HP

For the move commonly referred to in competitive battling as "HP", see Hidden Power. For the Pokémon Trading Card Game set officially abbreviated as "HP," see EX Holon Phantoms.

HP (Japanese: HP), short for Hit Point (Japanese: ヒットポイント Hit Point), is a stat that determines how much damage a Pokémon can receive before fainting.

In the core series games

Each Pokémon has a maximum HP value, and the current HP value which is somewhere between 0 (if it has fainted) or the maximum HP (if it has full HP).

As with other stats, a Pokémon's maximum HP usually increases with their level, and is a combination of the Pokémon's base stats, individual values, and effort values. Some Pokémon species tend to have a higher or lower HP than others, and some individual Pokémon may have different HP even if they are of the same species and level. A Pokémon's maximum HP may reach hundreds of points. However, Shedinja is a special case, whose maximum HP is always 1.

A Pokémon needs to have at least 1 HP to be able to battle. If a Pokémon reaches 0 HP, it has fainted. However, a fainted Pokémon can still use field moves outside of battle, such as Cut, Surf, Fly, Headbutt, Sweet Scent, etc.

The player's Pokémon are able to enter into battle with less than full HP if they have not been healed yet. The opposing Pokémon (both wild and owned by NPCs) always start battles with full HP. However, if a roaming Pokémon takes damage and then flees from the current battle, it will still have the same damage (that is, the amount of HP lost) when it is found for the next battle.

In a battle between Trainers, the objective is causing all the opposing Pokémon to reach 0 HP and faint, at which point the battle ends. In a battle against a wild Pokémon, the player may wish to deal some damage to the wild Pokémon and decrease its HP for the purpose of catching it more easily. However, if the wild Pokémon reaches 0 HP and faints, the battle will end and this Pokémon will not be caught.

If all Pokémon in the player's party faint, then the player blacks out. This causes the player to lose a sum of money and be sent to a Pokémon Center (or to the player's house at the start of the game), at which point all of the player's Pokémon will be healed automatically.

HP bar

The current and maximum HP of each Pokémon is usually shown as a horizontal bar, which displays how much HP each Pokémon has; this is visible in a Pokémon battle, as well as in the party and summary screens. Additionally, the player may see exactly the number of current and maximum HP for each of their Pokémon. The Pokémon that are not owned by the player (including Pokémon owned by non-player characters, as well as wild Pokémon) have their HP bars visible in battle as well, but the exact number of their current and maximum HP number is not revealed to the player.

In Generation I, if the HP bar's fill was 27 pixels or wider (out of a total end-to-end length of 48 pixels), it would be colored green; if it was between 10 and 26 pixels, it would be colored yellow; and if it was less than 10 pixels wide, it would be colored red. This means the HP bar turns yellow noticeably earlier than in the later games, or at about 56% of the Pokémon's maximum HP.

From Generation II onwards, if a Pokémon has more than half of its max HP, its HP bar remains green. If the Pokémon has between one-fifth and half of its HP, the bar will turn yellow (in Generation II, a Pokémon revived to exactly half of their HP will have a green HP bar). If a Pokémon has less than one-fifth of its HP remaining, the bar will turn red and a beeping sound (Generations I-IV), a change of battle music with the beep as a metronome (Generation V), or a series of 4 beeping sounds before fading away (since Generation VI) will notify the player that their Pokémon is in danger of fainting. Before Generation VI, this beeping will continue until the Pokémon is switched out to another Pokémon which has at least one-fifth of its HP, has its HP raised to one-fifth or higher by any means, or faints.

The HP bar also affects the Pokémon's cry. Since Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, if a Pokémon's HP bar is green, the player will hear the cry of the Pokémon in its normal sounding rate, but if the Pokémon faints, its cry will be lowered by a whole step. Also, since Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, if the Pokémon has less than half its total HP, its cry will be lowered by a half-step to indicate its weakened state.

