for Gen IV and before. Would it be good enough evidence to consider that, in PokeGen, the "Country" (misnomer) field has the following as possible options: [1], and that there is otherwise no possible way to differentiate between a US and a UK Pokemon? Chenzw (talk) 17:08, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

Oh, I was looking for that page on the Project Pokemon wiki, but the page names aren't organized in the most helpful way... =P Project Pokemon is a pretty good place generally, but that is a wiki. Pervesely perhaps, I sort of prefer Pokegen's evidence a bit; plenty of people use it, I imagine someone would have corrected it if there were actually different English values. I'm well enough convinced the determinant has just been language all along. Tiddlywinks (talk) 17:28, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

I have created a version with the changes at User:Chenzw/Masuda method draft. I would like to include a part about the misconception between game language and cartridge region, but I can't find a suitable spot for it. Likely this misconception was due to the fact that in Gen V and before, each region's cartridge can only have one language; this was changed when Gen VI games allowed all copies of the game to be played in all available languages. I will also be going to the archives later to request approval for in-game screenshot upload, to illustrate the Pokemon's language tag found on the summary screen. Chenzw (talk) 04:06, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Never mind about the uploads, seems like an existing image will do the trick just fine: File:Omega Ruby 724 glitch Pokémon summary.png. I will add that image on the next server day. Chenzw (talk) 04:16, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

That glitch image isn't really ideal... Images of legitimate Pokemon are preferred for legitimate "purposes", if possible.

Otherwise, the changes on your user page look very reasonable, feel free to just apply them here. (I haven't fully digested them, though; I may at some point decide things could be worded better somewhere. But for now it's fine.) Tiddlywinks (talk) 04:30, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Discrepancy within the article

This is stated in the intro:

and by 4 (to 4/4096, or 1/1024) in Generation VI onwards..

But this is stated under Mechanics and Reasoning:

Generation VI appears to work the same as Generation V (generating a probability of 6/4096 due to Generation VI's increased Shiny odds).

So what is the truth? As far as I know the latter is generally accepted within the community (6/4096 or 1/683 without the Shiny Charm, 8/4096 or 1/512 with it). Vinx (talk) 10:58, 8 January 2017 (UTC)