Characteristic

Characteristics (Japanese: 個性 individuality) are a feature in the Pokémon games, introduced in Generation IV. A Pokémon's Characteristic indicates which stat contains a Pokémon's highest IV. It is displayed on the Pokémon's summary screen where its Nature, date met, place met, and flavor preference^DPPt are shown.

A Pokémon's Characteristic is determined by the remainder of its highest IV divided by 5 (known as modulo operation in programming). Since it is built this way, Pokémon transferred from the games of Generation III via Pal Park have a Characteristic without their stats being changed.

List of Characteristics

Possible Individual Values	HP	Attack	Defense	Speed	Special Attack	Special Defense
0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30	Loves to eat	Proud of its power	Sturdy body	Likes to run	Highly curious	Strong willed
1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31	Takes plenty of siestasVI+ Often dozes offIV-V	Likes to thrash about	Capable of taking hits	Alert to sounds	Mischievous	Somewhat vain
2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27	Nods off a lotVI+ Often scatters thingsIV-V	A little quick tempered	Highly persistent	Impetuous and silly	Thoroughly cunning	Strongly defiant
3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28	Scatters things often	Likes to fight	Good endurance	Somewhat of a clown	Often lost in thought	Hates to lose
4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29	Likes to relax	Quick tempered	Good perseverance	Quick to flee	Very finicky	Somewhat stubborn

Note that having a certain Characteristic does not necessarily imply that the highest possible value for an IV is present. A Pokémon with an "Alert to sounds" Characteristic could have a 6 in Speed (and thus very low IVs across all of its stats since none could be higher than 6) instead of a 31 in Speed.

Mistranslations

In Generations IV and V, two of the Characteristics were not properly translated from the Japanese releases. The HP Characteristics corresponding to IVs of 1 and 2 were accidentally replaced by the Characteristics corresponding to IVs of 2 and 3, respectively. So, rather than the HP Characteristics being ordered "Takes plenty of siestas", "Nods off a lot" (i.e., "Often dozes off"), and "Scatters things often" as they should have been, they were ordered "Often dozes off", "Often scatters things", "Scatters things often" (note that the last two are different, but only trivially).

Ties

In the event of a tie in highest IVs, the IV that determines the Pokémon's Characteristic is decided in the following manner:

Start with the Pokémon's personality value (Generation IV and V) or encryption constant (Generation VI). Take that value modulo 6. The result is an index number of a stat in this order: HP, Attack, Defense, Speed, Special Attack, Special Defense. In the event of a tie in IVs, the first IV checked is the IV corresponding to that index number. If that IV is not part of the tie, the game moves on to the next index number in the aforementioned order. If it goes past 5 (Special Defense), it wraps around back to 0 (HP). When the game finds an IV that is part of the tie, that is the IV that will determine the Characteristic displayed.

Because of this ordered method of checking the IVs, if two tied stats are directly next to each other in the index (for example Attack (1) and Defense (2)), the one with the lower index number (Attack in this case) determines the Pokémon’s Characteristic for 5/6 of all personality values/encryption constants, because if the modulo value lands on any other index number, it will always tick around to the lower index number first.

• Due to the wraparound, Special Defense behaves the same way with HP.
• The possible Characteristics are only weighted equally if the tied stats are spaced evenly across the stat index:
  • For two tied stats, the tied stats must be 3 apart, for example HP (0) and Speed (3).
  • For three tied stats, the tied stats must be 2 apart, for example Attack (1), Speed (3) and Special Defense (5).
  • For four or five tied stats, it is impossible for the possible Characteristics to be weighted equally.
  • For six tied stats, the possible Characteristics are always weighted equally.

Examples

A Mudkip has the following IVs:

	Hit Points	Attack	Defense	Speed	Sp. Attack	Sp. Defense
	24	18	17	29	24	27

Since its highest IV is 29 in Speed, its Characteristic will be "Quick to flee."

