Bag

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The players' default bags in Pokémon X and Y
The players' Bags in Pokémon Platinum

The Bag (Japanese: バッグ bag), referred to on the menu as Item (Japanese: どうぐ tool) in Generation I and Pack (Japanese: リュック ruck) in Generation II, is a vital tool in all core series Pokémon games. It holds all of the player's items, storing them for later use. By opening the Bag, players can use, arrange, and toss most items, and register Key Items for easy access.

In the Help System of the Generation V games, it is called the Bag function (Japanese: バッグの機能(きのう) bag function).

Use

Outside of battle

The Bag appears as part of the start menu in all core series games, as well as in Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. In Generation I as well as in Colosseum and XD, it is accessed with the "ITEMS" command, while in Generation II, it is accessed with the "PACK" command.

All items that the player has on hand will be located in the Bag and, after Generation I, being placed in the appropriate pocket automatically. Prior to Generation IV, the items pocket had only 20 (42 in FireRed and LeafGreen, 30 in Emerald) spaces for items, while the other pockets had space for any and all items that would go there. If an item to be picked up would be placed into the items pocket, however, and the pocket was full, it could not be picked up until the player had deposited some items into the PC. This problem no longer exists in Generation IV and beyond, where all pockets have enough space for every item.

Inside of the Bag menu, the player will find a list of all their items, ordered by default from the first kind obtained to the most recently obtained. Players may rearrange these items with the select button, except in the Berries and TMs and HMs pockets, which are automatically ordered. Depending on the type of item, and sometimes on the item itself, options exist when it is selected that allow players to use the item, throw the item away, register it to the Select/Y button for use on the field, or have a Pokémon hold it.

In battle

Bag menu during a Pokémon battle in Generation VII.

The Bag is also one of the four menu selections during a Pokémon battle, and allows the player to use items that can be used in battle, such as Poké Balls, Potions, and items like X Attack. Prior to Generation IV, the Bag menu during battle was the same as that outside of battle, allowing inventory checking of items that are unrelated to battle during it. In Generation IV, however, it became a completely different menu on the touch screen, split into four categories of use.

Using an item while in battle uses up a turn. Prior to Generation VII, this only occurs if the item that the player tries to use has an effect during the battle (for example, in Generation II, attempting to use a NeverMeltIce will lead only to the player being scolded by Professor Oak). In Generation VII, attempting to use an item that would have no effect takes a turn, but does not consume the item. Items cannot be used in linked battles or in facilities such as the Battle Tower.

The item that was last used during battle, if there were multiple copies of it in the Bag, can be easily used again. The selection cursor will remain on it in Generation I-III and VII games, while a shortcut menu will exist at the lower left corner of the screen to the last used item in Generation IV-VI.

Differences between generations

While the Bag has remained a consistent part of the menu screen for all generations, significant changes have been made to its structure in each later generation, with most welcomed as improvements.

Generation I

In Generation I, the Bag began as a simple list of items, with only 20 different kinds ever allowed to be held on-hand at one time. Additional items that the player owned would need to be stored in the player's PC (accessible from any Pokémon Center and holding up to 50 different kinds of item), but would need to be put there manually, as picked up items that did not fit in the Bag would simply be left where they were, but could be picked up at a later time, when there was space for them. Up to 99 of any one item could normally be held in the Bag, with additional amounts of an item taking up a second slot (for example, in order to have 103 Great Balls on hand, one would need to have one slot of them ×99, and another with them ×4); this was not totally concrete, however, and the item duplication glitch involving MissingNo. could be performed in Pokémon Red and Blue, allowing for 255 of the same item to be held in the same Bag slot.

Generation II

The Bag received its first major overhaul in Generation II, where items were now separated into four pockets. While the items pocket held most of the different types of item still, the other three pockets were more specialized, and could contain all items of their specific type, allowing for better access to these items. Each item also received an in-Bag description.

GSC Items pocket.png
Items
どうぐ
GSC Poké Balls pocket.png
Balls
ボール
File:GSC Key items pocket.png
Key Items
たいせつ
GSC TMs and HMs pocket.png
TM/HM
わざマシン
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all 11 varieties of Poké Ball available in Generation II. Contains all Key Items. Contains all TMs and HMs.

