No. 0054 · Generation I · Duck Pokémon
コダックKodakku · Koduck: 'duck' with ko, which can mean 小 (small) or 子 (child) – in other words, a duckling
The Duck Pokémon · Water type · first seen in Pokémon Red & Green (1996)
01Overview
Meet Psyduck
Everything you need to know about the Duck Pokémon — the creature behind the number.
Meet Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon: a round, yellow Water type with a wide cream bill, stubby legs, webbed feet and three wisps of black hair sticking up from the top of its head. Its real trademark, though, is its expression – a blank, faraway stare that makes it look as if it has completely lost its train of thought. Some see a bath-time rubber duck in it; others spot a hint of platypus.
That vacant look hides a lot of pain. Psyduck lives with a constant headache that stops it from thinking clearly, so it mostly stands still and tries to will the throbbing away. When the headache becomes too much, the pressure escapes as a burst of powerful psychic energy – and Psyduck cannot remember a thing about it afterwards, which is why it always looks so puzzled. Its brain cells are said to become ten times more active mid-headache, and its outbursts give off brain waves normally seen only in sleepers.
“It is constantly wracked by a headache. When the headache turns intense, it begins using mysterious powers.”
Pokédex · Pokémon Red (Japan), Green (Japan), FireRed, X, Scarlet & Pokopia · 1996
The rest of its life is gloriously low-key. Psyduck paddles about in freshwater lakes, small ponds and tropical rivers, floating vacantly with no particular plan and drifting downstream without a care. Since using its powers only makes its head worse, it prefers to space out and do as little as possible. Even sleep brings no escape: a Psyduck dozing without clutching its head is a rare sight indeed.
Psyduck has been splashing around since Red and Green in 1996 and evolves into the sleek Golduck at level 33. Along the way a whole flock of headachy Psyduck has blocked a Sinnoh route until Cynthia handed over some medicine, it was in the running to be Pikachu's counterpart in Let's Go (until it was judged too similar in colour to Pikachu), and in 2024 it joined Pokémon UNITE's roster as a ranged Supporter.
Fans love it for its comic timing as much as its hidden power. Misty's Psyduck, caught by accident in 1997, spent years bursting out of its Poké Ball when she wanted a different Pokémon entirely, and later Psyduck stole scenes in the live-action Detective Pikachu film and the cosy Netflix series Pokémon Concierge. Game Freak's Junichi Masuda has even named it his favourite Pokémon. Not bad for a duck that cannot remember its own finest moments.
How big is Psyduck?
At 0.8 m (2′07″) Psyduck stands a little below kitchen-worktop height, and at 19.6 kg (43.2 lb) it weighs about the same as a typical 20 kg checked-luggage allowance – headache not included.
Evolution
02In the Pokédex's words
Psyduck's Pokédex entries
24 different entries across 47 games, from 1996 to 2022. Here is how the Pokédex has described Psyduck over the years, in the order the games came out.
Generation I
It is constantly wracked by a headache. When the headache turns intense, it begins using mysterious powers.
Kanto Pokédex
While lulling its enemies with its vacant look, this wily Pokémon will use psychokinetic powers.
Kanto Pokédex
Always tormented by headaches. It uses psychic powers, but it is not known if it intends to do so.
Kanto Pokédex
Appears unaware and totally vacant. However, if its chronic headache worsens, it starts exhibiting peculiar powers.
Kanto Pokédex
Generation II
It has mystical powers but doesn't recall that it has used them. That is why it always looks puzzled.
Johto Pokédex
If its chronic headache peaks, it may exhibit odd powers. It seems unable to recall such an episode.
Johto Pokédex
The only time it can use its psychic power is when its sleeping brain cells happen to wake.
Johto Pokédex
Generation III
Psyduck uses a mysterious power. When it does so, this Pokémon generates brain waves that are supposedly only seen in sleepers. This discovery spurred controversy among scholars.
Hoenn Pokédex
If it uses its mysterious power, Psyduck can't remember having done so. It apparently can't form a memory of such an event because it goes into an altered state that is much like deep sleep.
Hoenn Pokédex
When its headache intensifies, it starts using strange powers. However, it has no recollection of its powers, so it always looks befuddled and bewildered.
Hoenn Pokédex
Psyduck is a laid-back Pokémon that likes to vacantly float on water.
Capture Styler (Pokémon Ranger series)
Generation IV
If its usual headache worsens, it starts exhibiting odd powers. It can't remember doing so, however.
Sinnoh Pokédex
It never remembers using its odd powers, so it always tilts its head in puzzlement.
Sinnoh Pokédex
Overwhelmed by enigmatic abilities, it suffers a constant headache. It sometimes uses mysterious powers.
Sinnoh Pokédex
Generation V
When headaches stimulate its brain cells, which are usually inactive, it can use a mysterious power.
Unova Pokédex
Generation VII
As a result of headaches so fierce they cause it to cry, it sometimes uses psychokinesis without meaning to.
Rotom Pokédex
This Pokémon is troubled by constant headaches. The more pain it's in, the more powerful its psychokinesis becomes.
Rotom Pokédex
Using psychokinesis gives it a headache, so it normally passes the time spacing out and doing as little as possible.
Rotom Pokédex
It has been found that its brain cells are 10 times more active when Psyduck is experiencing a headache.
Rotom Pokédex
Always tormented by headaches. It uses psychic powers, but whether it intends to do so is not known.
Let's Go Pokédex
Generation VIII
Psyduck is constantly beset by headaches. If the Pokémon lets its strange power erupt, apparently the pain subsides for a while.
Rotom Phone (Sword & Shield)
As Psyduck gets stressed out, its headache gets progressively worse. It uses intense psychic energy to overwhelm those around it.
Rotom Phone (Sword & Shield)
Psyduck often looks spaced out because it's constantly dealing with headaches. Sometimes it gets swept away by the river, but Psyduck doesn't seem to mind.
Photodex (New Pokémon Snap)
Suffers perpetual headaches. If the agony grows too great, Psyduck's latent power erupts, contrary to Psyduck's intent. Ergo, I am exploring ways to ease the pain.
Hisui Pokédex
03Stats, moves & where to find it
Psyduck in the video games
Base stat total 320 · 24 core-series games · 33 spin-offs · every move it learns, generation by generation.
Base stats
Base stats of 50/52/48/65/50/55 add up to 320. In Generation I Psyduck had a single Special stat of 50; when Gold and Silver split Special in two, its Sp. Atk rose to 65 while its Sp. Def stayed at 50 – a small boost for its psychic side. Base friendship was 70 in Generations II–VII and has been 50 since Generation VIII; its base experience yield was 80 in Generations I–IV and is 64 today. It grows at the Medium Fast rate, reaching level 100 at 1,000,000 Exp.
Abilities
- Dampsince Gen III
Stops every Pokémon on the field from using self-destructing moves such as Self-Destruct and Explosion. - Cloud Ninesince Gen III
Cancels out the effects of the weather while Psyduck is on the field. - Swift SwimHidden abilitysince Gen V
Doubles Psyduck's Speed while it is raining.
Type matchups
How hard each attacking type hits a Water Pokémon.
Its Steel resistance applies from Generation II, when the Steel type was introduced; in Generation I it resisted only Fire, Water and Ice. Its Abilities do not change any matchups.
Training & breeding
- Catch rate
- 190
- Base friendship
- 50
- Base experience
- 64
- Growth rate
- Medium Fast
- EV yield
- 1 Sp. Atk
- Egg groups
- Water 1, Field
- Egg cycles
- 20
- Colour
- Yellow
- Gender ratio
- 50% male
- Body shape
- bipedal, tailed
Where to find Psyduck
| Game | Year | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Red & Green | 1996 | Wild on Routes 24 and 25, around Cerulean City, in the Seafoam Islands and in the Safari Zone |
| Blue (Japan) | 1996 | Same spots as Red & Green: Routes 24 and 25, Cerulean City, the Seafoam Islands and the Safari Zone |
| Red & Blue | 1998 | Routes 24 and 25, Cerulean City, the Seafoam Islands and the Safari ZoneWith the Super Rod you can even fish one out of the pool inside Cerulean Gym. |
| Yellow | 1998 | Surfing on Route 6 |
| Gold & Silver | 1999 | Surfing on Routes 6 and 35 and in Ilex ForestEvent Psyduck knowing Petal Dance or Tri Attack were handed out in 2002 (Pokémon Center Mystery Egg in Japan, Gotta Catch 'Em All Station! in the US). |
| Crystal | 2000 | Surfing on Routes 6 and 35 and in Ilex Forest; also in National Park |
| Ruby & Sapphire | 2002 | Hoenn Safari Zone |
| FireRed & LeafGreen | 2004 | FireRed: practically everywhere there is water in Kanto and the Sevii Islands, by Surfing or with the Super Rod; LeafGreen: trade onlyA Lv. 27 Psyduck was given out at the US Pokémon Trade and Battle Day in September 2004. |
| Emerald | 2004 | Hoenn Safari Zone |
| Diamond & Pearl | 2006 | Surfing on many Sinnoh routes and lakes (Routes 203–205, 209, 212 and 214, Twinleaf Town, Eterna City, Lake Verity, Celestic Town); also on Routes 208 and 210, at Lakes Acuity and Valor, in the Great Marsh, Oreburgh Gate and Ravaged PathA flock of headachy Psyduck blocks the way north on Route 210 until Cynthia gives you a SecretPotion – once you hold the Veilstone and Pastoria Badges. |
| Platinum | 2008 | Much as in Diamond & Pearl, plus Route 225 and the Resort AreaThe Route 210 Psyduck roadblock is back. |
| HeartGold & SoulSilver | 2009 | Surfing on Routes 6 and 35, in Ilex Forest, the Seafoam Islands and Cerulean Cave; also in the Johto Safari Zone (Wetland area) |
| Black & White | 2010 | Not in the wild – breed a Golduck |
| Black 2 & White 2 | 2012 | Wild at Floccesy Ranch |
| X & Y | 2013 | Horde Encounters on Route 7; wild and Surfing on Route 22 |
| Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | 2014 | Hoenn Safari Zone (walking and Surfing)In 2016 Japan received 'Junichi Masuda's Psyduck', a Lv. 20 distribution named after the Game Freak veteran who calls it his favourite. |
| Sun & Moon | 2016 | Brooklet Hill, Malie Garden, Seaward Cave and Ten Carat Hill |
| Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | 2017 | Brooklet Hill, Malie Garden, Seaward Cave, Ten Carat Hill and Sandy Cave |
| Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee! | 2018 | Wild on Routes 4, 6, 17, 24 and 25 and in Cerulean CaveMisty battles with a Lv. 18 Psyduck at Cerulean Gym – and by her rematch it has evolved into Golduck. |
| Sword & Shield | 2019 | The Isle of Armor (2020): Challenge Beach and Brawlers' Cave, plus Max Raid Battles in the Soothing Wetlands, Forest of Focus, Challenge Beach and Courageous CavernCan also be traded in from Version 1.2.0 onwards. |
| Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl | 2021 | The same Sinnoh waters as Diamond & Pearl, plus the Grand Underground's Spacious Cave, Fountainspring Cave, Riverbank Cave and Still-Water CavernThe Route 210 roadblock returns; this time Cynthia's cure is called Secret Medicine. |
| Legends: Arceus | 2022 | Obsidian Fieldlands (the Heartwood), Crimson Mirelands (Golden Lowlands, Gapejaw Bog, Holm of Trials), Cobalt Coastlands (Bathers' Lagoon) and Coronet Highlands (Wayward Wood, Lonely Spring)Also turns up in massive mass outbreaks in the Mirelands and Coastlands. |
| Scarlet & Violet | 2022 | Widespread in Paldea: South Province (Areas One, Four, Five, Six), East Province (Areas Two, Three, Tagtree Thicket), West Province (Areas One–Three), North Province (Area Two), Casseroya Lake and Glaseado MountainAlso appears in 2★ Tera Raid Battles. |
| Legends: Z-A | 2025 | Unobtainable |
Sprites through the ages
Spin-offs & cameos
Super Smash Bros.
