No. 0012 · Generation I · Butterfly Pokémon
バタフリーBatafurī · From 'butterfly' and 'free', perhaps with a nod to patapata (the flutter of wings) and furu (to wave or flap)
The Butterfly Pokémon · Bug/Flying type · first seen in Pokémon Red & Green (1996)
01Overview
Meet Butterfree
Everything you need to know about the Butterfly Pokémon — the creature behind the number.
Meet Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon – the glorious payoff at the end of the Caterpie line and, at #0012, the first fully evolved Bug-type in the National Pokédex. It has a plump purple body, four pale blue limbs, two black antennae and a pair of enormous red eyes, carried on two sets of white wings traced with black veins. Look closely at those eyes and each one turns out to be made of a myriad of tiny eyes.
Its wings are its armour. They are dusted with toxic scales that drift off whenever it flies, and in battle Butterfree beats them furiously to fill the air with poisonous powder that can leave a foe paralysed, poisoned or fast asleep. The same powder repels water, so rain never grounds it. It is a fiercely protective parent, too: when bird Pokémon go after Caterpie, Butterfree swoops in and showers them with scales until they back off.
“The wings are protected by rain-repellent dust. As a result, this Pokémon can fly about even in rain.”
Pokédex · Pokémon Red (Japan), Green (Japan), FireRed & Y · 1996
Most of its day, though, is about honey. Its sensitive antennae can pick out flowers blooming more than ten kilometres from its nest, and it will happily track down patches with only a trace of pollen, carrying its haul home on the hairs of its legs. It squabbles with Cutiefly over the best flower fields, sips sap from trees that Heracross have pierced, and makes its home in temperate forests and jungles – though in breeding season whole flocks migrate across the open sea.
For many players Butterfree is the first fully evolved Pokémon on the team. Caterpie becomes Metapod at level 7 and Butterfree at level 10 – tied with Beedrill, Beautifly and Dustox for the earliest third stage reached by levelling up – and it soon picks up psychic moves and a bag of powders. Its Compound Eyes ability makes those powders hard to dodge, and Sword and Shield gave it a jaw-dropping Gigantamax form with green, glittering wings.
Fans, though, will always picture one Butterfree in particular. Ash's Caterpie dreamed of becoming one, finally got its wish in Challenge of the Samurai, and then flew away with a pink Butterfree in Bye Bye Butterfree – one of the anime's best-loved goodbyes, and a guaranteed lump in the throat to this day.
How big is Butterfree?
At 1.1 m (3′07″) Butterfree stands about as tall as a five-year-old child, and at 32.0 kg (70.5 lb) it weighs roughly as much as a fully grown Labrador – remarkably hefty for something that flits from flower to flower.
Evolution
02In the Pokédex's words
Butterfree's Pokédex entries
19 different entries across 42 games, from 1996 to 2021. Here is how the Pokédex has described Butterfree over the years, in the order the games came out.
Generation I
The wings are protected by rain-repellent dust. As a result, this Pokémon can fly about even in rain.
Kanto Pokédex
In battle, it flaps its wings at high speed to release highly toxic dust into the air.
Kanto Pokédex
Its wings, covered with poisonous powders, repel water. This allows it to fly in the rain.
Kanto Pokédex
Its wings are covered with poisonous dust. If you see one flapping its wings, be careful not to inhale any of the dust.
Kanto Pokédex
Generation II
It collects honey every day. It rubs honey onto the hairs on its legs to carry it back to its nest.
Johto Pokédex
Water-repellent powder on its wings enables it to collect honey, even in the heaviest of rains.
Johto Pokédex
It flits from flower to flower, collecting honey. It can even identify distant flowers in bloom.
Johto Pokédex
Generation III
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.
Hoenn Pokédex
In battle, it flaps its wings at great speed to release highly toxic dust into the air.
FireRed & LeafGreen Pokédex
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.
Hoenn Pokédex
Generation IV
It loves the honey of flowers and can locate flower patches that have even tiny amounts of pollen.
Sinnoh Pokédex
Generation VII
Close examination of its large eyes reveals that each eye is composed of a myriad of tiny eyes.
Rotom Pokédex
When attacked by other Pokémon, it defends itself by scattering its poisonous scales and fluttering its wings.
Rotom Pokédex
Its wings are covered in toxic scales. If it finds bird Pokémon going after Caterpie, Butterfree sprinkles its scales on them to drive them off.
Rotom Pokédex
Nectar from pretty flowers is its favorite food. In fields of flowers, it has heated battles with Cutiefly for territory.
Rotom Pokédex
Its wings, covered with poisonous powder, repel water. This allows it to fly in the rain.
Let's Go Pokédex
Generation VIII
Crystallized Gigantamax energy makes up this Pokémon's blindingly bright and highly toxic scales.
Rotom Phone (Sword & Shield)
Once it has opponents trapped in a tornado that could blow away a 10-ton truck, it finishes them off with its poisonous scales.
Rotom Phone (Sword & Shield)
It loves the nectar of flowers and can locate flower patches that have even tiny amounts of pollen.
Sinnoh Pokédex
03Stats, moves & where to find it
Butterfree in the video games
Base stat total 395 · 24 core-series games · 28 spin-offs · every move it learns, generation by generation.
Base stats
Generation VI gave Butterfree its only stat change: Sp. Atk rose from 80 to 90, lifting its total from 385 to 395. In Generation I it had a single Special stat of 80, and when Gold and Silver split Special in two, both Sp. Atk and Sp. Def started at 80. Base friendship was 70 in Generations II–VII and has been 50 since Generation VIII. Its base experience yield was 160 in Generations I–IV and 173 in Generations V–VI, and has been 178 since Generation VII; it reaches level 100 at 1,000,000 Exp. (Medium Fast).
Abilities
- Compound Eyessince Gen III
Raises the accuracy of Butterfree's moves by 30% – and, at the head of your party, makes wild Pokémon more likely to be holding an item. - Tinted LensHidden abilitysince Gen V
Doubles the damage of Butterfree's moves that would otherwise be 'not very effective'.
Type matchups
How hard each attacking type hits a Bug/Flying Pokémon.
In Generation I, Poison-type moves were also super effective (2×) against Butterfree; they have been neutral since Generation II. Its Flying type makes it immune to Ground-type moves, but once it is grounded – by Gravity, Smack Down or a held Iron Ball – Ground moves hit it for half damage.
Training & breeding
- Catch rate
- 45
- Base friendship
- 50
- Base experience
- 178
- Growth rate
- Medium Fast
- EV yield
- 2 Sp. Atk, 1 Sp. Def
- Egg groups
- Bug
- Egg cycles
- 15
- Colour
- White
- Gender ratio
- 50% male
- Body shape
- two or more pairs of wings
Where to find Butterfree
| Game | Year | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Red & Green | 1996 | Evolve Metapod |
| Blue (Japan) | 1996 | Evolve Metapod |
| Red & Blue | 1998 | Evolve Metapod |
| Yellow | 1998 | Evolve Metapod |
| Gold & Silver | 1999 | Gold: wild on Kanto's Route 2 in the morning, in the National Park Bug-Catching Contest, and in Headbutt trees on Routes 26, 27 and 34–39, in Azalea Town, Ilex Forest and at the Lake of Rage; Silver: only in the Bug-Catching ContestThe Bug-Catching Contest runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. |
| Crystal | 2000 | Wild on Kanto's Routes 2, 24 and 25 (mornings and daytime), in the Bug-Catching Contest, and in Ilex Forest's Headbutt trees |
| Ruby & Sapphire | 2002 | Not found in Hoenn – trade only |
| FireRed & LeafGreen | 2004 | Evolve MetapodOn the Teachy TV, the Poké Dude uses a Butterfree against a wild Oddish to explain type matchups. |
| Emerald | 2004 | Not found in Hoenn – trade only |
| Diamond & Pearl | 2006 | Evolve MetapodOr migrate one from a Game Boy Advance game via Pal Park, where it lives in the Forest area. |
| Platinum | 2008 | Evolve Metapod |
| HeartGold & SoulSilver | 2009 | HeartGold: wild on Kanto's Route 2, in Viridian Forest (mornings) and on Route 47, in the Bug-Catching Contest and in Ilex Forest's Headbutt trees; SoulSilver: only in the Bug-Catching Contest |
| Black & White | 2010 | White: rustling grass on Route 12; Black: trade or Poké Transfer onlyA White exclusive – Beedrill is its Black counterpart. Pokémon Dream World players could also meet it in the Windswept Sky. |
| Black 2 & White 2 | 2012 | White 2: a Hidden Grotto deep inside Pinwheel Forest, near the lake; Black 2: trade or Poké Transfer only |
| X & Y | 2013 | Friend Safari (Bug-type safaris), or evolve Metapod |
| Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | 2014 | Not found in Hoenn – trade only |
| Sun & Moon | 2016 | Wild on Route 5 and in Melemele Meadow; also called in by SOS Battles on Route 5, in Lush Jungle and Melemele Meadow |
| Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | 2017 | Wild on Route 5 and in Melemele Meadow; also called in by SOS Battles on Route 5, in Lush Jungle and Melemele Meadow |
| Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee! | 2018 | Let's Go, Pikachu!: wild in Viridian Forest; Let's Go, Eevee!: evolve Metapod |
| Sword & Shield | 2019 | Wild in the Slumbering Weald and the Wild Area (East Lake Axewell, Giant's Mirror, Rolling Fields); Max Raid Battles at Bridge Field, Dappled Grove, East Lake Axewell, Giant's Cap, Hammerlocke Hills, Rolling Fields and South Lake MilochGigantamax Butterfree appears in Max Raid Battles in the Rolling Fields; The Crown Tundra (2020) adds it to Dynamax Adventures and to raids at Slippery Slope, Crown Shrine, Giant's Foot and Ballimere Lake. |
| Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl | 2021 | Brilliant Diamond: evolve Metapod; Shining Pearl: trade onlyExclusive to Brilliant Diamond, while Beedrill belongs to Shining Pearl. |
| Legends: Arceus | 2022 | Unobtainable |
| Scarlet & Violet | 2022 | Unobtainable |
| Legends: Z-A | 2025 | Unobtainable |
Sprites through the ages
Spin-offs & cameos
Super Smash Bros.
