Talk:Signature move

Talk:Signature move

This talk page is for discussions about the contents of Signature move.

Archived discussions: 1

Signature moves only in certain games

Force Fire pushed the definition that a move can only be a signature move if it is like so throughout the whole generation. However, with Pokémon HOME not allowing transferring moves (and Abilities) between Generation VIII games (except between releases from the same pair), I don't think this should apply. In Generation VIII, a move could be considered a signature move only in BDSP, that being Magic Room on Lunatone (and others). In Generation IX, some Pokémon could have signature moves in Pokémon Legends Z-A only, since I doubt that moves will be able to be transferred out of Z-A.

At the time, Force Fire thought this would make our criteria of a signature move too complicated, but I disagree. C.Ezra.M (talk | contribs) 14:13, 3 May 2025 (UTC)

I didn't say it would make it complicated, I said it would be too much of a hassle to keep track of in the case Game Freak flip flops which moves are signatures for an individual game. Having a move repeatedly be a signature move and not be a signature move between games just feels like it'd confuse readers and be a real drag to have to edit specific articles, saying that, I don't know if there has been a case where a move gains and loses its signature status between games/DLCs within a single generation.--ForceFire 14:57, 3 May 2025 (UTC)

I can think of Water Shuriken, which was signature of Greninja in X&Y, Accelgor in SwSh, and Greninja in SV. This isn't exactly "within the same generation", but that's the example that came to mind.

Now, onto my actual suggestion, I think having the current section for "signature moves throughout the generation" as it is sounds like a good idea, while we can add another section like "signature moves only for a particular game". Thoughts? → SuperPikaPool13 15:09, 3 May 2025 (UTC)

Good thinking!

However, the case of Water Shuriken being Greninja's signature move in XY isn't the same as Magic Room being Lunatone's signature move in BDSP. You can still teach Water Shuriken to Accelgor in ORAS, trade it to XY or move it through Bank, and it will still have the move. But if you teach Magic Room to any Pokémon in SwSh and transfer it to BDSP, it won't know Magic Room in BDSP. C.Ezra.M (talk | contribs) 15:42, 3 May 2025 (UTC)

I think that people may get confused anyway when they see a move being described as signature on bulba and then a while after suddenly everything saying that is gone. Well, it WAS true for a while. It feels very inconsistent, that's why it would be nice to still have it mentioned somewhere, maybe as a trivia? I've kept a list of them here.--Rocket Grunt 17:02, 3 May 2025 (UTC)

I'm going to extend this discussion into site-standard consistency As it becomes even more confusing as things get more particular.

Both this page and Throat Chop's page describe it as being Incineroar's signature moves, with the latter saying "one of" implying that Darkest Lariat is still one of its signature moves (but Darkest Lariat isn't mentioned on this page). More Pokemon gained access to this in USUM via move tutor, so a clarification should be given, no? This page also seems to acknowledge breeding now as well, in which case, Sneasel was always able to learn the move, making this point incorrect as a whole. I think my issue is that this page doesn't have a standardized definition of what a "signature move" is that is consistent throughout the rest of the site.

Dragon Hammer is also no longer listed on this page, this was also only ever exclusive to Alolan Exeggutor in Sun and Moon, before being passed onto Tropius in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (and soon level up in BDSP and even SV for Raging Bolt). I don't think it should be exclusive throughout the whole generation, but stronger consistency should probably prioritized first. TrainerSplash (talk) 21:26, 26 March 2026 (UTC)

There is a clear and consistent definition that we're using, but I agree we should sort out whether to include some of the other similar examples of the concept on move pages. Landfish7 12:16, 30 March 2026 (UTC)