Psyduck has never stepped into the ring as a fighter, but it has two memorable Super Smash Bros. cameos. In Melee it is one of the giant floats on the Poké Floats stage: the third to drift past, right after Onix, it lends fighters its head and beak to brawl across before bobbing off the top of the screen as the action moves on to Chikorita. In Ultimate it returns as a spirit that powers up PSI attacks, and its spirit battle pits you against a Squirtle on the Saffron City stage while the screen flips back and forth now and then – a fitting touch for a Pokémon that never quite knows which way is up.
Pokémon GO
Psyduck has been waddling around Pokémon GO since launch day, 6 July 2016. It takes 50 Candy to evolve into Golduck, and as a buddy it finds Candy every 3 km. Its fast moves are Water Gun and Zen Headbutt, with Psybeam, Aqua Tail and Cross Chop as charged attacks. Shiny Psyduck debuted on 25 January 2019 at the Pokémon GO Safari Zone in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and could be found around the world that same weekend. Shadow Psyduck arrived on 5 September 2019, and Psyduck was a one-star raid boss for the first time during Sustainability Week in April 2021. Costumes followed: a festive holiday outfit debuted on 18 December 2023 in Winter Holiday Part 1, hatching from 2 km Eggs in Part 2 alongside a holiday-outfit Golduck, and Swim Ring Psyduck floated in on 9 September 2025 for the Pokémon Concierge Celebration – Shiny-capable from day one.
Catch it at the Seafoam Islands on the Red Field, Mt. Moon on the Blue Field or Cerulean City on either – and on the Blue Field, hitting the Psyduck three times triggers Map Move.
Register all 151 Pokémon in the Hall of Fame and you are rewarded with a Lv. 15 Psyduck that knows Amnesia, ready to send to your Game Boy cartridge. Misty's team includes one too.
When Ash takes on Misty, her Psyduck is one of the three Pokémon on her side of the puzzle board.
The third giant float on the Poké Floats stage: fighters scrap across its head and beak until it drifts off the top of the screen.
Anchors the Pokémon News Flash, delivering the headlines while reports come in from the scene – unless it nods off mid-broadcast. It also appears on a Nice Card.
Waiting to be caught in the Safari Zone on the Ruby Field.
The personality quiz can turn you into a Psyduck hero; wild ones wander Joyous Tower (9F–12F), and recruits settle in Turtleshell Pond.
Fiore Browser #121 floats about the Safra Sea, lends a Water-type Poké Assist – and needs more Capture Styler loops than any other Pokémon in the game, Metagross included.
Recruit one on floors B1F–B8F of Waterfall Cave.
Still splashing about in Waterfall Cave (B1F–B8F), ready to join your team.
Can be a first friend in Light Adventure Squad, with more Psyduck to meet on Light Summit (4F–13F).
Usually found playing in the Beach Zone – and its favourite attraction of all is Gyarados's Aqua Dash.
Lives in the Arbor Area, but its hopeless sense of direction sends it wandering into all sorts of places – which is why it has friends everywhere.
Found on Stage 352 in Violeta Palace; its Downpour skill deals damage that depends on how much HP the opponent has left.
Found in every area of the Waterfall Basin in the Origin Hideaway.
Found fainted in dungeons – feed it an Apple to recruit it, and listen out for its lament: 'My head is always tormented. It hurts bad!'
Solve Area 21, Stage 01 to add it to your team, complete with its Blue Force skill.
In the game since launch day, with a Shiny form since 2019, Shadow Psyduck and costumed versions in a holiday outfit and a swim ring.
A spirit that boosts PSI attacks; its spirit battle sets you against a Squirtle on Saffron City while the screen flips now and then.
Pops up in the Charizard and Bulbasaur Seas, and teams up with Starmie as the bosses of the first round of the Prelims.
Misty (Swimsuit) & Psyduck arrived on 28 August 2021 as a Water-type support pair, with Psyduck's 'Duck and Cover!' shoring up the whole team's defences.
The Switch remake lets Psyduck be your hero or your partner; wild ones are back in Joyous Tower (6F–11F).
Joined the café staff through a Psyduck Points Event, and has a second Swim Ring version that specialises in small plates.
Photodex #220 drifts along the Mightywide River – it sometimes gets swept away by the current and doesn't seem to mind one bit.
Became playable on 14 November 2024 as a ranged Supporter whose headache gauge fills during fights; its Unite Move is the gloriously named Full-Power Psy-ay-ay!
A Dozing-type skills specialist that brings in Oran Berries and ingredients such as Soothing Cacao, Fancy Apple and Bean Sausage; its four sleep styles include Headache Sleep and Tantrum Sleep.
Moves
In Red and Blue, Psyduck's moveset was a short and rather sleepy affair: Scratch from the start, a long wait until Tail Whip at level 28, then Disable, Confusion, Fury Swipes and a level-52 Hydro Pump. For a Pokémon with "psy" in its name it could not even learn Psychic. That arrived as an Egg Move in Gold and Silver, and Diamond and Pearl finally made it a TM, adding Water Gun, Water Pulse, Zen Headbutt and, rather fittingly for this befuddled duck, Amnesia to its level-up list.
Black and White brought the wonderfully odd Soak and Wonder Room, Black 2 and White 2 slipped in Aqua Tail, and later games kept speeding things up: since Sword and Shield, Water Gun arrives at level 3 and Confusion at 6. Scarlet and Violet even dropped Hydro Pump from the level-up list, leaving Wonder Room as the finale at 39, while its TM list has grown from 25 entries in Red and Blue to 55, from Liquidation to Nasty Plot. Legends: Arceus went the other way, trimming it to seven level-up moves with Bubble and Hypnosis in the mix.
Signature moves
The headache made visible. Psyduck learns this psychic jolt by levelling up in every single game, from level 36 in Red and Blue to level 6 since Sword and Shield (Legends: Arceus included).
Its other mind trick, learned at level 31 in Red and Blue. It has stayed in every level-up list since; Legends: Arceus is the only game that leaves it out.
A frantic flurry of claws that has been on the level-up list from the very start: level 43 in Red and Blue, level 9 these days.
A fitting move for such a famously muddled duck. In Red, Blue and Yellow only a gift Psyduck from Pokémon Stadium knew it; Diamond and Pearl made it a level-44 move, and it now arrives at 34.
The grand finale for decades: level 52 in Red and Blue, 36 in Sword and Shield and 43 in Legends: Arceus. Scarlet and Violet took it off the level-up list, so it now comes from TM142.
Black and White's oddball addition, a strange space that swaps every Pokémon's Defence and Special Defence for five turns. It has closed the level-up list ever since, from level 57 in Black and White to 39 in Scarlet and Violet, though Let's Go and Legends: Arceus leave it out.
Despite the name, Red and Blue would not teach it to Psyduck at all. It first came as a Gold and Silver Egg Move passed down by the Slowpoke family, became TM29 in Diamond and Pearl, and is TM120 in Scarlet and Violet.
Complete learnsets
Generation I · Red, Green, Blue & Yellow6 level-up · 25 TM/HM · 1 event
In Red and Blue Psyduck can be caught in places such as the Seafoam Islands and the Safari Zone; in Yellow it is found by Surfing on Route 6. The level-up list is the same in all four games and wonderfully lazy: after Scratch it learns nothing new until Tail Whip at level 28. Despite its name it cannot learn Psychic in these games at all. In Generations I to III a move's type decides whether it is physical or special. A gift Psyduck from Pokémon Stadium came knowing Amnesia, and the transfer moves are ones learned in Gold, Silver or Crystal that can travel back through the Time Capsule.
By level-up
| RGBY | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 28 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 31 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 36 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 43 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 52 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 120 | 80 | 5 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM01 | Mega Punch | Normal | Physical | 80 | 85 | 20 |
| TM05 | Mega Kick | Normal | Physical | 120 | 75 | 5 |
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 85 | 10 |
| TM08 | Body Slam | Normal | Physical | 85 | 100 | 15 |
| TM09 | Take Down | Normal | Physical | 90 | 85 | 20 |
| TM10 | Double-Edge | Normal | Physical | 100 | 100 | 15 |
| TM11 | BubbleBeam | Water | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| TM12 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 | 100 | 25 |
| TM13 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 95 | 100 | 10 |
| TM14 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 120 | 90 | 5 |
| TM16 | Pay Day | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 20 |
| TM17 | Submission | Fighting | Physical | 80 | 80 | 25 |
| TM18 | Counter | Fighting | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM19 | Seismic Toss | Fighting | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM20 | Rage | Normal | Physical | 20 | 100 | 20 |
| TM28 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 100 | 100 | 10 |
| TM31 | Mimic | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 10 |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM34 | Bide | Normal | Physical | — | — | 10 |
| TM39 | Swift | Normal | Physical | 60 | — | 20 |
| TM40 | Skull Bash | Normal | Physical | 100 | 100 | 15 |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM50 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| HM03 | Surf | Water | Special | 95 | 100 | 15 |
| HM04 | Strength | Normal | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
Event moves
| Move | Event |
|---|---|
| Amnesia | Amnesia Psyduck, a gift Psyduck from Pokémon Stadium (1999 in Japan, 2000 in English and European versions) |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Flash | Gen II (HM) |
| Headbutt | Gen II (TM) |
| Hypnosis | Gen II (breeding) |
| Ice Punch | Gen II (TM) |
| Light Screen | Gen II (breeding) |
| Petal Dance | Gen II (event) |
| Psybeam | Gen II (breeding) |
| Psychic | Gen II (breeding) |
| Screech | Gen II (level-up) |
| Tri Attack | Gen II (event) |
| Waterfall | Gen II (HM) |
Generation II · Gold, Silver & Crystal8 level-up · 30 TM/HM · 8 egg · 1 tutor · 2 event
Psyduck is found by Surfing on Routes 6 and 35 and in Ilex Forest. Psych Up joins the level-up list at 31, and breeding arrives: Psychic (from the Slowpoke family), Hypnosis, Psybeam, Light Screen and Ice Beam can all be inherited. Cross Chop works as an Egg Move only in Crystal, while Foresight and Future Sight need chain breeding. Crystal's move tutor teaches Ice Beam. Special Psyduck handed out in 2002 knew Petal Dance or Tri Attack. Categories still follow the move's type, and Curse is a ???-type move here.
By level-up
| GSC | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 5 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 10 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 16 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 23 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 |
| 31 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 40 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 50 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 120 | 80 | 5 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM01 | DynamicPunch | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 50 | 5 |
| TM02 | Headbutt | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 |
| TM03 | Curse | ??? | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 85 | 10 |
| TM08 | Rock Smash | Fighting | Physical | 20 | 100 | 15 |
| TM09 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Varies | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM13 | Snore | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 |
| TM14 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 120 | 70 | 5 |
| TM16 | Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM20 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM23 | Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75 | 15 |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM28 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 60 | 100 | 10 |
| TM31 | Mud-Slap | Ground | Physical | 20 | 100 | 10 |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM33 | Ice Punch | Ice | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 |
| TM34 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 |
| TM35 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM39 | Swift | Normal | Physical | 60 | — | 20 |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| HM03 | Surf | Water | Special | 95 | 100 | 15 |
| HM04 | Strength | Normal | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| HM05 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 70 | 20 |
| HM06 | Whirlpool | Water | Special | 15 | 70 | 15 |
| HM07 | Waterfall | Water | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 |
By breeding (egg moves)
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Chop | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 80 | 5 | Mankey, Primeape |
| Foresight | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 40 | Farfetch'd (chain breeding needed: the father must itself have inherited the move) |
| Future Sight | Psychic | Special | 80 | 90 | 15 | Marill, Azumarill (chain breeding needed: the father must itself have inherited the move) |
| Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 60 | 20 | Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Politoed, Stantler |
| Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 95 | 100 | 10 | Seel, Dewgong, Lapras, Remoraid, Octillery |
| Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 | Pikachu, Mareep, Flaaffy, Ampharos |
| Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 | Espeon, Girafarig, Remoraid, Octillery |
| Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | Slowpoke, Slowbro, Slowking |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 95 | 100 | 10 | Crystal |
Event moves
| Move | Event |
|---|---|
| Petal Dance | Pokémon Center Mystery Egg #2 (Japan, March–April 2002) and the Gotta Catch 'Em All Station! at the Pokémon Center New York (April–May 2002) |
| Tri Attack | Gotta Catch 'Em All Station! at the Pokémon Center New York (July–August 2002) |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Amnesia | Gen I (event) |
| Bide | Gen I (TM) |
| Body Slam | Gen I (TM) |
| BubbleBeam | Gen I (TM) |
| Counter | Gen I (TM) |
| Double-Edge | Gen I (TM) |
| Mega Kick | Gen I (TM) |
| Mega Punch | Gen I (TM) |
| Mimic | Gen I (TM) |
| Pay Day | Gen I (TM) |
| Rage | Gen I (TM) |
| Seismic Toss | Gen I (TM) |
| Skull Bash | Gen I (TM) |
| Submission | Gen I (TM) |
| Substitute | Gen I (TM) |
| Take Down | Gen I (TM) |
| Water Gun | Gen I (TM) |
Generation III · Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed & LeafGreen (plus the Pokémon XD move tutors)9 level-up · 27 TM/HM · 8 egg · 18 tutor · 1 event
Psyduck lives in the Hoenn Safari Zone in Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald and turns up in water all over Kanto and the Sevii Islands in FireRed; in LeafGreen it has to come by trade or from an event. Water Sport is a new starting move, and the level-up list is identical in all five games. The tutor games are FireRed and LeafGreen, Emerald and Pokémon XD (Psyduck has no location in Colosseum or XD, so it needs to be traded in to use XD's tutors). A PokéPark Egg handed out in Japan in 2005 hatched a Psyduck with Mud Sport. Categories still follow the move's type.