Butterfree has never been a fighter, a Poké Ball Pokémon or an assist, but it has been part of Super Smash Bros. since the very first game. On the Saffron City stage of the original Nintendo 64 game (1999), a flutter of Butterfree drifts across the sky while the fighters scrap on the city's rooftops – a gentle backdrop to the chaos. When Saffron City came back in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), the Butterfree came back with it, still fluttering serenely past as everyone else knocks each other off the stage.
Pokémon GO
Butterfree has been fluttering around Pokémon GO since launch day in July 2016. Getting one takes patience rather than luck: Caterpie needs just 12 Candy to become Metapod, but Metapod needs 50 more to finish the job – handily, as a buddy Butterfree earns a Candy every kilometre. Shiny Butterfree has been within reach since Shiny Caterpie arrived on 1 November 2018, and in battle it relies on Struggle Bug or Confusion, backed up by Bug Buzz, Psychic or Signal Beam. You can also meet it as a Shadow Pokémon – purify it and it can learn Return. Its biggest day came on 3 August 2025: Gigantamax Butterfree Max Battle Day, when for three hours (2–5 p.m. local time) every Power Spot hosted Gigantamax Butterfree in six-star Max Battles, too tough for any Trainer to win alone – and the luckiest teams even met a Shiny one.
Its Jungle card, Whirlwind and Mega Drain included, can be pulled from the Evolution booster pack.
A flutter of Butterfree drifts across the sky behind the Saffron City stage.
Keep your camera ready on the Beach course – Butterfree is one of the Pokémon waiting to be snapped there.
It can't be caught straight off the table – evolve a Metapod in Evolution mode to add it to your Pokédex.
Its Stadium Pokédex entry comes with a warning: if you see one flapping its wings, don't breathe in the dust.
Which entry you read depends on the cartridge in the Transfer Pak: plug in Red, Silver or Crystal for Gold's honey-collecting text, or Blue, Gold or Yellow for Silver's rain-proof one.
Cipher Key Lair hides a Shadow Butterfree, waiting to be snagged and purified.
Caterpie's mother – her plea to save her child sets up your very first rescue. Evolve a Metapod to recruit your own; it settles in Mist-Rise Forest, promising to protect you 'with the wicked toxins in my wings'.
Explorers of Time players can recruit it on the first seven floors of Apple Woods; in Darkness, evolve a Metapod instead.
Back in Apple Woods (1F–7F) for the expanded Explorers adventure.
Butterfree comes to the Meadow Zone to play, and his favourite attraction is Pelipper's Circle Circuit.
The final boss of The Forest of Memories, one of the game's Chill Battle stages.
Flew in through the 'A Great Chance a Day!' event, with a Rock Shot skill that clears two breakable rocks and boosts its damage.
Joins once you finish Tranquill's Connection Orb mission – and proudly explains: 'My scales repel water, and that's how I can fly even in rain!'
Solve Area 26, Stage 07 to recruit it; its Hyper Scan skill sweeps the grid and fixes wrongly filled squares.
Around since launch day, evolving from Metapod with Caterpie Candy – and since August 2025 a six-star Gigantamax Max Battle boss.
When the Saffron City stage returns, so do the Butterfree fluttering through its sky.
It gets a whole Sea named after it – the Butterfree Sea – and also turns up in the tutorial and the Bulbasaur and Charizard Seas.
Hatch a Caterpie from an Egg and it can evolve all the way to Butterfree to battle beside your own player character.
Recruit it in Pitfall Valley (4F–9F); more are found fainted on Remains Island, and a powerful Strong Foe Butterfree lurks in Howling Forest.
A Dozing-type Berries specialist that brings Lum Berries, Honey, Snoozy Tomatoes and Greengrass Soybeans – and its sleep styles include Scale-Scattering Sleep.
Moves
In Red and Green, Butterfree was more psychic than insect. Its level-up list was Confusion, Psybeam, Supersonic, Whirlwind and three clouds of powder, and not one of its attacks was Bug- or Flying-type (even Gust, added in Yellow, was a Normal move back then). Gold and Silver made Gust a proper Flying attack, the Game Boy Advance games finally gave it a Bug move in Silver Wind, and Diamond and Pearl gathered all three powders at level 12, added Tailwind and capped the list with Bug Buzz.
Black and White brought Rage Powder and the stat-boosting Quiver Dance, Sun and Moon added Air Slash and taught Gust the moment Metapod evolves, and Sword and Shield let Butterfree keep its Caterpie and Metapod moves, with Hurricane and Pollen Puff on offer as TRs. Gigantamax Butterfree pours all of that into G-Max Befuddle, a Max Move that can poison, paralyse or send every opponent to sleep. Butterfree has sat out Scarlet, Violet and both Legends games so far, so that powder-packed Galar toolkit is the latest chapter.
Signature moves
Butterfree's oldest trick: a level-1 move in every game from Red and Green to Let's Go, until Sword and Shield moved it to level 8. Before Silver Wind came along, this psychic headache was the backbone of a bug with no Bug-type attacks at all.
Half of the classic powder combo. Butterfree has learnt it in every game it has appeared in, within a level or two of Poison Powder and Sleep Powder in the early games and at exactly the same level ever since Diamond and Pearl.
Butterfree's famous bedtime dust: level 17 in Red and Blue, 15 from Yellow through FireRed and LeafGreen, and 12 or 13 ever since. At 75% accuracy it is a gamble, but a gloriously sleepy one.
Still a Normal-type move when Yellow first taught it at level 28, Gust turned Flying-type in Gold and Silver. Since Sun and Moon, Butterfree learns it the instant Metapod evolves.
The grand finale of the Red and Blue list at level 32, Psybeam has crept steadily earlier ever since: level 24 from Diamond and Pearl, 17 in Sun and Moon and 16 in Let's Go and Sword and Shield.
Butterfree's hardest-hitting Bug-type move by level-up since Diamond and Pearl, and the best fuel for Gigantamax Butterfree, whose G-Max Befuddle hits at 130 power when it replaces Bug Buzz.
Added in Black and White at level 46, this fluttering dance raises Special Attack, Special Defence and Speed all at once. Let's Go hands it over as early as level 22.
Complete learnsets
Generation I · Red, Green, Blue & Yellow9 level-up · 20 TM/HM
There are no wild Butterfree in Red, Green, Blue or Yellow: you raise one by evolving Metapod at level 10. Red and Blue make it wait until level 12 for Confusion, while Yellow brings most moves forward by a few levels, adds Gust at level 28 and lets Butterfree use HM05 Flash. Oddly for a butterfly, it has no Bug- or Flying-type attack at all here, because Gust was still a Normal-type move. In the first three generations a move's category follows its type, so Confusion and Psybeam are special and Normal-type attacks are physical.
By level-up
| RGB | Y | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 12 | 10 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 15 | 13 | PoisonPowder | Poison | Status | — | 75 | 35 |
| 16 | 14 | Stun Spore | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 30 |
| 17 | 15 | Sleep Powder | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 15 |
| 21 | 18 | Supersonic | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 26 | 23 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 20 |
| N/A | 28 | Gust | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 32 | 34 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM02 | Razor Wind | Normal | Physical | 80 | 75 | 10 | |
| TM04 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 20 | |
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 85 | 10 | |
| TM09 | Take Down | Normal | Physical | 90 | 85 | 20 | |
| TM10 | Double-Edge | Normal | Physical | 100 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM15 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90 | 5 | |
| TM20 | Rage | Normal | Physical | 20 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM21 | Mega Drain | Grass | Special | 40 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM22 | SolarBeam | Grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM30 | Teleport | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 | |
| TM31 | Mimic | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 10 | |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 | |
| TM33 | Reflect | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 | |
| TM34 | Bide | Normal | Physical | — | — | 10 | |
| TM39 | Swift | Normal | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM46 | Psywave | Psychic | Special | — | 80 | 15 | |
| TM50 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| HM05 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 70 | 20 | Yellow |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 35 | 95 | 35 | Caterpie · level-up |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie · level-up |
| Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 | Metapod · level-up |
Generation II · Gold, Silver & Crystal10 level-up · 22 TM/HM
Gold and Crystal have wild Butterfree on Kanto's Route 2, in the National Park's Bug-Catching Contest and in Headbutt trees, while Silver keeps it to the Bug-Catching Contest on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Gust becomes a Flying-type move, giving Butterfree its first same-type attack, and Safeguard joins the list at level 40. There are still no egg moves or tutor moves, and categories still follow the type (Curse is a ???-type move here).
By level-up
| GSC | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 10 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 13 | PoisonPowder | Poison | Status | — | 75 | 35 |
| 14 | Stun Spore | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 30 |
| 15 | Sleep Powder | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 15 |
| 18 | Supersonic | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 23 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 28 | Gust | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 34 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| 40 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM03 | Curse | ??? | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 85 | 10 |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Varies | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM11 | Sunny Day | Fire | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM12 | Sweet Scent | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM13 | Snore | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 |
| TM15 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90 | 5 |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM19 | Giga Drain | Grass | Special | 60 | 100 | 5 |
| TM20 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM22 | SolarBeam | Grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM34 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 |
| TM35 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM39 | Swift | Normal | Physical | 60 | — | 20 |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM50 | Nightmare | Ghost | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| HM05 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 70 | 20 |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 35 | 95 | 35 | Caterpie · level-up |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie · level-up |
| Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 | Metapod · level-up |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Bide | Gen I (TM) |
| Double-Edge | Gen I (TM) |
| Mega Drain | Gen I (TM) |
| Mimic | Gen I (TM) |
| Psywave | Gen I (TM) |
| Rage | Gen I (TM) |
| Razor Wind | Gen I (TM) |
| Reflect | Gen I (TM) |
| Substitute | Gen I (TM) |
| Take Down | Gen I (TM) |
| Teleport | Gen I (TM) |
Generation III · Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed & LeafGreen (plus Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness)11 level-up · 22 TM/HM · 10 tutor · 1 event
FireRed and LeafGreen bring Butterfree back as Metapod's evolution, but Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald and Colosseum have none of their own, so it has to be traded in. Silver Wind at level 47 is its very first Bug-type attack and Aerial Ace its first Flying-type TM. Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness hides a Shadow Butterfree in the Cipher Key Lair whose regular moves include Morning Sun, a move Butterfree cannot get any other way. The tutor list covers FireRed and LeafGreen, Emerald and XD, and categories still follow the type.