A Ditto has the following IVs and a personality value of 1467750821 in base 10:

	Hit Points	Attack	Defense	Speed	Sp. Attack	Sp. Defense
	8	0	0	17	17	10

Since its highest IV is 17 in both Speed and Special Attack, the result of 1467750821 mod 6, or 5, is used to check against the IV in Special Defense. Since the Special Defense is not part of the tie, the game moves on and wraps back until it reaches Speed, which is part of the tie. Its Characteristic will be "Impetuous and silly."

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Since the FireRed & LeafGreen arc, the Characteristics of each Pokédex holder's Pokémon have been visible on their bios.

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 個性 Gosing Mandarin 個性 / 个性 Gèxìng French Caractéristique German Persönlichkeit Italian Tratti unici Korean 개성 Gaeseong Portuguese Brazil Personalidade Portugal Personalidade* Spanish Personalidad

Specific Characteristics

English	Kana	Rōmaji	French	German	Italian	Spanish	Hangul	Romanized	Hànzì	Romanized
A little quick tempered	ちょっと　怒りっぽい	Chotto okorippoi	Un peu coléreux	Besitzt Temperament	Si arrabbia facilmente	A veces se enfada	약간 화를 잘 내는 성미임	Yaggan hwareul jal naen-eun seongmi-im	有點容易生氣 / 有点容易生气	Yǒudiǎn róngyì shēngqì / Yáuhdím yùhngyih sāanghei
Alert to sounds	物音に　敏感	Mono'oto ni binkan	Attentif aux sons	Achtet auf Geräusche	Fa attenzione ai suoni	Siempre tiene el oído alerta	주위 소리에 민감함	Juwi sorie mingamham	對聲音敏感 / 对声音敏感	Duì shēngyīn mǐngǎn / Deui sēngyām máhngám
Capable of taking hits	打たれ強い	Utare zuyoi	Sait encaisser les coups	Kann Treffer gut verkraften	Incassa bene i colpi	Es un buen fajador	맷집이 강함	Maesjip-i gangham	抗打能力強 / 抗打能力强	Kàng dǎ nénglì qiáng / Kong dā nàhnglihk geuhng
Good endurance	辛抱強い	Shinbō zuyoi	Bonne endurance	Hat eine gute Ausdauer	È molto paziente	Se caracteriza por ser muy resistente	인내심이 강함	Innaesim-i gangham	能吃苦耐勞 / 能吃苦耐劳	Néng chīkǔ nàiláo / Nàhng gātfú noihlòuh
Good perseverance	我慢強い	Gaman zuyoi	Persévérant	Ist beharrlich	È molto tenace	Es muy perseverante	잘 참음	Jal cham-eum	善於忍耐 / 善于忍耐	Shànyú rěnnài / Sihnyū yánnoih
Hates to lose	負けず嫌い	Makezu girai	A horreur de perdre	Hasst Niederlagen	Non sopporta perdere	Odia perder	지기 싫어함	Jigi sir-eoham	不服輸 / 不服输	Bù fúshū / Bāt fuhksyū
Highly curious	好奇心が　強い	Kōkishin ga tsuyoi	Extrêmement curieux	Ist sehr neugierig	È un grande ficcanaso	Es extremadamente curioso	호기심이 강함	Hogisim-i gangham	好奇心強 / 好奇心强	Hàoqí xīnqiáng / Hóugēi sāmgeuhng