Generation III

Another overhaul for the Bag came in Generation III, adding one further pocket that did not exist in Generation II. This pocket, much like the Poké Balls pocket, was created in response to the large overhaul to the Berry system from Generation II, allowing all 43 Berries to be kept in the Bag at once, organized by their Berry number.

A visual of the Bag itself was added to the screen, replacing the blueprint-like structure present in Generation II, and for the first time, male and female player characters had a different Bag design. In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the Bags are yellow, but in Emerald, they are green.

Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald

RS Items pocket M.png RS Items pocket F.png
E Items pocket M.png E Items pocket F.png
Items
どうぐ
RS Poké Balls pocket M.png RS Poké Balls pocket F.png
E Poké Balls pocket M.png E Poké Balls pocket F.png
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
RS TMs and HMs pocket M.png RS TMs and HMs pocket F.png
E TMs and HMs pocket M.png E TMs and HMs pocket F.png
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
RS Berries pocket M.png RS Berries pocket F.png
E Berries pocket M.png E Berries pocket F.png
Berries
きのみ
RS Key items pocket M.png RS Key items pocket F.png
E Key items pocket M.png E Key items pocket F.png
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all 11 varieties of Poké Ball available in Generation III. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items.

Emerald

Additionally, Emerald uses the Battle Bag in the Battle Pyramid. The color of the icon is purple for the Level 50 challenge, and red for the Open Level challenge.

Battle Bag Level 50 Emerald.png Battle Bag Open Level Emerald.png
Battle Bag
バトルバッグ
Contains items acquired in the Battle Pyramid.

Colosseum and XD

In Colosseum and XD, the bag is divided as it is in Ruby and Sapphire. The only noticeable differences in function are that in the event of a full bag, any new items are automatically sent to the PC, rather than left alone, and that Key Items cannot be registered (as none that can be used on the field are present).

FireRed and LeafGreen

In FireRed and LeafGreen, the Bag's five pockets were condensed into three, with two Key Items, the Berry Pouch and TM Case, serving the role that the Berries and TMs and HMs pockets do in Hoenn-based games. A small icon was also given to each item, displaying it in the Bag alongside the description, which was lengthened. These Bag icons were also used in Emerald.

FRLG Items pocket M.png FRLG Items pocket F.png
Items
どうぐ
File:FRLG Key items pocket M.png File:FRLG Key items pocket F.png
Key Items
たいせつなもの
FRLG Poké Balls pocket M.png FRLG Poké Balls pocket F.png
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all Key Items. Contains all 11 varieties of Poké Ball available in Generation III.

Generation IV

The Bag was revamped once again in Generation IV, not only allowing for infinite space (and making the PC storage system for items obsolete) but also splitting the pockets up further than in Generation III. Three new pockets were split off from the Items pocket, making for a total of eight pockets. The Bags are yellow in Diamond and Pearl, but gray/silver in Platinum.

In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, the Bag retained the list-like format from Generation III, with pocket-changing controls as well as a Poké Ball-shaped scrollwheel being present on the bottom screen. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, by contrast, groups the items into six-cell pages. Additionally these games have Ethan/Lyra holding the bag with the pocket being highlighted, while other games just show pockets.

Diamond and Pearl

DP Items pocket M.png
DP Items pocket F.png
Items
どうぐ
DP Medicine pocket M.png
DP Medicine pocket F.png
Medicine
かいふく
DP Poké Balls pocket M.png
DP Poké Balls pocket F.png
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
DP TMs and HMs pocket M.png
DP TMs and HMs pocket F.png
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
DP Berries pocket M.png
DP Berries pocket F.png
Berries
きのみ
DP Mail pocket M.png
DP Mail pocket F.png
Mail
メール
File:DP Battle items pocket M.png
File:DP Battle items pocket F.png
Battle items
せんとうよう
File:DP Key items pocket M.png
File:DP Key items pocket F.png
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all available varieties of Poké Ball. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Mail. Contains all items which only have effect in battle. Contains all Key Items.
Bag Items DP pocket icon.png Bag Medicine DP pocket icon.png Bag Poké Balls DP pocket icon.png Bag TMs and HMs DP pocket icon.png Bag Berries DP pocket icon.png Bag Mail DP pocket icon.png File:Bag Battle items DP pocket icon.png File:Bag Key items DP pocket icon.png

