Pokemon Natures explained: How they affect stats & what they change
NintendoIn Gen III and above, Natures play a pivotal role in raising Pokemon. But what are they and how do they work? Here’s what you need to know, including stat effects and changes.
First introduced in Ruby and Sapphire on the Game Boy Advance, Natures directly influence how a Pokemon’s stats grow based on percentages. It may sound complicated and you might not have ever bothered with them before, but they’re very important if you want your ‘mon to reach its full potential.
Which nature a Pokemon gets is completely random, and there are 25 different variants, each with its own changes and effects.
Contents:
Pokemon Natures explained
Game Freak / The Pokemon CompanyIn short, a Nature both increases and decreases a specific stat, meaning you’ll need to work out which is best for your ‘mon depending on how you want to use it. In Pokemon Sword & Shield, for example, will you be entering it into Competitive? What kind of moveset does it have? The mechanic also decides its favorite and disliked flavors for Berries, PokeBlocks, and more.
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Here’s every available Pokemon Nature and its stat effects:
| Nature | Stat effects | Favorite flavor | Disliked flavor |
| Hardy | + Attack
– Attack |
None | None |
| Lonely | + Attack
– Defense |
Spicy | Sour |
| Brave | + Attack
– Speed |
Spicy | Sweet |
| Adamant | + Attack
– Sp. Atk |
Spicy | Dry |
| Naughty | + Attack
– Sp. Def |
Spicy | Bitter |
| Bold | + Defense
– Attack |
Sour | Spicy |
| Docile | + Defense
– Defense |
None | None |
| Relaxed | + Defense
– Speed |
Sour | Sweet |
| Impish | + Defense
– Sp. Atk |
Sour | Dry |
| Lax | + Defense
– Sp. Def |
Sour | Bitter |
| Timid | + Speed
– Attack |
Sweet | Spicy |
| Hasty | + Speed
– Defense |
Sweet | Sour |
| Serious | + Speed
– Speed |
None | None |
| Jolly | + Speed
– Sp. Atk |
Sweet | Dry |
| Naive | + Speed
– Sp. Defense |
Sweet | Bitter |
| Modest | + Sp. Atk
– Attack |
Dry | Spicy |
| Mild | + Sp. Atk
– Defense |
Dry | Sour |
| Quiet | + Sp. Atk
– Speed |
Dry | Sweet |
| Bashful | + Sp. Atk
– Sp. Atk |
None | None |
| Rash | + Sp. Atk
– Sp. Def |
Dry | Bitter |
| Calm | + Sp. Def
– Attack |
Bitter | Sour |
| Gentle | + Sp. Defense
– Defense |
Bitter | Spicy |
| Sassy | + Sp. Def
– Speed |
Bitter | Sweet |
| Careful | + Sp. Def
– Sp. Atk |
Bitter | Dry |
| Quirky | + Sp. Def
– Sp. Def |
None | None |
How to change a Pokemon’s Nature
At the time of writing, there’s only one way to change your Pokemon’s Nature and it’s only in Sword & Shield. The Battle Tower sells Mints for every type which, when fed to your ‘mon, makes it have that specific one.
In every other game, you can’t change it outright but you can keep catching and breeding until you get your desired one.
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That said, you can get around it by using Pokemon Bank and Pokemon Home to transfer your ‘mon to the Switch title where you can feed it a Mint.
Game Freak / The Pokemon CompanyAnd there you have it – everything you need to know about Natures. Check out more of our lists covering all things Pokemon below:
Fairy-type | Water-type | Grass-type | Fighting-type | Psychic-type | Electric-type | Legendary Pokemon | All cat Pokemon | All dog Pokemon | Creepiest ‘mon | Cutest Pokemon | The rarest and most expensive Pokemon cards | 10 best ROM hacks and fan-made games