No. 0014 · Generation I · Cocoon Pokémon
コクーンKokūn · Simply the English word 'cocoon' written in Japanese katakana
The Cocoon Pokémon · Bug/Poison type · first seen in Pokémon Red & Green (1996)
01Overview
Meet Kakuna
Everything you need to know about the Cocoon Pokémon — the creature behind the number.
Meet Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokémon: a glossy, golden-yellow pod with a domed head, dark triangular eyes lit by glowing white pupils and two little scythe-shaped arms folded against its middle. At #0014 it is the middle child of the Weedle family – the stage where a leaf-munching caterpillar quietly becomes Beedrill, one of Kanto's most feared swarmers.
From the outside, Kakuna looks as if it is doing absolutely nothing. It can barely move, so it spends its days propped against a sturdy tree, tucked under leaves or into the nook of a branch, or dangling in mid-air from a long silk thread. It keeps so still that it can look dead – and when danger comes, its main plan is simply to harden its shell and wait. Most Kakuna stay in temperate, misty woodland, though a few set up home at the mouths of caves and tunnels.
“This Pokémon is in a temporary stage while making its body. It is almost completely unable to move on its own.”
Pokédex · Pokémon Red (Japan), Green (Japan) & FireRed · 1996
Inside, it is a very different story. Beneath the shell a brand-new adult body is being built, and all that hard work makes Kakuna so warm that its shell becomes hot to the touch as evolution draws near. As the body inside turns soft, the outer casing only grows harder. Anyone tempted to give it a poke should think twice: a threatened Kakuna can push out a poison barb and give its attacker a nasty dose of venom.
It doesn't stay a cocoon for long. Weedle hardens into Kakuna at level 7 and Beedrill bursts out at level 10, just three levels later – one of the shortest gaps between stages in the series. Kanto Trainers find Kakuna hanging around Viridian Forest, while in Johto one is part of the bug-loving team of Bugsy, the Azalea Town Gym Leader. With a catch rate of 120 it is a little trickier to bag than Weedle, but plenty of Trainers simply wait for their own Weedle to harden up.
Fans love Kakuna precisely because it is all about patience. In the anime's Challenge of the Samurai, a whole hive of them hangs in Viridian Forest, and one evolves into Beedrill on the spot to defend its nest – a reminder that the quiet cocoon in the tree is the last thing you should disturb. Dozing, dangling and quietly dangerous, Kakuna is the calm before the swarm.
How big is Kakuna?
At 0.6 m (2′00″) Kakuna is two school rulers end to end – exactly twice Weedle's length – and at 10.0 kg (22.0 lb) it weighs the same as a full ten-litre watering can: a hefty package to hang from a single silk thread.
Evolution
02In the Pokédex's words
Kakuna's Pokédex entries
11 different entries across 35 games, from 1996 to 2006. Here is how the Pokédex has described Kakuna over the years, in the order the games came out.
Generation I
This Pokémon is in a temporary stage while making its body. It is almost completely unable to move on its own.
Kanto Pokédex
Almost incapable of moving, this Pokémon can only harden its shell to protect itself from predators.
Kanto Pokédex
Able to move only slightly. When endangered, it may stick out its stinger and poison its enemy.
Kanto Pokédex
Because it is virtually motionless, it may appear dead. Inside, however, a new body is being made.
Kanto Pokédex
Generation II
Although it is a cocoon, it can move a little. It can extend its poison barb if it is attacked.
Johto Pokédex
From this form, it will grow into an adult. As its body becomes softer, the external shell hardens.
Johto Pokédex
Nearly incapable of movement, it leans against stout trees while waiting for its evolution.
Johto Pokédex
Generation III
Kakuna remains virtually immobile as it clings to a tree. However, on the inside, it is extremely busy as it prepares for its coming evolution. This is evident from how hot the shell becomes to the touch.
Hoenn Pokédex
Almost incapable of moving, this Pokémon can only harden its shell to protect itself when it is in danger.
FireRed & LeafGreen Pokédex
It remains virtually immobile while it clings to a tree. However, on the inside, it busily prepares for evolution. This is evident from how hot its shell becomes.
Hoenn Pokédex
Generation IV
While awaiting evolution, it hides from predators under leaves and in nooks of branches.
Sinnoh Pokédex
03Stats, moves & where to find it
Kakuna in the video games
Base stat total 205 · 24 core-series games · 24 spin-offs · every move it learns, generation by generation.
Base stats
Kakuna's base stats have never changed: 45/25/50/25/25/35, a total of 205 – exactly the same total as Metapod, Silcoon and Cascoon, and the lowest of any evolved Pokémon. Its Attack of 25 is the lowest of any Poison-type. In Generation I it had a single Special stat of 25; when Gold and Silver split Special into Sp. Atk and Sp. Def, both were set to 25. Defence (50) is its best stat, just ahead of its HP (45), and defeating one earns 2 Defence EVs. Base friendship was 70 in Generations II–VII and has been 50 since Generation VIII; its base experience yield was 71 in Generations I–IV and has been 72 since Generation V. It reaches level 100 at 1,000,000 Exp. (Medium Fast).
Abilities
- Shed Skinsince Gen III
Gives Kakuna a roughly one-in-three chance at the end of each turn of shaking off a status condition such as poison, paralysis or sleep.