By level-up
| RSE/FRLG | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 1 | Water Sport | Water | Status | — | — | 15 |
| 5 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 10 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 55 | 20 |
| 16 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 23 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 |
| 31 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 40 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 50 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 120 | 80 | 5 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM01 | Focus Punch | Fighting | Physical | 150 | 100 | 20 |
| TM03 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| TM04 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 85 | 10 |
| TM07 | Hail | Ice | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Varies | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM13 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 95 | 100 | 10 |
| TM14 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 120 | 70 | 5 |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM23 | Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75 | 15 |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM28 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 60 | 100 | 10 |
| TM31 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | |
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM43 | Secret Power | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| HM03 | Surf | Water | Special | 95 | 100 | 15 |
| HM04 | Strength | Normal | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| HM05 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 70 | 20 |
| HM06 | Rock Smash | Fighting | Physical | 20 | 100 | 15 |
| HM07 | Waterfall | Water | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| HM08 | Dive | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 10 |
By breeding (egg moves)
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Chop | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 80 | 5 | Mankey, Primeape |
| Foresight | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 40 | Mudkip, Marshtomp, Swampert |
| Future Sight | Psychic | Special | 80 | 90 | 15 | Absol |
| Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 60 | 20 | Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Politoed, Stantler, Spinda |
| Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 | Pikachu, Mareep, Flaaffy, Ampharos |
| Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 | Espeon, Girafarig, Remoraid, Octillery, Spoink, Grumpig, Spinda, Kecleon |
| Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | Slowpoke, Slowbro, Slowking, Espeon, Spoink, Grumpig, Gorebyss |
| Refresh | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 | Corsola, Milotic |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body Slam | Normal | Physical | 85 | 100 | 15 | FRLG, Emerald, XD |
| Counter | Fighting | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | FRLG, Emerald |
| Double-Edge | Normal | Physical | 120 | 100 | 15 | FRLG, Emerald, XD |
| DynamicPunch | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 50 | 5 | Emerald |
| Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Emerald |
| Ice Punch | Ice | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 | Emerald |
| Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | Emerald, XD |
| Mega Kick | Normal | Physical | 120 | 75 | 5 | FRLG, Emerald |
| Mega Punch | Normal | Physical | 80 | 85 | 20 | FRLG, Emerald |
| Mimic | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | FRLG, Emerald, XD |
| Mud-Slap | Ground | Physical | 20 | 100 | 10 | Emerald |
| Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Emerald |
| Seismic Toss | Fighting | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | FRLG, Emerald, XD |
| Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Emerald |
| Snore | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 | Emerald |
| Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | FRLG, Emerald, XD |
| Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 | Emerald, XD |
| Swift | Normal | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | Emerald |
Event moves
| Move | Event |
|---|---|
| Mud Sport | PokéPark Egg Psyduck (Japan, March–May 2005) |
Generation IV · Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver13 level-up · 38 TM/HM · 12 egg · 12 tutor · 3 event
Psyduck splashes around many Sinnoh routes and lakes in Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, and is back on Routes 6 and 35, in Ilex Forest and in the Safari Zone in HeartGold and SoulSilver. This is the first generation where every move has its own physical, special or status category. Water Gun, Water Pulse, Zen Headbutt and Amnesia join the level-up list, and Psychic finally becomes a TM. Encore is an Egg Move and Whirlpool is HM05 only in HeartGold and SoulSilver. Tutors are in Platinum and HeartGold/SoulSilver only. Hypnosis is 70% accurate in Diamond and Pearl. In August 2007 the Japanese GTS handed out Psyduck knowing Confuse Ray, Mud Bomb and Yawn.
By level-up
| DPPt/HGSS | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Water Sport | Water | Status | — | — | 15 |
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 5 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 9 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 | 100 | 25 |
| 14 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 80 | 20 |
| 18 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 22 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| 27 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 31 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 |
| 35 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 40 | Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 |
| 44 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 48 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 120 | 80 | 5 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM01 | Focus Punch | Fighting | Physical | 150 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM03 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM04 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 | |
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 85 | 10 | |
| TM07 | Hail | Ice | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Special | — | 100 | 15 | |
| TM13 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 95 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM14 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 120 | 70 | 5 | |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 | |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM23 | Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75 | 15 | |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM28 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM31 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 | |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | ||
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM43 | Secret Power | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | |
| TM55 | Brine | Water | Special | 65 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM56 | Fling | Dark | Physical | — | 100 | 10 | |
| TM58 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM65 | Shadow Claw | Ghost | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM70 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM78 | Captivate | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM82 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM83 | Natural Gift | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 15 | |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 | |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| HM03 | Surf | Water | Special | 95 | 100 | 15 | |
| HM04 | Strength | Normal | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 | |
| HM05 | Whirlpool | Water | Special | 15 | 70 | 15 | HGSS only |
| HM06 | Rock Smash | Fighting | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 | |
| HM07 | Waterfall | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
By breeding (egg moves)
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confuse Ray | Ghost | Status | — | 100 | 10 | Vulpix, Ninetales, Lapras, Umbreon, Mantine, Stantler, Spoink, Grumpig |
| Cross Chop | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 80 | 5 | Mankey, Primeape |
| Encore | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 5 | Seel, Dewgong, Slakoth, Vigoroth, Slaking, Spheal, Sealeo, Walrein |
| Foresight | Normal | Status | — | — | 40 | Sentret, Furret, Mudkip, Marshtomp, Swampert, Skitty, Buneary, Lopunny and 1 more |
| Future Sight | Psychic | Special | 80 | 90 | 15 | Espeon, Absol |
| Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 60 | 20 | Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Politoed, Stantler, Spinda, Glameow, Purugly |
| Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 | Pikachu, Mareep, Flaaffy, Ampharos |
| Mud Bomb | Ground | Special | 65 | 85 | 10 | Ekans, Arbok, Diglett, Dugtrio, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Wooper, Quagsire and 7 more |
| Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 | Espeon, Girafarig, Spoink, Grumpig, Spinda, Kecleon |
| Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | Slowpoke, Slowbro, Espeon, Slowking, Girafarig, Spoink, Grumpig, Gorebyss |
| Refresh | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 | Corsola, Milotic |
| Yawn | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Slowpoke, Slowbro, Slowking, Wooper, Quagsire, Kingdra, Slakoth, Slaking and 5 more |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 90 | 90 | 10 | Pt, HGSS |
| Dive | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 | Pt, HGSS |
| Headbutt | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 | HGSS |
| Ice Punch | Ice | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 | Pt, HGSS |
| Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | Pt, HGSS |
| Mud-Slap | Ground | Special | 20 | 100 | 10 | Pt, HGSS |
| Role Play | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | HGSS |
| Signal Beam | Bug | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 | Pt, HGSS |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 40 | 100 | 15 | Pt, HGSS |
| Swift | Normal | Special | 60 | — | 20 | Pt, HGSS |
| Worry Seed | Grass | Status | — | 100 | 10 | HGSS |
| Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 | Pt, HGSS |
Event moves
| Move | Event |
|---|---|
| Confuse Ray | GTS Psyduck (Japanese GTS, August 2007) |
| Mud Bomb | GTS Psyduck (Japanese GTS, August 2007) |
| Yawn | GTS Psyduck (Japanese GTS, August 2007) |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Body Slam | Gen III (tutor) |
| Counter | Gen III (tutor) |
| Double-Edge | Gen III (tutor) |
| DynamicPunch | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mega Kick | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mega Punch | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mimic | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mud Sport | Gen III (event) |
| Seismic Toss | Gen III (tutor) |
Generation V · Black, White, Black 2 & White 216 level-up · 35 TM/HM · 13 egg · 11 tutor · 2 event
In Black and White Psyduck can only be obtained by breeding Golduck; Black 2 and White 2 put it on Floccesy Ranch, and the Dream World's Pleasant Forest offered it with Brine or Encore. Black and White add Soak and Wonder Room, while Black 2 and White 2 reshuffle the levels and slot in Aqua Tail at 32, so there are two level columns. Move tutors exist only in Black 2 and White 2.
By level-up
| BW | B2W2 | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Water Sport | Water | Status | — | — | 15 |
| 1 | 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 5 | 4 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 9 | 8 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 | 100 | 25 |
| 14 | 11 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 18 | 15 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 22 | 18 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| 27 | 22 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 31 | 25 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 |
| 44 | 29 | Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 |
| N/A | 32 | Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 90 | 90 | 10 |
| 35 | 36 | Soak | Water | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 40 | 39 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 48 | 43 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 53 | 46 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 120 | 80 | 5 |
| 57 | 50 | Wonder Room | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM01 | Hone Claws | Dark | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM03 | Psyshock | Psychic | Special | 80 | 100 | 10 |
| TM04 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 90 | 10 |
| TM07 | Hail | Ice | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Special | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM13 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 95 | 100 | 10 |
| TM14 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 120 | 70 | 5 |
| TM16 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM19 | Telekinesis | Psychic | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM28 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM31 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | |
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM48 | Round | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 |
| TM55 | Scald | Water | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM56 | Fling | Dark | Physical | — | 100 | 10 |
| TM65 | Shadow Claw | Ghost | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 |
| TM70 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM94 | Rock Smash | Fighting | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 |
| HM03 | Surf | Water | Special | 95 | 100 | 15 |
| HM04 | Strength | Normal | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| HM05 | Waterfall | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| HM06 | Dive | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 |
By breeding (egg moves)
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confuse Ray | Ghost | Status | — | 100 | 10 | Vulpix, Ninetales, Lapras, Umbreon, Mantine, Stantler, Spoink, Grumpig and 1 more |
| Cross Chop | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 80 | 5 | Mankey, Primeape |
| Encore | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 5 | Seel, Dewgong, Slakoth, Vigoroth, Slaking, Spheal, Sealeo, Walrein and 5 more |
| Foresight | Normal | Status | — | — | 40 | Sentret, Furret, Mudkip, Marshtomp, Swampert, Skitty, Buneary, Lopunny and 1 more |
| Future Sight | Psychic | Special | 100 | 100 | 10 | Espeon, Absol, Munna, Woobat, Swoobat |
| Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 60 | 20 | Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Politoed, Stantler, Spinda, Glameow, Purugly and 4 more |
| Mud Bomb | Ground | Special | 65 | 85 | 10 | Ekans, Arbok, Diglett, Dugtrio, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Wooper, Quagsire and 8 more |
| Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 | Espeon, Girafarig, Remoraid, Octillery, Mantine, Spoink, Grumpig, Spinda and 3 more |
| Refresh | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 | Corsola, Milotic |
| Secret Power | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | Smeargle |
| Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Whismur, Loudred, Exploud |
| Synchronoise | Psychic | Special | 70 | 100 | 15 | Whismur, Loudred, Exploud, Kecleon, Munna |
| Yawn | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Slowpoke, Slowbro, Slowking, Wooper, Quagsire, Dunsparce, Kingdra, Slakoth and 8 more |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 90 | 90 | 10 | B2W2 |
| Ice Punch | Ice | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 | B2W2 |
| Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | B2W2 |
| Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75 | 15 | B2W2 |
| Role Play | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | B2W2 |
| Signal Beam | Bug | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 | B2W2 |
| Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | B2W2 |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 40 | 100 | 15 | B2W2 |
| Wonder Room | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | B2W2 |
| Worry Seed | Grass | Status | — | 100 | 10 | B2W2 |
| Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 | B2W2 |
Event moves
| Move | Event |
|---|---|
| Brine | Dream World: Pleasant Forest |
| Encore | Dream World: Pleasant Forest |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Body Slam | Gen III (tutor) |
| Captivate | Gen IV (TM) |
| Counter | Gen III (tutor) |
| Double-Edge | Gen III (tutor) |
| DynamicPunch | Gen III (tutor) |
| Endure | Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (TM) |
| Focus Punch | Gen III–IV (TM) |
| Headbutt | Gen IV (tutor) |
| Mega Kick | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mega Punch | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mimic | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mud Sport | Gen III (event) |
| Mud-Slap | Gen III–IV (tutor) |
| Natural Gift | Gen IV (TM) |
| Seismic Toss | Gen III (tutor) |
| Swift | Gen III–IV (tutor) |
| Whirlpool | Gen IV (HM) |
Generation VI · X, Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire16 level-up · 39 TM/HM · 15 egg · 12 tutor · 2 event
Psyduck appears in hordes on Route 7 and on Route 22 in X and Y, and in the Hoenn Safari Zone in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The remakes reshuffle the level-up list again (two columns: XY and ORAS). TM94 is Rock Smash in X and Y but Secret Power in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, where Rock Smash (HM06) and Dive (HM07) are HMs. Move tutors exist only in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Clear Smog and Simple Beam need chain breeding, and Secret Power can only be inherited from a parent that learned it in an earlier generation. Junichi Masuda's Psyduck, a 2016 local event in Japan, knew Psych Up and Amnesia.