Platinum

Pt Items pocket M.png
Pt Items pocket F.png
Items
どうぐ
Pt Medicine pocket M.png
Pt Medicine pocket F.png
Medicine
かいふく
Pt Poké Balls pocket M.png
Pt Poké Balls pocket F.png
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
Pt TMs and HMs pocket M.png
Pt TMs and HMs pocket F.png
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
Pt Berries pocket M.png
Pt Berries pocket F.png
Berries
きのみ
Pt Mail pocket M.png
Pt Mail pocket F.png
Mail
メール
File:Pt Battle items pocket M.png
File:Pt Battle items pocket F.png
Battle items
せんとうよう
File:Pt Key items pocket M.png
File:Pt Key items pocket F.png
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all available varieties of Poké Ball. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Mail. Contains all items which only have effect in battle. Contains all Key Items.
Bag Items Pt pocket icon.png Bag Medicine Pt pocket icon.png Bag Poké Balls Pt pocket icon.png Bag TMs and HMs Pt pocket icon.png Bag Berries Pt pocket icon.png Bag Mail Pt pocket icon.png File:Bag Battle items Pt pocket icon.png File:Bag Key items Pt pocket icon.png

HeartGold and SoulSilver

HGSS Items pocket M.png
HGSS Items pocket F.png
Items
どうぐ
HGSS Medicine pocket M.png
HGSS Medicine pocket F.png
Medicine
かいふく
HGSS Poké Balls pocket M.png
HGSS Poké Balls pocket F.png
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
HGSS TMs and HMs pocket M.png
HGSS TMs and HMs pocket F.png
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
HGSS Berries pocket M.png
HGSS Berries pocket F.png
Berries
きのみ
HGSS Mail pocket M.png
HGSS Mail pocket F.png
Mail
メール
File:HGSS Battle items pocket M.png
File:HGSS Battle items pocket F.png
Battle items
せんとうよう
File:HGSS Key items pocket M.png
File:HGSS Key items pocket F.png
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all available varieties of Poké Ball. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Mail. Contains all items which only have effect in battle. Contains all Key Items.
Bag Items pocket icon.png Bag Medicine pocket icon.png Bag Poké Balls pocket icon.png Bag TMs and HMs pocket icon.png Bag Berries pocket icon.png Bag Mail pocket icon.png Bag Battle items pocket icon.png Bag Key items pocket icon.png

Generation V

In Black and White, the Bag was overhauled again, with eight pockets being condensed into five, much like in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. The pockets are called Cases in these games, and are labeled Items, Medicine, TMs & HMs, Berries and Key Items, with Poké Balls, Mail, held items and other items all being placed in the Items pocket. Held items, Mail and Poké Balls are indicated as such by an icon displayed to the immediate left of the item that corresponds to what type of item it is.

In these games, recently acquired items (other than TMs) are added at the top of their respective item list (rather than the bottom, as in previous generations), and players can sort a pocket automatically by pressing Start, in addition to manual sorting with Select.

In Black 2 and White 2, a Free Space section was added to the Bag, and the icon takes on the appearance of a smaller Bag. Players can select items they use most and add them to Free Space for easy access. Manual sorting cannot be performed in this section, and items are always placed in alphabetical order. However, the player can filter the kind of items they want to see with the sorting button.

Unlike in the first pairs, new items go at the bottom of the item list like in previous generations rather than the top, including TMs and HMs. More sorting options were also added.