Type matchups
How hard each attacking type hits a Bug/Poison Pokémon.
Generation I was a very different story: Bug-type moves were super effective against Poison-types back then, so they hit Kakuna for double damage instead of half, and Poison-type moves – then super effective against Bug-types – landed for normal damage rather than being resisted. Its Fairy resistance dates from X & Y, when the Fairy type arrived.
Training & breeding
- Catch rate
- 120
- Base friendship
- 50
- Base experience
- 72
- Growth rate
- Medium Fast
- EV yield
- 2 Defense
- Egg groups
- Bug
- Egg cycles
- 15
- Colour
- Yellow
- Gender ratio
- 50% male
- Body shape
- serpentine
Where to find Kakuna
| Game | Year | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Red & Green | 1996 | Wild in Viridian Forest and on Route 25, or evolve Weedle (Lv. 7) |
| Blue (Japan) | 1996 | Wild in Viridian Forest and on Route 25, or evolve Weedle |
| Red & Blue | 1998 | Wild in Viridian Forest and on Route 25, or evolve WeedleRed also has it on Route 24. A Kakuna caught here and traded to Gold or Silver arrives holding a Berry. |
| Yellow | 1998 | Not found in the wild – trade only |
| Gold & Silver | 1999 | Silver: wild on Routes 2, 30 and 31, in Ilex Forest and National Park, and in Headbutt trees across Johto and Kanto; Gold: only in the Bug-Catching ContestAzalea Town's Gym Leader Bugsy battles with a Kakuna. The National Park Bug-Catching Contest runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. |
| Crystal | 2000 | Wild in Ilex Forest in the morning and during the day, in Ilex Forest's Headbutt trees and in the Bug-Catching ContestBugsy uses a Kakuna in his Gym battle again. |
| Ruby & Sapphire | 2002 | Not found in Hoenn – trade only |
| FireRed & LeafGreen | 2004 | Wild in Viridian Forest and on Routes 24 and 25; also in Pattern Bush on the Sevii Islands |
| Emerald | 2004 | Not found in Hoenn – trade only |
| Diamond & Pearl | 2006 | Eterna Forest with Pokémon LeafGreen in the DS's Game Boy Advance slot (dual-slot mode)Or migrate one from a Game Boy Advance game via Pal Park, where it lives in the Forest area. |
| Platinum | 2008 | Eterna Forest with Pokémon LeafGreen in the DS's Game Boy Advance slot (dual-slot mode), or Pal Park |
| HeartGold & SoulSilver | 2009 | SoulSilver: wild on Routes 2, 30 and 31, in Ilex Forest, National Park and Viridian Forest, and in Headbutt trees on Route 47 and in Ilex Forest; HeartGold: only in the Bug-Catching ContestBugsy's Kakuna is back for the Azalea Gym battle. |
| Black & White | 2010 | Black: wild on Route 12; White: trade only |
| Black 2 & White 2 | 2012 | Black 2: evolve a Weedle; White 2: trade only |
| X & Y | 2013 | X: wild in Santalune Forest; both versions: Friend Safari (Poison-type safari) |
| Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | 2014 | Hidden in the Hoenn Safari Zone (find it with the DexNav) after catching or defeating Groudon or Kyogre |
| Sun & Moon | 2016 | Not found in Alola – transfer only |
| Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | 2017 | Evolve a Weedle |
| Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee! | 2018 | Wild in Viridian Forest, or evolve Weedle |
| Sword & Shield | 2019 | Not available |
| Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl | 2021 | Shining Pearl: evolve a Weedle; Brilliant Diamond: trade only |
| Legends: Arceus | 2022 | Not available |
| Scarlet & Violet | 2022 | Not available |
| Legends: Z-A | 2025 | Wild across Lumiose City: the Vert, Magenta, Rouge and Jaune Districts, including Wild Zones 2 and 7In the Mega Dimension add-on it also turns up in Hyperspace Lumiose's 1★ and 4★ Bug-type and 4★ Poison-type wild zones. |
Sprites through the ages
Spin-offs & cameos
Super Smash Bros.
Kakuna itself has never appeared in Super Smash Bros. – which, for a Pokémon that can barely move, is perhaps no great surprise. Its evolution had a far noisier moment: in the original Super Smash Bros. (1999), Beedrill is a Poké Ball Pokémon. One Beedrill zooms off-screen, then a swarm of 16 comes streaking across the stage with Take Down, battering fighters in its path, to buzzing sound effects taken from the Japanese version of Challenge of the Samurai – the very anime episode in which a Kakuna evolves to defend its hive. Beedrill has not been back in any Smash game since.
Pokémon GO
Kakuna has been hanging around Pokémon GO since launch in July 2016. Catch one in the wild or evolve a Weedle, then save up 50 Weedle Candy to turn it into Beedrill; as a buddy it earns a Candy every kilometre, though it never hatches from Eggs. Its moveset sums up cocoon life: Bug Bite or Poison Sting for a Fast Attack and just Struggle as a Charged Attack – unless it is a Shadow or Purified Kakuna, which can know Frustration or Return instead. Its big day came with Weedle Community Day in June 2020, when Shiny Weedle, Kakuna and Beedrill all made their debut, and any Kakuna evolved during the event (or up to two hours afterwards) became a Beedrill knowing the exclusive move Drill Run. Two months later, on 27 August 2020, Mega Beedrill arrived as one of the first Mega Evolutions in the game.