By level-up
| XY | ORAS | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Water Sport | Water | Status | — | — | 15 |
| 1 | 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 4 | 4 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 8 | 8 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 | 100 | 25 |
| 15 | 11 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 22 | 15 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 18 | 18 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| 11 | 22 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 25 | 25 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 |
| 32 | 29 | Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 90 | 90 | 10 |
| 29 | 32 | Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 |
| 36 | 36 | Soak | Water | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 39 | 39 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 43 | 43 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 46 | 46 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 110 | 80 | 5 |
| 50 | 50 | Wonder Room | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM01 | Hone Claws | Dark | Status | — | — | 15 | |
| TM03 | Psyshock | Psychic | Special | 80 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM04 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 | |
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 90 | 10 | |
| TM07 | Hail | Ice | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM13 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM14 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 110 | 70 | 5 | |
| TM16 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 | |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 | |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM28 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | |
| TM31 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 | |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | ||
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | |
| TM48 | Round | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM55 | Scald | Water | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM56 | Fling | Dark | Physical | — | 100 | 10 | |
| TM65 | Shadow Claw | Ghost | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 | |
| TM70 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 | |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 90 | 15 | |
| TM88 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| TM94 | Rock Smash | Fighting | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 | XY only |
| TM94 | Secret Power | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | ORAS only |
| TM98 | Power-Up Punch | Fighting | Physical | 40 | 100 | 20 | |
| TM100 | Confide | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 | |
| HM03 | Surf | Water | Special | 90 | 100 | 15 | |
| HM04 | Strength | Normal | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 | |
| HM05 | Waterfall | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 | |
| HM06 | Rock Smash | Fighting | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 | ORAS only |
| HM07 | Dive | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 | ORAS only |
By breeding (egg moves)
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Smog | Poison | Special | 50 | — | 15 | Shellos (chain breeding needed: the father must itself have inherited the move) |
| Confuse Ray | Ghost | Status | — | 100 | 10 | Vulpix, Ninetales, Lapras, Mareep, Flaaffy, Ampharos, Umbreon, Mantine and 4 more |
| Cross Chop | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 80 | 5 | Mankey, Primeape |
| Encore | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 5 | Seel, Dewgong, Slakoth, Vigoroth, Slaking, Spheal, Sealeo, Walrein and 5 more |
| Foresight | Normal | Status | — | — | 40 | Sentret, Furret, Mudkip, Marshtomp, Swampert, Skitty, Buneary, Lopunny and 1 more |
| Future Sight | Psychic | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | Espeon, Absol, Munna, Woobat, Swoobat, Delphox |
| Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 60 | 20 | Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Politoed, Stantler, Spinda, Glameow, Purugly and 6 more |
| Mud Bomb | Ground | Special | 65 | 85 | 10 | Ekans, Arbok, Diglett, Dugtrio, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Wooper, Quagsire and 8 more |
| Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 | Espeon, Girafarig, Remoraid, Octillery, Mantine, Spoink, Grumpig, Spinda and 5 more |
| Refresh | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 | Corsola, Milotic |
| Secret Power | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise, Rattata, Raticate, Ekans, Arbok, Pikachu and 170 more (only from a parent that learned it in an earlier generation) |
| Simple Beam | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | Skitty (chain breeding needed: the father must itself have inherited the move) |
| Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Whismur, Loudred, Exploud |
| Synchronoise | Psychic | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | Whismur, Loudred, Exploud, Kecleon, Munna |
| Yawn | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Slowpoke, Slowbro, Slowking, Wooper, Quagsire, Dunsparce, Kingdra, Slakoth and 10 more |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 90 | 90 | 10 | ORAS |
| Focus Punch | Fighting | Physical | 150 | 100 | 20 | ORAS |
| Ice Punch | Ice | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 | ORAS |
| Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | ORAS |
| Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75 | 15 | ORAS |
| Role Play | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | ORAS |
| Signal Beam | Bug | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 | ORAS |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 50 | 100 | 15 | ORAS |
| Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 | ORAS |
| Wonder Room | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | ORAS |
| Worry Seed | Grass | Status | — | 100 | 10 | ORAS |
| Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 | ORAS |
Event moves
| Move | Event |
|---|---|
| Psych Up | Junichi Masuda's Psyduck (local event in Japan for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, March–October 2016) |
| Amnesia | Junichi Masuda's Psyduck (local event in Japan for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, March–October 2016) |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Body Slam | Gen III (tutor) |
| Brine | Gen IV (TM), Gen V (Dream World) |
| Captivate | Gen IV (TM) |
| Counter | Gen III (tutor) |
| Double-Edge | Gen III (tutor) |
| Dynamic Punch | Gen III (tutor) |
| Endure | Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (TM) |
| Headbutt | Gen IV (tutor) |
| Mega Kick | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mega Punch | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mimic | Gen III (tutor) |
| Mud Sport | Gen III (event) |
| Mud-Slap | Gen III–IV (tutor) |
| Natural Gift | Gen IV (TM) |
| Seismic Toss | Gen III (tutor) |
| Swift | Gen III–IV (tutor) |
| Telekinesis | Gen V (TM) |
| Whirlpool | Gen IV (HM) |
Generation VII · Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon16 level-up · 30 TM/HM · 15 egg · 13 tutor
Psyduck lives in Malie Garden, Brooklet Hill, Seaward Cave and Ten Carat Hill in Sun and Moon, with Sandy Cave added in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. One level-up list covers all four games, and the move tutors are in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon only. Clear Smog and Simple Beam need chain breeding, and Secret Power can only be inherited from a parent that learned it in an earlier generation. Parents marked 'both forms' include their Alolan form.
By level-up
| SM/USUM | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Water Sport | Water | Status | — | — | 15 |
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 4 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 7 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 | 100 | 25 |
| 10 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 13 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 16 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| 19 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 22 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 |
| 25 | Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 |
| 28 | Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 90 | 90 | 10 |
| 31 | Soak | Water | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 34 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 37 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 40 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 110 | 80 | 5 |
| 43 | Wonder Room | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM03 | Psyshock | Psychic | Special | 80 | 100 | 10 |
| TM04 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM06 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 90 | 10 |
| TM07 | Hail | Ice | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM10 | Hidden Power | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 |
| TM13 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM14 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 110 | 70 | 5 |
| TM16 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM21 | Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM27 | Return | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM31 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | |
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| TM48 | Round | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 |
| TM55 | Scald | Water | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM56 | Fling | Dark | Physical | — | 100 | 10 |
| TM65 | Shadow Claw | Ghost | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 15 |
| TM88 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM94 | Surf | Water | Special | 90 | 100 | 15 |
| TM98 | Waterfall | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM100 | Confide | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
By breeding (egg moves)
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Smog | Poison | Special | 50 | — | 15 | Horsea, Wailmer, Torkoal, Shellos (chain breeding needed: the father must itself have inherited the move) |
| Confuse Ray | Ghost | Status | — | 100 | 10 | Vulpix (both forms), Ninetales (both forms), Lapras, Mareep, Flaaffy, Ampharos, Umbreon, Mantine and 4 more |
| Cross Chop | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 80 | 5 | Mankey, Primeape, Incineroar |
| Encore | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 5 | Seel, Dewgong, Slakoth, Vigoroth, Slaking, Spheal, Sealeo, Walrein and 8 more |
| Foresight | Normal | Status | — | — | 40 | Sentret, Furret, Mudkip, Marshtomp, Swampert, Skitty, Buneary, Lopunny and 1 more |
| Future Sight | Psychic | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | Espeon, Absol, Munna, Woobat, Swoobat, Delphox, Oranguru |
| Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 60 | 20 | Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Politoed, Stantler, Spinda, Glameow, Purugly and 6 more |
| Mud Bomb | Ground | Special | 65 | 85 | 10 | Ekans, Arbok, Diglett (both forms), Dugtrio (both forms), Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Wooper, Quagsire and 8 more |
| Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 | Espeon, Girafarig, Remoraid, Octillery, Mantine, Spoink, Grumpig, Spinda and 10 more |
| Refresh | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 | Eevee, Corsola, Milotic |
| Secret Power | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise, Rattata, Raticate, Ekans, Arbok, Pikachu and 255 more (only from a parent that learned it in an earlier generation) |
| Simple Beam | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | Farfetch'd, Zigzagoon, Skitty, Spoink, Inkay (chain breeding needed: the father must itself have inherited the move) |
| Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Whismur, Loudred, Exploud |
| Synchronoise | Psychic | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | Whismur, Loudred, Exploud, Kecleon, Munna |
| Yawn | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Slowpoke, Slowbro, Slowking, Wooper, Quagsire, Dunsparce, Kingdra, Poochyena and 15 more |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 90 | 90 | 10 | USUM |
| Focus Punch | Fighting | Physical | 150 | 100 | 20 | USUM |
| Ice Punch | Ice | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 | USUM |
| Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | USUM |
| Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75 | 15 | USUM |
| Role Play | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | USUM |
| Signal Beam | Bug | Special | 75 | 100 | 15 | USUM |
| Snore | Normal | Special | 50 | 100 | 15 | USUM |
| Telekinesis | Psychic | Status | — | — | 15 | USUM |
| Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 | USUM |
| Wonder Room | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | USUM |
| Worry Seed | Grass | Status | — | 100 | 10 | USUM |
| Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 | USUM |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Bide | Gen I (TM) |
| Body Slam | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Brine | Gen IV (TM), Gen V (Dream World) |
| Bubble Beam | Gen I (TM) |
| Captivate | Gen IV (TM) |
| Counter | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Curse | Gen II (TM) |
| Dig | Gen I–VI (TM) |
| Dive | Gen III (HM), Gen IV (tutor), Gen V–VI (HM) |
| Double-Edge | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Dynamic Punch | Gen II (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Endure | Gen II (TM), Gen III (tutor), Gen IV (TM) |
| Flash | Gen II (HM), Gen IV–VI (TM) |
| Headbutt | Gen II (TM), Gen IV (tutor) |
| Hone Claws | Gen V–VI (TM) |
| Mega Kick | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Mega Punch | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Mimic | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Mud Sport | Gen III (event) |
| Mud-Slap | Gen II (TM), Gen III–IV (tutor) |
| Natural Gift | Gen IV (TM) |
| Pay Day | Gen I (TM) |
| Power-Up Punch | Gen VI (TM) |
| Rage | Gen I (TM) |
| Rock Smash | Gen II (TM), Gen V (TM), Gen VI (TM/HM) |
| Seismic Toss | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Skull Bash | Gen I (TM) |
| Strength | Gen I–II (HM), Gen V–VI (HM) |
| Submission | Gen I (TM) |
| Swift | Gen I–II (TM), Gen III–IV (tutor) |
| Take Down | Gen I (TM) |
| Whirlpool | Gen II (HM), Gen IV (HM) |
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!11 level-up · 20 TM/HM
Psyduck appears on Routes 4, 6, 17, 24 and 25 and in Cerulean Cave. Its slimmed-down list swaps in Psybeam (level 27) and Surf (level 36) as level-up moves, and its 20 TMs range from Headbutt to Pay Day. There is no breeding and there are no move tutors in these games.