By level-up
| RSE/FRLG | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 10 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 13 | PoisonPowder | Poison | Status | — | 75 | 35 |
| 14 | Stun Spore | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 30 |
| 15 | Sleep Powder | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 15 |
| 18 | Supersonic | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 23 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 28 | Gust | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 34 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| 40 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
| 47 | Silver Wind | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 5 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 85 | 10 |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Varies | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM11 | Sunny Day | Fire | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM15 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90 | 5 |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM19 | Giga Drain | Grass | Special | 60 | 100 | 5 |
| TM20 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM22 | SolarBeam | Grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM30 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | |
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM43 | Secret Power | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM46 | Thief | Dark | Special | 40 | 100 | 10 |
| TM48 | Skill Swap | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| HM05 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 70 | 20 |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double-Edge | Normal | Physical | 120 | 100 | 15 | FRLG, Emerald, XD |
| Dream Eater | Psychic | Special | 100 | 100 | 15 | FRLG, Emerald, XD |
| Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Emerald |
| Mimic | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | FRLG, Emerald, XD |
| Nightmare | Ghost | Status | — | — | 15 | XD |
| Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Emerald |
| Snore | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 | Emerald |
| Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | FRLG, Emerald, XD |
| Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 | Emerald |
| Swift | Normal | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | Emerald |
Event moves
| Move | Event |
|---|---|
| Morning Sun | Shadow Butterfree in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (Cipher Key Lair) |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 35 | 95 | 35 | Caterpie · level-up |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie · level-up |
| Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 | Metapod · level-up |
Generation IV · Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver14 level-up · 36 TM/HM · 9 tutor
Diamond, Pearl and Platinum ask you to evolve a Metapod. HeartGold has wild Butterfree on Kanto's Route 2, in Viridian Forest and on Route 47, plus the Bug-Catching Contest and Headbutt trees, while SoulSilver offers it only in the contest. The learnset is reshuffled so Poison Powder, Stun Spore and Sleep Powder all arrive together at level 12, with Tailwind, Captivate and Bug Buzz joining the list, and from here on every move has its own physical or special category. Diamond and Pearl have no tutor moves for Butterfree, while Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver teach Air Cutter, Signal Beam, Ominous Wind and more. HM05 is Defog in Diamond, Pearl and Platinum only.
By level-up
| DPPt/HGSS | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 10 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 12 | PoisonPowder | Poison | Status | — | 75 | 35 |
| 12 | Stun Spore | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 30 |
| 12 | Sleep Powder | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 15 |
| 16 | Gust | Special | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 18 | Supersonic | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 22 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 24 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| 28 | Silver Wind | Bug | Special | 60 | 100 | 5 |
| 30 | Tailwind | Status | — | — | 30 | |
| 34 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
| 36 | Captivate | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 40 | Bug Buzz | Bug | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 85 | 10 | |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Special | — | 100 | 15 | |
| TM11 | Sunny Day | Fire | Status | — | — | 5 | |
| TM15 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Special | 150 | 90 | 5 | |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 | |
| TM19 | Giga Drain | Grass | Special | 60 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM20 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 | |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM22 | SolarBeam | Grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM30 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 | |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | ||
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM43 | Secret Power | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | |
| TM46 | Thief | Dark | Physical | 40 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM48 | Skill Swap | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM51 | Roost | Status | — | — | 10 | ||
| TM53 | Energy Ball | Grass | Special | 80 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM58 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM62 | Silver Wind | Bug | Special | 60 | 100 | 5 | |
| TM68 | Giga Impact | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90 | 5 | |
| TM70 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM78 | Captivate | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM82 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM83 | Natural Gift | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 15 | |
| TM85 | Dream Eater | Psychic | Special | 100 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 | |
| TM89 | U-turn | Bug | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| HM05 | Defog | Status | — | — | 15 | DPPt |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Cutter | Special | 55 | 95 | 25 | Pt, HGSS | |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | HGSS |
| Ominous Wind | Ghost | Special | 60 | 100 | 5 | Pt, HGSS |
| Signal Beam | Bug | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 | Pt, HGSS |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 40 | 100 | 15 | Pt, HGSS |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | HGSS |
| Swift | Normal | Special | 60 | — | 20 | Pt, HGSS |
| Tailwind | Status | — | — | 30 | HGSS | |
| Twister | Dragon | Special | 40 | 100 | 20 | Pt, HGSS |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 35 | 95 | 35 | Caterpie · level-up |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie · level-up · DPPt |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Caterpie · level-up · Pt |
| Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 | Metapod · level-up |
| Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | Metapod · tutor · Pt, HGSS |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Double-Edge | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mimic | Gen III (tutor) |
| Morning Sun | Gen III (Shadow Butterfree in Pokémon XD) |
| Nightmare | Gen III (tutor) |
Generation V · Black, White, Black 2 & White 216 level-up · 30 TM/HM · 9 tutor · 2 event
Butterfree flutters out of the rustling grass on Route 12 in White and waits in a Hidden Grotto in Pinwheel Forest in White 2, but Black and Black 2 have none. Rage Powder (level 34) and Quiver Dance (level 46) join the level-up list, and Butterfree from the Pokémon Dream World's Windswept Sky could arrive knowing Air Cutter or Roost. Black 2 and White 2's tutors teach nine moves, from Bug Bite and Signal Beam to Electroweb and Giga Drain; Black and White have none.
By level-up
| BW/B2W2 | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 10 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 12 | PoisonPowder | Poison | Status | — | 75 | 35 |
| 12 | Stun Spore | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 30 |
| 12 | Sleep Powder | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 15 |
| 16 | Gust | Special | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 18 | Supersonic | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 22 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 24 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| 28 | Silver Wind | Bug | Special | 60 | 100 | 5 |
| 30 | Tailwind | Status | — | — | 30 | |
| 34 | Rage Powder | Bug | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 36 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
| 40 | Captivate | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 42 | Bug Buzz | Bug | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| 46 | Quiver Dance | Bug | Status | — | — | 20 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 90 | 10 |
| TM09 | Venoshock | Poison | Special | 65 | 100 | 10 |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Special | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM11 | Sunny Day | Fire | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM15 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Special | 150 | 90 | 5 |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM20 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM22 | SolarBeam | Grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM30 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | |
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM46 | Thief | Dark | Physical | 40 | 100 | 10 |
| TM48 | Round | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 |
| TM53 | Energy Ball | Grass | Special | 80 | 100 | 10 |
| TM62 | Acrobatics | Physical | 55 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM68 | Giga Impact | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90 | 5 |
| TM70 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM76 | Struggle Bug | Bug | Special | 30 | 100 | 20 |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM85 | Dream Eater | Psychic | Special | 100 | 100 | 15 |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 |
| TM89 | U-turn | Bug | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | B2W2 |
| Electroweb | Electric | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | B2W2 |
| Giga Drain | Grass | Special | 75 | 100 | 10 | B2W2 |
| Roost | Status | — | — | 10 | B2W2 | |
| Signal Beam | Bug | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 | B2W2 |
| Skill Swap | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | B2W2 |
| Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | B2W2 |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 40 | 100 | 15 | B2W2 |
| Tailwind | Status | — | — | 30 | B2W2 |
Event moves
| Move | Event |
|---|---|
| Air Cutter | Pokémon Dream World (Windswept Sky) |
| Roost | Pokémon Dream World (Windswept Sky) |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 50 | 100 | 35 | Caterpie · level-up |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie · level-up |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Caterpie · level-up · BW |
| Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 | Metapod · level-up |
| Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | Metapod · tutor · B2W2 |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Defog | Gen IV (HM) |
| Double-Edge | Gen III (tutor) |
| Endure | Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (TM) |
| Mimic | Gen III (tutor) |
| Morning Sun | Gen III (Shadow Butterfree in Pokémon XD) |
| Natural Gift | Gen IV (TM) |
| Nightmare | Gen III (tutor) |
| Ominous Wind | Gen IV (tutor) |
| Secret Power | Gen III (TM), Gen IV (TM) |
| Swift | Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (tutor) |
| Twister | Gen IV (tutor) |
Generation VI · X, Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire16 level-up · 35 TM/HM · 7 tutor
In X and Y, Butterfree turns up in Bug-type Friend Safaris; Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have no Butterfree, so it has to be traded in. The level-up list is the same as in Black and White, though Tailwind drops to 15 PP. Infestation is a new TM, Secret Power is TM94 only in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and only those two games' tutors teach moves such as Bug Bite, Signal Beam and Electroweb.
