Caterpie (Japanese: キャタピー Caterpie) is a Bug-type Pokémon introduced in Generation I.
It evolves into Metapod starting at level 7, which evolves into Butterfree starting at level 10.
Biology
Caterpie emitting a terrible stench
Caterpie is a Pokémon that resembles a green caterpillar. There are yellow ring-shaped markings down the sides of its body, which resemble its large yellow eyes. Its most notable characteristic is the bright red antenna (osmeterium) on its head, which releases a stench to repel predators. This structure and the large eye-shaped markings help to startle predators. Its feet are tipped with suction cups, permitting this Pokémon to scale most surfaces with minimal effort.
Caterpie will shed its skin many times before finally cocooning itself in thick silk. It can also spit this silk in order to entangle foes as seen in the anime. Its primary diet is vegetation, and its voracious appetite causes it to eat leaves larger than itself. According to Pokémon Adventures, its favorite food is the Vermilion flower. Caterpie lives in forests.
In the anime
Major appearances
Caterpie was the first Pokémon that Ash Ketchum caught from the wild, in Ash Catches a Pokémon. It evolved into Metapod in the same episode after a battle with Team Rocket, and then into Butterfree the following episode.
Other
Bucky owns a Caterpie as seen in The Dunsparce Deception, where he used it to compete in a race with Dunsparce but lost due to its slow speed.
A Caterpie that appeared in Caterpie's Big Dilemma belonging to a young Trainer named Xander ate some of Dr. Gordon's enhanced Rare Candies and turned giant. Xander's Caterpie eventually evolved into a Mothra-sized Butterfree.
Multiple Caterpie appeared in Butterfree and Me! on Wayfarer Island, where they evolved into Metapod. Ash befriended one Caterpie that had yet to evolve, which reminded Ash of his own Caterpie. As a result, he helped Caterpie evolve into Metapod and then into Butterfree.
Minor appearances
A Caterpie appeared in Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village. It was one of the Pokémon in Melanie's care. It reappeared in a flashback in Bulbasaur... the Ambassador!.
A Caterpie appeared in Electric Shock Showdown, under the ownership of an unnamed Trainer.
A Caterpie appeared in Battle Aboard the St. Anne, Pokémon Fashion Flash, The Breeding Center Secret, Clefairy Tales, Mewtwo Strikes Back, Camp Pikachu, Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias, Destiny Deoxys, and One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!
A Pink Caterpie appeared in In the Pink, residing on the Pinkan Island.
Multiple Caterpie appeared in Tracey Gets Bugged, Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, and Coming Full-Festival Circle!.
Ralph and Emily were both shown, in a flashback, to have once owned one Caterpie each in Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?.
A Caterpie appeared in Illusion Confusion! as an illusion created by Haunter and Gengar.
Multiple Caterpie appeared in For Crying Out Loud, where they were accidentally wet by Wilhomena's Marill.
Multiple Caterpie were in Azalea Gym in Gettin' The Bugs Out.
A Caterpie appeared in The Bug Stops Here. Misty chased it away when it is talking with Togepi.
A Caterpie was one of the sick Pokémon in a Pokémon Center in Carrying On!.
A Caterpie appeared in Jessie's fantasy in Wings 'N' Things.
A Caterpie was one of the inhabitants of an oasis just for Pokémon in Got Miltank?.
Multiple Caterpie appeared in For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!, where they protected the Tin Tower after Team Rocket stole the crystal bells on the top floor.
In Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution, Team Rocket's experiments made Pokémon feel sick, one being a Caterpie.
A Caterpie was used by one of the students of the Pokémon Trainers' School in Gonna Rule The School!.
A Caterpie appeared in Hi Ho Silver Wind!, under the ownership of a Coordinator.
A Caterpie appeared in One Big Happiny Family! in Jessie's fantasy.
A Caterpie appeared in Genesect and the Legend Awakened at Pokémon Hills.
A Caterpie appeared in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!.