This gallery is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this gallery to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Missing HP bars for Legends: Arceus, Scarlet, Violet, and side series games

RGBY

GSC

RS

FRLG

E

DP

Pt

HGSS

BW

B2

W2

XY

ORAS

SM

USUM

PE

SwSh

BDSP

Animation

Prior to Generation VI, the speed at which the HP bar depletes after a Pokémon has received damage is dependent on a Pokémon's HP. Its relation to HP is different per generation, but the speed is noticeably different between Pokémon with high and low HP stats. The HP bar in Generation IV depletes 1 HP for every 2 frames at 60 FPS (except for the first HP lost, which only takes 1 frame) for Pokémon with more HP than the number of pixels in the HP bar. This leads to Pokémon like Blissey taking over twenty seconds to faint from full health at high levels.

Interestingly, HP depletion speed can be used to narrow down how much damage an opponent's Pokémon has taken without seeing its actual HP stats.

The HP bar visibly decreases slower for Drifblim compared to Shuckle in Pokémon Black and White.

Prior to Generation V, the HP bar immediately drops to 0 for the user of a move that causes the user to faint, such as Explosion.

Electrode's HP immediately dropping to 0 in Generation IV compared to Gigalith's HP depleting gradually in Generation V.

Losing HP

The most common way for a Pokémon to lose HP is by being hit by a move that deals damage; most physical and special moves can deal damage. However, there are other ways to lose HP, such as making contact to a Pokémon with Iron Barbs, or being hit by a sandstorm.

Moves that cost HP

Main article: Category:Moves that cost HP to use

There are some moves that cost HP to use.

Move	Type	Category	HP cost	Power	Accuracy	Notes
Substitute	Normal	Status	1/4 of maximum HP	—	—	The user creates a substitute, which is targeted by the opponent's next moves in place of the user, as long as the substitute is in battle
Clangorous Soul	Dragon	Status	1/3 of maximum HP	—	—	This move raises the user's Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed by one stage each
Belly Drum	Normal	Status	1/2 of maximum HP	—	—	This move maximizes the user's Attack stat
Curse	Ghost	Status		—	—	If the user is Ghost-type, it pays the HP cost and places a curse on the target; the cursed Pokémon loses 1/4 of HP each turn from now on If the user is not Ghost-type, there is no HP cost involved; the user's Speed will drop one stage, while its Attack and Defense will rise one stage each

Restoring HP

The player may use a Pokémon Center to heal completely heal all the Pokémon in the party (including their HP, PP, and status conditions).

In Generation I, it is possible to start a link battle with Pokémon that have less than full HP if they have not been healed yet. However, all Pokémon are completely healed after each link battle. From Generation II onwards, all Pokémon are automatically healed before all link battles.

In Generation I, the Pokémon deposited in the Pokémon Storage System are not healed. From Generation II onwards, the deposited Pokémon are completely healed.

In all core series games, the player's Pokémon are also automatically healed after the first battle against a rival character.

HP-restoring items

Main article: Category:HP-restoring items

These are the items that restore a Pokémon's HP. Most of these items are consumed when used, except the repeatable items such as Leftovers. Almost all these items only work on Pokémon that are not fainted, except the reviving items at the end of the list.