By level-up
| XY/ORAS | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 10 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 12 | Poison Powder | Poison | Status | — | 75 | 35 |
| 12 | Stun Spore | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 30 |
| 12 | Sleep Powder | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 15 |
| 16 | Gust | Special | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 18 | Supersonic | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 22 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 24 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| 28 | Silver Wind | Bug | Special | 60 | 100 | 5 |
| 30 | Tailwind | Status | — | — | 15 | |
| 34 | Rage Powder | Bug | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 36 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
| 40 | Captivate | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 42 | Bug Buzz | Bug | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| 46 | Quiver Dance | Bug | Status | — | — | 20 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 90 | 10 | |
| TM09 | Venoshock | Poison | Special | 65 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM11 | Sunny Day | Fire | Status | — | — | 5 | |
| TM15 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Special | 150 | 90 | 5 | |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 | |
| TM19 | Roost | Status | — | — | 10 | ||
| TM20 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 | |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM22 | Solar Beam | Grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM30 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 | |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | ||
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | |
| TM46 | Thief | Dark | Physical | 60 | 100 | 25 | |
| TM48 | Round | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM53 | Energy Ball | Grass | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM62 | Acrobatics | Physical | 55 | 100 | 15 | ||
| TM68 | Giga Impact | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90 | 5 | |
| TM70 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM76 | Struggle Bug | Bug | Special | 50 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM83 | Infestation | Bug | Special | 20 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM85 | Dream Eater | Psychic | Special | 100 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 | |
| TM88 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM89 | U-turn | Bug | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM94 | Secret Power | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | ORAS |
| TM100 | Confide | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | ORAS |
| Electroweb | Electric | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | ORAS |
| Giga Drain | Grass | Special | 75 | 100 | 10 | ORAS |
| Signal Beam | Bug | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 | ORAS |
| Skill Swap | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | ORAS |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 50 | 100 | 15 | ORAS |
| Tailwind | Status | — | — | 15 | ORAS |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 50 | 100 | 35 | Caterpie · level-up |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie · level-up |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Caterpie · level-up · XY |
| Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 | Metapod · level-up |
| Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | Metapod · tutor · ORAS |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Air Cutter | Gen IV (tutor), Gen V (Dream World) |
| Defog | Gen IV (HM) |
| Double-Edge | Gen III (tutor) |
| Endure | Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (TM) |
| Mimic | Gen III (tutor) |
| Morning Sun | Gen III (Shadow Butterfree in Pokémon XD) |
| Natural Gift | Gen IV (TM) |
| Nightmare | Gen III (tutor) |
| Ominous Wind | Gen IV (tutor) |
| Swift | Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (tutor) |
| Twister | Gen IV (tutor) |
Generation VII · Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon18 level-up · 32 TM/HM · 8 tutor
All four Alola games have wild Butterfree on Route 5 and in Melemele Meadow, and it can also join SOS Battles in Lush Jungle. Butterfree now learns Gust the moment it evolves, Psybeam and Silver Wind come much earlier, Air Slash joins at level 43 and Quiver Dance moves to 47. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon's tutors add Defog to the usual list; Sun and Moon have no tutor moves for it.
By level-up
| SM/USUM | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gust | Special | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 1 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| Evo. | Gust | Special | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 11 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 13 | Poison Powder | Poison | Status | — | 75 | 35 |
| 13 | Stun Spore | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 30 |
| 13 | Sleep Powder | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 15 |
| 17 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| 19 | Silver Wind | Bug | Special | 60 | 100 | 5 |
| 23 | Supersonic | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 25 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
| 29 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 31 | Bug Buzz | Bug | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| 35 | Rage Powder | Bug | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 37 | Captivate | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 41 | Tailwind | Status | — | — | 15 | |
| 43 | Air Slash | Special | 75 | 95 | 15 | |
| 47 | Quiver Dance | Bug | Status | — | — | 20 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 90 | 10 |
| TM09 | Venoshock | Poison | Special | 65 | 100 | 10 |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 |
| TM11 | Sunny Day | Fire | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM15 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Special | 150 | 90 | 5 |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM19 | Roost | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM20 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM22 | Solar Beam | Grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM30 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | |
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM46 | Thief | Dark | Physical | 60 | 100 | 25 |
| TM48 | Round | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 |
| TM53 | Energy Ball | Grass | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM62 | Acrobatics | Physical | 55 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM68 | Giga Impact | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90 | 5 |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM83 | Infestation | Bug | Special | 20 | 100 | 20 |
| TM85 | Dream Eater | Psychic | Special | 100 | 100 | 15 |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 15 |
| TM88 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM89 | U-turn | Bug | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM100 | Confide | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | USUM |
| Defog | Status | — | — | 15 | USUM | |
| Electroweb | Electric | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | USUM |
| Giga Drain | Grass | Special | 75 | 100 | 10 | USUM |
| Signal Beam | Bug | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 | USUM |
| Skill Swap | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | USUM |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 50 | 100 | 15 | USUM |
| Tailwind | Status | — | — | 15 | USUM |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 | Caterpie · level-up |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie · level-up |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Caterpie · level-up · SM |
| Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 | Metapod · level-up |
| Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | Metapod · tutor · USUM |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Air Cutter | Gen IV (tutor), Gen V (Dream World) |
| Bide | Gen I (TM) |
| Curse | Gen II (TM) |
| Double-Edge | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Endure | Gen II (TM), Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (TM) |
| Flash | Gen I (HM), Gen II (HM), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM) |
| Mega Drain | Gen I (TM) |
| Mimic | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Morning Sun | Gen III (Shadow Butterfree in Pokémon XD) |
| Natural Gift | Gen IV (TM) |
| Nightmare | Gen II (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Ominous Wind | Gen IV (tutor) |
| Psywave | Gen I (TM) |
| Rage | Gen I (TM) |
| Razor Wind | Gen I (TM) |
| Reflect | Gen I (TM) |
| Secret Power | Gen III (TM), Gen IV (TM), Gen VI (TM) |
| Struggle Bug | Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM) |
| Sweet Scent | Gen II (TM) |
| Swift | Gen I (TM), Gen II (TM), Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (tutor) |
| Take Down | Gen I (TM) |
| Teleport | Gen I (TM) |
| Twister | Gen IV (tutor) |
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! · Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee!12 level-up · 16 TM/HM
Wild Butterfree flutter around Viridian Forest in Let's Go, Pikachu!, while Let's Go, Eevee! players evolve a Metapod. The list is short and punchy: Gust on evolution, the three powders at level 13 and Quiver Dance as early as level 22, with Air Slash and Bug Buzz to finish. Its 16 TMs include U-turn and a 200-power Solar Beam, and these games have no breeding or move tutors.
By level-up
| LGPE | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gust | Special | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 1 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| Evo. | Gust | Special | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 13 | Poison Powder | Poison | Status | — | 75 | 35 |
| 13 | Stun Spore | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 30 |
| 13 | Sleep Powder | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 15 |
| 16 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| 19 | Supersonic | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 22 | Quiver Dance | Bug | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 25 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 28 | Air Slash | Special | 75 | 95 | 15 | |
| 31 | Bug Buzz | Bug | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM01 | Headbutt | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 |
| TM04 | Teleport | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM05 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM07 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM08 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM09 | Reflect | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM12 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM18 | U-turn | Bug | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM27 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 90 | 10 |
| TM40 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM43 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM45 | Solar Beam | Grass | Special | 200 | 100 | 10 |
| TM48 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Special | 150 | 90 | 5 |
| TM50 | Roost | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM53 | Mega Drain | Grass | Special | 75 | 100 | 10 |
| TM59 | Dream Eater | Psychic | Special | 100 | 100 | 15 |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 | Caterpie · level-up |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie · level-up |
| Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 | Metapod · level-up |
Generation VIII · Sword & Shield (incl. Expansion Pass), Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl19 level-up · 62 TM/HM · 1 tutor
Butterfree is part of Sword and Shield's Galar Pokédex, wild in the Wild Area, and its Gigantamax form can be met in Max Raid Battles; the Expansion Pass adds it to the Max Lair and to raid dens around the Crown Tundra. Brilliant Diamond players evolve a Metapod, but Shining Pearl has no Butterfree. One level-up list covers all four games and now starts with Caterpie's and Metapod's moves. Gigantamax Butterfree turns its Bug-type attacks into G-Max Befuddle, which can poison, paralyse or send every opponent to sleep. Dual Wingbeat comes from the Expansion Pass move tutor. Butterfree does not appear in Legends: Arceus, so there is no Legends: Arceus list.
By level-up
| SwSh/BDSP | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gust | Special | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| 1 | Tackle | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 1 | String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 |
| 1 | Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| Evo. | Gust | Special | 40 | 100 | 35 | |
| 4 | Supersonic | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 8 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 12 | Poison Powder | Poison | Status | — | 75 | 35 |
| 12 | Stun Spore | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 30 |
| 12 | Sleep Powder | Grass | Status | — | 75 | 15 |
| 16 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| 20 | Whirlwind | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 24 | Air Slash | Special | 75 | 95 | 15 | |
| 28 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 |
| 32 | Bug Buzz | Bug | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| 36 | Tailwind | Status | — | — | 15 | |
| 40 | Rage Powder | Bug | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 44 | Quiver Dance | Bug | Status | — | — | 20 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM08 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Special | 150 | 90 | 5 | SwSh |
| TM09 | Giga Impact | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90 | 5 | SwSh |
| TM11 | Solar Beam | Grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TM19 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 | SwSh |
| TM21 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TM23 | Thief | Dark | Physical | 60 | 100 | 25 | SwSh |
| TM24 | Snore | Normal | Special | 50 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM25 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TM28 | Giga Drain | Grass | Special | 75 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TM31 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM33 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 | SwSh |
| TM34 | Sunny Day | Fire | Status | — | — | 5 | SwSh |
| TM39 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | SwSh |
| TM40 | Swift | Normal | Special | 60 | — | 20 | SwSh |
| TM56 | U-turn | Bug | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | SwSh |
| TM74 | Venoshock | Poison | Special | 65 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TM76 | Round | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM78 | Acrobatics | Physical | 55 | 100 | 15 | SwSh | |
| TM82 | Electroweb | Electric | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM87 | Draining Kiss | Fairy | Special | 50 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TM95 | Air Slash | Special | 75 | 95 | 15 | SwSh | |
| TR11 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TR20 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TR26 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TR27 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TR29 | Baton Pass | Normal | Status | — | — | 40 | SwSh |
| TR33 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TR40 | Skill Swap | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TR46 | Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | SwSh |
| TR61 | Bug Buzz | Bug | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TR65 | Energy Ball | Grass | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TR89 | Hurricane | Special | 110 | 70 | 10 | SwSh | |
| TR96 | Pollen Puff | Bug | Special | 90 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM11 | Sunny Day | Fire | Status | — | — | 5 | BDSP |
| TM15 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Special | 150 | 90 | 5 | BDSP |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 | BDSP |
| TM19 | Giga Drain | Grass | Special | 75 | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM20 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | — | 25 | BDSP |
| TM22 | Solar Beam | Grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM30 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 | BDSP |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | BDSP | |
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | BDSP |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM46 | Thief | Dark | Physical | 60 | 100 | 25 | BDSP |
| TM48 | Skill Swap | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM51 | Roost | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP | |
| TM53 | Energy Ball | Grass | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM58 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM62 | Bug Buzz | Bug | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM68 | Giga Impact | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90 | 5 | BDSP |
| TM70 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 | BDSP |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM82 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM85 | Dream Eater | Psychic | Special | 100 | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM89 | U-turn | Bug | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | BDSP |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM97 | Defog | Status | — | — | 15 | BDSP |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dual Wingbeat | Physical | 40 | 90 | 10 | Expansion Pass |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Aerial Ace | Gen III (TM), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Air Cutter | Gen IV (tutor), Gen V (Dream World) |
| Bide | Gen I (TM) |
| Captivate | Gen IV (level-up/TM), Gen V (level-up), Gen VI (level-up), Gen VII (level-up) |
| Confide | Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Curse | Gen II (TM) |
| Defog | Gen IV (HM), Gen VII (tutor) |
| Double Team | Gen I (TM), Gen II (TM), Gen III (TM), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Double-Edge | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Dream Eater | Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Flash | Gen I (HM), Gen II (HM), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM) |
| Frustration | Gen II (TM), Gen III (TM), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Headbutt | Gen VII (Let's Go TM) |
| Hidden Power | Gen II (TM), Gen III (TM), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Infestation | Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Mega Drain | Gen I (TM), Gen VII (Let's Go TM) |
| Mimic | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Morning Sun | Gen III (Shadow Butterfree in Pokémon XD) |
| Natural Gift | Gen IV (TM) |
| Nightmare | Gen II (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Ominous Wind | Gen IV (tutor) |
| Psych Up | Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Psywave | Gen I (TM) |
| Rage | Gen I (TM) |
| Razor Wind | Gen I (TM) |
| Reflect | Gen I (TM), Gen VII (Let's Go TM) |
| Return | Gen II (TM), Gen III (TM), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Roost | Gen IV (TM), Gen V (tutor/Dream World), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Secret Power | Gen III (TM), Gen IV (TM), Gen VI (TM) |
| Signal Beam | Gen IV (tutor), Gen V (tutor), Gen VI (tutor), Gen VII (tutor) |
| Silver Wind | Gen III (level-up), Gen IV (level-up/TM), Gen V (level-up), Gen VI (level-up), Gen VII (level-up) |
| Struggle Bug | Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM) |
| Swagger | Gen II (TM), Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Sweet Scent | Gen II (TM) |
| Take Down | Gen I (TM) |
| Teleport | Gen I (TM), Gen VII (Let's Go TM) |
| Toxic | Gen I (TM), Gen II (TM), Gen III (TM), Gen IV (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM), Gen VII (TM) |
| Twister | Gen IV (tutor) |
Generation IX · Scarlet & Violet, Legends: Z-A
Butterfree cannot be obtained in Scarlet and Violet or in Legends: Z-A, so it has no Generation IX learnset yet. Its most recent moves are the Sword and Shield and Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl lists above.