Black and White

BW Items pocket M.png
BW Items pocket F.png
Items
どうぐ
BW Medicine pocket M.png
BW Medicine pocket F.png
Medicine
かいふく
BW TMs and HMs pocket M.png
BW TMs and HMs pocket F.png
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
BW Berries pocket M.png
BW Berries pocket F.png
Berries
きのみ
BW Key Items pocket M.png
BW Key Items pocket F.png
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items.
Bag Items pocket icon.png Bag Medicine pocket icon.png Bag TMs and HMs pocket icon.png Bag Berries pocket icon.png Bag Key items pocket icon.png

Black 2 and White 2

B2W2 Items pocket M.png
B2W2 Items pocket F.png
Items
どうぐ
B2W2 Medicine pocket M.png
B2W2 Medicine pocket F.png
Medicine
かいふく
B2W2 TMs and HMs pocket M.png
B2W2 TMs and HMs pocket F.png
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
B2W2 Berries pocket M.png
B2W2 Berries pocket F.png
Berries
きのみ
B2W2 Key Items pocket M.png
B2W2 Key Items pocket F.png
Key Items
たいせつなもの
B2W2 Free Space pocket M.png
B2W2 Free Space pocket F.png
Free Space
フリースペース
Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items. Contains items put there by the player.
Bag Items pocket icon.png Bag Medicine pocket icon.png Bag TMs and HMs pocket icon.png Bag Berries pocket icon.png Bag Key items pocket icon.png Bag Items pocket icon.png

Generation VI

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Changes in ORAS, if any (other than removing customization)

Generation VI saw the least amount of changes to the Bag. Items may be picked up by pressing and holding with the stylus, which allows for manual sorting; Start and Select both open the automatic sorting menu. In addition, the Items slot no longer has icons indicating items' types, though they are still grouped together when automatically sorted. The Free Space slot from Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 was removed, once again giving the Bag five slots, and each slot can be dragged to rearrange the order. A clock icon was also added at the bottom of the screen, which will show a list of the last twelve items used.

While the physical shape of the Bag did not change, it is now possible to customize the color and patterning of the bag due to it being an article of clothing as a part of Trainer customization.

Items
どうぐ
Medicine
かいふく
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items.
File:Bag Items VI pocket icon.pngBag Items ORAS pocket icon.png Bag Medicine XY pocket icon.pngBag Medicine ORAS pocket icon.png Bag TMs and HMs XY pocket icon.pngBag TMs and HMs ORAS pocket icon.png Bag Berries XY pocket icon.pngBag Berries ORAS pocket icon.png File:Bag Key items XY pocket icon.pngFile:Bag Key items ORAS pocket icon.png

Generation VII

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Needs Item (SM) and all pocket icons (USUM)

In Generation VII, the Bag retained most of its functions found in Generation VI except for the removal of the clock function. While the five sections from Generation VI remain, two new sections were added.

The Free Space section, previously seen in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, makes a return and allows the player to store any items they want from other sections for convenience. A new section called Z-Crystals is also added, which stores all Z-Crystals found in the game. The Z-Crystals section will only be available once the player has obtained a Z-Crystal and the Z-Ring. Due to the removal of HMs from the games, the TMs & HMs section has been renamed to TMs only.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon added a new section called Rotom Powers, which stores Rotom Powers received from befriending the Rotom Pokédex. The Rotom Powers works similarly to Pass Powers and O-Powers.

Sun and Moon

Medicine
かいふく
Items
どうぐ
TMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Free Space
フリースペース
Z-Crystals
Zクリスタル
Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all TMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items. Contains items put there by the player. Contains all Z-Crystals.
Bag Medicine SM pocket icon.png Bag TMs SM pocket icon.png Bag Berries SM pocket icon.png File:Bag Key items SM pocket icon.png Bag Free Space pocket icon.png Bag Z-Crystals pocket icon.png

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

Rotom Powers
ロトムパワー
Medicine
かいふく
Items
どうぐ
TMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Free Space
フリースペース
Z-Crystals
Zクリスタル
Contains all Rotom Powers. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all TMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items. Contains items put there by the player. Contains all Z-Crystals.

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, items are stored in the Toolbox. It has a capacity of 16.

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky, items are stored in the Treasure Bag. It initially has a capacity of 16, being expanded incrementally throughout the story, up to a capacity of 48.

