No. 0011 · Generation I · Cocoon Pokémon
トランセルToranseru · Officially romanised Transel: 'transform' plus 'cell', with a pun on randoseru, the stiff, box-shaped backpack carried by Japanese schoolchildren
The Cocoon Pokémon · Bug type · first seen in Pokémon Red & Green (1996)
01Overview
Meet Metapod
Everything you need to know about the Cocoon Pokémon — the creature behind the number.
Meet Metapod, the Cocoon Pokémon: a pointed, crescent-shaped green chrysalis with two sleepy, heavy-lidded eyes peering out from the sides of its shell. It is a pure Bug-type and the middle chapter of the Caterpie story – the quiet, waiting stage between a hungry little caterpillar and a dazzling Butterfree. Turn it round and you may get a surprise: the three spikes on its back and the curl of its tail make it look as if a second face is staring back at you.
That shell is the whole point of Metapod. It is said to be as hard as steel – an iron slab, in one Pokédex's words – yet everything inside is soft. Under the armour, Metapod's body is a thick liquid in which every single cell is being rebuilt, ready for the big transformation. A hard enough knock can still crack it open and spill those tender insides, so Metapod's life plan is simple: keep still, keep quiet and wait.
“Even though it is encased in a sturdy shell, the body inside is tender. It can't withstand a harsh attack.”
Pokédex · Pokémon Red (Japan), Green (Japan), FireRed & Shield · 1996
With no arms or legs to speak of, it does not have many ways to defend itself. When danger appears, Metapod's answer is to harden its shell even further and hope for the best. Wild ones gather in groups in temperate forests and jungles, sitting perfectly still together. Pikipek love to peck at them; the shell does not crack, but a Metapod can be knocked clean over. Even in Pokémon Sleep it keeps using Harden while it dozes.
In the games, Metapod is usually one of the very first Pokémon a new Trainer meets, waiting in Viridian Forest just north of Pallet Town. It is never a long stay, though: Caterpie becomes Metapod at level 7, and Metapod becomes Butterfree at just level 10 – joint-earliest in the series with Kakuna, Silcoon and Cascoon. Its tiny move pool makes battling tricky, and for years it had no way at all to hurt Ghost-types bar Struggle.
None of that has stopped fans loving it. Few Pokémon have a catchphrase, but 'Metapod, use Harden!' has been an in-joke ever since Ash's Metapod met a Samurai's Metapod in Challenge of the Samurai and the two simply hardened at each other for hours. Then, shielding Ash from a furious Beedrill swarm, it burst from its shell as Butterfree. Proof, if anyone needed it, that patience pays off.
How big is Metapod?
At 0.7 m (2′04″) Metapod is about as tall as a kitchen table, and at 9.9 kg (21.8 lb) it weighs about the same as a 10 kg sack of potatoes – heavy going for something that never moves.
Evolution
02In the Pokédex's words
Metapod's Pokédex entries
16 different entries across 40 games, from 1996 to 2021. Here is how the Pokédex has described Metapod over the years, in the order the games came out.
Generation I
Even though it is encased in a sturdy shell, the body inside is tender. It can't withstand a harsh attack.
Kanto Pokédex
This Pokémon is vulnerable to attack while its shell is soft, exposing its weak and tender body.
Kanto Pokédex
Hardens its shell to protect itself. However, a large impact may cause it to pop out of its shell.
Kanto Pokédex
When it hardens, only the external shell is transformed. The inside remains tender.
Kanto Pokédex
Generation II
Inside the shell, it is soft and weak as it prepares to evolve. It stays motionless in the shell.
Johto Pokédex
It prepares for evolution by hardening its shell as much as possible to protect its soft body.
Johto Pokédex
This is its pre-evolved form. At this stage, it can only harden, so it remains motionless to avoid attack.
Johto Pokédex
Generation III
The shell covering this Pokémon's body is as hard as an iron slab. Metapod does not move very much. It stays still because it is preparing its soft innards for evolution inside the hard shell.
Hoenn Pokédex
Its shell is as hard as an iron slab. A Metapod does not move very much because it is preparing its soft innards for evolution inside the shell.
Hoenn Pokédex
Generation IV
A steel-hard shell protects its tender body. It quietly endures hardships while awaiting evolution.
Sinnoh Pokédex
Generation VII
Its shell is filled with its soft innards. It doesn't move much because of the risk it might carelessly spill its innards out.
Rotom Pokédex
Its shell is hard, but it's still just a bug shell. It's been known to break, so intense battles with it should be avoided.
Rotom Pokédex
Its shell is filled with a thick liquid. All of the cells throughout its body are being rebuilt in preparation for evolution.
Rotom Pokédex
Its hard shell doesn't crack a bit even if Pikipek pecks at it, but it will tip over, spilling out its insides.
Rotom Pokédex
Generation VIII
It is waiting for the moment to evolve. At this stage, it can only harden, so it remains motionless to avoid attack.
Rotom Phone (Sword & Shield)
A steel-hard shell protects its tender body. The Pokémon quietly endures hardships while awaiting evolution.
Sinnoh Pokédex
03Stats, moves & where to find it
Metapod in the video games
Base stat total 205 · 24 core-series games · 26 spin-offs · every move it learns, generation by generation.
Base stats
Base stats have never changed: 50/20/55/25/25/30, a total of 205 – shared with Kakuna, Silcoon and Cascoon and the joint-lowest of any evolved Pokémon. In Generation I Metapod had a single Special stat of 25; when Gold and Silver split Special into Sp. Atk and Sp. Def, both were set to 25. Base friendship was 70 in Generations II–VII and has been 50 since Generation VIII. Its base experience yield is 72, and it reaches level 100 at 1,000,000 Exp. (Medium Fast). Metapod has only one Ability, Shed Skin, and no Hidden Ability.