04Ash's Butterfree & friends
Butterfree in the anime
Debut EP003Ash Catches a Pokémon · First major role EP004Challenge of the Samurai · Ash’s loyal Butterfree, its battle record, and 5 other trainers who raised one.
Few Pokémon have a story as bittersweet as Butterfree's. Ash's first wild catch dreamed of becoming a Butterfree from the moment it joined him as a Caterpie, and just one episode later the dream came true, when Metapod took a Beedrill's sting for its Trainer and burst out with wings. Butterfree battled Team Rocket at Mt. Moon, took on Misty's Staryu at the Cerulean Gym and survived a short-lived trade aboard the St. Anne – then fell for a rare pink Butterfree and flew away with her in Bye Bye Butterfree, one of the most tearful farewells in the whole series. Some 1,200 episodes later, the happy couple dropped in on Ash and Pikachu once more.
Butterfree have been fluttering through the anime ever since. Ritchie's Happy put Ash's Squirtle to sleep at the Indigo Plateau, Drew's newly caught Butterfree outclassed May in Fennel Valley, Zander's grew to colossal size in Caterpie's Big Dilemma, and Goh's became a dependable member of his Bug-type squad in Pokémon Journeys. From Professor Ivy's orange-tinted Butterfree on Valencia Island to the migrating flocks of Wayfarer Island, the Butterfly Pokémon is never far from the action.
Ash's Butterfree
Trainer profile
Ash Ketchum
- Caught in
- EP003Ash Catches a Pokémon
- First aired
- 15 April 1997 (Japan) · 10 September 1998 (US)
- Where
- Viridian Forest, Kanto
- Status
- Living in the wild with its mate, the Pink Butterfree, ever since Ash released it in Bye Bye Butterfree (EP021); the pair flew in to see Ash and Pikachu again in This Could be the Start of Something Big! (JN136).
- Japanese name
- サトシのバタフリー
- Moves used
- Sleep PowderWhirlwindTackleStun Spore
- How it joined
- Caught as a Caterpie with a single Poké Ball and no battle – Ash's very first wild catch.
Personality
Ash's Butterfree was a gentle soul with a brave streak. As a Caterpie it was shy and eager to please, and as a Metapod it was quiet but fiercely loyal – even forgiving Ash for leaving it behind and then shielding him with its own shell. Evolution turned it into a graceful, acrobatic flier with far more power than its small beginnings suggested. Yet it never quite lost its sensitive side: when the Pink Butterfree turned it down, it flew off to cry in the woods – before picking itself up and winning her heart the hard way.
Ash's Butterfree began life as a dream. The Caterpie Ash caught in Viridian Forest – his very first wild catch – spent its first night on the team confiding to Pikachu that more than anything it wanted to become a Butterfree and fly (EP003). The anime's first glimpse of Butterfree is that wishful daydream, and by the end of the next day Caterpie had beaten Team Rocket and spun itself into a Metapod.
The wish came true in Challenge of the Samurai (EP004). Metapod hardened so well that Samurai's Pinsir snapped its own pincers on it, only to be carried away by a swarm of Beedrill when Ash forgot to recall it. Ash tracked it down, owned up to his mistake and promised never to abandon a Pokémon again – and when a Beedrill lunged at him, Metapod threw itself in the way. The Twineedle cracked its shell open and out burst Butterfree, whose first Sleep Powder sent every Beedrill, and Team Rocket for good measure, to sleep. Even Misty, who couldn't bear Bug Pokémon, called it beautiful.
Ash's first fully evolved Pokémon quickly became one of his go-to battlers. Deep in Mt. Moon it teamed up with Brock's brand-new Zubat, turning Koffing's smog back on Team Rocket with Whirlwind before blowing Jessie and James clean away (EP006). When Pikachu refused to fight Misty at the Cerulean Gym, Butterfree stepped up against Staryu, landing Tackles and a paralysing Stun Spore – until Staryu dived to wash off the spores and knocked Butterfree into the pool, its soaked wings forcing Ash to call it back (EP007).
Losses kept coming as Ash learned the ropes. A.J.'s tough Sandshrew ducked underground to dodge Stun Spore and floored Butterfree from below (EP008), and the guardian Bulbasaur of the Hidden Village blew Butterfree's own Sleep Powder straight back in its face (EP010). Later, at Porta Vista, Butterfree airlifted Bulbasaur into battle against a giant Tentacruel, and both were swatted out of the sky (EP019).
Aboard the St. Anne, Butterfree was on the brink of beating a Gentleman's Raticate when its owner abruptly called a draw and offered a trade. Ash agreed – and regretted it at once. He tracked the Gentleman down to swap back, but chasing Butterfree's Poké Ball across the deck of the stricken liner left him aboard as the St. Anne sank (EP015). It was the first time Ash had ever traded away a Pokémon.
Then came Bye Bye Butterfree (EP021). On the way to Saffron City the friends spotted a vast flock of Butterfree: it was mating season. Ash's Butterfree fell head over wings for a rare pink Butterfree, only to be rejected and slapped away with a wing. Smartened up and sent back to show off its Whirlwind and Tackle, it fared no better – until Team Rocket swept the whole flock into a net. Ash's Butterfree tore through the net to free them, knocked James away from the pink Butterfree and carried Pikachu up to Team Rocket's helicopter for the Thunder Shock that sent them packing.
Its courage won the pink Butterfree over, and she answered with a courtship dance of her own. Knowing they belonged together, Ash let his Butterfree go – his first ever release – and watched in tears as the pair flew off into the sunset, Butterfree crying too as it went.
Ash never forgot his first catch. Butterfree returned in flashbacks in Diamond and Pearl (DP099), in Butterfree and Me! (BW130) as Ash coached a lonely Caterpie to evolve, and in Alola, Kanto! (SM042), and it appeared in a vision cheering Pikachu on against Leon's Charizard (JN132). Finally, as Ash and Goh's adventures together drew to a close, Butterfree and its pink mate flew down to Ash and Pikachu on a beach (JN136) – 1,200 episodes after they had said goodbye.
Battle record
| Episode | Opponent | Context | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP004Challenge of the Samurai | wildvs Beedrill swarm (with Team Rocket caught up in it) | Wild PokémonFreshly evolved, its very first Sleep Powder knocks out the whole swarm – and Team Rocket – so the friends can escape. | Won |
| EP006Clefairy and the Moon Stone | Team Rocketvs Ekans and Koffing | Team Rocket (alongside Brock's Zubat)Whirlwind sends Koffing's smog cloud back at the trio, then Whirlwind and Zubat's Supersonic blow Jessie and James away. | Won |
| EP007The Water Flowers of Cerulean City | Mistyvs Staryu | Gym battle (Cerulean Gym)Lands Tackles and paralyses Staryu with Stun Spore, but Staryu washes the spores off in the pool and knocks the soaked Butterfree into the water. | Lost |
| EP008The Path to the Pokémon League | A.J.vs Sandshrew | Casual (A.J.'s training Gym)Sandshrew digs underground to dodge Stun Spore, then bursts out and knocks Butterfree out. | Lost |
| EP010Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village | wildvs Bulbasaur | Wild Pokémon (guardian of the Hidden Village)Bulbasaur sends Butterfree's Sleep Powder straight back at it and escapes into the forest with an Oddish. | Lost |
| EP015Battle Aboard the St. Anne | Gentlemanvs Raticate | Casual (aboard the St. Anne)Tackle meets Jump Kick and Stun Spore stops Raticate cold, but the Gentleman scoops up his Pokémon and calls it a draw just before Ash can win. | Draw |
| EP019Tentacool & Tentacruel | wildvs Giant Tentacruel | Wild Pokémon (defending Porta Vista)Flies Bulbasaur into battle against the towering Tentacruel; both are knocked out of the sky. | Lost |
| EP021Bye Bye Butterfree | Team Rocketvs Team Rocket's helicopter | Team RocketTackles the windshield and tries Stun Spore, but the trio fly off with a net full of Butterfree. | Lost |
| EP021Bye Bye Butterfree | Team Rocketvs Jessie, James and Meowth | Team Rocket (with Pikachu and Misty's Starmie)Tackles the net until it tears, freeing the captured flock, then flies Pikachu up to the helicopter for the Thunder Shock that sends Team Rocket blasting off. | Won |
Why didn’t it evolve?