A Caterpie appeared in Lumiose City Pursuit!, Mega-Mega Meowth Madness!, Day Three Blockbusters!, and Battling With a Clean Slate! at Professor Sycamore's lab.
A Caterpie appeared in a flashback in Seeing the Forest for the Trees!.
A Caterpie appeared in Loading the Dex! as a silhouette that Rotom Pokédex brought up.
Two Caterpie appeared in Lillie's Egg-xhilarating Challenge!, where they were among the Pokémon playing in Lillie's garden. It appeared again in The Ol' Raise and Switch!.
A Caterpie appeared in Lulled to La-La Land! during a fantasy.
Multiple wild Caterpie appeared in Alola, Kanto!.
A Trainer's Caterpie appeared in SM045.
A Caterpie appeared in SM059.
Pokédex entries
| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| AG142
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Caterpie
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May's Pokédex
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Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. Caterpie uses the suction cups on its feet to climb trees and feed on its favorite leaves.
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| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| BW130
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Caterpie
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Ash's Pokédex
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Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. To repel enemies, Caterpie releases an unpleasant odor from its red antenna. It molts several times while growing.
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Red caught a Caterpie which was registered in his Pokédex. It evolved into Metapod before his Gym battle with Brock.
Two Caterpie appeared in File 3: Giovanni caged in the Rocket Hideout and Silph Co. while Team Rocket was around.
A wild Caterpie appeared in Viridian Forest in The Adventure.
In the manga
- Main article: Ash's Caterpie
Ash's Caterpie appears in the manga series The Electric Tale of Pikachu.
Caterpie is the second wild Pokémon that Ash captures in the manga. It was caught in Pikachu, I See You!. It evolves twice in Play Misty For Me—first into Metapod while Ash is showing off his Pokémon to Misty, and then into Butterfree during his Gym battle against Misty.
Ash is not shown releasing his Butterfree in the manga, although it is not seen after Haunting My Dreams.
- Main article: Kitty
Caterpie's first appearance is a cameo in Bulbasaur, Come Home! as one of the Pokémon that escapes from Professor Oak's Laboratory. It also makes a cameo in The Secret of Kangaskhan.
Another Caterpie appeared as a silhouette when Green explains about Mew in The Jynx Jinx.
Caterpie made its main appearance in As Gastly as Before. With the help of her fishing rod and Red's Pika, Yellow saved a Caterpie from its tree, which was targeted by a fire attack. Caterpie then followed Yellow to where she and Blue were training, next to the Rock Tunnel. It took Yellow a whole day to properly catch this Caterpie with a Poké Ball, but once she prevailed, Yellow welcomed Caterpie to her team and called it "Kitty". It then became one of Yellow's most useful Pokémon, whose string was commonly used to make floaters. However, in the battle against Lance, Yellow did not have a Pokédex, which she needed to stop her Pokémon from evolving, and so Kitty evolved into Metapod and then into Butterfree right afterwards.
A Caterpie was mentioned as one of the Pokémon Crystal had captured for Professor Oak in Three Cheers for Chikorita.
A Caterpie was one of the Pokémon Crystal fails to catch in Absolutely Azumarill.
A Caterpie appeared in The Last Battle XIII as one of the Pokémon sent to help the fight in Ilex Forest.
According to the Pokédex at the end of Volume 1, Red appears to have captured a Caterpie which evolved into a Metapod and then a Butterfree.
Shu has a Caterpie that he uses in various creative ways, mostly involving strange uses of its String Shot.
- Main article: Caterpie (Red and Blue Rescue Team)
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team, Ginji saved a Caterpie from an attacking Ariados.
A Caterpie is seen with Green during the baseball match that took place in Fierce Competition at the Pokémon Baseball Tournament!.
In the TCG
- Main article: Caterpie (TCG)
Game data
NPC appearances
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Caterpie is rescued in the first mission of the game. It is too young to be of any help to the rescue team but remains a strong fan throughout the game, even in its darkest hour.