Its Base Set card, Stiffen and Poisonpowder included, is part of the digital card collection.
Kakuna nest at the mouth of the Tunnel course, so keep the camera ready.
You can't catch one on the table: the only way to fill in Kakuna's Pokédex slot is to evolve a Weedle.
Ready to battle in 3D, with a Pokédex entry noting that it keeps so still it may appear dead.
In the game's PKMN Data, Kakuna is the only Pokémon whose number matches its National Pokédex number: #14.
Its Pokédex entry swaps with the cartridge you plug in: Gold's poison barb or Silver's hardening shell.
The Japan-only sequel brings the Base Set Kakuna card back for another round of digital duels.
A common piece in Secret Storage 5 and 15, Endless Level 14 and Mr. Who's Den.
Recruit one on floors 9 to 13 of Joyous Tower and it settles into Mist-Rise Forest. Its battle plan? 'I'll use Harden and ride it out.'
Hangs about on floors 8 to 12 of Apple Woods.
Back on floors 8 to 12 of Apple Woods for the expanded Explorers adventure.
This Kakuna fell off the White Tree by the entrance to the Haunted House, so it now lives in the Haunted Zone.
The Kakuna of the Arbor Area don't get up to much together – but they feel safe in each other's company.
Turns up in the Model Train Room's All Aboard! stage and in the Chill Battle The Forest of Memories.
Counts as a Poison-type here: find it in Desert Umbra (Stage 341), where its Last-Ditch Effort skill hits harder when things look desperate.
Linked on the Connection Orb with Cascoon, Slakoth and Volcarona, it joins once you clear its Connection Orb job – and its battle cry is 'I won't budge! Not even a tiny bit!'
On the map since launch day; feed it 50 Weedle Candy to evolve it, and look out for the Shiny version that arrived on Weedle Community Day in June 2020.
Hatch a Weedle from an Egg and it can evolve into Kakuna at your side.
Back on floors 9 to 13 of Joyous Tower, with fainted Kakuna waiting to be rescued at Far-Off Sea.
Moves
Kakuna is the Pokémon world's most patient bodyguard: a golden cocoon that sits tight and toughens up. For most of its history that has been the entire plan. From Red and Green all the way to Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the only move Kakuna learns by levelling up is Harden. The first games didn't even hand that over on evolution, so a Weedle that became Kakuna at level 7 had to make do with its old Poison Sting and String Shot, until Gold and Silver added Harden at level 7 too.
Move tutors slowly stocked the cupboard: Iron Defense from Platinum, Bug Bite and String Shot in HeartGold and SoulSilver, and a surprisingly sparky Electroweb from Black 2 and White 2. Even so, Kakuna went almost three decades without learning a single TM. Legends: Z-A finally broke the spell, teaching it Poison Sting and String Shot in its own right and letting it use Iron Defense, Electroweb and Facade. It has still never learned an egg move.
Signature moves
The cocoon's whole personality in one move. Until Legends: Z-A it was the only move Kakuna could learn by levelling up, and from Gold and Silver onwards it arrives the moment Weedle evolves.
Kakuna can't walk, but it can push out its poison barb. Poison Sting comes along from Weedle in every game, and Legends: Z-A finally lets Kakuna learn it itself, at double the old power.
Weedle's sticky silk survives the cocoon stage. HeartGold and SoulSilver's move tutors teach it to Kakuna directly, and in Legends: Z-A it knows it from level 1.
Its first Bug-type attack of its own, from the move tutors of HeartGold and SoulSilver, Black 2 and White 2, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
Harden's heavyweight cousin, which raises Defense twice as sharply. A tutor move since Platinum, it became TM080 in Legends: Z-A.
A surprisingly zappy net for a sleepy cocoon: a tutor move from Black 2 and White 2 onwards, then TM101 in Legends: Z-A.
Kakuna's very first card, in the Base Set, attacks with Poison Powder, a trick no main-series game has ever let it learn.
Complete learnsets
Generation I · Red, Green, Blue & Yellow1 level-up
Wild in Viridian Forest in Red and Blue, and also on Routes 24 and 25 in Red and on Route 25 in Blue. Yellow has no Kakuna of its own. Harden is Kakuna's only move, and it is learned only at level 1, so a Weedle that evolves at level 7 never picks it up and is left with its old Poison Sting and String Shot. Kakuna cannot use a single TM or HM. In the first three generations a move's category follows its type, so Poison- and Bug-type attacks are physical.
By level-up
| RGBY | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100 | 35 | Weedle |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Weedle |
Generation II · Gold, Silver & Crystal2 level-up
Silver is the best bet: Kakuna is wild on Routes 30 and 31, in Ilex Forest and the National Park in the morning and daytime, and on Kanto's Route 2, with more hiding in Headbutt trees across Johto and Kanto. Crystal keeps it to Ilex Forest (morning and day) and its Headbutt trees, and Gold players can only find one in the National Park's Bug-Catching Contest on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Harden now also arrives at level 7, the level at which Weedle evolves, so a freshly evolved Kakuna learns it straight away. Still no TMs, HMs, egg moves or tutor moves. Categories follow the type-based split.