Abilities
- Shed Skinsince Gen III
At the end of each turn Metapod has a chance to shed its skin and cure itself of a status condition such as poison, paralysis or sleep.
Type matchups
How hard each attacking type hits a Bug Pokémon.
Generation I: Poison-type moves were also super effective (2×) against Bug-types; from Generation II onwards Poison is neutral against Metapod.
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
- Green
- Gender ratio
- 50% male
- Body shape
- serpentine
Where to find Metapod
| Game | Year | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Red & Green | 1996 | Wild in Viridian Forest and on Route 25 |
| Blue (Japan) | 1996 | Wild in Viridian Forest and on Routes 24 and 25 |
| Red & Blue | 1998 | Wild in Viridian Forest and on Route 25Blue also has it on Route 24. |
| Yellow | 1998 | Wild in Viridian Forest |
| Gold & Silver | 1999 | Gold: wild on Routes 2, 30 and 31, in Ilex Forest and National Park, 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 National Park Bug-Catching Contest runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. |
| Crystal | 2000 | Wild on Routes 24 and 25 and in Ilex Forest; also in the Bug-Catching Contest and Ilex Forest's Headbutt trees |
| 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 FireRed 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 FireRed in the DS's Game Boy Advance slot (dual-slot mode) |
| HeartGold & SoulSilver | 2009 | HeartGold: 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; SoulSilver: only in the Bug-Catching ContestThe Bug-Catching Contest runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. |
| Black & White | 2010 | White: wild on Route 12; Black: trade or Poké Transfer only |
| Black 2 & White 2 | 2012 | Not found in the wild – White 2 players can evolve a Caterpie; Black 2 needs a trade or Poké Transfer |
| X & Y | 2013 | Y: wild in Santalune Forest; X: evolve a Caterpie |
| Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | 2014 | Not found in Hoenn – trade only |
| Sun & Moon | 2016 | Wild on Routes 1 and 5, in Melemele Meadow and Lush Jungle |
| Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | 2017 | Wild on Route 5, in Melemele Meadow and Lush Jungle |
| Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee! | 2018 | Wild in Viridian Forest |
| Sword & Shield | 2019 | Wild in the Rolling Fields of the Wild Area; also in Max Raid Battles at Bridge Field, Dappled Grove, Rolling Fields and South Lake Miloch |
| Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl | 2021 | Brilliant Diamond: evolve a Caterpie from the Grand Underground; Shining Pearl: trade only |
| Legends: Arceus | 2022 | Unobtainable |
| Scarlet & Violet | 2022 | Unobtainable – Metapod never reached Paldea, Kitakami or Blueberry Academy |
| Legends: Z-A | 2025 | Unobtainable |
Sprites through the ages
Spin-offs & cameos
Super Smash Bros.
Metapod finally hardened its way into Super Smash Bros. as a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), and its spirit battle is a lovely in-joke. You face a Yoshi puppet on the Ω form of Distant Planet, where the floor is sticky – think String Shot – and after 30 seconds your opponent's defence shoots up, just as if it had used Harden. The rest of the family has fluttered past too: Butterfree can be spotted flying across the background of the Saffron City stage in the original Super Smash Bros. (1999), and they return to the skies when Saffron City comes back in Ultimate.
Pokémon GO
Metapod has been hanging around Pokémon GO since launch day in July 2016. Wild ones turn up alongside Caterpie, but most Trainers get theirs the quick way: Caterpie evolves for just 12 Candy, and another 50 turns Metapod into Butterfree. As a buddy it earns a Candy every kilometre. True to form, its battle kit is tiny – Bug Bite or Tackle as a Fast Attack and Struggle as its one and only Charged Attack. Shiny Metapod first became possible on 1 November 2018, when Shiny Caterpie arrived through Field Research, and from 3 March 2026 Shiny Metapod could finally be met in the wild too. Dynamax Caterpie joined Max Battles in March 2025, and on 3 August 2025 the family's grand finale, Gigantamax Butterfree, made its debut. You can also find Metapod as a Shadow Pokémon; purify it and it can learn Return.
Its Base Set card, Stiffen and Stun Spore included, is part of the digital card collection.
One of the Pokémon waiting to be photographed along the River course.
You can't catch one directly: the only way to fill in Metapod's Pokédex slot is to evolve a Caterpie.
Its Stadium Pokédex entry spells out the catch: when Metapod hardens, only the outer shell changes – the inside stays tender.
Its Pokédex entry swaps depending on the cartridge: plug in Red, Silver or Crystal for the Gold text, or Blue, Gold or Yellow for the Silver one.
The Japan-only sequel brings the Base Set Metapod card back for another round of digital duels.
A common piece in SOL Laboratory 2, Endless Level 4, Secret Storage 8 and Mr. Who's Den.
Caterpie's friend in the story – and, if you recruit one in Joyous Tower, a team-mate who frets, 'I don't know if I can metamorphose…' when its health runs low.
Found deep in Mystifying Forest, Mystery Jungle and Happy Outlook.
Returns to the same dungeons and can also be met on the climb up Sky Peak.
This Metapod fell off the White Tree by the entrance to the Haunted House, and now it just sits there watching the visitors go by.
Toy Metapod sit tight on the Sun-Dappled Bank in the Treetops.
Once a resident of the Arbor Area, it moved to the Crag Area – and it looks up to Serperior.
Visits through the Pokémon Safari event with the Swap++ skill, which can clear disruptions from the board by swapping in more Metapod.