Sprite	Name	HP restored by generation								Method of use		Notes
		I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	Bag	Held item
	Berry	—	10	—						✔	✔
	Oran Berry	—		10						✔	✔
	Potion	20								✔	✘	Increases the partner Pikachu's friendship in Pokémon Yellow, even if the item would have no effect
	Berry Juice	—	20							✔	✔
	Rage Candy Bar	—	20	—		20		—		✔	✘	In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, this is a Key Item that can be exchanged for TM64 (Explosion) From Generation VII onwards, this item heals status conditions
	Sweet Heart	—				20				✔	✘
	Gold Berry	—	30	—						✔	✔
	Sitrus Berry	—		30	¼					✔	✔
	Fresh Water	50						30		✔	✘
	Super Potion	50						60		✔	✘	Increases the first partner Pikachu's friendship in Pokémon Yellow, even if the item would have no effect
	Energy Powder	—	50					60		✔	✘	Lowers friendship
	Soda Pop	60						50		✔	✘
	Lemonade	80						70		✔	✘
	Moomoo Milk	—	100							✔	✘
	Hyper Potion	200						120		✔	✘	Increases the first partner Pikachu's friendship in Pokémon Yellow, even if the item would have no effect
	Energy Root	—	200					120		✔	✘	Lowers friendship
	Aguav Berry	—		⅛				½	⅓	✔	✔	Confuses a Pokémon that dislikes the bitter flavor
	Figy Berry	—		⅛				½	⅓	✔	✔	Confuses a Pokémon that dislikes the spicy flavor
	Iapapa Berry	—		⅛				½	⅓	✔	✔	Confuses a Pokémon that dislikes the sour flavor
	Mago Berry	—		⅛				½	⅓	✔	✔	Confuses a Pokémon that dislikes the sweet flavor
	Wiki Berry	—		⅛				½	⅓	✔	✔	Confuses a Pokémon that dislikes the dry flavor
	Enigma Berry	—			¼					✘	✔	Restores the holder's HP when hit by a super effective move
	Max Potion	Full								✔	✘	Increases the first partner Pikachu's friendship in Pokémon Yellow, even if the item would have no effect
	Full Restore	Full								✔	✘	Fully restores a Pokémon, including its HP, and status conditions Increases the first partner Pikachu's friendship in Pokémon Yellow, even if the item would have no effect
	Heal Ball	—				Full				✔	✘	Fully restores a wild Pokémon that was caught with this item and sent to the party (as opposed to the Storage System, in which all Pokémon are fully healed regardless of the type of Poké Ball)
Repeatable items
	Leftovers	—	1/16 (rounded down, minimum 1 HP)							✘	✔	Restores the holder's HP at the end of each turn
	Black Sludge	—			1/16 (rounded down, minimum 1 HP)					✘	✔	If the holder is Poison-type, restores the holder's HP at the end of each turn If the holder is not Poison-type, the holder takes damage
	Shell Bell	—		1/8 of damage dealt to the target (rounded down, minimum 1 HP)						✘	✔	Restores the holder's HP when the holder deals damage with a move
Reviving items
	Rare Candy	the amount of HP gained when leveling up, otherwise 2 HP (except a fainted Shedinja revives with 1 HP)								✔	✘	It increases a Pokémon's level, up to level 100 The Pokémon may gain some HP as a natural result of leveling up It can be used to revive a fainted Pokémon with little HP
	Revive	Half								✔	✘
	Max Revive	Full								✔	✘
	Revival Herb	—	Full	HalfRS FullFRLGE	Full					✔	✘	Lowers friendship
	Sacred Ash	—	Full							✔	✘	This item can only be used outside of battle In Generation II, fully restores all Pokémon in the party, provided there is at least one fainted Pokémon From Generation III onwards, fully restores all fainted Pokémon

HP-restoring moves

Main article: Category:Moves that restore HP

These are moves that restore HP.