Butterfree was Ash's fastest evolver by a distance. Caterpie became Metapod at the end of the very episode in which it was caught, and Metapod became Butterfree in the next, when it took a Beedrill's Twineedle meant for Ash and the damage cracked its shell open – fully evolved just two episodes after its debut. It was the first of Ash's Pokémon to evolve and the first to reach a final form, and its whole arc was one wish fulfilled: the Caterpie that dreamed of flying got its wings almost at once.
Key episodes
Ash’s Butterfree trivia
- Butterfree was the first of Ash's Pokémon to evolve, the first to reach its final form, the first he traded away (briefly) and the first he released.
- It holds Ash's evolution speed record: fully evolved just two episodes after its first appearance.
- When it evolved, Butterfree became the first of Ash's Pokémon to share a type with a teammate – Flying, with Pidgeotto.
- Across its three stages it used five status moves – String Shot, Harden, Sleep Powder, Whirlwind and Stun Spore – more than any other Pokémon Ash has owned, while Tackle was its only damaging move.
- It is the only Pokémon of Ash's to use a Grass-type move without being a Grass type, and one of only three – with Primeape and Gliscor – never to use a move that matches its own type.
- Its 1,200-episode absence between Bye Bye Butterfree (EP021) and This Could be the Start of Something Big! (JN136) is the longest gap between physical appearances for any main character's Pokémon.
- Its gender was confirmed as male in Alola, Kanto! (SM042), thanks to the wing markings that differ between male and female Butterfree.
- Butterfree and the Pink Butterfree appear together in the animation for the Japanese opening theme Spurt!.
Other trainers’ Butterfree
First seen: JN006Working My Way Back to Mew!
Goh's Butterfree was part of his legendary Bug-type spree in Vermilion Forest, caught after Caterpie, Metapod, Venomoth, Paras and Parasect. It perched too high for his first throw, so Ash gave Goh a boost – and when he fumbled the ball, Scorbunny volleyed it straight into the Butterfree (JN006). It has been a handy helper ever since, usually working with Venomoth: its Stun Spore pinned down a Mankey during the hunt for a Cubone's lost bone, and its friendship with a passing Fearow led the team to the lake where the bone had fallen (JN015). It sprinkled spores alongside Venomoth during a squabble in Cerise Park (JN023), used the same trick to make an invisible, sobbing Sobble visible (JN029), helped build a new fountain at the lab (JN107) and posed in the farewell group photo (JN136). It was Goh's first Flying-type species and the first of his Pokémon to have its gender confirmed.
- JN015A Snow Day for Searching! · vs Mankey Won
- JN023Panic in the Park! · vs Grimer and friends Interrupted
First seen: EP078A Friend in Deed
Ritchie, the Trainer from Frodomar City whose team mirrors Ash's in so many ways, has a Butterfree of his own called Happy. It made a heroic entrance at the Indigo Plateau: when Team Rocket's runaway van plunged towards a cliff edge, Happy and Ash's Pidgeotto used Whirlwind like parachutes to float both Trainers, the stolen Poké Balls and Pikachu safely to the ground (EP078). When the two friends met in the Indigo Plateau Conference, Happy faced Ash himself, putting Squirtle to sleep so it was ruled unable to battle before falling to Pikachu – one of only two Pokémon to faint in that match (EP079). When Ritchie went on to rescue Pikachu and Sparky from Team Rocket, he rose out of a hole clinging to Happy (EP080).
- EP079Friend and Foe Alike · vs Squirtle Won
- EP079Friend and Foe Alike · vs Pikachu Lost
First seen: AG187The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing!
Drew, the Coordinator from LaRousse City, unveiled a newly caught Butterfree in Fennel Valley, in a practice Contest Battle against May judged by Professor Oak and Scott. Partnered with Roselia against May's Combusken and Beautifly, it hit both opponents at once with Confusion and Gust, shrugged off a full-power Overheat with Protect and then combined Psybeam with Roselia's SolarBeam to knock out both of May's Pokémon in one blow (AG187). From the very first exchange, the judges rated Drew's combination above May's.
- AG187The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing! · vs Combusken and Beautifly Won
First seen: AG142Caterpie's Big Dilemma
Evolved: AG142Caterpie's Big Dilemma
Zander's Caterpie gobbled one of Dr. Gordon's experimental supplements and grew to monstrous size, evolving into a giant Metapod on top of a broken tower – and then into a colossal Butterfree. Zander and Ash climbed aboard to chase Team Rocket, who had snatched Dr. Gordon and fled on a supersized Dustox. Butterfree's Supersonic left Dustox and its riders reeling, it caught the falling Dr. Gordon before he hit the ground, and a Whirlwind finished the job after Pikachu's Thunder. A mysterious glow then shrank Butterfree back to normal, and Zander looked forward to one day setting out on a journey with it (AG142).
- AG142Caterpie's Big Dilemma · vs Dustox (giant-sized) Won
First seen: M03Pokémon 3: The Movie – Spell of the Unown
Easygoing Lisa challenged Ash to a six-on-six Full Battle early in the third film, and her Butterfree gave Ash's Bulbasaur a hard time: it brushed off Vine Whip, left Bulbasaur dazed with Sleep Powder and then finished it with a blast of wind. Ash still took the match, three wins to two with a draw. Lisa went on to guide the friends to Greenfield and lent Ash her Pokégear for his mission to rescue his mother.
- M03Pokémon 3: The Movie – Spell of the Unown · vs Bulbasaur Won
Mega & Gigantamax Butterfree on screen
Butterfree has no Mega Evolution, and Gigantamax Butterfree has never appeared in the main TV series. Its only animated appearance so far is a fleeting one in Pokémon: Twilight Wings.
- TW05AssistantAn image of a Gigantamax Butterfree turns up as Oleana remembers her early days researching the Gigantamax phenomenon.
Featured episodes
- EP021Bye Bye ButterfreeIt's Butterfree mating season, and a vast flock – many of them released by their Trainers for the occasion – gathers above the cliffs on the road to Saffron City. Team Rocket sweep them up in a giant net from a helicopter and stash them in a canyon warehouse, until Ash's Butterfree rips the net open and sets them free. Among the flock is the Pink Butterfree, the first alternately coloured Pokémon ever shown in the anime – years before Shiny Pokémon arrived in the games. She ignored Ash's Butterfree's showing off and slapped him out of the air, and only accepted him once he had risked everything to rescue her and the rest of the flock. She returned in flashbacks (DP099, BW130, SM042), a fantasy (JN135) and the I Choose You! film (M20), and reappeared in person beside her mate in JN136, where her female wing markings were shown in the TV series for the first time.
- EP083Poké Ball PerilProfessor Ivy's orange-tinted Butterfree on Valencia Island has refused every meal for days, until Brock tastes its food and adds crushed Berries – and it swoops down to eat at once. The same Butterfree reappears in a flashback in A Tent Situation (EP115).
- BW130Butterfree and Me!On Wayfarer Island, Ash befriends a sleepy Caterpie left behind when its flock evolved and migrated. After helping it evolve into Metapod against an Ursaring, he sees it become Butterfree in mid-air to catch him with Confusion and free Pikachu with Psybeam, before it flies off to join the migrating flock.
More appearances
- EP008The Path to the Pokémon League A.J. has a Butterfree, seen training alongside his Beedrill at his Gym.
- EP015Battle Aboard the St. Anne Several Trainers' Butterfree are among the Pokémon aboard the St. Anne.
- EP028Pokémon Fashion Flash A Butterfree is out on Scissor Street.
- EP081Pallet Party Panic A Butterfree joins the party in Pallet Town.
- EP094Snack Attack A flashback shows Orange Islands-coloured Butterfree living on the Seven Grapefruit Islands.
- EP099The Mandarin Island Miss Match A Trainer's Orange Islands-coloured Butterfree appears.
- EP116The Rivalry Revival Three Butterfree live at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
- EP132For Crying Out Loud A group of Butterfree play with Wilhomena's Marill.
- EP146Tricks of the Trade A Butterfree is at the Pokémon Swap Meet in Palmpona.
- EP193Sick Daze Butterfree flutter through Brock's dream.
- EP207Got Miltank? A Butterfree lives at an oasis reserved for Pokémon.
- EP233A Tyrogue Full of Trouble Misty's Togepi wanders off after a Butterfree.
- EP244Enlighten Up! Two Butterfree live at Lake Slowpoke.
- EP252Fangs for Nothin' Butterfree live in the Dragon Holy Land.
- AG151Weekend Warrior Jeremy's Butterfree performs in the Appeals Round of the Silver Town Contest.
- AG188Pinch Healing! Butterfree live in Fennel Valley.
- DP064Riding the Winds of Change! A Butterfree helps Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy's Pokémon blow a Gligar away from the city.
- XY077A Relay in the Sky! A Trainer's Butterfree races in the Pokémon Sky Relay, on a team with Hydreigon and Masquerain.
- XY086A Legendary Photo Op! A Butterfree is seen at Mt. Molteau.
- SM008Lillie's Egg-xhilarating Challenge! A Butterfree flies past Lillie's balcony and is given some food; it returns in A Glaring Rivalry! (SM027).
- SM018A Seasoned Search! Two Butterfree are among the Flying-types drawn in by Bounsweet's Sweet Scent during the hunt for an Oricorio.