Found in Fairy Land's Pixie Glen and the Old-Growth Woods of the Origin Hideaway.
Linked on the Connection Orb with fellow shell-dwellers Pupitar and Cascoon (plus Wingull), it joins once you clear its Connection Orb job – and its battle cry is, naturally, 'Harden!'
Catch it in the wild or evolve a Caterpie for 12 Candy – then save up 50 more to turn it into Butterfree.
Its spirit battle pits you against a Yoshi on a sticky floor whose defence rises after 30 seconds – Harden, Smash-style.
Shows up in the tutorial and in the Charizard, Butterfree and Bulbasaur Seas.
Hatch a Caterpie from an Egg and it can evolve into Metapod at your side.
Wild Metapod wait on Joyous Tower's 4th to 8th floors, and fainted ones can be found in Northwind Field and Murky Cave.
Photodex #043 – find it in Founja Jungle and along the Mightywide River by day, where its Photodex notes say Metapod huddle together and barely move.
A Dozing-type Berries specialist that brings Lum Berries and snoozes in styles such as Hardened Sleep and Wobbling Sleep.
Moves
Metapod's moveset is the punchline to one of Pokémon's oldest jokes, and it earns the laugh. In every main-series game it learns exactly one move by levelling up: Harden. Red, Green and Blue didn't even hand that over on evolution, so a freshly evolved Metapod could only carry Caterpie's Tackle and String Shot. Yellow fixed it by adding Harden at level 7, the very level at which Caterpie evolves.
Later games slowly padded out the cocoon. Platinum's tutors offered Iron Defense, an even tougher take on Harden; HeartGold and SoulSilver added Bug Bite and String Shot; and Black 2 and White 2 threw in a surprisingly zappy Electroweb. Sword and Shield turned Electroweb and Iron Defense into TM82 and TR46, the first discs Metapod could ever use. It sits out Scarlet, Violet and both Legends games, so its personal toolkit is still just five moves, and not one of them is an egg move.
Signature moves
The move that made it a legend. Harden is the only move Metapod has ever learned by levelling up, and in Challenge of the Samurai two Metapod famously did nothing but Harden at each other.
Harden's tougher big sibling: move tutors have offered it since Platinum, and it became TR46 in Sword and Shield. It raises Defense twice as sharply, so the cocoon can get even harder.
The first Bug-type attack Metapod can learn in its own right, from tutors in HeartGold and SoulSilver, Black 2 and White 2, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
A surprisingly zappy net for a sleeping bug: a tutor move since Black 2 and White 2, then TM82 in Sword and Shield, the only TM Metapod has ever been able to learn.
A souvenir from its Caterpie days. Metapod keeps it through evolution, and HeartGold and SoulSilver's tutors are the one place it can learn String Shot itself.
Metapod cannot learn Tackle at all, but a Caterpie that already knows it keeps it after evolving. In the anime, Bugsy's Metapod broke the mould by fighting back with Tackle in Gettin' The Bugs Out.
Metapod's very first card, in the Base Set, attacks with Stun Spore, a powdery trick no main-series game has ever let it use.
Complete learnsets
Generation I · Red, Green, Blue & Yellow2 level-up
Wild in Viridian Forest in Red, Blue and Yellow. In Red, Green and Blue, Harden is only a starting move, so a Caterpie that evolves into Metapod never picks it up and is left with its old Tackle and String Shot. Yellow fixed that by adding Harden at level 7, the level at which Caterpie evolves. Metapod cannot use a single TM or HM. In the first three generations a move's category follows its type, so Normal- and Bug-type attacks are physical.
By level-up
| RGB | Y | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| N/A | 7 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie |
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 35 | 95 | 35 | Caterpie |
Generation II · Gold, Silver & Crystal2 level-up
Wild in Ilex Forest in Gold and Crystal; in Silver it only turns up in the National Park's Bug-Catching Contest. Harden now arrives at level 7 in every version, so an evolving Caterpie 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie |
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 35 | 95 | 35 | Caterpie |
Generation III · Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed & LeafGreen2 level-up
Wild in FireRed and LeafGreen in Viridian Forest, on Routes 24 and 25 and in Pattern Bush. Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald have no wild Metapod, and it cannot be caught in Colosseum or XD. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 35 | 95 | 35 | Caterpie |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie |
Generation IV · Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver2 level-up · 3 tutor
In Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, Metapod lives in Eterna Forest when FireRed is in the DS's second slot. It is wild in HeartGold, but SoulSilver players can only find it in the National Park's Bug-Catching Contest. Move tutors finally give Metapod something new: Iron Defense in Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver, plus Bug Bite and String Shot in HeartGold and SoulSilver. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 35 | 95 | 35 | Caterpie |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie · Diamond, Pearl & Platinum |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Caterpie · Platinum |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 40 | 100 | 15 | Caterpie · Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver |
Generation V · Black, White, Black 2 & White 22 level-up · 3 tutor
White is the only Unova game with wild Metapod; in White 2 it has to be evolved from Caterpie, and Black and Black 2 have no wild Metapod. Tackle rises to 50 power and 100% accuracy. Black 2 and White 2's move tutors teach Bug Bite, Electroweb and Iron Defense; Black and White have no tutor moves for Metapod.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 50 | 100 | 35 | Caterpie |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Caterpie · Black & White |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Snore | Gen IV (tutor, as Caterpie) |
Generation VI · X, Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire2 level-up · 3 tutor
Wild in Santalune Forest in Y; X players have to evolve a Caterpie, and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have no wild Metapod. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire's tutors teach Bug Bite, Electroweb and Iron Defense; X and Y have no tutor moves for Metapod. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 50 | 100 | 35 | Caterpie |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Caterpie · X & Y |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 50 | 100 | 15 | Caterpie · Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire |
Generation VII · Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon2 level-up · 3 tutor
Wild on Route 5, in Lush Jungle and in Melemele Meadow in all four Alola games, and on Route 1 in Sun and Moon too. Harden is now officially learned on evolution. Tackle settles at 40 power. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon's tutors teach Bug Bite, Electroweb and Iron Defense; Sun and Moon have none for Metapod. Still no TMs or egg moves.