Highly persistent	粘り強い	Nebari zuyoi	Très obstiné	Ist äußerst ausdauernd	È molto ostinato	Es muy persistente	끈질김	Kkeunjilgim	頑強不屈 / 顽强不屈	Wánqiáng bùqū / Wàahngeuhng bātwāt
Impetuous and silly	おっちょこちょい	Otchokochoi	Bête et impulsif	Ist ungestüm und einfältig	È irruente e semplice	Resulta algo impetuoso y bobo	촐랑대는 성격임	Chollangdaeneun seonggyeok-im	冒冒失失	Màomàoshīshī / Mahkmahksātsāt
Likes to fight	ケンカを　するのが　好き	Kenka o suru no ga suki	Aime combattre	Liebt Kämpfe	Adora lottare	Le gusta luchar	싸움을 좋아함	Ssaum-eul jo-aham	喜歡打架 / 喜欢打架	Xǐhuān dǎjià / Héifūn dāgá
Likes to relax	のんびりするのが　好き	Nonbiri suru no ga suki	Aime se détendre	Mag es, sich zu entspannen	Adora rilassarsi	Le gusta relajarse	유유자적함을 좋아함	Yuyujajeokham-eul jo-aham	喜歡悠然自在 / 喜欢悠然自在	Xǐhuān yōurán zìzài / Héifūn yàuhyìhn jihjoih
Likes to run	駆けっこが　好き	Kakekko ga suki	Aime courir	Liebt es zu rennen	Adora correre	Le gusta correr	약간 우쭐쟁이임	Yaggan ujjuljaeng-iim	喜歡比誰跑得快 / 喜欢比谁跑得快	Xǐhuān bǐ shuí pǎo dé kuài / Héifūn béi sèuih páau dāk faai
Likes to thrash about	暴れることが　好き	Abareru koto ga suki	Aime se démener	Prügelt sich gern	Adora dimenarsi	Le gusta revolverse	난동부리기를 좋아함	Nandong buligileul jo-aham	喜歡胡鬧 / 喜欢胡闹	Xǐhuān húnào / Héifūn wùhnaauh
Loves to eat	食べるのが　大好き	Taberu no ga daisuki	Adore manger	Liebt es zu essen	Adora mangiare	Le encanta comer	먹는 것을 제일 좋아함	Meogneun geos-eul je-il jo-aham	非常喜歡吃東西 / 非常喜欢吃东西	Fēicháng xǐhuān chī dōngxī / Fēisèuhng héifūn gāt dūngsāi
Mischievous	イタズラが　好き	Itazura ga suki	Coquin	Ist hinterhältig	È alquanto vivace	Le gusta hacer travesuras	장난을 좋아함	Jangnan-eul joaham	喜歡惡作劇 / 喜欢恶作剧	Xǐhuān èzuòjù / Héifūn ngokjokkehk
Nods off a lot	居眠りが　多い	Inemuri ga ōi	Dort beaucoup	Schläft gern	Dorme a lungo	Duerme mucho	말뚝잠이 많음	Malttugjam-i man-eum	常常打瞌睡	Chángcháng dǎ kēshuì / Sèuhngsèuhng dā hahpseuih
Often lost in thought	考え事が　多い	Kangae goto ga ōi	Souvent dans la lune	Ist oft in Gedanken	Si perde nel suo mondo	A menudo está en Babia	걱정거리가 많음	Geogjeong-georiga man-eum	經常思考 / 经常思考	Jīngcháng sīkǎo / Gīngsèuhng sīháau
Proud of its power	力が　自慢	Chikara ga jiman	Est fier de sa puissance	Ist stolz auf seine Stärke	La forza è il suo vanto	Está orgulloso de su fuerza	힘자랑이 특기임	Himjalang-i teug-giim	以力氣大為傲 / 以力气大为傲	Yǐ lìqì dà wéi'ào / Yíh lihkhei daaih wàih'ngouh
Quick tempered	血の気が　多い	Chinoke ga ōi	S'emporte facilement	Ist impulsiv	È facilmente irritabile	Tiene mal genio	혈기가 왕성함	Hyeolgiga wangseongham	血氣方剛 / 血气方刚	Xuèqì fānggāng / Hyuthei fōnggōng
Quick to flee	逃げるのが　はやい	Nigeru no ga hayai	Fuit rapidement	Flüchtet schnell	Sa fuggire velocemente	Huye rápido	도망에는 선수임	Domang-eneun seonsu-im	逃得快	Táo dé kuài / Tòuh dāk faai