By level-up
| GSC | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| 7 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100 | 35 | Weedle |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Weedle |
Generation III · Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed & LeafGreen2 level-up
Wild in FireRed and LeafGreen on Routes 24 and 25, in Viridian Forest and in Pattern Bush. Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald have no wild Kakuna, and it does not appear in Colosseum or XD. Harden at levels 1 and 7 is still the whole list: no TMs, egg moves or tutor moves. Categories follow the type-based split.
By level-up
| RSE/FRLG | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| 7 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100 | 35 | Weedle |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Weedle |
Generation IV · Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver2 level-up · 3 tutor
In Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, Kakuna turns up in Eterna Forest when LeafGreen is in the DS's second slot, and Pal Park's Forest area brings it over from the Game Boy Advance games. It is wild in SoulSilver on Routes 2, 30 and 31, in Ilex Forest, the National Park and Viridian Forest in the morning and daytime, and in Headbutt trees, but HeartGold players can only meet it in the Bug-Catching Contest. Move tutors finally give Kakuna something new: Iron Defense in Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver, plus Bug Bite and String Shot in HeartGold and SoulSilver. In Platinum, Bug Bite can only come from a Weedle that learned it before evolving. Still no TMs or egg moves. From this generation each move has its own physical or special category.
By level-up
| DPPt/HGSS | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| 7 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | HGSS |
| Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | Pt, HGSS |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | HGSS |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100 | 35 | Weedle |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Weedle · Diamond, Pearl & Platinum |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Weedle · Platinum |
Generation V · Black, White, Black 2 & White 22 level-up · 3 tutor
Black has Kakuna wild on Route 12; in Black 2 it has to be evolved from Weedle, and White and White 2 have no Kakuna at all. Black 2 and White 2's move tutors teach Bug Bite, Electroweb and Iron Defense; Black and White have no tutor moves for Kakuna. Still no TMs or egg moves.
By level-up
| BW/B2W2 | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| 7 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
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 |
| Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | B2W2 |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100 | 35 | Weedle |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Weedle |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Weedle · Black & White |
Generation VI · X, Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire2 level-up · 3 tutor
Wild in Santalune Forest in X, and in the Poison-type Friend Safari in both X and Y. In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire it hides in the Hoenn Safari, found with the DexNav once you have caught or defeated Groudon or Kyogre. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire's tutors teach Bug Bite, Electroweb and Iron Defense; X and Y have no tutor moves for Kakuna. Still no TMs or egg moves.
By level-up
| XY/ORAS | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| 7 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
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 |
| Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | ORAS |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100 | 35 | Weedle |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Weedle |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Weedle · X & Y |
Generation VII · Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon2 level-up · 3 tutor
Sun and Moon have no Kakuna of their own, and in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon it has to be evolved from Weedle. Harden is now officially learned on evolution. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon's tutors teach Bug Bite, Electroweb and Iron Defense; Sun and Moon have none for Kakuna. Still no TMs or egg moves.
By level-up
| SM/USUM | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evo. | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | USUM |
| Electroweb | Electric | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | USUM |
| Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | USUM |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100 | 35 | Weedle |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Weedle |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Weedle · Sun & Moon |
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! · Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee!2 level-up
Wild in Viridian Forest, just as in the originals. Harden is the whole show here, at level 1 and on evolution: no TMs, and these games have no breeding or move tutors. Poison Sting and String Shot can only come along from Weedle.
By level-up
| LGPE | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| Evo. | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100 | 35 | Weedle |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Weedle |
Generation VIII · Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl2 level-up
Kakuna is not in Sword and Shield (including their expansions) or in Legends: Arceus, so its only Generation VIII home is Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Even there it has to be evolved from Weedle in Shining Pearl, and Brilliant Diamond has no Kakuna of its own. Harden at level 1 and on evolution is all it learns: no TMs, egg moves or tutor moves. Weedle's Poison Sting, String Shot and Bug Bite come along if it learned them before evolving.
By level-up
| BDSP | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| Evo. | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100 | 35 | Weedle |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Weedle |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Weedle |
Generation IX · Scarlet & Violet
Kakuna cannot be obtained in Scarlet and Violet, so it has no learnset there. Its Generation IX home is Legends: Z-A.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A · Legends: Z-A3 level-up · 3 TM/HM
Wild all over Lumiose City, from the Vert, Magenta and Rouge Districts (including Wild Zones 2 and 7) to Jaune Sector 5, and the Mega Dimension expansion adds it to Hyperspace Lumiose's one- and four-star Bug-type and four-star Poison-type wild zones. Legends: Z-A lists moves with the level they are learned at, the level at which they become Plus Moves, power and cooldown, with no accuracy or PP. For the first time Kakuna learns Poison Sting and String Shot itself, Harden moves to level 7, and it can finally use TMs: Iron Defense, Electroweb and Facade. No breeding or tutors.
By level-up
| Learn | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 30 | — | — |
| 1 | String Shot | Bug | Status | — | — | — |
| 7 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | — |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM080 | Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | — |
| TM101 | Electroweb | Electric | Special | 55 | — | — |
| TM109 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | — | — |
04On screen
Kakuna in the anime
Debut EP004Challenge of the Samurai · Its appearances on screen, and 2 other trainers who raised one.