By level-up
| SM/USUM | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| Evo. | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 | Caterpie |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Caterpie · Sun & Moon |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 50 | 100 | 15 | Caterpie · Ultra Sun & Ultra 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: no TMs, and these games have no breeding or move tutors. Tackle and String Shot can only come along from Caterpie.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 | Caterpie |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie |
Generation VIII · Sword & Shield, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl2 level-up · 2 TM/HM
In Sword and Shield, Metapod lives in the Wild Area and turns up in Max Raid Battles. In Brilliant Diamond it has to be evolved from Caterpie, and Shining Pearl has no wild Metapod. One level-up list covers all four games. Electroweb (TM82) and Iron Defense (TR46) in Sword and Shield are the first discs Metapod has ever been able to use; Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have no TMs for it, and there are no tutor moves in this generation. Snore can only be brought along from an earlier game. Metapod 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 | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| Evo. | Harden | Normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM82 | Electroweb | Electric | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | SwSh |
| TR46 | Iron Defense | Steel | Status | — | — | 15 | SwSh |
From its pre-evolution
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Learnt as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 | Caterpie |
| String Shot | Bug | Status | — | 95 | 40 | Caterpie |
| Bug Bite | Bug | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 | Caterpie |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Snore | Gen IV (tutor, as Caterpie), Gen VII (tutor, as Caterpie) |
Generation IX · Scarlet & Violet, Legends: Z-A
Metapod cannot be obtained in Scarlet and Violet or in Legends: Z-A, so it has no Generation IX learnset. Its most recent moves are the Sword and Shield and Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl lists above.
04Ash's Metapod & friends
Metapod in the anime
Debut EP003Ash Catches a Pokémon · First major role EP004Challenge of the Samurai · Ash’s loyal Metapod, its battle record, and 5 other trainers who raised one.
Metapod does not do very much – and in the anime, that is exactly what makes it a star. It was born in the series' very first evolution, when Ash's Caterpie spun itself a shell after beating Team Rocket, and within a day it had fought the most famously deadlocked battle ever shown: two Metapod, one move each, hardening at each other for hours. Then it threw itself in front of a Beedrill's stinger to save Ash, cracked open and flew away as Butterfree, giving the early series one of its most heartfelt moments.
Since then, Metapod has been quietly hanging around everywhere. Bugsy's proved a cocoon can pack a punch by knocking out Ash's Chikorita, Zander's grew to the size of a building, Red's helped bring down Brock's Onix in Pokémon Origins and Goh's fell out of a tree straight onto Ash. And from a forest in Pokémon 4Ever to Wayfarer Island and a pond in Ultimate Journeys, clusters of Metapod keep giving Ash front-row seats to the magic of evolution.
Ash's Metapod
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
- Now a Butterfree living in the wild with its mate, the Pink Butterfree, after Ash released it in Bye Bye Butterfree (EP021); the pair flew in to see Ash again in This Could be the Start of Something Big! (JN136).
- Japanese name
- サトシのトランセル
- Moves used
- Harden
- How it joined
- Caught as a Caterpie with a single Poké Ball and no battle – Ash's first wild catch – and it evolved into Metapod before the episode was out.
Personality
As a Metapod, Ash's sunny little Caterpie turned quiet and reserved – a Pokémon of very few words and even fewer movements – but its loyalty never wavered. That made Ash's mistake all the more painful: after being left behind and carried off by Beedrill, it could only fix its Trainer with a long, wounded stare. Yet it forgave him the moment he owned up, and then proved it had the heart of a hero, throwing its hard shell between Ash and a Beedrill's stinger without a second thought.
Metapod's story begins with a victory. In Ash Catches a Pokémon (EP003), Ash's newly caught Caterpie sends Team Rocket packing with String Shot and Tackle, and even Misty is won round enough to give it a pat on the head. That is when it starts spraying silk, wrapping itself up and shedding its skin like a real caterpillar – and out comes Metapod, the first evolution ever shown in the anime. Ash's Pokédex declares that no Caterpie on record has reached this stage so quickly (EP003).
Misty, who could not stand the wriggling Caterpie, finds a motionless green cocoon much easier to live with. Not that the forest gets any less scary for her: a passing Beedrill soon has her desperate to get out, a hint of the trouble to come.
The next day in Viridian Forest, a young Bug-type expert known only as Samurai challenges Ash to a battle (EP004). Samurai's Pinsir makes short work of Pidgeotto, so Ash sends in Metapod – and promptly imagines Pinsir snapping it clean in two. Instead, Metapod hardens. Pinsir clamps down with Vise Grip and comes off far worse, its pincers breaking on Metapod's rock-solid shell.
Samurai answers with a Metapod of his own, and what follows is the most gloriously pointless battle in Pokémon history. Both Metapod know nothing but Harden, so both harden – and harden, and harden – while the hours tick by and the shadows lengthen. Ash's first fair Trainer battle is still going nowhere when a swarm of Beedrill comes screaming out of the trees.
In the chaos, Samurai recalls his Pokémon and runs – but Ash forgets to recall Metapod, and a Beedrill carries it away. Sheltering in Samurai's log cabin, Ash is wracked with guilt, and Samurai rubs it in by calling him a novice. At first light, Ash sets out to bring his Pokémon home.