Scatters things often	ものを　よく　散らかす	Mono o yokuchira kasu	Éparpille des choses	Macht oft Unordnung	Lascia cose in giro	Suele desordenar cosas	물건을 잘 어지름	Mulgeon-eul jal eojireum	經常亂扔東西 / 经常乱扔东西	Jīngcháng luànrēng dōngxī / Gīngsèuhng lyuhnyìhng dūngsāi
Somewhat of a clown	すこし　お調子者	Sukoshi otchōshimono	Aime faire le pitre	Ist ein bisschen albern	È una specie di buffone	Es un poco payaso	약간 우쭐쟁이임	Yag-gan u-jjuljaeng-iim	有點容易得意忘形 / 有点容易得意忘形	Yǒudiǎn róngyì déyìwàngxíng / Yáuhdím yùhngyih dākyimòhngyìhng
Somewhat stubborn	ちょっぴり　強情	Choppiri gōjō	Assez entêté	Ist dickköpfig	È un po' testardo	Es un poco cabezota	조금 고집통이임	Jogeum gojibtong-iim	有一點點固執 / 有一点点固执	Yǒu yīdiǎndiǎn gùzhí / Yáuh yātdímdím gujāp
Somewhat vain	ちょっぴり　みえっぱり	Choppiri mieppari	Un peu vaniteux	Ist etwas eitel	È abbastanza superficiale	Es algo orgulloso	조금 겉치레를 좋아함	Jogeum geotchirereul jo-aham	有一點點愛慕虛榮 / 有一点点爱慕虚荣	Yǒu yīdiǎndiǎn àimùxūróng / Yáuh yātdímdím ngoimouhhēuiwìhng
Strong willed	気が　強い	Ki ga tsuyoi	Très volontaire	Besitzt einen starken Willen	Sa il fatto suo	Se distingue por ser muy voluntarioso	기가 센 성격임	Giga sen seong-gyeog-im	性格強勢 / 性格强势	Xìnggé qiángshì / Singgaak geuhngsai
Strongly defiant	負けん気が　強い	Makenki ga tsuyoi	Esprit rebelle	Ist sehr aufsässig	È molto insolente	Es muy insolente	오기가 센 성격임	Ogiga sen seong-gyeog-im	爭強好勝 / 争强好胜	Zhēng qiáng hàoshèng / Chāang geuhng hóusīng
Sturdy body	体が　丈夫	Karada ga jōbu	Corps robuste	Hat einen robusten Körper	Ha un corpo robusto	Se caracteriza por su cuerpo resistente	몸이 튼튼함	Mom-i teunteunham	身體強壯 / 身体强壮	Shēntǐ qiángzhuàng / Gyūntái geuhngjong
Takes plenty of siestas	昼寝を　よくする	Hirune o yoku suru	S'assoupit souvent	Nickt oft ein	Si addormenta spesso	A menudo se duerme	낮잠을 잘 잠	Naj-jam-eul jal jam	經常睡午覺 / 经常睡午觉	Jīngcháng shuì wǔjiào / Gīngsèuhng seuih nghgaau
Thoroughly cunning	抜け目が　ない	Nukeme ga nai	Très astucieux	Ist äußerst gerissen	È estremamente sagace	Es muy astuto	빈틈이 없음	Binteum-i eobs-eum	做事萬無一失 / 做事万无一失	Zuòshì wànwúyīshī / Jouhsih maahnmòuhyātsāt
Very finicky	とても　きちょうめん	Totemo kichōmen	Très particulier	Ist sehr pedantisch	È molto esigente	Es muy melindroso	매우 꼼꼼함	Maeu kkomkkomham	一絲不苟 / 一丝不苟	Yīsībùgǒu / Yātsībātgáu

Related articles

Pokémon individuality
Level • Stats • Friendship • Gender • Ability (Hidden Ability) • Nature • Characteristic Effort values • Individual values • Go Power • Effort level Condition • Performance • Affection • Memory

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