By level-up
| LGPE | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 5 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 9 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 | 100 | 25 |
| 14 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 18 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 23 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 27 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| 32 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 |
| 36 | Surf | Water | Special | 90 | 100 | 15 |
| 41 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 45 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 110 | 80 | 5 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM01 | Headbutt | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 |
| TM05 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM06 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 |
| TM07 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM08 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM10 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 |
| TM12 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM13 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 |
| TM15 | Seismic Toss | Fighting | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM19 | Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75 | 15 |
| TM25 | Waterfall | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM27 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — | 90 | 10 |
| TM29 | Scald | Water | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM33 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM35 | Ice Punch | Ice | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 |
| TM40 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM47 | Surf | Water | Special | 90 | 100 | 15 |
| TM51 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 110 | 70 | 5 |
| TM55 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM57 | Pay Day | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 20 |
Generation VIII · Sword & Shield (Version 1.2.0+ / The Isle of Armor), Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl15 level-up · 74 TM/HM · 16 egg
Sword and Shield's base-game Pokédex has no Psyduck: it can be traded in from Version 1.2.0 and lives on the Isle of Armor (Challenge Beach, Brawlers' Cave and Max Raid Battles). Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have it on many Sinnoh routes and lakes and in the Grand Underground. One level-up list covers both pairs of games, with Water Gun at level 3 and Hydro Pump at 36. TMs, TRs and Egg Moves are marked by game (SwSh or BDSP); neither pair has move tutors for Psyduck. Transfer moves flagged as unusable in Sword and Shield cannot be used there, and parents marked 'both forms' include their regional form.
By level-up
| SwSh/BDSP | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 1 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 3 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 | 100 | 25 |
| 6 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 9 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 12 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| 15 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 18 | Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 |
| 21 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 |
| 24 | Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 90 | 90 | 10 |
| 27 | Soak | Water | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 30 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 34 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 36 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 110 | 80 | 5 |
| 39 | Wonder Room | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM00 | Mega Punch | Normal | Physical | 80 | 85 | 20 | SwSh |
| TM01 | Mega Kick | Normal | Physical | 120 | 75 | 5 | SwSh |
| TM02 | Pay Day | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 20 | SwSh |
| TM04 | Ice Punch | Ice | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM15 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TM16 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 | SwSh |
| TM17 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 | SwSh |
| TM21 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TM24 | Snore | Normal | Special | 50 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM25 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TM27 | Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM31 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM33 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 | SwSh |
| TM35 | Hail | Ice | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TM36 | Whirlpool | Water | Special | 35 | 85 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM39 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | SwSh |
| TM40 | Swift | Normal | Special | 60 | — | 20 | SwSh |
| TM43 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM45 | Dive | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TM55 | Brine | Water | Special | 65 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TM59 | Fling | Dark | Physical | — | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TM65 | Shadow Claw | Ghost | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM71 | Wonder Room | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TM76 | Round | Normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TR01 | Body Slam | Normal | Physical | 85 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TR03 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 110 | 80 | 5 | SwSh |
| TR04 | Surf | Water | Special | 90 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TR05 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TR06 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 110 | 70 | 5 | SwSh |
| TR11 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TR16 | Waterfall | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TR17 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 | SwSh |
| TR20 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TR25 | Psyshock | Psychic | Special | 80 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TR26 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TR27 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh |
| TR30 | Encore | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 5 | SwSh |
| TR31 | Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75 | 15 | SwSh |
| TR34 | Future Sight | Psychic | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | SwSh |
| TR49 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 | SwSh |
| TR69 | Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 | SwSh |
| TR84 | Scald | Water | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 | SwSh |
| TM01 | Focus Punch | Fighting | Physical | 150 | 100 | 20 | BDSP |
| TM03 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 | BDSP |
| TM04 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 | BDSP |
| TM07 | Hail | Ice | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM13 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM14 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 110 | 70 | 5 | BDSP |
| TM16 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 | BDSP |
| TM17 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM18 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 | BDSP |
| TM23 | Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM28 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM29 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM31 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM32 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 | BDSP |
| TM40 | Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 | — | 20 | BDSP | |
| TM42 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 | BDSP |
| TM44 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM45 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM49 | Scald | Water | Special | 80 | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM55 | Brine | Water | Special | 65 | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM56 | Fling | Dark | Physical | — | 100 | 10 | BDSP |
| TM58 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM65 | Shadow Claw | Ghost | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM70 | Flash | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 | BDSP |
| TM77 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM82 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM87 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM90 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP |
| TM95 | Surf | Water | Special | 90 | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM96 | Strength | Normal | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM98 | Rock Smash | Fighting | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
| TM99 | Waterfall | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 | BDSP |
By breeding (egg moves)
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Games | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Smog | Poison | Special | 50 | — | 15 | SwSh | Torkoal |
| Confuse Ray | Ghost | Status | — | 100 | 10 | SwSh | Vulpix (both forms), Ninetales (both forms), Lapras, Umbreon |
| Cross Chop | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 80 | 5 | SwSh | Incineroar, Obstagoon |
| Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 60 | 20 | SwSh | Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Politoed, Munna, Musharna, Inkay, Malamar |
| Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 | SwSh | Ponyta, Rapidash, Espeon, Remoraid, Octillery, Mantine, Munna, Musharna and 4 more |
| Simple Beam | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | SwSh | Woobat, Swoobat |
| Yawn | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | SwSh | Slowpoke (both forms), Slowbro (both forms), Slowking (both forms), Wooper, Quagsire, Dunsparce, Kingdra, Hippopotas and 3 more |
| Clear Smog | Poison | Special | 50 | — | 15 | BDSP | Torkoal |
| Confuse Ray | Ghost | Status | — | 100 | 10 | BDSP | Vulpix, Ninetales, Lapras, Mareep, Flaaffy, Ampharos, Umbreon, Mantine and 3 more |
| Cross Chop | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 80 | 5 | BDSP | Mankey, Primeape |
| Encore | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 5 | BDSP | Seel, Dewgong, Slakoth, Vigoroth, Slaking, Spheal, Sealeo, Walrein |
| Future Sight | Psychic | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 | BDSP | Espeon, Absol |
| Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 60 | 20 | BDSP | Stantler, Spinda, Glameow, Purugly |
| Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 | BDSP | Espeon, Girafarig, Remoraid, Octillery, Mantine, Spoink, Grumpig, Spinda and 1 more |
| Simple Beam | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 | BDSP | Smeargle |
| Yawn | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | BDSP | Slowpoke, Slowbro, Slowking, Wooper, Quagsire, Dunsparce, Kingdra, Poochyena and 11 more |
By transfer
| Move | From |
|---|---|
| Bide | Gen I (TM) |
| Bubble Beam | Gen I (TM) |
| Captivate | Gen IV (TM) |
| Confide | Gen VI–VII (TM) |
| Counter | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Curse | Gen II (TM) |
| Double-Edge | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Dynamic Punch | Gen II (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Foresight | Gen II–VII (breeding) |
| Frustration | Gen II–VII (TM) |
| Headbutt | Gen II (TM), Gen IV (tutor), Gen VII (TM) |
| Hidden Power | Gen II–VII (TM) |
| Hone Claws | Gen V–VI (TM) |
| Mimic | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor) |
| Mud Bomb | Gen IV (breeding, event), Gen V–VII (breeding) |
| Mud Sport | Gen III (event) |
| Mud-Slap | Gen II (TM), Gen III–IV (tutor) |
| Natural Gift | Gen IV (TM) |
| Power-Up Punch | Gen VI (TM) |
| Rage | Gen I (TM) |
| Refresh | Gen III–VII (breeding) |
| Return | Gen II–VII (TM) |
| Role Play | Gen IV–VII (tutor) |
| Secret Power | Gen III–IV (TM), Gen V (breeding), Gen VI (TM, breeding), Gen VII (breeding) |
| Seismic Toss | Gen I (TM), Gen III (tutor), Gen VII (TM) |
| Signal Beam | Gen IV–VII (tutor) |
| Skull Bash | Gen I (TM) |
| Submission | Gen I (TM) |
| Synchronoise | Gen V–VII (breeding) |
| Take Down | Gen I (TM) |
| Telekinesis | Gen V (TM), Gen VII (tutor) |
| Toxic | Gen I–VII (TM) |
| Water Sport | Gen III–VII (level-up) |
| Worry Seed | Gen IV–VII (tutor) |
Pokémon Legends: Arceus7 level-up · 15 tutor
Psyduck paddles around several parts of Hisui in Legends: Arceus, including The Heartwood in the Obsidian Fieldlands, the Golden Lowlands and Gapejaw Bog in the Crimson Mirelands and Bathers' Lagoon in the Cobalt Coastlands, and it joins massive mass outbreaks. Moves work differently here: each has a level at which it is learned and a higher level at which it is mastered, after which it can be used in strong or agile style. Power is listed for normal, strong and agile style, and accuracy for normal and strong style. The seven-move list starts with Bubble and brings in Hypnosis at 18, finishing with Hydro Pump at 43. There are no TMs or breeding; the move tutor teaches 15 moves, from Ice Beam and Psychic to Tri Attack.
By level-up
| Learn | Master | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. normal / strong / agile |
Acc. normal / strong |
PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Bubble | Water | Special | 40 / 50 / 30 | 100 | 25 |
| 6 | 15 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 / 60 / 40 | 100 | 20 |
| 11 | 20 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 / 75 / 45 | — | 20 |
| 18 | 28 | Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 70 / 90 | 20 |
| 25 | 35 | Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 / 100 / 60 | 90 / 100 | 10 |
| 34 | 45 | Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 85 / 105 / 65 | 90 / 100 | 10 |
| 43 | 54 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 100 / 120 / 80 | 85 / 95 | 5 |
By move tutor
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. normal / strong / agile |
Acc. normal / strong |
PP | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial Ace | Physical | 60 / 75 / 45 | — | 20 | ||
| Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 85 / 105 / 65 | 90 / 100 | 10 | |
| Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 80 / 100 / 60 | 100 | 10 | |
| Ice Punch | Ice | Physical | 75 / 90 / 60 | 100 | 10 | |
| Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 60 / 75 / 45 | 95 / 100 | 20 | |
| Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 / 120 / 80 | 75 / 90 | 5 | |
| Psychic | Psychic | Special | 80 / 100 / 60 | 100 | 10 | |
| Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 | |
| Rock Smash | Fighting | Physical | 40 / 50 / 30 | 100 | 20 | |
| Shadow Claw | Ghost | Physical | 70 / 85 / 55 | 100 | 15 | |
| Swift | Normal | Special | 60 / 75 / 45 | — | 20 | |
| Tri Attack | Normal | Special | 80 / 100 / 60 | 100 | 10 | |
| Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 / 75 / 45 | — | 20 | |
| Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 / 100 / 60 | 90 / 100 | 10 |
Generation IX · Scarlet & Violet14 level-up · 55 TM/HM · 7 egg
Psyduck is found all over Paldea, in all four provinces including Tagtree Thicket, Casseroya Lake and Glaseado Mountain, and in 2★ Tera Raid Battles. Hydro Pump is no longer learned by levelling up (it is TM142 instead), so Wonder Room closes the list at level 39. The TM list grows to 55 moves, including Liquidation, Flip Turn, Nasty Plot and Psychic Noise. Simple Beam can only be copied with a Mirror Herb. Parents marked 'both forms' include their regional form. Psyduck cannot be obtained in Legends: Z-A, so it has no Z-A moves.