He finds Metapod in the heart of the Beedrill nest, surrounded by Kakuna, and gets it out after Team Rocket's motto wakes the whole hive. But Metapod is not grateful: it just stares at Ash, hurt. Ash tries to make excuses, trips and drops it, and finally breaks down and admits the truth – it was his fault, and he will never leave a Pokémon behind again.
Forgiveness comes in the bravest way possible. When a Beedrill lunges at Ash with Twineedle, Metapod leaps into its path; the stinger snaps, Metapod's shell cracks wide open – and Butterfree bursts out. Its very first Sleep Powder sends the Beedrill and Team Rocket off to sleep, and even Samurai has to admit Ash is no novice after all (EP004).
The rest of the journey belongs to Butterfree. It became one of Ash's first dependable team-mates, was briefly traded for a Gentleman's Raticate aboard the St. Anne before the swap was undone (EP015), and in Bye Bye Butterfree (EP021) Ash tearfully let it fly away with the Pink Butterfree it had fallen for. More than two decades later, the happy couple dropped in to see Ash and Pikachu one last time (JN136).
Battle record
| Episode | Opponent | Context | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP004Challenge of the Samurai | Samuraivs Pinsir, then Metapod | Trainer battle in Viridian ForestHarden makes Pinsir's Vise Grip backfire; the Harden-versus-Harden stand-off with Samurai's Metapod lasts for hours until a Beedrill swarm breaks it up with no winner. | Interrupted |
Why didn’t it evolve?
Ash's Metapod barely had time to settle into its shell. It evolved from Caterpie at the end of the very episode it was caught, and a day later – after one marathon Harden stand-off and a night in a Beedrill nest – it evolved again, cracking open as Butterfree the instant it shielded Ash from a Beedrill's stinger. That made Ash's Caterpie line his fastest evolver ever: fully evolved just two episodes after its debut.
Key episodes
Ash’s Metapod trivia
- Ash's Metapod was the first Pokémon ever to appear in the anime as the result of an evolution – its Caterpie-to-Metapod moment in EP003 was the first evolution the series ever showed.
- Its Pokédex entry made it a record-breaker: Dexter noted that no Caterpie on record had reached the Metapod stage faster.
- Harden is the only move it ever used as a Metapod, even though it should still have remembered the Tackle it used as a Caterpie the day before.
- Its Harden-versus-Harden duel with Samurai's Metapod was Ash's first fair Trainer battle – and it ended with no winner at all.
- When it evolved into Butterfree, its shell visibly cracked open – an insect-style hatching that later anime evolutions swapped for the familiar glow.
- When Ash first sends Metapod against Pinsir, he pictures his poor cocoon being snipped in half – one of the darkest gags of the early series.
- In Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, its Metapod stage plays out differently: it evolves during a battle with a Pinsir, then wraps up a mob of angry Primeape with String Shot before becoming Butterfree.
Other trainers’ Metapod
First seen: EP004Challenge of the Samurai
Samurai, the armour-clad Bug-type Trainer of Viridian Forest who is eager to take on any Trainer from Pallet Town, keeps a Metapod alongside his Pinsir – and it is just as one-dimensional as Ash's. When Ash's Metapod shrugs off Pinsir, Samurai sends it in, and the two cocoons spend hours hardening at each other in the most famous stalemate in anime history, until a swarm of Beedrill ends it (EP004). It had fared worse in an earlier battle, seen in flashback, when it lost to Gary's Squirtle. After the Beedrill adventure, Samurai and Ash part with new-found respect, promising to finish their battle another day.
- EP004Challenge of the Samurai · vs Ash's Metapod Interrupted
First seen: EP144Gettin' The Bugs Out
Bugsy's Metapod proves that a cocoon can hit back. Sent out second in Ash's Hive Badge battle, it shrugs off Chikorita's Vine Whip and Razor Leaf with Harden, then leaps onto Chikorita with a Tackle that knocks it out. Against Pikachu it uses falling leaves to vanish into the forest battlefield, but Pikachu listens for it, dodges with Agility, clings to its back and finishes it with a point-blank Thunderbolt (EP144). Bugsy thanks his Metapod warmly as he recalls it – and his Gym is home to a whole crowd of wild Metapod besides.
- EP144Gettin' The Bugs Out · vs Chikorita Won
- EP144Gettin' The Bugs Out · vs Pikachu Lost
First seen: JN006Working My Way Back to Mew!
Goh's Metapod quite literally dropped into his lap – or rather Ash's. On the day Goh set out to catch every Bug-type native to Kanto, he and Ash kicked a tree in Vermilion Forest, Scorbunny and Pikachu joined in, and a Metapod tumbled out of the branches on top of Ash. One Poké Ball later it was Goh's, the second Bug-type of his day-long catching spree, right after Caterpie (JN006). It has turned up again since, including in Not Too Close for Comfort! (JN062).
First seen: PO01File 1: Red
Evolved: PO01File 1: Red
Red catches a Caterpie early in his journey, and by the time he reaches the Pewter Gym it has become a Metapod. With three of his Pokémon already flattened by Brock's Onix, Red sends it in: Metapod ties the giant up with String Shot, but Onix snaps free and knocks it out with Tackle before a second String Shot can land. Its effort was not wasted, though – one strand of silk was still clinging to Onix, slowing it down for the split second Charmander needed to win Red his first Badge.