- SM020Partner Promises! A Butterfree lives on Treasure Island.
- SM042Alola, Kanto! Four wild Butterfree appear during the class trip to Kanto.
- SM129Battle Royal 151! A Trainer's Butterfree enters the Battle Royal preliminary round of the Manalo Conference but is eliminated.
- JN021Caring for a Mystery! A wild Riolu attacks a Butterfree, which fights back.
- JN050A Pinch of This, a Pinch of That! Six Butterfree flutter around the Wild Area.
- JN062Not Too Close for Comfort! A video shows a Caterpie evolving all the way into Butterfree.
- HZ085The Pokémon Paradise of Laqua! Two Butterfree live in Laqua; one of them is seen again in One Step Closer (HZ134).
Beyond the main series
Anime gallery
Anime trivia
- The Pink Butterfree in Bye Bye Butterfree (EP021) was the first alternately coloured Pokémon in any Pokémon media – she predates the Shiny Pokémon of Gold and Silver.
- Bye Bye Butterfree takes its title from the message the games show when a Pokémon is released, and it was the first episode in which a main character formally released one.
- Ash's Butterfree and the Pink Butterfree went 1,200 episodes between physical appearances, from EP021 to JN136 – the longest such gap for any main character's Pokémon, and for any recurring wild Pokémon in the main series.
- Every confirmed Pokémon Ritchie owns matches one that Ash once owned, and his Butterfree, Happy, is no exception.
- In Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver, an Ace Trainer at the Lake of Rage talks about a pink Butterfree after battle – a fitting echo of the anime's famous romance.
- Butterfree has been the Who's That Pokémon? three times: in Bye Bye Butterfree (EP021), Princess vs. Princess (EP052, dub only) and Butterfree and Me! (BW130).
- Gigantamax Butterfree's only animated appearance so far is a brief one in Twilight Wings, in Oleana's memories of her early Gigantamax research (TW05).
- Butterfree and Me! (BW130) reuses footage from Bye Bye Butterfree for its flashback to Ash's farewell.
“Butterfree. One week after Caterpie evolves into Metapod, it again evolves into Butterfree.”
Ash's Pokédex (Dexter) · EP004
05On the big screen
Butterfree in the movies
5 films, 2 Pikachu shorts and 5 specials featuring Butterfree.
Butterfree has been fluttering across cinema screens since 1998, when one turned up at the Pokémon Theme Park in the very first Pikachu short. Most of its film career is made of cameos: the openings of The Power of One, Pokémon Heroes, Destiny Deoxys and Giratina and the Sky Warrior, a flashback in Jirachi: Wish Maker and the park in Genesect and the Legend Awakened. Two scenes stand out, though. In Celebi: Voice of the Forest, Ash and Sam watch a cluster of Metapod burst into Butterfree, the first evolution ever shown in a Pokémon film, and in Spell of the Unown Lisa's Butterfree puts Ash's Bulbasaur to sleep and blows it away. Then, in 2017, I Choose You! gave Ash's Butterfree its own big-screen farewell, flying off with the pink Butterfree twenty years after it first did so on TV.
Pokémon the Movie 2000: The Power of One
M02 · 1999
Wild Butterfree (opening sequence and later)
Butterfree's feature-film career begins in the crowd. Several appear in the opening sequence of The Power of One, and later more of them sense that something is badly wrong once the collector Lawrence III sets his sights on the legendary birds of the Orange Islands.
Pokémon 3: The Movie – Spell of the Unown
M03 · 2000
Lisa's Butterfree
On the road, Ash, Misty and Brock meet a Trainer called Lisa, and she and Ash settle into a six-on-six battle. Her fourth pick, a Butterfree, brushes off Bulbasaur's Vine Whip with ease, dazes it with Sleep Powder and finishes it with a powerful gust of wind. Ash still edges the match overall, and both teams sit down to lunch together afterwards.
Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi – Voice of the Forest
M04 · 2001
Wild Metapod evolving into Butterfree; more Butterfree in the opening sequence
This forest adventure gives Butterfree one of its loveliest big-screen moments. Following Pikachu and Celebi up a tree, Ash and Sam, a boy pulled forty years through time, watch a cluster of Metapod split open into Butterfree, which take off in a dazzling burst of colour. It was the first time a Pokémon evolved in a Pokémon film. More Butterfree flutter through the opening sequence.
Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened
M16 · 2013
Several Butterfree living in Pokémon Hills
Several Butterfree live in Pokémon Hills, the great green park at the heart of New Tork City. Their peace is shattered when a band of Genesect moves in and, in one night-time rampage, chases almost all of the park's wild Pokémon out.
Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!
M20 · 2017
Ash's Butterfree (evolved from his Caterpie and Metapod); the pink Butterfree; a flock of wild Butterfree
The 20th-anniversary retelling of Ash's first journey gives Butterfree its biggest film role. Ash's Metapod evolves in the middle of a frantic escape from a pack of Primeape, and this Butterfree even knows Gust, a move it never used on TV. When the friends rescue a pink Butterfree from a Fearow, Ash realises his Butterfree has found a mate and lets it fly off with her: the first time a Pokémon is released in a Pokémon film. With no Brock in this version, there is no farewell yellow scarf.
Pikachu shorts
- PK01Pikachu's Vacation (1998) · A Butterfree at the Pokémon Theme Park
Butterfree's very first cinema outing came in the first Pikachu short, shown with Mewtwo Strikes Back: a Butterfree can be spotted at the Pokémon Theme Park where Pikachu and his friends spend their summer day. - PK11Camp Pikachu (2002) · A wild Butterfree
Trekking through the tall grass on their camping trip, Pikachu and friends cross paths with a Butterfree, along with a Caterpie and a Skiploom. The short opened in Japan alongside Pokémon Heroes and came out in English with that film on DVD and video.
TV specials
- Pocket Monsters, Fall Special! (1997)
Japan's 90-minute autumn special went out straight after Pokémon Fashion Flash (EP028), and its hour-long clip show of Ash's adventures so far brings Ash's Butterfree back on screen. The clip show was later released on rental-only video as The Journey to be a Pokémon Master Begins!! - Slowking's Day (2000)
This three-minute New Year's Day short follows Shamouti Island's Slowking through a blissfully lazy day. As he wakes from an afternoon nap on a rock in a field of flowers, a Butterfree of the Orange Islands variety flies past, and Slowking remarks on the lovely weather before heading off to the cliffs for a swim. It has never been shown outside Japan. - Fierce Battles! Pokémon League!! (2000)
The last of three rental-only recap tapes released in Japan in 2000 is built entirely from clips of the Indigo Plateau Conference, so Ritchie's Butterfree, Happy, is back in action. - Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns (2000)
In this TV-special sequel to the first film, wild Butterfree fly over Mount Quena, the hidden mountain where Mewtwo and its clones have made their home. - "A Ripple in Time" by Pokémon × Daniel Arsham (2022)
Three Butterfree appear in this short, made for artist Daniel Arsham's collaboration with The Pokémon Company and premiered on YouTube. Celebi whisks Ash and Pikachu from a stadium battle into a strange future of overgrown ruins and crystallised Pokémon statues.
06Trading Card Game · every card
Butterfree in the Pokémon TCG
33 cards since 1999, oldest first. Tap any card to see it full size.
Butterfree has been fluttering across the card table since Japan's Jungle expansion in March 1997, reaching English players in June 1999 as a Stage 2 Grass Pokémon that blew rivals back to the Bench with Whirlwind and sipped back its health with Mega Drain. Most Butterfree since have drawn on the same bag of tricks: clouds of powder, gusts of wind and a little healing. Rainbow Powder, Panic Poison and Tricolored Scales pile on the Special Conditions, Sooth Dust and Cure Powder patch up the whole team, and Burning Shadows' Bye-Bye Heal and 151's Bye-Bye Flight wave goodbye just as Ash's Butterfree once did. The big moment came in Darkness Ablaze in 2020, when Butterfree V and a 300 HP Gigantamax Butterfree VMAX brought G-Max Toxbreeze to the table. Along the way it has also battled for Gym Leader Bugsy in Japan's Pokémon VS and for Frontier Brain Argenta as Butterfree FB.
The art has travelled just as far. Kagemaru Himeno drew the Jungle original, Atsuko Nishida and Sumiyoshi Kizuki took two turns each in the 2000s, and Keiko Fukuyama's Southern Islands card joins up with Ledyba and Jigglypuff to make one shared picture. Lee HyunJung set Argenta's Butterfree inside the Battle Hall, and in the Sword & Shield years Saki Hayashiro drew Butterfree V while the CG studio aky CG Works built its Gigantamax form. Scarlet & Violet handed the brush to newer names, Tika Matsuno for 151 and satoma for Journey Together. Pokémon TCG Pocket has brought back three of those paper artworks, added MAHOU's Shiny Butterfree, and even seen a Hisuian Zoroark ex & Butterfree deck become a recognised archetype in its Everyday Wonders season.
Cards to know
- Jungle 33/64 — Where it all began, and a collector's favourite: an ink bubble on some 1st Edition prints turns the stamp's '1' into a 'd', giving the famous "'d' Edition" Butterfree.
- Southern Islands 9/18 — Line it up with Ledyba and Jigglypuff and Keiko Fukuyama's art becomes one big island picture. Cheekily, it attacks with Fly, a move Butterfree can't learn in the games.
- Burning Shadows 3/147 — A tribute to 'Bye Bye Butterfree': Bye-Bye Heal patches up your whole team, then Butterfree flies off into your deck.
- Butterfree VMAX, Darkness Ablaze 002/189 — Gigantamax Butterfree on cardboard: 300 HP and a G-Max Toxbreeze that confuses and poisons whatever it hits.
- Butterfree FB, Supreme Victors 17/147 — Frontier Brain Argenta's Butterfree, posed in the Battle Hall, turns its game Ability, Compound Eyes, into a Poké-Body that hits harder against Pokémon with Poké-Bodies.
- Bugsy's Butterfree, Pokémon VS 008/141 (Japan) — The only Butterfree card with a Trainer's name on it, from Johto's Bug-type Gym Leader.