Move	Gen	Type	Category	HP restored		Power	Accuracy	Notes
				User	Other Pokémon
Heal Order	IV	Bug	Status	50% of maximum HP	—	—	—%
Purify	VII	Poison	Status			—	—%	Heals the user's HP, provided it also heals the target's status condition
Recover	I	Normal	Status			—	—%
Roost	IV	Flying	Status			—	—%	A Flying-type user becomes grounded while using this move
Slack Off	III	Normal	Status			—	—%
Wish	III	Normal	Status			—	—%	Heals the user (or the Pokémon in the user's current position) on the next turn
Milk Drink	II	Normal	Status	50% of maximum HP (in battle)	20% of user's HP (outside of battle)	—	—%	These moves heal the user in battle They are also used outside of battle to transfer HP from the user to another non-fainted Pokémon in the party
Soft-Boiled	I	Normal	Status			—	—%
Shore Up	VII	Ground	Status	½ (outside of a sandstorm) ⅔ (during a sandstorm)	—	—	—%
Moonlight	II	Fairy	Status	Varies depending on the weather In Generation II only, it also depends on the time		—	—%	Prior to Generation VI, it was a Normal-type move
Morning Sun	II	Normal	Status			—	—%
Synthesis	II	Grass	Status			—	—%
Rest	I	Psychic	Status	Full HP		—	—%	The user starts sleeping once this move is used
Aqua Ring	IV	Water	Status	1/16 of maximum HP		—	—%	Once any of these moves is used, the user is healed automatically at the end of every turn Ingrain roots the user to the ground, preventing its escape
Ingrain	III	Grass	Status			—	—%
Jungle Healing	VIII	Grass	Status	25% of maximum HP		—	—%	Heals the user, as well as its allies
Life Dew	VIII	Water	Status			—	—%
Grassy Terrain	VI	Grass	Status	1/16 of maximum HP		—	—%	As long as this this terrain is in effect, grounded Pokémon are healed automatically at the end of every turn
Leech Seed	I	Grass	Status	1/16 of seeded Pokémon's HP (Generation I) 1/8 of seeded Pokémon's HP (Generation II onwards)	—	—	90%	Once Leech Seed is used, the target becomes seeded and it takes damage at the end of every turn The user (or another Pokémon in the same place) restores the same amount of HP as the damage dealt If the seeded Pokémon has Liquid Ooze, the user is damaged instead of healed In Generation I only, this move's damage is calculated in the same way as Toxic, and only if Toxic is currently applied to the target.
Absorb	I	Grass	Special	50% of damage dealt		20	100%	These moves deal damage on the target and restore the user's HP Dream Eater only works if the target is asleep If the target has Liquid Ooze, the user is damaged instead of healed
Mega Drain	I	Grass	Special			40	100%
Parabolic Charge	VI	Electric	Special			65	100%
Drain Punch	IV	Fighting	Physical			75	100%
Giga Drain	II	Grass	Special			75	100%
Horn Leech	V	Grass	Physical			75	100%
Leech Life	I	Bug	Physical			80	100%
Matcha Gotcha	IX	Grass	Special			80	100%
Bouncy Bubble	VII	Water	Special			90	100%
Bitter Blade	IX	Fire	Physical			90	100%
Dream Eater	I	Psychic	Special			100	100%
Draining Kiss	VI	Fairy	Special	75% of damage dealt		50	100%
Oblivion Wing	VI	Flying	Special			80	100%
Strength Sap	VII	Grass	Status	The target's Attack		—	100%	This move lowers the target's Attack by one stage It also restores the user's HP by the same amount as the target's Attack stat (not counting the attack drop from Strength Sap). If the target has Liquid Ooze, the user is damaged instead of healed
G-Max Finale	VIII	Fairy	—	1/6 of maximum HP		—	—%	Deals damage to the target; its category and power depend on the move it is based on Heals the user as well as its allies
Floral Healing	VII	Fairy	Status	—	½ (outside of Grassy Terrain) ⅔ (with Grassy Terrain)	—	—%	Heals the target's HP
Heal Pulse	V	Psychic	Status		50% of maximum HP	—	—%
Pollen Puff	VII	Bug	Special			90	100%	Heals the target's HP when used on an ally Deals damage when used on a foe Pokémon with Bulletproof are immune to this move
Present	II	Normal	Physical		25% of maximum HP	—	90%	This move has a chance of either dealing damage or healing the target's HP
Healing Wish	IV	Psychic	Status		Full HP	—	—%	The user faints; the next Pokémon is completely healed, with full HP
Lunar Dance	IV	Psychic	Status			—	—%
Pain Split	II	Normal	Status	Varies		—	—%	This move splits the current HP between the user and the target

Dynamaxing

Main article: Dynamax → Dynamax Level and HP

When a Pokémon Dynamaxes, its HP is increased by 50% until the Dynamax state wears off. By increasing a Pokémon's Dynamax Level, this increase can be raised up to 100%, with each level providing a 5% increase.

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Trading Card Game series

Main article: HP (TCG) → Trading Card Game series

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, a Pokémon is at "critically low HP" when it has less than 25% of its max HP left.

In the anime

HP in Pokémon Origins

Main series

Hit Points have only ever been mentioned in the anime once. Specifically, they were mentioned by Misty in Fire and Ice, and even then, this mention only exists in the dubbed version.

Pokémon Origins

As first seen in File 1: Red, facilities like Gyms and the Pokémon League feature screens that display a Pokémon's HP in the form a bar, similar to the games.

In the manga

HP in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

HP has been mentioned several times throughout Pokémon Adventures, the first mention occurring in Wanted: Pikachu!.

Red, Green & Blue arc

In Just a Spearow Carrier, an HP bar similar to the games was seen at Indigo Plateau.

In the TCG

This Quaquaval card has 170 HP, as shown in the top-right corner

Main article: HP (TCG)

The Pokémon cards have an HP (Japanese: HP) value at the top-right corner. It represents the health of each Pokémon card and the amount of damage it can take before being Knocked Out.

References

This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.