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Butterfree バタフリー Butterfree #012
Artwork from FR/LG
Type Bug Flying Unknown Unknown Blue-Striped Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown	Category Butterfly Pokémon
Ability Compoundeyes Blue-Striped -----	Exp. at Lv. 100 1,000,000
Regional Pokédex numbers Kanto #012 Johto #026 Hoenn #214 Sinnoh — Unova Not in any regional Pokédex
Regional Browser numbers Fiore R— Almia R— Oblivia
Height 0'0" Imperial 0.0 m Metric 0'0"/0.0 m Red-Striped 0'0"/0.0 m Blue-Striped 0'0"/0.0 m
Weight 0.0 lbs. Imperial 0.0 kg Metric 0.0 lbs./0.0 kg Red-Striped 0.0 lbs./0.0 kg Blue-Striped 0.0 lbs./0.0 kg
Dex color Unknown	Catch rate 45 (5.9%)
Body style Blue-Striped	Footprint      Blue-Striped
Gender ratio Gender unknown Unknown Gender unknown
Breeding Bug group 1 cycles (255 minimum steps)
EV yield HP 0 Atk 0 Def 0 Sp.Atk 0 Sp.Def 0 Speed 0 Base Exp.: 160 Battle Exp.: 1601*
External links {{Links/{{{generation}}}|pokefordex=butterfree|ndex=012|name=Butterfree }}

Butterfree (Japanese: バタフリー Butterfree, German: Smettbo, French: Papilusion) is a Bug/Flying-type Pokémon.

Pokédex entries

Pokémon Red and Blue

In battle, it flaps its wings at high speed, releasing highly toxic dust into the air.

Pokémon Yellow

Its wings, covered with poisonous powders, repel water. This allows it to fly in the rain.

Pokémon Stadium

Its wings are covered with poisonous dust. If you see one flapping its wings, be careful not to inhale any of the dust.

Pokémon Gold / Pokémon Stadium 2

It collects honey every day. It rubs honey onto the hairs on its legs to carry it back to its nest.

Pokémon Silver

Water-repellent powder on its wings enables it to collect honey, even in the heaviest of rains.

Pokémon Crystal

It flits from flower to flower, collecting honey. It can even identify distant flowers in bloom.

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

Butterfree has a superior ability to search for delicious honey from flowers. It can even search out, extract, and carry honey from flowers that are blooming over six miles from its nest.

Pokémon Emerald

It has a superior ability to search for delicious honey from flowers. It can seek, extract, and carry honey from flowers blooming over six miles away.

Pokémon FireRed

The wings are protected by a rain-repellent dust. As a result, this pokémon can fly about even in rain.

Pokémon LeafGreen

In battle, it flaps its wings at great speed to release highly toxic dust into the air.

Name origin

Butterfree's name is a combination of butterfly and free, possibly referring to its ability to fly after being grounded for two evolutionary stages.

Its design appears to be based upon a common butterfly.

Base stats

Type effectiveness

RBY

Later versions

In the anime

Ash Ketchum had a Butterfree that he had caught as a Caterpie, which was the first Pokemon he ever caught.

Taking into account Caterpies quick evolution according to it's levels. Ash's Caterpie evolved into Metapod at the end of Episode 3 after defeating Team Rocket with it's String Shot attack. It then evolved in episode 4 into Butterfree.

In "Battle aboard the St.Anne!" Ash trades Butterfree to another trainer. Though reverses the process when he decides that Butterfree is too important to him to trade. Later on Butterfree leaves to mate with a pink Butterfree. It is a common misconception that Butterfree die while they mate. However, this comes from a mistranslation and so there is nothing to stop Butterfree returning in the future. It did turn up in Japanese intro sequence Spurt! along with Ash's other caught Pokemon.

Learnset

Butterfree is capable of learning the following moves (from its evolution onwards):
NOTE: Moves in bold are damage moves to which STAB apply.

By leveling up

By TM/HM

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This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon as a species.