Pokémon GO

The Bag in Pokémon GO

In Pokémon GO, the player's Bag initially has a capacity of 350 items. Bag Upgrades can be purchased in the Shop, which expand the capacity by 50. The maximum upgradeable capacity is 1,500 items. Prior to an update on June 22, 2017, this maximum was 1,000 items.

The player can hold more items than the Bag's capacity if they acquire multiple items at once that put them over the capacity, but if they start out over capacity, they will not be able to acquire more, such as from PokéStops.

The Bag was also available, prior to an update on February 17, 2017, on the encounter screen to select the camera, Berries, and other Poké Balls, but has since been replaced by separate buttons for these items.

In the anime

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Needs information and pictures of all of Ash's travel companions
Johanna giving Dawn a small backpack

All of the main characters in the anime own a Bag to store their supplies like a sleeping bag or tent, outfits, and Poké Balls. Generally, the main characters' Bags have little to do with their game counterparts, with Dawn and Serena taking a backpack rather than the Bags used by their game counterparts, and Ash's other companions having no Bags in the games.

Unlike other main characters, Ash carries his Poké Balls on his belt. Ash's Bag in the Diamond & Pearl series is based on Lucas's, but colored green. During the Sun & Moon series, Rowlet tends to rest inside Ash's Bag.

Misty used her pull string style Bag to carry her Poké Balls, sleeping bag, Fishing Rod, and a case full of lures. Togepi also preferred to travel and sleep inside Misty's Bag. Misty's later appearances during the Advanced Generation series show her owning a Spheal Bag.

The seemingly endless capacity of the characters' Bags can be only be described as the result of anime physics. By far, Brock's Bag was been shown to be the most spacious, having a full tea-set and table inside in The School of Hard Knocks, as well as containing, presumably, everything he needed to cook meals on the road for his friends. Brock also carried the group's medicinal supplies and maps while they traveled through the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions. His Bag was blue, with only the bedroll being removed during the Diamond & Pearl series.

As a Pokémon watcher, Tracey carries around numerous sketchbooks, pencils, and a set of binoculars in his orange Bag.

Both of May's Bags were based on the ones worn by her game counterpart in Generation III. Throughout the Advanced Generation series, she wore a ket bag that stayed on her waist like a belt. It was used to hold her Poke Balls, Pokédex, Contest Pass, and Ribbons. During her brief return from Our Cup Runneth Over! to Strategy with a Smile!, May was shown to have a green Bag.

Max carried around a yellow Bag that held his PokéNav.

It was shown in Following A Maiden's Voyage! that Dawn had planned to take a large suitcase full of clothing and accessories with her. However, Johanna made her leave it at home and gave her a small Bag instead, containing only the items she would need on her journey.

Cilan carried around a brown Bag, and like Brock, he carries the group's supplies.

Serena stored her belongings in a pink Bag with a Poké Ball design on it.

Clemont stored many of his "Clemontic gear" inventions inside his black and white Bag.

Both of Lillie's Bags were based on the ones worn by her game counterpart.

Gallery

GenIBag.png GenIIBag.png RSBag.png EBag.png FRLGBag.png
RBY GSC RS E FRLG
DPBag.png PtBag.png File:HGSSbag.png BWBag.png B2W2Bag.png
DP Pt HGSS BW B2W2
XYBag.png ORASBag.png SMBag.png USUMBag.png
XY ORAS SM USUM

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 包包 Bāaubāau
Mandarin 包包 Bāobāo
The Netherlands Flag.png Dutch Tas
France Flag.png French Sac
Germany Flag.png German Beutel
Italy Flag.png Italian Borsa
South Korea Flag.png Korean 가방 Gabang
Portuguese Brazil Flag.png Brazil Bolsa (games, XY111, TCG, manga)
Mochila (BW103)
Portugal Flag.png Portugal Bolsa
Saco[1]
Russia Flag.png Russian Сумка Sumka
Spain Flag.png Spanish Bolsa
Sweden Flag.png Swedish Väska*
Ryggsäck*
Vietnam Flag.png Vietnamese Túi

References



Project ItemDex logo.png This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items.