Every English-language card
Promo cards
Japan-exclusive cards
Pokémon TCG Pocket
Digital card games
- Pokémon Trading Card Game (Game Boy Color): Butterfree (Jungle 33 art, Kagemaru Himeno), card B06, from the Evolution booster pack; one copy is in the Insect Collection deck.
- Pokémon Card GB2 (Japan only): Butterfree (Jungle 33 art, Kagemaru Himeno), card B04, Uncommon, from the Legendary Power pack; one copy each in the Insect Collection deck of Team Great Rocket's Midori and in Nikki's MAX Energy deck.
- Pokémon Trading Card Game Online: the HeartGold & SoulSilver Butterfree (16/123) was in the Basic Green theme deck (first called Blade of Grass), which is no longer available to new players.
The artists behind the cards
- Kagemaru Himeno — 1 artwork printed three times (Jungle 33, reprinted in Base Set 2 and Legendary Collection); it is also the Butterfree in both Game Boy TCG games
- Atsuko Nishida — 2 (Neo Discovery 19, EX FireRed & LeafGreen 2)
- Sumiyoshi Kizuki — 2 (Expedition Base Set 5, with its non-holo 38, and Great Encounters 14)
- Saki Hayashiro — 2 prints of Butterfree V (Darkness Ablaze 001 and the Full Art 177)
- aky CG Works — 2 prints of Butterfree VMAX (Darkness Ablaze 002 and the Rainbow Rare 190)
- ryoma uratsuka — 1 (Fusion Strike 003), reprinted in Japan's Start Deck 100 and reused for TCG Pocket's Everyday Wonders and Deluxe Pack: Mega
- Shin Nagasawa — 1 (Burning Shadows 3), also Japan's SM-P 111 promo and TCG Pocket's Genetic Apex card
- miki kudo — 1 (Generations 5), reused for TCG Pocket's Promo-A 013
- One artwork each: Keiko Fukuyama, Kyoko Umemoto (Japan only), Lee HyunJung, Tomokazu Komiya, sui, chibi, Midori Harada, Masakazu Fukuda, Taira Akitsu, Tika Matsuno and satoma; MAHOU drew TCG Pocket's Shiny Butterfree
07On the page & beyond
Butterfree in manga, books & other media
From the earliest manga to story books and songs.
Butterfree's manga debut is a slapstick one: in Kosaku Anakubo's Pocket Monsters, Clefairy knocks one out with a squirt of Repel. Its finest pages belong to Kitty, Yellow's scatterbrained Caterpie in Pokémon Adventures, who evolves twice in a single chapter to protect her from Lance and then carries her into battle over Lugia's back. Toshihiro Ono's Ash gets a Butterfree in mid-Gym battle that sends Misty's Gyarados to sleep (and Ash too), Bugsy raises one in The Golden Boys, and Ryo Takamisaki's I Choose You! manga gives the farewell with the pink Butterfree a southward flight of its own. On the bookshelf it features in two Pokémon Tales picture books, including Fly On, Butterfree, in which it braves a storm to cure a sick town, and Golden Books retold Bye Bye Butterfree for young readers. It has even been folded in origami, turned into a pun in a James song, sung about in a Bug-type song with lyrics by Satoshi Tajiri, and name-checked in the Pokérap, "Weird Al" Yankovic's Polkamon and, in 2026, Pokémon All Stars 1025.
Manga
Books
Other media
More from the page
08Did you know?
Butterfree trivia
Name origins, design secrets and the facts that make Butterfree such a fan favourite.
What’s in a name?
Butterfree is simply 'butterfly' with its tail end swapped for 'free' – a perfect name for a Pokémon that has just broken out of a cocoon and taken to the sky. Its Japanese name, バタフリー Batafurī, is the very same word, and it may hide two Japanese sound jokes as well: patapata, the pitter-patter of flapping wings, and furu, to wave or flap. The name worked so well that Spanish, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese players use it unchanged, while French fans know it as Papilusion (papillon, butterfly, plus illusion) and German fans as Smettbo, from Schmetterling, butterfly, and Bö, a gust of wind.
Design origins
Butterfree looks to be modelled on the black-veined white (Aporia crataegi), a European and Asian butterfly whose pale wings are criss-crossed with bold black veins – exactly the pattern on Butterfree's own. The rest is pure Pokémon: real insects have six legs and three body segments, but Butterfree makes do with two segments, four limbs (the upper pair ending in little three-fingered hands), a pale blue snout with two small fangs and a pair of giant compound eyes. It also seems to be one half of a famous double act. Butterfree and Beedrill, the two Kanto bugs whose families evolve at levels 7 and 10, mirror each other in stats, moves and even version exclusives, which looks very much like a nod to Muhammad Ali's 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee'. The English dub has had fun with the idea too: Disaster of Disguise (AG061) and Strong Strategy Steals the Show! (BW106) both talk about 'floating like a Butterfree and stinging like a Beedrill'.
Names around the world
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | バタフリー Batafurī | From 'butterfly' and 'free', possibly also patapata (the sound of flapping wings) and furu (to flap) |
| French | Papilusion | From papillon (butterfly) and illusion |
| German | Smettbo | From Schmetterling (butterfly) and Bö (gust of wind) |
| Spanish | Butterfree | Same as the English and Japanese name |
| Italian | Butterfree | Same as the English and Japanese name |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Butterfree | Same as the English and Japanese name |
| Korean | 버터플 Butterfle | From 'butterfly' |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 巴大蝶 Bādàdié | Partly a transcription of the Japanese name, plus húdié (butterfly) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 巴大蝶 Bādaaihdihp | Partly a transcription of the Japanese name, plus wùhdíp (butterfly) |
| Russian | Баттерфри Batterfri | Transcription of the English and Japanese name |
| Thai | บัตเตอร์ฟรี Battoefri | Transcription of the Japanese name |
| Hindi | बटरफ़्री Batterfri | Transcription of the English and Japanese name |
| Hebrew | בטרפרי Butterfree | Transcription of the English name |
| Bulgarian | Батърфри Batŭrfri | Transcription of the English name |
| Lithuanian | Drugelaisvis | From drugys (butterfly) and laisvas (free) |
| Hungarian | Csodalepke | From csoda (wonder) and lepke (butterfly); used only in the anime special Mewtwo Returns |
Did you know?
- Butterfree shares the Butterfly Pokémon category with Hoenn's Beautifly.
- Butterfree, Beedrill, Beautifly and Dustox share a body shape, are all based on adult insects, and all evolve at levels 7 and 10 – tied for the earliest third-stage evolution by levelling up.
- Before Generation VI those four shared a base stat total of 385, tied for the lowest of any third-stage Pokémon. Butterfree, Beedrill and Beautifly now share 395.
- Butterfree and Beedrill are mirror images: one gives 2 Sp. Atk and the other 2 Attack (plus 1 Sp. Def each), Butterfree leans on special moves and Beedrill on physical ones, and one can Gigantamax while the other Mega Evolves.
- The pair even split the versions: Butterfree is exclusive to White, White 2 and Brilliant Diamond, Beedrill to Black, Black 2 and Shining Pearl.
- Generation VI raised Butterfree's Sp. Atk from 80 to 90 – its only stat change in the series' history.
- Compound Eyes boosts accuracy by 30%, which turns a 75%-accurate Sleep Powder into a near-certain 97.5% hit.
- The pink Butterfree in Bye Bye Butterfree was the first alternately coloured Pokémon ever shown in the anime.
- That pink Butterfree is not a game Shiny: Shiny Butterfree has green eyes and pink limbs and snout, while the anime's pink Butterfree has a pink body and wings.
- Butterfree's FireRed and LeafGreen artwork was missing one of the lines on a lower wing; it was finally put right for X and Y.
- On FireRed and LeafGreen's Teachy TV, the Poké Dude uses a Butterfree against a wild Oddish to explain how type matchups work.
- In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team, it is a Butterfree – Caterpie's mother – who sends you on your very first mission.
- Pokémon Rumble Rush named an entire Sea after it: the Butterfree Sea.
- In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Ash's Metapod evolves into Butterfree mid-battle during his Gym match with Misty.
- In Pokémon Adventures, Yellow's Caterpie, Kitty, evolves into Metapod and straight on into Butterfree in a single chapter – and Yellow flies by holding on to its back.
- Its Hungarian name, Csodalepke ('wonder butterfly'), was only ever used in the anime special Mewtwo Returns.
- Gigantamax Butterfree made its Pokémon GO debut on 3 August 2025, in six-star Max Battles too tough for any one Trainer to win alone.
09Quizzes, archive & further reading
More Butterfree
Test yourself
Professor Oak's Kanto Quiz: BeginnerProfessor Oak has a few questions before you set foot in the tall grass. How well do you know the region where it all began?Take the quiz →
Who's That Pokémon? Kanto: BeginnerIt's the classic challenge! Can you name these original 151 Pokémon from their silhouettes alone?Take the quiz →
Indigo League Anime: IntermediateGrab your cap and set off on Ash's very first adventure. How much do you remember from the Indigo League days?Take the quiz →Ash & Pikachu Anime: BeginnerFrom his first step out of Pallet Town to the top of the world, how well do you know Ash and Pikachu's legendary journey?Take the quiz →
Pokémon Horizons Anime: BeginnerAll aboard for a brand-new adventure! See how well you know Liko, Roy and the crew of Pokémon Horizons: The Series.Take the quiz →
Pokémon Movies: IntermediateFrom a mysterious island showdown to a city where people and Pokémon live side by side, how well do you know Pokémon on the big screen?Take the quiz →From the archive: Gengar’s Online Pokédex
Before this page, Pokémon Dungeon was home to Gengar’s Online Pokédex, the classic fan Pokédex for Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver & Crystal by Curtis Alumbaugh (Gengar) with Ian Alumbaugh (Haunter). Its Butterfree entry is preserved in full, with its original art, moves and locations.
Further reading
Pokémon and all related names, artwork, sprites, screenshots and card images are © Nintendo, Creatures Inc., GAME FREAK inc. and The Pokémon Company, used here for fan commentary. Images via the Bulbagarden Archives. Page updated 24 October 2026.