- PO01File 1: Red · vs Onix Lost
First seen: AG142Caterpie's Big Dilemma
Evolved: AG142Caterpie's Big Dilemma
Zander's Caterpie has a Metapod stage unlike any other. After gobbling one of inventor Dr. Gordon's experimental Mystery Candies during a Team Rocket raid, it grows to colossal size, smashes through the lab ceiling and climbs a towering mast in the middle of town – which buckles under its weight. Perched on the wreckage, it evolves into a building-sized Metapod, and when Team Rocket flee with Dr. Gordon it bursts out as a giant Butterfree that Zander and Ash ride to the rescue, catching Dr. Gordon in mid-air (AG142). Once Team Rocket have been sent splashing into a lake, Butterfree shrinks back to normal size.
Featured episodes
- EP144Gettin' The Bugs OutThe forest-like Azalea Gym is crawling with Bug Pokémon: Misty flees a dangling Caterpie straight into a crowd of Metapod, and later the Gym's Bugs wrap Team Rocket up in silk.
- BW130Butterfree and Me!On Wayfarer Island, Ash and Iris watch a patch of Metapod evolve together and migrate, and Ash befriends the Caterpie left behind. It evolves into Metapod after facing down an Ursaring, puts up with Ash's special training without evolving, gets snatched by Team Rocket, and finally wriggles free and evolves into Butterfree in mid-air to catch the falling Ash with Confusion.
- JN135Heroes Unite!As Ash and Goh squabble beside a forest pond, a group of Metapod on a nearby tree evolve into Butterfree right in front of them.
More appearances
- EP097Tracey Gets Bugged A Metapod is part of the Bug-type population of Murcott Island.
- EP121Illusion Confusion! A Metapod is among the illusions conjured up by a gang of Haunter and Gengar.
- AG015Gonna Rule the School! The Pokémon Trainer's School lends a Metapod to a pupil too young to have a Pokémon of their own.
- SM008Lillie's Egg-xhilarating Challenge! A Metapod plays in the garden of Lillie's mansion, and is back again in The Ol' Raise and Switch! (SM030).
- SM086I Choose Paradise! A Trainer's Metapod is among the guests at the Pokémon Paradise Resort on Akala Island.
- SM090Securing the Future! Two Trainers' Metapod help shine light on Necrozma so it can return to its true form.
- SM131The Battlefield of Truth and Love! A Metapod watches Bewear and Stufful perform at their hot spring.
- JN062Not Too Close for Comfort! Goh's Metapod makes a return, and a video shows another Metapod evolving into Butterfree.
Beyond the main series
Anime gallery
Anime trivia
- Metapod was born in the anime's very first evolution: Ash's Caterpie became one at the end of Ash Catches a Pokémon (EP003).
- The two-Metapod Harden stand-off in Challenge of the Samurai (EP004) is the scene fans picture whenever they joke that 'Metapod used Harden'.
- Metapod's evolution into Butterfree in Pokémon 4Ever (M04) was the first time a Pokémon evolved in a Pokémon film.
- Bugsy's Metapod proved a cocoon can attack: it knocked out Ash's Chikorita with a leaping Tackle before falling to Pikachu (EP144).
- In Butterfree and Me! (BW130) Ash says he has never seen so many Metapod evolving at once – forgetting the mass evolution he watched with Sam in Pokémon 4Ever.
- The first two episodes in which a Pokémon evolves twice – Caterpie's Big Dilemma (AG142) and Butterfree and Me! (BW130) – both pass through a Metapod on the way.
- Metapod has starred in Who's That Pokémon? twice: in Challenge of the Samurai (EP004) and in the Japanese version of Gettin' The Bugs Out (EP144), where English viewers got Elekid instead.
- In Pokémon Origins, Red's Metapod lost to Brock's Onix, but a single leftover strand of its String Shot slowed Onix just enough for Charmander to win.
“Metapod, Caterpie's next stage. It has encased its body in a hard shell. This specimen reached this stage faster than any previously discovered Pokémon of this variety.”
Ash's Pokédex (Dexter) · EP003
05On the big screen
Metapod in the movies
2 films and 2 specials featuring Metapod.
Metapod's film career is short but sweet. A wild one made a cameo in the 1999 Pikachu short Pikachu's Rescue Adventure, and in Celebi: Voice of the Forest (2001) a whole group of Metapod evolve into Butterfree before Ash and Sam's eyes, the first evolution ever shown in a Pokémon film. Its biggest role came in I Choose You! (2017), where Ash's Metapod ties up a pack of angry Primeape with String Shot and evolves mid-battle, a very different scene from the Beedrill swarm of the TV series. Otherwise it's a face in the crowd, in Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice's all-species opening and in Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, and Japanese viewers saw Ash's Metapod again in two clip shows: the 1997 Fall Special and a rental VHS from 2000.
Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi – Voice of the Forest
M04 · 2001
A group of wild Metapod
Metapod's loveliest film moment arrives in the forest. Following Pikachu and Celebi, Ash and Sam climb a tree and look on as a group of Metapod evolve into Butterfree and flutter away in a dazzling burst of colour. It's the first time a Pokémon evolves in any Pokémon film.
Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!
M20 · 2017
Ash's Metapod (evolved from his Caterpie)
The retelling of Ash's first journey gives his Metapod a whole new story. Caterpie evolves while Ash is battling a wild Pinsir with it, and it changes the ordinary way, with none of the TV series' caterpillar-style cocoon metamorphosis. Metapod's big scene comes when the group is surrounded by a pack of angry Primeape: sent out to hold them off, it ties them up with String Shot, evolves into Butterfree in the thick of the fight and sends them all to sleep with Sleep Powder. On TV it took a Beedrill swarm.
