Struggle (move): Difference between revisions

Struggle (Japanese: わるあがき Vain Struggle) is the one move that cannot be learned naturally by any Pokémon. However, every Pokémon can use it, but only if all of their moves cannot be used, usually due to a lack of PP.

Effect

Generation I

Struggle deals damage to the opponent and the user receives recoil damage. The user takes recoil damage equal to 50% of the damage the attack did to the opponent. Struggle will automatically be used by a Pokémon that has no usable moves but is ordered to attack, and has infinite PP in such a situation.

If the user of Struggle attacks first and faints itself due to recoil damage, the opponent will not attack or be subjected to recurrent damage during that round. If Struggle breaks a Substitute, the user will take no recoil damage.

Struggle has 10 base PP, though no PP would ever be deducted from it. Self-inflicted recoil damage from Struggle from the previous turn can be countered if the opponent did not make a move on the following turn.

In Stadium, no recoil damage is taken if Struggle knocks out an opponent.

Generation II

Same as before, but with a maximum of 1 PP instead of 10-16. Struggle now inflicts normal damage to Template:Type2 Pokémon as well as Template:Type2, and hits Template:Type2 Pokémon even if the user has not previously used Foresight.

Generation III

In addition to what was said before, Pokémon with the Wonder Guard ability are not immune to Struggle. Rock Head does not prevent Struggle's recoil damage.

Generation IV - V

Same as Generation III; however, the user takes ¼ of its maximum HP as recoil damage. Also, if the user is holding Choice item and is triggered by Disable, Taunt, or Torment, it will always use Struggle as long as the item and the move both remain active; if the move is Taunt, the Pokémon will only use Struggle every second turn.

Learnset

All Pokémon can use Struggle when the PP for all moves they know are at 0 or the moves are somehow incapacitated such as through Disable, Taunt, or Torment.

Trivia

• Even though Struggle can only be accessed by the loss of all PP, it is somehow able to have contest stats. This is most likely to prevent the game from crashing if it is hacked in since, through normal gameplay, it would be impossible to use Struggle within normal contest rounds. The contest stats seem to be the defaults.
• Struggle is the highest index number move of all Generation I moves.
• Struggle is one of two moves that cannot be sketched by Smeargle. The other is Chatter.
• Struggle takes "typeless damage" - no Pokémon can gain STAB from it and it is unaffected by type matchups.
  • This also makes Struggle the only Normal-type move which can hit a Ghost-type opponent without the aid of Odor Sleuth, Foresight, or Scrappy.

In other languages

• Dutch: Spartel
• French: Lutte
• German: Verzweifler
• Greek: Αγώνας
• Italian: Scontro
• Korean: 발버둥 Balbeodung
• Spanish: Combate

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