Kakuna barely moves, but it causes chaos wherever it appears. In its very first episode, Challenge of the Samurai (EP004), a hive of Kakuna split open into Beedrill to drive Ash and his friends out of Viridian Forest. It has been the anime's favourite warning sign ever since: wherever Kakuna hang from the trees, a Beedrill swarm is never far behind.
Ash has never owned one, although he has tiptoed past plenty and once rescued a Kakuna that evolved right in front of him (JN137). The best-known Kakuna belongs to Goh, who caught it in Vermilion Forest along with a Weedle and a Beedrill (JN006). Elsewhere, Kakuna have helped the Azalea Gym's Bug Pokémon tie up Team Rocket and dropped out of the trees onto the trio more times than they would like to remember. One even entered a dress-up contest as a Crawdaunt.
Other trainers’ Kakuna
First seen: JN006Working My Way Back to Mew!
Goh's Kakuna was one of the prizes from his Bug-type catching spree in Vermilion Forest. Straight after bagging a Weedle, he found a crowd of Kakuna dangling from the branches and caught one, but as he went to collect it, a Beedrill swarm closed in and chased him all the way to Ash and Pikachu (JN006). Goh then caught the strongest Beedrill of the swarm as well, so he came home with the whole Weedle family from a single outing. His Kakuna has never battled and none of its moves have been seen. It lives with the rest of his collection in Cerise Park, and it was still a Kakuna when Goh left his Pokémon in Professor Cerise's care in This Could be the Start of Something Big! (JN136).
First seen: The Legend of Thunder!
Jimmy, the young hero of the Johto special The Legend of Thunder!, caught a Weedle during one of his meetings with Marina and raised it all the way to Beedrill. Its time as a Kakuna happened entirely off screen: by the time the special begins, it has already evolved twice. What came out of the cocoon is the speedster of Jimmy's team, relying on Agility, Twineedle and Pin Missile, and it has beaten Marina's Jigglypuff, Pink, in battle.
Ash & Kakuna
Ash has never caught a Kakuna, but he has done a lot of tiptoeing around them. Early in his first journey he had to creep among a cluster of Kakuna in Viridian Forest to rescue his Metapod from the Beedrill (EP004), and on Metallica Island he helped his injured Sceptile past a group of Kakuna on the brink of evolving, whispering that they all had to keep quiet (AG163). His last brush came near the end of his travels: he knocked a Kakuna out of a tree, saved it from the fall and watched it evolve into a Beedrill on the spot, which flew off without attacking him (JN137).
Featured episodes
- EP004Challenge of the SamuraiViridian Forest's Kakuna hive is at the heart of Ash's Beedrill adventure. When the group stumbles on it, the Kakuna burst open into Beedrill to defend their home, and the next morning Ash has to creep in among the Kakuna surrounding his captured Metapod. By the end, Team Rocket are stuck in Kakuna costumes in the middle of a hive of furious Beedrill.
- EP065Showdown at the Po-ké CorralTaking the back route into Professor Oak's research grounds, Jessie accidentally kicks a pebble into a tree and a horde of Kakuna drops out. A Beedrill swarm arrives in an instant, and Team Rocket run straight into a Snorlax.
- EP144Gettin' The Bugs OutBugsy's forest-like Azalea Gym is home to a crowd of Bug Pokémon, Kakuna among them. When Team Rocket sneak in disguised as plants to grab Pikachu, Victreebel's shriek alerts the residents, who tie the trio up with String Shot.
- AG006A Poached Ego!Team Rocket are trying to free an Ekans and a Koffing when a swarm of Kakuna and Beedrill sends them running for cover. A Cacnea sees off the Beedrill with Pin Missile and gets a bag of treats for its trouble.
- AG014All in a Day's WurmpleOut hunting Wurmple, Jessie kicks a tree and a Weedle drops out, and a second kick brings down a Kakuna. James and Meowth are still working out what Kakuna evolves into when a swarm of Beedrill turns up to answer the question, and the trio flee past May.
- AG163Cutting the Ties that Bind!Ash visits Metallica Island just as its Kakuna are due to evolve. Separated from Pikachu, he helps his injured Sceptile past a cluster of Kakuna on the verge of evolving, pleading for quiet, but the Beedrill swarm catches up anyway. Pikachu's Thunderbolt and the Sweet Scent of Spenser's Venusaur finally calm things down.
- DP031The Grass-Type Is Always Greener!Trudging through the forest after Ash's group, an exhausted Jessie trips over a Kakuna and sets off a chain reaction: every Kakuna nearby evolves into Beedrill, and the new swarm chases Team Rocket away.
- DP033All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!At the Pokémon Dress-Up Contest, a Trainer's Kakuna takes the stage dressed as a Crawdaunt and scores a two. That beats a Doduo's failed Dodrio impression but falls short of Croagunk and Team Rocket's entries.
- BW124Danger, Sweet as Honey!On Honey Island, Pikachu's Thunderbolt is clashing with Team Rocket's Yamask and Woobat when a swarm of Kakuna drops from the trees and evolves into Beedrill, forcing everyone to retreat. Back at the port, Porter realises he forgot to warn the group that the island is Beedrill country.
- JN137The Road Most Traveled!Trying out vine-swinging, Ash spots a Kakuna, loses concentration and slams into its tree. He saves the Kakuna as it falls, and it promptly evolves into a Beedrill in front of him. After a few tense moments, the Beedrill simply flies away, to Ash's huge relief.