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 Metapod back to the screen, along with his Caterpie and Butterfree. - The Journey to be a Pokémon Master Begins!! (2000)
The first of three rental-only VHS clip shows recapping Ash's early adventures in Japan covers everything from Pokémon – I Choose You! (EP001) to Primeape Goes Bananas (EP025), so Ash's Metapod gets another moment in the spotlight, along with his Caterpie and Butterfree.
06Trading Card Game · every card
Metapod in the Pokémon TCG
25 cards since 1999, oldest first. Tap any card to see it full size.
Metapod has been sitting tight in the card game since day one. It was in Japan's very first Expansion Pack in October 1996 and reached English players in Base Set in January 1999: a 70 HP Stage 1 cocoon whose Stiffen attack could shrug off a whole turn of damage on a lucky flip. Since then it has turned up in nearly every era, from Neo Discovery and the e-Reader cards of Expedition to Flashfire, Sun & Moon, Fusion Strike, 151 and Journey Together. It has never had an ex or V card, and it has never needed one. Its designers have leaned into the shell instead, with Harden, Iron Defense, Defensive Posture, Exoskeleton and Energy Protection all keeping it safe. Others help it break out: Hatch, Emerge and Adaptive Evolution rush it on to Butterfree. Journey Together finally gave fans the card they always joked about, a Metapod whose only attack is Harden.
The art has changed shape far more than Metapod itself. Ken Sugimori's original portrait was reprinted in Base Set 2, Legendary Collection and the 2016 Evolutions remake, and he drew a fresh Metapod for Great Encounters in 2008. Japan added Aya Kusube's glossy vending-machine card, whose Green Shield returned on Tomokazu Komiya's HeartGold & SoulSilver card. In between came Sumiyoshi Kizuki, Yuichi Sawayama and Atsuko Nishida, and the modern era has brought kawayoo, Yuka Morii, Suwama Chiaki, Shigenori Negishi, Shibuzoh., Asako Ito, Saya Tsuruta, Tika Matsuno and OKUBO. The cocoon has toughened up too, from 60 HP in Expedition to 90 HP in Hidden Fates, 151 and Journey Together. TCG Pocket has given the Yuka Morii and Asako Ito artworks a second life and added a Shiny Metapod for collectors.
Cards to know
- Base Set 54/102 — Ken Sugimori's original 70 HP cocoon. Its Stun Spore is a move real Metapod can't learn until it becomes Butterfree, and the earliest prints read 'HP 70' instead of '70 HP'.
- Expansion Sheet 1 (Japan) — Aya Kusube's glossy vending-machine Metapod guards the whole team: its Green Shield lets your Grass Pokémon ignore Weakness. HeartGold & SoulSilver brought the idea back in 2010.
- Neo Discovery 42/75 — Hatch lets Metapod burst out of its shell on a lucky flip, wiping away every damage counter and evolving straight from your deck.
- Great Encounters 47/106 — Ken Sugimori returned for a second Metapod nine years after Base Set, with an Emerge Poké-Power that lets it evolve straight from your deck.
- Hidden Fates 2/68 — Shibuzoh.'s 90 HP Metapod: the toughest cocoon yet when it arrived, and still level with the best.
- Journey Together 002/159 — Metapod used Harden! The joke made real: Harden is its one and only attack, blocking any hit of 60 or less.
Every English-language card
Japan-exclusive cards
Pokémon TCG Pocket
Digital card games
- Pokémon Trading Card Game (Game Boy Color): Metapod (Base Set 54 art, Ken Sugimori), card B05, from the Evolution booster pack; two copies are in the Insect Collection theme deck. Sprite: TCG1 B05 Metapod.png.
- Pokémon Card GB2 (Japan only): Metapod (Base Set 54 art, Ken Sugimori), card B03, in the Legendary Power pack. Sprite: TCG2 B03 Metapod.png.
- Pokémon Card GB2 (Japan only): Metapod (Vending Expansion Sheet 1 art, Aya Kusube), card D02, Uncommon, in the Psychic Battle pack; two copies are in Midori's Insect Collection deck. Sprite: TCG2 D02 Metapod.png.
- Pokémon TCG Online: two copies of HeartGold & SoulSilver 46 are in the Basic Green theme deck (first called Blade of Grass), added after your eighth and ninth wins. No digital-exclusive Metapod cards are known for TCG Online or TCG Live.
The artists behind the cards
- Ken Sugimori — 5 cards (Base Set 54 and its reprints in Base Set 2, Legendary Collection and Evolutions, plus a new artwork for Great Encounters 47); his Base Set art is also the Metapod in both Game Boy TCG games
- kawayoo — 2 cards (Flashfire 2, reprinted in Generations)
- Yuka Morii — 1 paper card (Sun & Moon 2), whose art returned in TCG Pocket's Genetic Apex
- Asako Ito — 1 paper card (Rebel Clash 2), whose art returned in TCG Pocket's Everyday Wonders and Deluxe Pack: Mega
- Saya Tsuruta — 1 artwork (Fusion Strike 2), reprinted in Japan's Start Deck 100
- One artwork each: Aya Kusube (Vending Expansion Sheet 1), Sumiyoshi Kizuki, Yuichi Sawayama, Atsuko Nishida, Tomokazu Komiya, Suwama Chiaki, Shigenori Negishi, Shibuzoh., Tika Matsuno and OKUBO; MAHOU drew TCG Pocket's Shiny Metapod
07On the page & beyond
Metapod in manga, books & other media
From the earliest manga to story books and songs.