By level-up
| SV | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| 1 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 30 |
| 3 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 | 100 | 25 |
| 6 | Confusion | Psychic | Special | 50 | 100 | 25 |
| 9 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80 | 15 |
| 12 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| 15 | Disable | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 18 | Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 |
| 21 | Screech | Normal | Status | — | 85 | 40 |
| 24 | Aqua Tail | Water | Physical | 90 | 90 | 10 |
| 27 | Soak | Water | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| 30 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 34 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 39 | Wonder Room | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
By TM / HM / TR
| No. | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM001 | Take Down | Normal | Physical | 90 | 85 | 20 |
| TM007 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM011 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| TM012 | Low Kick | Fighting | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM016 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| TM017 | Confuse Ray | Ghost | Status | — | 100 | 10 |
| TM018 | Thief | Dark | Physical | 60 | 100 | 25 |
| TM020 | Trailblaze | Grass | Physical | 50 | 100 | 20 |
| TM022 | Chilling Water | Water | Special | 50 | 100 | 20 |
| TM025 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| TM032 | Swift | Normal | Special | 60 | — | 20 |
| TM034 | Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 |
| TM035 | Mud Shot | Ground | Special | 55 | 95 | 15 |
| TM039 | Low Sweep | Fighting | Physical | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| TM043 | Fling | Dark | Physical | — | 100 | 10 |
| TM047 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM050 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM054 | Psyshock | Psychic | Special | 80 | 100 | 10 |
| TM055 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 | 100 | 10 |
| TM058 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 |
| TM059 | Zen Headbutt | Psychic | Physical | 80 | 90 | 15 |
| TM061 | Shadow Claw | Ghost | Physical | 70 | 100 | 15 |
| TM066 | Body Slam | Normal | Physical | 85 | 100 | 15 |
| TM069 | Ice Punch | Ice | Physical | 75 | 100 | 15 |
| TM070 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM075 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 |
| TM077 | Waterfall | Water | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| TM080 | Metronome | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM085 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | — | 5 |
| TM087 | Taunt | Dark | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| TM098 | Skill Swap | Psychic | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM103 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM110 | Liquidation | Water | Physical | 85 | 100 | 10 |
| TM120 | Psychic | Psychic | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM122 | Encore | Normal | Status | — | 100 | 5 |
| TM123 | Surf | Water | Special | 90 | 100 | 15 |
| TM128 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM129 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM130 | Helping Hand | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM135 | Ice Beam | Ice | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| TM140 | Nasty Plot | Dark | Status | — | — | 20 |
| TM142 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 110 | 80 | 5 |
| TM143 | Blizzard | Ice | Special | 110 | 70 | 5 |
| TM171 | Tera Blast | Normal | Special | 80 | 100 | 10 |
| TM174 | Haze | Ice | Status | — | — | 30 |
| TM181 | Knock Off | Dark | Physical | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| TM184 | Vacuum Wave | Fighting | Special | 40 | 100 | 30 |
| TM192 | Focus Punch | Fighting | Physical | 150 | 100 | 20 |
| TM196 | Flip Turn | Water | Physical | 60 | 100 | 20 |
| TM203 | Psych Up | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| TM204 | Double-Edge | Normal | Physical | 120 | 100 | 15 |
| TM205 | Endeavor | Normal | Physical | — | 100 | 5 |
| TM208 | Whirlpool | Water | Special | 35 | 85 | 15 |
| TM209 | Muddy Water | Water | Special | 90 | 85 | 10 |
| TM228 | Psychic Noise | Psychic | Special | 75 | 100 | 10 |
By breeding (egg moves)
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Smog | Poison | Special | 50 | — | 15 | Torkoal |
| Confuse Ray | Ghost | Status | — | 100 | 10 | Vulpix (both forms), Ninetales (both forms), Mareep, Flaaffy, Ampharos, Umbreon, Stantler, Wyrdeer and 2 more |
| Cross Chop | Fighting | Physical | 100 | 80 | 5 | Mankey, Primeape, Annihilape, Incineroar |
| Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — | 60 | 20 | Stantler, Wyrdeer |
| Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 | 100 | 20 | Espeon, Girafarig, Farigiraf, Spoink, Grumpig, Fennekin, Braixen, Delphox and 4 more |
| Simple Beam | Normal | Status | — | — | 15 | no parent passes it on directly: Psyduck must hold a Mirror Herb to copy it from another Pokémon |
| Yawn | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 | Slowpoke (both forms), Slowbro (both forms), Slowking (both forms), Wooper (both forms), Quagsire, Clodsire, Dunsparce, Dudunsparce and 15 more (Skeledirge only from Version 2.0.1) |
04On screen
Psyduck in the anime
Debut EP027Hypno's Naptime · Its appearances on screen, and 4 other trainers who raised one.
Few Pokémon have got more mileage out of a headache. Psyduck waddled into the anime in Hypno's Naptime (EP027), where it caught itself in one of Misty's Poké Balls, and for the next five years it was the comic heart of the gang: popping out uninvited, panicking in any water deeper than a puddle, then suddenly flattening Team Rocket, a Farfetch'd or even Ash's Kingler the moment someone gave its sore head one bump too many. It won Misty a festival crown, starred in a film, was mistaken for a Golduck and followed her home to the Cerulean Gym, before returning in Sun & Moon and Pokémon Ultimate Journeys with a Water Gun it had finally mastered.
Ash has never owned one, but Psyduck has rarely been far from the screen since. A pampered Psyduck ran away from a life of luxury in Sitting Psyduck (AG140), a trio guarding their Eggs blocked the road to Celestic Town in The Psyduck Stops Here! (DP087), Shane Seeker brought a Shiny one into Pokémon Journeys (JN014), and a scarf-wearing Psyduck turned Chrysa of the Cerise Laboratory into a superfan (JN057). Away from the main series, Red fishes one up in Pokémon Origins, and in Pokémon Concierge a shy Psyduck who is scared of its own psychic powers becomes the new concierge Haru's partner.
Other trainers’ Psyduck
First seen: EP027Hypno's Naptime
Now: With Misty, as part of her rotating team. It looked after the Cerulean Gym while she was away (SM043) and travelled with her again in Pokémon Ultimate Journeys
Psyduck joined Misty's team by accident. In HopHopHop Town a Hypno's psychic waves had left the local Pokémon listless, and when everyone else was cured, one Psyduck in Nurse Joy's care was still clutching its head (EP027). Brock gallantly offered to look after it, then tried to pass it to Misty because she was the Water-type expert. Misty called it boring, tripped over a rock, and a Poké Ball rolled out of her bag in front of Psyduck, which pecked the button and caught itself. When the narrator congratulated her, Misty yelled straight back at him.
It soon showed its signature habit: bursting out of its Poké Ball whenever Misty tried to call someone else. The first time was at Koga's Gym in Fuchsia City (EP032). Earlier that day Misty had tried to swap Psyduck for Brock's Vulpix, without success. Then Team Rocket attacked, Psyduck came out instead of Starmie, and its Tail Whip and Scratch made no impression on Arbok and Weezing. But once Arbok bit it on the head, the headache unleashed its psychic powers, which froze Team Rocket, sent them flying and freed the Pokémon trapped in sticky webbing. Ash's Pokédex finally listed its moves, Koga and Aya each asked to trade for it, and Misty said she wouldn't swap it for anything.
It was not always so useful. Against the biker Tyra's Cloyster its attacks kept backfiring before Team Rocket cut the battle short (EP036), and its first Water Gun was a feeble squirt that only got in the way of Squirtle's (EP040). Yet when Keith and his Farfetch'd stole Misty's bag along with all her Poké Balls, Psyduck quietly walked out of the thief's tent, led the gang and Officer Jenny back to him, and then, as Misty's only Pokémon, put up with being whacked on the head by Farfetch'd's leek until its headache sent Farfetch'd flying into Keith (EP049).
The Princess Festival brought Psyduck its first trophy. Misty fought her way through the Queen of the Princess Festival with Staryu and Pokémon borrowed from Ash and Brock, but in the final Psyduck came out instead of Staryu against Jessie's newly caught Lickitung, which had already licked Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Vulpix into submission. Lickitung's attacks gave it the headache it needed, a Confusion won the match, and Misty claimed the coveted set of Pokémon Princess dolls, which she had sent to the Cerulean Gym to make her sisters jealous (EP052). Its talents even reached the big screen: in Lights, Camera, Quack-tion (EP069) it ended up as the male lead opposite a diva Wigglytuff in Cleavon Schpielbunk's film Pokémon in Love, after everyone else dropped out, and its Confusion freed the whole cast when Team Rocket made off with them using a giant magnet.
The Orange Islands brought the series' most famous Psyduck mix-up. Psyduck slipped off Lapras while dozing near Kinnow Island, and in the middle of a three-on-three battle with the trainer Marina, Misty fished her backpack out of the sea and found a Golduck's head stuck in it (EP091). Convinced her Psyduck had finally evolved, she hugged it and battled with it. The Golduck hurled Team Rocket's submarine onto the beach with Psychic and beat Marina's Starmie with Hyper Beam. Then Misty recalled it, and Psyduck popped out of the Poké Ball: the Golduck was a wild show-off, already strutting off to impress some girls on the beach. Later in the islands Psyduck took over from Staryu against Team Rocket, and Meowth's scratching and biting gave it exactly the headache it needed to blast them away (EP110).
In Johto, Misty turned down every tempting offer at the Pokémon Swap Meet rather than trade Psyduck (EP146), and Ash borrowed it for the Fire and Rescue Grand Prix, where Staryu's Water Gun knocked it into the burning house and the delay cost the team the round (EP147). Its finest hour came at the Whirl Cup: Misty meant to send out Corsola against Ash's Kingler, Psyduck appeared, nearly drowned, and was caught in a Vise Grip that gave it a splitting headache. One Confusion later Kingler had been flung into Ash, and Misty had beaten Ash for the very first time (EP217). At the Coastline Gym, when Team Rocket's crab robot swallowed Misty, a furious Psyduck insisted on fighting, forgot why, then took Arbok's Bite and Victreebel's Razor Leaf and answered with Confusion and the only Psychic it has ever used (EP256). Dorian, who runs the Coastline Gym, reckoned Misty would have won their battle easily if she had sent Psyduck out.
Its last outing of the original journey was Can't Beat the Heat! (EP270), and from then on Psyduck lived with Misty at the Cerulean Gym. Pokémon Chronicles caught up with it there: it tumbled out of its Poké Ball with Politoed, who had been sent to calm a rampaging Gyarados, fell into the pool and was headbutted to safety by Gyarados itself (HS02), resisted Misty and Tracey's swimming lessons, fled from Kinso's Feraligatr and still helped Sakura's Espeon defeat the thieves who had stolen the Gym's Badges (HS05).
After years away, Psyduck was waiting on the battlefield when Ash brought his Alolan classmates to the Cerulean Gym (SM043). Facing Mallow's Steenee and Lana's Popplio on its own, it showed off a Water Gun it had finally mastered, got trapped in one of Popplio's balloons and landed on its head, and the bump gave it the headache it needed for Confusion. Professor Kukui called the battle off after it left both opponents hanging in mid-air. Psyduck later came to Alola with Misty, where it let itself out at Anela's stand to swallow a whole watermelon, ate the dinner Brock had cooked and polished off an entire ice-cream cone when Misty offered it a lick (SM102, SM103).
Psyduck was in the stands with Misty and Gyarados for Ash's Masters Eight showdown with Leon (JN132), and soon afterwards it was travelling with Ash again. It cheered Misty's capture of Clauncher after her battle with Ash (JN138), and Cilan, the Pokémon Connoisseur, decided that it and Misty were a perfect match precisely because they are so different (JN139). It helped the Squirtle Squad put out a raging fire (JN141), joined Staryu against Jessie's Frillish and James's Yamask until Yamask stuck its mask over Psyduck's face (JN145), and said goodbye to Pikachu when the old friends went their separate ways (JN147).