- HZ137Reboot! To a World of Adventures!!When a slippery Feebas makes a break for it across dry land, a surprisingly mobile Kakuna bowls into it and knocks it straight back into the water.
More appearances
- EP121Illusion Confusion! A Kakuna is one of the illusions conjured up by a gang of Haunter and Gengar.
Anime gallery
Anime trivia
- Kakuna and Weedle made their anime debuts together in Challenge of the Samurai (EP004). That episode showed Kakuna evolving the old-fashioned way: the shell cracks open, a Beedrill climbs out and an empty husk is left behind. Later episodes switched to the glowing evolution every other Pokémon uses.
- Team Rocket finish Challenge of the Samurai dressed as Kakuna and stranded in a hive of angry Beedrill. The English dub painted out a word written on Jessie's Kakuna costume.
- Few Pokémon have been seen evolving on screen as often as Kakuna. Whole groups have burst into Beedrill in Challenge of the Samurai (EP004), The Grass-Type Is Always Greener! (DP031) and Danger, Sweet as Honey! (BW124), and a lone Kakuna evolved right in front of Ash in The Road Most Traveled! (JN137).
- Disturbing Kakuna is practically a Team Rocket tradition. Jessie has done it with a stray pebble (EP065), a kick to a tree (AG014) and by tripping over one (DP031), and each time a Beedrill swarm came after them.
- Kakuna features on the English poster for Pokémon: The First Movie, but it never appears in the film itself.
- In the Japanese version of Type Casting (EP162), Professor Oak's closing lecture gave Kakuna a senryū: "Kokūn wa unazuki jōzu, kokun kokun", roughly "Cocoon is great at nodding, nod, nod". It plays on Kakuna's Japanese name, Cocoon, and kokun kokun, the sound of a nod.
- The English dub's Who's That Pokémon? in The Art of Pokémon (EP197) skips Kakuna altogether, calling Beedrill the evolved form of Weedle.
- Goh caught all three members of the Weedle family in a single episode, Working My Way Back to Mew! (JN006): first a Weedle, then a Kakuna, then the strongest Beedrill of the swarm that came after him.
“Kakuna, a transitional stage between Weedle and Beedrill. Kakunas remain inactive until they evolve into deadly Beedrills and hatch.”
Ash's Pokédex (Dexter) · EP004
05On the big screen
Kakuna in the movies
1 film, 1 Pikachu short and 1 special featuring Kakuna.
Kakuna isn't built for action, and its screen career shows it. Its first trip to the cinema was a cameo at the Pokémon Theme Park in Pikachu's Vacation, the short shown before Pokémon: The First Movie in 1998, and it had to wait until I Choose You! (2017) for a feature film, which found room for four Kakuna in the background. Its liveliest outing is in the TV special Mewtwo Returns, where wild Kakuna hang beside the Purity River as Ash's canoe drifts by, moments before the local Beedrill send Misty paddling back upstream.
Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!
M20 · 2017
Four Kakuna (background)
Four Kakuna turn up in this retelling of Ash's first journey, outnumbering the film's two Weedle two to one. True to form, they stay firmly in the background and leave the action to everyone else.
Pikachu shorts
- PK01Pikachu's Vacation (1998) · A Kakuna (cameo)
Kakuna's first trip to the cinema came in the very first Pikachu short, shown before Pokémon: The First Movie in Japan and, a year later, in the US. Pikachu and friends spend a summer's day at the Pokémon Theme Park, and a Kakuna can be spotted among the Pokémon there.
TV specials
- Mewtwo Returns (2000)
Kakuna's best screen moment outside the TV series comes on a night-time canoe trip. Setting off from the lodge at the foot of Mount Quena, Ash and his friends paddle down the Purity River past a whole gallery of Bug Pokémon: Ledian, Kakuna, Weedle, Pinsir and Beedrill. The Kakuna, as ever, just hang about, but the Beedrill are one bug too many for Misty, who paddles frantically back upstream.
06Trading Card Game · every card
Kakuna in the Pokémon TCG
28 cards since 1999, oldest first. Tap any card to see it full size.
Kakuna has been hardening its shell since the very first booster: it debuted in Japan's Expansion Pack in October 1996 and reached English players in Base Set in January 1999 as a sturdy 80 HP Stage 1 armed with Stiffen. Since then it has turned up in every era, with 22 English cards and 19 different artworks up to Chaos Rising in 2026, including Koga's own ninja cocoon in Gym Challenge, though never an ex or a V, and no English Kakuna has ever been rarer than Uncommon. The cards keep returning to two ideas, hiding and hurrying: Stiffen, Hide, Harden, Exoskeleton and Cocoon Cover keep the damage off, while Speed Evolution and Dangerous Evolution rush it into Beedrill, which made the Rising Rivals card the engine of Speedrill decks. Being part Poison, it bites back as well, with Poison Payback and Secrete Poison punishing anything that dares to hit it.