In print, Metapod is both the punchline and, now and then, the hero. Ash's in The Electric Tale of Pikachu can only Harden while Misty tears into him, a Viridian Forest Bug Catcher in How I Became a Pokémon Card swings his like a hammer, and in Pocket Monsters Bugsy's Harden-toughened Metapod gives Clefairy no end of trouble. Its finest hour belongs to Yellow's Kitty, which evolves into Metapod just long enough to shield her from Lance in a Pokémon Adventures chapter called, in Japan, 'VS Transel'. Japan even gave it a picture book of its own, What Is a Transel?, and Satoshi Tajiri wrote it a song verse about its hard shell and soft centre. It's in the Pokérap, Pokémon Ieru Kana?, the 2.B.A. Master track Everything Changes and the 30th-anniversary All Stars 1025, and the American newspaper strip was so fond of Ash's Metapod that it kept drawing it long after it had become a Butterfree.
Manga
Books
Other media
More from the page
08Did you know?
Metapod trivia
Name origins, design secrets and the facts that make Metapod such a fan favourite.
What’s in a name?
Metapod is a neat little package of a name: 'meta' from metamorphosis, the dramatic change it is busy preparing for, plus 'pod', the hard case that holds a plant's seeds. Its Japanese name, トランセル Toranseru (officially Transel), works the same way, blending 'transform' and 'cell' – fitting for a Pokémon rebuilding every cell in its body. There is a playful extra layer, too: Toranseru sounds just like randoseru, the stiff, box-shaped leather backpack that Japanese primary-school children carry, and a hard shell you carry around all day is not a bad description of Metapod. The English name is used unchanged in Spanish, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese.
Design origins
Metapod is a butterfly chrysalis brought to life – the pupa stage of complete metamorphosis, the resting point between caterpillar and winged adult. Its pointed outline and fresh green colour suggest one butterfly in particular: the cabbage white (Pieris rapae), whose angular green chrysalis has the same sharp points. The geometric plates on its front, the three pointed spikes on its back and the way those spikes seem to form a face from behind all echo the strange, sculpted look of real pupae. One detail has never been settled between media: Metapod has white eyes in the games, on cards and in official artwork, but the anime gives it yellow ones.
Names around the world
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | トランセル Toranseru (Transel) | From 'transform' and 'cell', with a pun on randoseru (a Japanese school backpack) |
| French | Chrysacier | From chrysalide (chrysalis) and acier (steel) |
| German | Safcon | From 'safe' and Kokon (cocoon) |
| Spanish | Metapod | Same as the English name |
| Italian | Metapod | Same as the English name |
| Korean | 단데기 Tandegi | From 단단하다 dandanhada (to be hard) and 번데기 beondegi (chrysalis) |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 铁甲蛹 / 鐵甲蛹 Tiějiǎyǒng | From 铁甲 tiějiǎ (armour) and 蛹 yǒng (chrysalis) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 鐵甲蛹 Titgaapyúng | From 鐵甲 (armour) and 蛹 (chrysalis); older Cantonese media used 鐵甲蟲 Titgaapchùhng, 'armoured bug' |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Metapod | Same as the English name |
| Russian | Метапод Metapod | Transcription of the English name |
| Hebrew | מטפוד Metapod | Transcription of the English name |
| Lithuanian | Metapodas | From the English name |
| Hindi | मेटापॉड Metapod | Transcription of the English name |
| Thai | ทรานเซล Thransel | Transcription of the Japanese name |
Did you know?
- Metapod belongs to a club of four look-alikes with Kakuna, Silcoon and Cascoon: all are Cocoon Pokémon with Shed Skin and no Hidden Ability, grow at the Medium Fast rate and give 2 Defense EVs.
- All four cocoons evolve at level 7 and evolve again at level 10 – tied for the lowest evolution levels of any Pokémon that evolves by levelling up.
- With Spewpa, the cocoons also share the shortest gap between two evolutions: just three levels.
- Metapod, Kakuna, Silcoon and Cascoon share a base stat total of 205 – the joint-lowest of any evolved Pokémon – and they all learn exactly the same moves.
- Until Pokémon Platinum, Metapod had no way to damage a Ghost-type except Struggle, since Bug Bite only joined Caterpie's moves in that game. Weedle and Kakuna had the same problem against Steel-types.
- Because Struggle can't touch Ghost-types in Generation I, it is impossible to finish Red, Green, Blue or Yellow using only Caterpie and Metapod.
- Ash's Caterpie turning into Metapod in Ash Catches a Pokémon was the first evolution in the anime – and Metapod later became the first Pokémon ever seen evolving in a film, in Pokémon 4Ever.
- In Challenge of the Samurai, Metapod's evolution looks like a real butterfly breaking out of its chrysalis. In later episodes, such as Caterpie's Big Dilemma and Butterfree and Me!, Metapod evolve with the usual glow.
- Ash's Metapod and the Samurai's Metapod could only use Harden, so their battle turned into an hours-long stand-off that only ended when a Beedrill swarm interrupted.
- Bugsy's Metapod in Gettin' The Bugs Out broke the mould by actually attacking with Tackle – though it still lost to Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
- Metapod's very first card, Base Set 54/102, could use Stun Spore – a move the Metapod of the games can't learn until it becomes Butterfree.
- In Pokémon GO, Struggle is Metapod's one and only Charged Attack.
- Pikipek are Metapod's natural predators: the Ultra Moon Pokédex says their pecking can't crack its shell, but it can knock the cocoon over.
- In New Pokémon Snap, Metapod huddle together and barely move so they don't spill their insides.
- Pokémon Sleep's research notes have spotted Metapod using Harden even while fast asleep; one of its sleep styles is called Hardened Sleep.
- Manga artist Ume Aoki draws herself as someone cosplaying Metapod when she appears in her own works.
- Metapod has white eyes in the games and cards, but yellow ones in the anime.
09Quizzes, archive & further reading
More Metapod
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 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 Metapod 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.