Personality
Misty's Psyduck is the anime's great lovable disaster. It wears a permanent look of mild bewilderment, can't swim a stroke (a real handicap for a Water type) and pops out of its Poké Ball whenever it likes, usually just as Misty reaches for someone else. Its powerful psychic moves only arrive when its headache gets bad enough, so opponents who bonk, bite or squeeze its head tend to regret it, and afterwards Psyduck looks as puzzled as anyone about what just happened. Misty grumbles that its dopey face gives her a headache too, but apart from one attempt to swap it for Brock's Vulpix she has never considered parting with it, and Psyduck, for its part, always seems to turn up when she needs it most.
Moves usedTail WhipScratchDisableConfusionWater GunPsychic
Key battles
- EP032The Ninja Poké-Showdown · vs Arbok and Weezing Won
- EP036The Bridge Bike Gang · vs Cloyster Interrupted
- EP049So Near, Yet So Farfetch'd · vs Farfetch'd Won
- EP052Princess vs. Princess · vs Lickitung Won
- EP069Lights, Camera, Quack-tion · vs Magnet crane Won
- EP110The Stun Spore Detour · vs Meowth Won
- EP217The Perfect Match! · vs Kingler Won
- EP256Just Add Water · vs Arbok and Victreebel Won
- HS05The Blue Badge of Courage · vs The thieves' Pokémon Won
- SM043When Regions Collide! · vs Steenee and Popplio Draw
- JN145Rocket Revengers! · vs Frillish and Yamask Unknown
First seen: PC01I'm Haru, the New Concierge!
When Haru starts work as a concierge at the Pokémon Resort, the first Pokémon she befriends is a shy Psyduck that has been in Watanabe's care for about two weeks and hides from everyone, afraid its psychic powers will cause trouble (PC01). In What's on Your Mind, Psyduck? (PC02) its powers gather up a spill of scattered Berries, and Haru, inspired by Alisa teaching her Mudkip to water flowers, helps it practise using them a little at a time until it can neatly split a Berry in half. That night on Haru's balcony Psyduck accepts her as its partner, and the two watch a shooting star together. From then on they work the Resort as a team: a startled Psyduck accidentally sends a Magikarp floating skywards, and the pair ride a Dragonite after the Wingull that snatches its pool float (PC03), then share a day of zip lines and beach games with Nao and his clingy Pikachu (PC04). In the 2025 episodes, Alisa puts its growing Confusion to work chopping firewood (PC07).
First seen: PO03File 3: Giovanni
Red reels in a Psyduck with a Super Rod in File 3: Giovanni (PO03) and catches it, adding a Water type to the team he is building across Kanto. It is never seen using a move.
First seen: JN014Raid Battle in The Ruins!
Shane Seeker has set himself the task of filling his Pokédex with nothing but Shiny Pokémon, and his Shiny Psyduck was the first Pokémon he ever caught. Ash and Pikachu find the pair trapped by Cofagrigus in Unova's Colossus Ruins (JN014), and Psyduck promptly trips onto a floor panel that sets off the chamber's puzzle. In the Raid Battle against the giant Golurk that awakens there, Psyduck is quickly knocked out, but the raid team wins and Goh catches the Golurk. Psyduck turns up again in a flashback in Battling in the Freezing Raid! (JN102).
- JN014Raid Battle in The Ruins! · vs Giant Golurk Lost
Ash & Psyduck
Ash has never caught a Psyduck, yet he spent years on the road with the most famous one of all, and his Pokédex introduced the species twice (EP027, EP032). He even borrowed Misty's Psyduck for the Fire and Rescue Grand Prix, where it was knocked into the fire and cost his team the round (EP147). His closest brush came at the Whirl Cup, when Psyduck popped out against his Kingler and a single Confusion flung Kingler into Ash himself, handing Misty her first-ever win over him (EP217).
Featured episodes
- AG140Sitting PsyduckEmily, a wealthy girl, gives her scarf-wearing Psyduck every luxury, yet it keeps running away. Brock reckons it is lonely, and after its Confusion sends Team Rocket flying, Emily realises that what it really wanted all along was to battle.
- DP010Not on MY Watch Ya Don't!Team Rocket use a Psyduck in their fake Pokétch scheme, broadcasting a hypnotic tone through the watches' speakers that draws Trainers' Pokémon straight into their clutches.
- DP087The Psyduck Stops Here!A trio of Psyduck blocks the valley road to Celestic Town, hurling the group back with Psychic and Water Gun, because they are guarding their Eggs at a nearby pond. Once the Eggs hatch, Ash's friends drive a gang of Muk away from Lake Psyduck so the Psyduck families can move back and the road is clear again.
- JN057Memories of a Warming Kindness!Years ago, a scarf-wearing Psyduck and its Trainer cheered up Cerise Laboratory researcher Chrysa after she lost her conference papers, and today her flat is crammed with Psyduck merchandise. When the pair turn up again, shortly after the Psyduck has accidentally hit a whole ramen shop with Confusion, Chrysa's emotional reunion turns out to be with the Psyduck rather than its Trainer.
More appearances
- AG015Gonna Rule the School! The Pokémon Trainers' School lends a Psyduck to pupils too young to have Pokémon of their own.
- AG105Once in a Mawile Samantha's Mawile falls in love with a Trainer's Psyduck.
- DP049Dawn's Early Night! A Coordinator's Psyduck pairs up with a Duskull for the Double Performance at the Hearthome Contest.
- XY002Lumiose City Pursuit! A Psyduck lives at Professor Sycamore's lab, and it is still there in later visits (XY010, XY040, XY137).
- XY060A Showcase Debut! A Performer's Psyduck competes in the Coumarine City Showcase and is back in four later episodes.
- SM004First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-Style! A stallholder's Psyduck hands out Berries to a flock of Pikipek.
- SM008Lillie's Egg-xhilarating Challenge! A Psyduck plays in Lillie's garden, and it is there again in The Ol' Raise and Switch! (SM030).
- SM044A Dream Encounter! A Psyduck stars in a promotional video for Aether Paradise.
- SM046Deceiving Appearances! A Ditto transforms into a Psyduck.
- SM066Smashing with Sketch! A Trainer's Psyduck competes in the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament.
- SM090Securing the Future! Psyduck, both wild and Trainer-owned, help shower Necrozma with light.
- JN008The Sinnoh Iceberg Race! A wild Psyduck retrieves Lauren's glasses.
- JN018Destination: Coronation! A Psyduck leaps out of a bush near the Cerise Laboratory and chases a group of Farfetch'd.
- JN058A Rollicking Roll… Eyes on the Goal! A Trainer's Psyduck gets stuck in a Gulpin's giant ball.
Anime gallery
Anime trivia
- The Psyduck Stops Here! (DP087) brings to the anime the Psyduck roadblock on the way to Celestic Town from Diamond, Pearl and Platinum.
- Sinnoh's Lake Psyduck, between Solaceon Town and Celestic Town, is an anime location named after the species, and the home the Psyduck families return to in The Psyduck Stops Here! (DP087).
- Shane Seeker's Shiny Psyduck (JN014) shares its Japanese voice, Rikako Aikawa, with Misty's Psyduck, and its hug with Pikachu is a nod to the film Detective Pikachu.
- Emily's Psyduck in Sitting Psyduck (AG140) has something in common with Madame Muchmoney's Snubbull: both would rather run away than live a life of luxury.
- Team Rocket's Psyduck in Not on MY Watch Ya Don't! (DP010) reuses recordings of Michael Haigney, the original English voice of Misty's Psyduck.
- A Psyduck is Haru's only known Pokémon in Pokémon Concierge, and during a Pokémon GO tie-in event from 9 to 14 September 2025, Haru and her Psyduck could photobomb players' pictures.
“Psyduck, a Water Pokémon. Uses mysterious power to perform various attacks. Psyduck constantly suffers from a headache.”
Ash's Pokédex (Dexter) · EP027
05On the big screen
Psyduck in the movies
3 films, 10 Pikachu shorts featuring Psyduck.
Psyduck has never had a Pokémon film to itself, but it has stolen plenty of scenes. Misty's Psyduck was there from the very first cinema outing: in Mewtwo Strikes Back it is snatched by Mewtwo's capture balls and copied for his clone army, and the 2019 CGI remake gives it the same fate. Its real playground, though, is the Pikachu shorts, where it is the gang's lovable liability, eating Togepi's apple, firing a cider cork into Pikachu's face, bowling everyone into a tree stump and tripping up the plan to tame a runaway lawnmower. A different Psyduck gets the last laugh over Team Rocket in Meloetta's Moonlight Serenade, blasting them off with Water Gun. Then in 2019 it became a live-action star as Lucy Stevens's headache-plagued partner in Detective Pikachu, whose bottled-up headache explodes into the psychic shockwave that sees off the Greninja hunting the heroes.
Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back
M01 · 1998
Misty's Psyduck; Mewtwo's clone Psyduck
Misty's Psyduck is with her on New Island when Mewtwo turns on his guests and unleashes his capture balls. Misty manages to hide Togepi in her backpack, but Psyduck has no such luck: it is scooped up mid-escape alongside Brock's Vulpix. Mewtwo copies it for his army, and the clone Psyduck takes part in the great brawl between the original Pokémon and their copies.
2019
Lucy Stevens's Psyduck
Psyduck's biggest film role is in live action, as the partner of Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton), a junior reporter at the CNM network who is fed up with writing fluffy lists about which Pokémon is cutest. Usually riding in Lucy's backpack, it lives with a never-ending headache that Lucy works hard to keep in check, because when the pressure builds, so does a ferocious burst of psychic power. It takes an interest in Tim as soon as he arrives in Ryme City, watching him at the police station and again at his father's apartment building, which is where Tim meets Lucy. At one point Detective Pikachu tries to calm it by yelling 'Serenity now!', a nod to a 1997 episode of Seinfeld. Psyduck's big moment comes at the ruined PCL laboratory. With Roger Clifford's genetically modified Greninja chasing the group through the ruins, its headache finally boils over, and the psychic shockwave blows the Greninja away. In the finale, Howard Clifford's R gas pours over the city's parade and fuses Lucy and Psyduck into one, along with countless other people and their partners, until Mewtwo separates everyone again. By the end Lucy has earned her break as an on-camera reporter.
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution
M22 · 2019
Misty's Psyduck; Mewtwo's clone Psyduck
The CGI remake gives Misty's Psyduck a little more screen time: unlike in the original, it is already out during the lunch scene early on, and it pops out with Togepi when Ash, Brock and Misty reach the castle's entrance hall and send out their Pokémon. Its fate is the same, but this time the capture balls catch it while it hides behind a pillar rather than on the run, and a cloned Psyduck is made from it once again.