Pokédex entries
| Generation I
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| Red(ENG)
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Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls.
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| Blue
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| Yellow
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If you touch the feeler on top of its head, it will release a horrible stink to protect itself.
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| Stadium
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It has large, eye-like patterns on its head as protection. They are used to frighten off enemies.
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| Generation II
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| Gold
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For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antennae on its head to drive away enemies.
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| Silver
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Its feet have suction cups designed to stick to any surface. It tenaciously climbs trees to forage.
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| Crystal
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It crawls into foliage where it camouflages itself among leaves that are the same color as its body.
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| Stadium 2
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For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antennae on its head to drive away enemies.
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| Generation III
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| Ruby
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Caterpie has a voracious appetite. It can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. From its antenna, this Pokémon releases a terrifically strong odor.
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| Sapphire
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| Emerald
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Its voracious appetite compels it to devour leaves bigger than itself without hesitation. It releases a terribly strong odor from its antennae.
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| FireRed
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It is covered with a green skin. When it grows, it sheds the skin, covers itself with silk, and becomes a cocoon.
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| LeafGreen
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Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls.
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| Generation IV
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| Diamond
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It releases a stench from its red antenna to repel enemies. It grows by molting repeatedly.
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| Pearl
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| Platinum
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| HeartGold
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For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antennae on its head to drive away enemies.
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| SoulSilver
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Its feet have suction cups designed to stick to any surface. It tenaciously climbs trees to forage.
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| Generation V
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| Black
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It releases a stench from its red antenna to repel enemies. It grows by molting repeatedly.
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| White
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| Black 2
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It releases a stench from its red antenna to repel enemies. It grows by molting repeatedly.
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| White 2
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| Generation VI
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| X
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For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antennae on its head to drive away enemies.
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| Y
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Its feet have suction cups designed to stick to any surface. It tenaciously climbs trees to forage.
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| Omega Ruby
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Caterpie has a voracious appetite. It can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. From its antenna, this Pokémon releases a terrifically strong odor.
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| Alpha Sapphire
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| Generation VII
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| Sun
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When attacked by bird Pokémon, it resists by releasing a terrifically strong odor from its antennae, but it often becomes their prey.
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| Moon
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It's easy to catch, and it grows quickly, making it one of the top recommendations for novice Pokémon Trainers.
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| Ultra Sun
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Perhaps because it would like to grow up quickly, it has a voracious appetite, eating a hundred leaves a day.
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| Ultra Moon
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Its body is soft and weak. In nature, its perpetual fate is to be seen by others as food.
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Alternate games
- Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Trading Card Game (Base Set, Base Set 2, Legendary Collection)
- Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls.
- Pokémon Trading Card Game (Neo Discovery)
- For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antennae on its head to drive away enemies.
Game locations
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| Generation II
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| Gold
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Routes 2, 30, and 31, Ilex Forest and National ParkMorningDay
National Park (Bug-Catching Contest)TuThSa
Routes 26, 27, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, and 39, Azalea Town, Ilex Forest, Lake of Rage (Headbutt trees)
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| Silver
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| Crystal
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In side games
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| Generation II
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| This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation II side games.
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Held items
Stats
Base stats
| Stat
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Range
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| At Lv. 50
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At Lv. 100
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45
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105 - 152
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200 - 294
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30
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31 - 90
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58 - 174
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35
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36 - 95
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67 - 185
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20
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22 - 79
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40 - 152
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20
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22 - 79
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40 - 152
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45
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45 - 106
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85 - 207
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Total: 195
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Other Pokémon with this total
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- Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and (if applicable) a hindering nature.
- Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and (if applicable) a helpful nature.
- This Pokémon's Special base stat in Generation I was 20.
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Pokéathlon stats
Type effectiveness
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is:
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Learnset
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Caterpie
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Caterpie
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Caterpie
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Caterpie
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations
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- Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Caterpie in Generation VII
- Moves marked with a double dagger (‡) can only be bred from a Pokémon who learned the move in an earlier generation.