Keiji Kinebuchi's Base Set portrait was reprinted three times, ending up in the retro-styled Evolutions set in 2016, while Japan's vending machines added a Mitsuhiro Arita version that later appeared in Pokémon Card GB2. Ken Sugimori is the only artist to have drawn Kakuna twice, for Koga's Kakuna and Great Encounters. Since then the cocoon has passed through many hands, from Hisao Nakamura and Hajime Kusajima to Yuka Morii, nagimiso and nisimono, and the scenes have grown more story-like: Naoyo Kimura's Vivid Voltage card sits in a park shared by a whole run of Sword & Shield cards, and Mugi Hamada's Chaos Rising card is the newest of the lot. TCG Pocket has picked up the thread, bringing back the Crimson Invasion and Team Up art and adding a Shiny Kakuna by Sanosuke Sakuma.
Cards to know
- Base Set 33/102 — Keiji Kinebuchi's original: a tough 80 HP cocoon whose Stiffen, an attack it debuted alongside Metapod, blocks a whole attack on heads. It was the Kakuna in the Game Boy Color game too, and came back in retro style in Evolutions.
- Gym Challenge 47/132 (Koga's Kakuna) — The ninja Gym Leader's own cocoon. Its Emerge power can pull Koga's Beedrill out of the deck on a lucky flip, and Toxic Secretion doubles Poison damage to 20 a turn.
- Neo Discovery 41/75 — A booby-trapped cocoon: hit it next turn and your attacker is Poisoned while Kakuna peppers your whole Bench with 10 damage. It is an error card too, with a 1995-2000 copyright line instead of the set's 1995-2001.
- Skyridge 70/144 — Scan its e-Reader strip and a secret attack, Shining Powder, unlocks a random cocktail of status conditions with a chance of healing on top.
- Rising Rivals 66/111 — The engine of Speedrill: Dangerous Evolution Poisons the opponent and can turn Kakuna into Beedrill straight from the deck. Four copies sit in Luxdrill, one of the 2009 World Championships decks.
- XY 4/146 — The only Kakuna card with an attack actually called Harden, its signature move in the games, and it blocks any hit of 60 damage or less.
Every English-language card
Japan-exclusive cards
Pokémon TCG Pocket
Digital card games
- Pokémon Trading Card Game (Game Boy Color): Kakuna (Base Set 33 art, Keiji Kinebuchi), card B08, Uncommon, from the Evolution booster pack. Two copies are in the Insect Collection deck (Auto Deck Machine, after the Grass Medal) and in Erik's Poison deck (Auto Deck Machine, after the Science Medal), and one each in the Water Beetle deck and Aaron's Grass & Psychic deck. Sprite: TCG1 B08 Kakuna.png.
- Pokémon Card GB2 (Japan only): Kakuna (Base Set 33 art, Keiji Kinebuchi), card A04, Uncommon, in the Beginning Pokémon pack. Two copies are in Brittany's Remaining Green deck and one in the Esper Green deck, which the Auto Deck Machine offers from the start. Sprite: TCG2 A04 Kakuna.png.
- Pokémon Card GB2 (Japan only): Kakuna (Vending Expansion Sheet 1 art, Mitsuhiro Arita), card D04, in the Psychic Battle pack. Two copies are in the GB2 version of the Insect Collection deck, played by Team GR's Midori, and three in Brittany's Poison Curse deck. Sprite: TCG2 D04 Kakuna.png.
The artists behind the cards
- Ken Sugimori — 2 artworks (Koga's Kakuna in Gym Challenge, Great Encounters 73)
- Keiji Kinebuchi — 1 (Base Set 33, reprinted in Base Set 2, Legendary Collection and Evolutions); also the Kakuna in both Game Boy TCG games
- Mitsuhiro Arita — 1 (Vending Expansion Sheet 1, Japan only), also used in Pokémon Card GB2
- miki kudo — 1 (Crimson Invasion 2), reused in TCG Pocket's Genetic Apex
- Yuka Morii — 1 (Team Up 4), reused in TCG Pocket's Shining Revelry and Deluxe Pack: ex
- Sanosuke Sakuma — TCG Pocket's Shiny Kakuna in Shining Revelry
- One artwork each: Yukiko Baba, Hisao Nakamura, Hajime Kusajima, Sachiko Adachi, Midori Harada, Kyoko Umemoto, match, Kouki Saitou, Kagemaru Himeno, Miki Tanaka, Naoyo Kimura, nagimiso, nisimono and Mugi Hamada
07On the page & beyond
Kakuna in manga, books & other media
From the earliest manga to story books and songs.
On paper, Kakuna belongs to Bugsy. Azalea Town's Gym Leader leans on his Kakuna in three different manga: in Pokémon Adventures they spin String Shot into the net he throws over Suicune, in Pocket Monsters a Harden-boosted Kakuna gives Red's Clefairy no end of trouble until a cement truck turns up, and in The Golden Boys it ties up a team of Voltorb to win a basketball match. Gold grew up with a Kakuna at home, Crystal caught one on her travels, and Pokémon Adventures even named a chapter after it, 'Softening Up Kakuna', known in Japan as 'VS Cocoon'. It has been in Pocket Monsters since the very first chapter in 1996. Off the page, Kakuna turns up in the Pokérap, Japan's Pokémon Ieru Kana? and a Bug-type song with lyrics by Satoshi Tajiri. It also hid on Charmeleon's shirt in a picture book, hung over visitors' heads at an Australian theme park, and was the answer to a TV riddle. A 1999 Burger King trivia card summed it up best: how does Kakuna protect itself? Its shell hardens.
Manga
Books
Other media
More from the page
08Did you know?
Kakuna trivia
Name origins, design secrets and the facts that make Kakuna such a fan favourite.
What’s in a name?
Kakuna is most likely a playful twist on 'cocoon' – and, in a neat reversal, it sounds far more Japanese than its actual Japanese name. In Japan this Pokémon is called コクーン Kokūn, which is simply the English word 'cocoon' spelled out in katakana, while its Japanese category calls it the sanagi ('pupa') Pokémon. In the Red & Green prototype its English name stayed even closer to the real word: Kokoon. Most other languages stick with the cocoon too. It is Kokuna in German, from Kokon, and Coconfort in French, a pun on cocon (cocoon), confort (comfort) and fort (strong) – a snug, sturdy little home. Korean goes for toughness with Ttakchungi, from ttakttakhada ('to be hard') and chung ('insect'), while the Chinese games call it Tiěkéyǒng, the 'iron-shell pupa'.
Design origins
Kakuna was drawn by Atsuko Nishida, who designed the whole Weedle family, Beedrill included. Its starting point is the pupal stage of a bee or wasp – the sealed-up phase in which a grub is rebuilt into a winged, stinging adult. Its habit of hanging from a silk thread may borrow from parasitoid wasps, some of whose larvae spin cocoons that dangle in mid-air. During development it went by the English name Kokoon in the Red & Green prototype. One detail has puzzled players for decades: Kakuna's two little arms stick out in its Red and Blue sprite, so many people assumed the sprite was a mistake. Those arms have rarely been drawn extended since – an early Bandai Pocket Monsters card is one of the few places they show up.
Names around the world
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | コクーン Kokūn | From cocoon |
| French | Coconfort | From cocon (cocoon), confort (comfort) and fort (strong) |
| German | Kokuna | From Kokon (cocoon) |
| Spanish | Kakuna | Same as the English name |
| Italian | Kakuna | Same as the English name |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Kakuna | Same as the English name |
| Korean | 딱충이 Ttakchungi | From ttakttakhada ((to be) hard, stiff), chung (insect) and the diminutive ending -i |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 鐵殼蛹 / 铁壳蛹 Tiěkéyǒng | From tiě (iron), ké (shell) and yǒng (pupa); older media used 鐵殼昆 / 铁壳昆 Tiěkékūn, from tiě (iron), ké (shell) and kūnchóng (insect) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 鐵殼蛹 Tithokyúng | From tit (iron), hok (shell) and yúng (pupa) |
| Danish | Puppe | From puppe (pupa); used in the Danish dub of Challenge of the Samurai |
| Russian | Какуна Kakuna | Transcription of the English name |
| Thai | โคคูน Khokhun | Transcription of the Japanese name |
| Hindi | ककूना Kakuna | Transcription of the English name |
| Hebrew | קאקונה Kakuna | Transcription of the English name |
| Lithuanian | Kakuna | Same as the English name |
Did you know?
- Kakuna's English name sounds more Japanese than its Japanese name, Kokūn – which is simply the English word 'cocoon'.
- In the Red & Green prototype, its English name was Kokoon.
- Its Japanese category is the sanagi ('pupa') Pokémon, while its name in Japanese means 'cocoon'.
- Its base Attack of 25 is the lowest of any Poison-type Pokémon.
- Kakuna, Metapod, Silcoon and Cascoon make a club of look-alike pupae: all are Cocoon Pokémon with Shed Skin, no Hidden Ability, Medium Fast growth, a 2 Defence EV yield and a base stat total of 205.
- That base stat total of 205 is the joint-lowest of any evolved Pokémon, shared with its fellow pupae Metapod, Silcoon and Cascoon.
- Kakuna evolves just three levels after Weedle becomes Kakuna – joint-shortest in the series with Metapod, Silcoon, Cascoon and Spewpa – and its level 7 and level 10 evolutions are the joint-earliest.
- Kakuna's two little arms are visible in its Red and Blue sprite and are often mistaken for a sprite error; they are seldom drawn anywhere else.
- In Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, Kakuna is the only Pokémon whose PKMN Data number matches its National Pokédex number, #14.
- Its first trading card, Base Set's Kakuna, can use Poisonpowder – a move Kakuna has never been able to learn in the core games.
- Early prints of the Base Set Kakuna card mistakenly label its weight as its length.
- Bugsy, the Azalea Town Gym Leader, uses a Kakuna in his Gym battle in Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver – and in the Pokémon Adventures manga he has two.
- A Kakuna caught in Red or Blue and traded to a Generation II game always arrives holding a Berry.
- In the Pokéathlon of HeartGold and SoulSilver, Kakuna is a stamina specialist – up to five stars – but its Technique is stuck at a single star.
- In Pokémon Shuffle, Kakuna counts as a Poison-type rather than a Bug-type.
- Shiny Kakuna debuted in Pokémon GO on Weedle Community Day in June 2020, alongside Shiny Weedle and Beedrill.
- In Pokémon GO, Kakuna's only Charged Attack is Struggle, unless it is a Shadow or Purified Pokémon.
09Quizzes, archive & further reading
More Kakuna
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 →
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 →
Pokémon TCG: IntermediateShuffle up and draw! From the very first booster packs to the digital age, how well do you know the Pokémon Trading Card Game?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 Kakuna 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.