- Moves marked with a superscript game abbreviation can only be bred onto Caterpie in that game.
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Caterpie
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Caterpie
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations
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- A black or white abbreviation in a colored box indicates that Caterpie can be tutored the move in that game
- A colored abbreviation in a white box indicates that Caterpie cannot be tutored the move in that game
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Caterpie
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Caterpie
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Move Tutor moves from other generations
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TCG-only moves
Side game data
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PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond
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Strong:
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Weak:
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| PokéPark Pad entry:
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| Their steps are slow, but they are quite aggressive and hate to lose. They are second to none in spirit.
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Pokémon GO
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Base HP: 90
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Base Attack: 55
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Base Defense: 62
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| Egg Distance: N/A
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Buddy Distance: 1 km
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Evolution Requirement:  12
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| Fast Attacks: Bug Bite, Tackle
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| Charged Attacks: Struggle
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Evolution
Sprites
Trivia
- Caterpie was both the first Pokémon to be captured and the first Pokémon to evolve in the anime.
- Caterpie shares its category name with Wurmple. They are both known as the Worm Pokémon.
- Until the release of Pokémon Platinum, when it became able to learn Bug Bite, Caterpie was unable to do anything to a Ghost type outside of struggling except lower its Speed. It shares this trait with its evolution, Metapod. This is also true for Weedle, and its evolution, Kakuna, against Steel types before Pokémon Platinum was released.
- Due to this, it was impossible to complete a Generation I game using only Caterpie or Metapod, since Struggle couldn't hit Ghost types at the time.
- In the anime and in Pokémon Adventures, Caterpie holds the record as the Pokémon who takes the least time to evolve twice, taking only one episode in the anime and one chapter in Pokémon Adventures.
- Poliwag and Togepi also share this record, but in Pokémon Adventures only.
- Prior to Generation VI, Caterpie's body style was
.
- In Ash Catches a Pokémon, when Caterpie evolves into Metapod, the process was similar to a real caterpillar going into pupation. Later episodes show Caterpie evolving like the rest of the Pokémon do.
- Caterpie is tied with Weedle for having the lowest Special Defense stat of all Bug-type Pokémon and is tied with five other Pokémon for having the lowest Special Defense stat of all Pokémon.
Origin
Caterpie is a stylized caterpillar, most resembling an Asian swallowtail. Its "antenna" is an osmeterium, an organ unique to swallowtail caterpillars which, like Caterpie, they use to emit a foul odor. The tip of Caterpie's tail resembles the horn at the rear end of most species of hawk moth larvae.
Name origin
Caterpie is a corruption of caterpillar.
In other languages
| Language
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Title
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Meaning
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 Japanese
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キャタピー Caterpie
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From キャタピラー kyatapirā
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 French
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Chenipan
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From chenille and pan; also a pun on chenapan
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 Spanish
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Caterpie
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Same as English/Japanese name
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 German
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Raupy
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From Raupe
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 Italian
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Caterpie
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Same as English/Japanese name
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 Korean
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캐터피 Caterpie
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Same as Japanese name
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 Mandarin Chinese
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綠毛蟲 / 绿毛虫 Lǜmáochóng
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"Green caterpillar", or literally, "Green furry worm"
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 Cantonese Chinese
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綠毛蟲 Luhkmòuhchùhng
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"Green caterpillar", or literally, "Green furry worm"
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| More languages
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 Bulgarian
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Катерпи Katerpi
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Transcription as English/Japanese name
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 Hindi
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कटेरपी Caterpie
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Transcription of English/Japanese name
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 Lithuanian
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Katerpis
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From English name
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 Russian
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Катерпи Katerpi
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Transcription of English/Japanese name
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Related articles
External links
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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.
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For other sprites and images, please see Caterpie images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