Pikachu shorts
- PK01Pikachu's Vacation (1998) · Misty's Psyduck
Misty's Psyduck stays behind with Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Squirtle to look after a hungry Togepi, and is about as much help as you'd expect. When Bulbasaur knocks an apple down for the baby, it rolls over to Psyduck, which eats it and wanders off, setting Togepi wailing again. Later Charizard is freed from the climbing frame it is stuck in and thrashes about, and when it flies away it takes Psyduck along. Sharp-eyed viewers can spot an animation slip in the stampede into the park, too: Psyduck runs straight over Pikachu, then is standing behind it in the next frame. - PK02Christmas Night (1998) · Misty's Psyduck
Everyone gets a party hat, but Psyduck's slips right down onto its tail. It then tries to pull the cork out of a bottle of Pokémon Cider with its bill, fails, hears the fizz and shakes the bottle for more until the cork shoots out, pinballs around the room and smacks Pikachu in the face. When the lights go out and the gang patch up the Christmas tree, Psyduck helps Togepi gather the fallen ornaments. - PK03Kanga Games (1998) · Misty's Psyduck
Psyduck's snow day is one long pratfall. Peeking out of the door, it sends the whole gang tumbling, then falls flat on its face off the porch and keeps face-planting, leaving a trail of face-prints for Togepi to find. It hides behind a tree for the snowball fight and rides Onix down the hill like a sledge with Vulpix and Geodude, until a mother Kangaskhan stops them sliding into the unfrozen lake. Afterwards it dangles from her ears alongside Squirtle. - PK04Pikachu's Rescue Adventure (1999) · Misty's Psyduck
Psyduck is among the Pokémon woken when Togepi yawns and tumbles down a hill, and it joins the hunt for the baby, only to wreck it. Charging down the slope, it bowls Pikachu and the others into a hollow tree stump that drops them off the side of the mountain, and only a group of Ledyba catching them saves the day. - PK05Winter Games (1999) · Misty's Psyduck
Psyduck runs out with Togepi and Vulpix to see the Trainers off, and then turns musician. Tapping the icicles with Geodude and Poliwag, it finds that each rings out a different note, which gives Pikachu the idea for an icicle tune until Chikorita's Razor Leaf breaks it up. At the ice rink Psyduck face-slides across the ice, only for Squirtle's shell-slide to bowl it over along with Poliwag. - PK06Stantler's Little Helpers (1999) · Misty's Psyduck
Pikachu opens this Christmas short with a run of impressions, and Psyduck is one of them, alongside Meowth and Lickitung. The real Psyduck then pops out of its Poké Ball with the rest of the gang when Togepi wakes up and starts the commotion that gets the night's adventure going. - PK08Delibird's Dilemma (2000) · Misty's Psyduck
While the gang search the woods for the lost presents, Psyduck gets distracted and wanders off to join a passing parade of Gloom. For once its daydreaming helps: Bulbasaur stops the procession to ask the Gloom about the presents, and their answer leads Noctowl to spot one up a tree. - PK10Pikachu's PikaBoo (2001) · Misty's Psyduck
A big wave knocks Psyduck off its rubber ring at the beach, and in the game of hide-and-seek it struggles to find a hiding place, ending up discovered in the mansion with Granbull and Azurill. Worse is to come: when the friends lay a firewood track to steer a runaway lawnmower, Psyduck trips and never puts its piece down, so Bayleef has to Vine Whip the mower back on course. - PK11Camp Pikachu (2002) · Misty's Psyduck
Few Pokémon take as many knocks as Psyduck on this camping trip. The Pichu Brothers and Wynaut land on top of it, Corsola bowls it over and it slips while rock-climbing until Phanpy helps it up. Totodile's Water Gun shoots it up a waterfall so it can slide back down, Corsola has to rescue it when it struggles to swim, and after a turn on a water-mill wheel with Pichu it collapses with exhaustion. Next day Cyndaquil's Flamethrower lands on it, and at the railway it lands on a switch that sends the cart off in a new direction. - PK24Meloetta's Moonlight Serenade (2012) · A lakeside Psyduck
Not Misty's this time, but a Psyduck by the lake that Pikachu asks about the Melody Berries. When Oshawott holds out a purple berry, Psyduck just stares back, sweating, until Oshawott is sweating too and gives up with a sigh. Then Meowth, running off with the yellow berry, crashes straight into it, and Psyduck's Water Gun blasts Team Rocket off, with the berry landing neatly in Pikachu's grasp. Psyduck is in the audience for Meloetta's concert too, though the Camp Pokémon version cut its Water Gun moment.
06Trading Card Game · every card
Psyduck in the Pokémon TCG
48 cards since 1999, oldest first. Tap any card to see it full size.
Psyduck waddled into the TCG in Japan's Mystery of the Fossils expansion in June 1997 and reached English players in Fossil in October 1999. That first card, by Kagemaru Himeno, came with Headache, an attack that stops your opponent playing Trainer cards, and the migraine has run in the family ever since: it turns up again in EX Team Rocket Returns, Platinum, Team Up, Hidden Fates and Pokémon TCG Pocket. Psyduck has stayed a humble Basic, nearly always a Common and confused at least half the time, so its big moments come from its friends. Misty's Psyduck starred in Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge and came back 25 years later in Destined Rivals. Even Sabrina kept one. In 2019 it teamed up with Slowpoke for a 250 HP TAG TEAM. Along the way it has been a Lightning-type Delta Species and a film star in Detective Pikachu.
The art has wandered about as much as Psyduck's attention. Ken Sugimori drew the Gym-era ducks and a Japanese e-Reader sample, and the e-Card and EX years passed the brush between Keiko Fukuyama, Kouki Saitou, Miki Tanaka and Hajime Kusajima. Tomokazu Komiya gave it some of its oddest outings: a Japan-only promo co-starring Game Freak's Junichi Masuda, and a tribute to Munch's The Scream with Haunter and Gengar lurking behind. The 2019 film cards turned it into fluffy CGI, and the modern Illustration Rares by Whisker, OKACHEKE and REND give it the whole card to itself. TCG Pocket keeps the story going, bringing back Shibuzoh.'s, nagimiso's, Kouki Saitou's and OKACHEKE's art and adding a Shiny Psyduck by Scav.
Cards to know
- Fossil 53/62 — Where the headache began. Kagemaru Himeno's first Psyduck brought Headache, the Trainer-blocking attack that has been handed down Psyduck cards for more than 25 years, all the way to TCG Pocket.
- Wizards Black Star Promo 20 — The '? Psyduck': Himeno again, with art so quizzical that fans nicknamed the card after a question mark. In Japan it was a bonus card with the manga How I Became a Pokémon Card.
- Gym Challenge 90/132 (Misty's Psyduck) — Ken Sugimori's take on Misty's duck. Its ESP attack is a three-coin gamble that can end with Psyduck copying the opponent's own attack, just like the anime duck's unpredictable psychic outbursts.
- XY-P promo (Japan) — A Psyduck card co-starring Game Freak's Junichi Masuda, handed out at his 2016 signings with a nod to the 20th-anniversary Psyduck giveaway.
- SM-P 286 (Japan) — Psyduck stars in a homage to Edvard Munch's The Scream for a Tokyo art-museum tie-in, with Haunter and Gengar lurking in the background. The attack is called The Scream, naturally.
- Unified Minds 218/236 (Slowpoke & Psyduck-GX) — Miki Tanaka's Special Full Art of the dopiest TAG TEAM in the game, with a Shellder chomping on Psyduck's tail as a wink to The Evolution Solution.
Every English-language card
Promo cards
Japan-exclusive cards
TAG TEAM cards featuring Psyduck
Pokémon TCG Pocket
Digital card games
- Pokémon Trading Card Game (Game Boy Color): Psyduck (Fossil 53 art, Kagemaru Himeno), card D14, Common, from the Laboratory booster pack; Imakuni?'s deck runs four copies.
- Pokémon Card GB2 (Japan only): Psyduck (Fossil 53 art, Kagemaru Himeno), card C20, Common, in the Island of Fossil pack.
- Pokémon Card GB2 (Japan only): Psyduck (Team Rocket 65 art, Mitsuhiro Arita), card H15, Common, in the Team Rocket's Ambition pack.
The artists behind the cards
- Kagemaru Himeno — 4 artworks (Fossil, the '? Psyduck' Wizards Promo 20, Secret Wonders, BREAKpoint)
- Ken Sugimori — 4 (Misty's Psyduck in Gym Challenge, Sabrina's Psyduck, EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua, Japan's e-Reader Sample Set)
- Tomokazu Komiya — 3 (Platinum, plus two Japan-only promos: the Junichi Masuda card and the Munch tribute)
- Mitsuhiro Arita — 2 (Team Rocket, reprinted in Legendary Collection; Slowpoke & Psyduck-GX)
- Kouki Saitou — 2 (EX Sandstorm, Team Up), with the Team Up art reused in TCG Pocket's Paradox Drive
- Miki Tanaka — 2 (EX Team Rocket Returns, the Slowpoke & Psyduck-GX Special Full Art)
- OKACHEKE — 2 (Evolving Skies, Misty's Psyduck Illustration Rare), with the Evolving Skies art reused for TCG Pocket's Promo-B 008
- Masakazu Fukuda — 2 (Boundaries Crossed 33 and its Japan-only Gym Challenge promo, both set in Humilau City)
- Framestore — 2 (Detective Pikachu 7/18, SM199)
- ConceptLab — 2 (Slowpoke & Psyduck-GX Full Art and Rainbow Rare)
- Shibuzoh. — 1 (Sun & Moon), reused in McDonald's Collection 2018 and TCG Pocket's Genetic Apex
- nagimiso — 1 (Hidden Fates), reused in TCG Pocket's Mega Rising
- One artwork each: Atsuko Nishida, Yuka Morii, Keiko Fukuyama, Hajime Kusajima, Naoki Saito, match, sui, GOSSAN, Taira Akitsu, Whisker, Yuu Nishida, Jiro Sasumo, REND; China-only Cona Nitanda
- TCG Pocket: one each by Scav (Shiny), USGMEN, Natsumi Yoshida and Mousho
07On the page & beyond
Psyduck in manga, books & other media
From the earliest manga to story books and songs.
Away from the screen, Psyduck's blank stare has made it a favourite of comic artists and children's authors. In Pokémon Adventures it debuts as a glowing zombie in the haunted Pokémon Tower, later jams a Sinnoh road as a whole swarm and, as Yellow, can't keep away from a miner's bulldozer, while The Electric Tale of Pikachu sweeps Misty's Psyduck away in a flood of Ash's tears. Scholastic's books lean into its comic timing: Psyduck Ducks Out is all about Misty's dopey duck, Talent Showdown has Ash shock and sing it into firing Confusion, and in Two of a Kind it is upstaged by Togepi. It even fronts its own Pokémon Tales picture book of tongue twisters. More recently Psyduck has given its name to a Japanese CD of soothing 'healing' music and starred as the very posh Chairman Psyduck in a Pokémon Kids TV song, and it has flown on Pokémon Jets in 1998 and again in 2022.
Manga
Books
Other media
More from the page
08Did you know?
Psyduck trivia
Name origins, design secrets and the facts that make Psyduck such a fan favourite.
What’s in a name?
Psyduck's English name does exactly what it says on the tin: 'psy-', from psychic, for the mental powers that erupt from its aching head, plus 'duck'. Its Japanese name, Koduck (Kodakku), pairs 'duck' with ko, which can mean 小 (small) or 子 (child) – so at heart it is simply a duckling. Other languages have their own fun with it: the French Psykokwak adds couac, a quack; German keeps things simple with Enton, from Ente (duck); and the Korean Gorapaduck combines the words for 'head' and 'hurt' with 'duck' – less a name than a diagnosis.
Design origins
Psyduck is, first and foremost, a duck – and with its sunny yellow colouring, chunky proportions and simple shape, quite possibly a rubber duck in particular. A few details point elsewhere: the missing neck, clawed hands and wisps of hair on its head are all very platypus. Together with Golduck it may also draw on the kappa, a creature from Japanese folklore that lives beside streams and plays tricks on people. Its headaches tap into a classic fantasy and science-fiction idea – psychic gifts that are as much a burden as a blessing and that their owner cannot fully control – while its golden colour may be a nod to the way gold tends to signal psychic power across the Pokémon world.
Names around the world
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | コダック Kodakku (Koduck) | From 小 ko (small) or 子 ko (child) and 'duck' |
| French | Psykokwak | From psychique (psychic) and couac (quack) |
| German | Enton | From Ente (duck) |
| Spanish | Psyduck | Same as the English name |
| Italian | Psyduck | Same as the English name |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Psyduck | Same as the English name |
| Korean | 고라파덕 Gorapaduck | From 골 gol (brain, head), 아프다 apeuda (to hurt, be sick) and 'duck' |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 可達鴨 / 可达鸭 Kědáyā | Partly a transcription of the Japanese name, plus 鴨 / 鸭 yā (duck) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 可達鴨 Hódaaht'aap | Partly a transcription of the Japanese name, plus 鴨 aap (duck); media before Generation VII used 傻鴨 Sòh'aap, 'silly duck' |
| Russian | Псайдак Psaydak | Transcription of the English name; one episode of the Russian Diamond & Pearl dub called it Психоутка Psikhoutka, from 'psycho' and утка (duck) |
| Bulgarian | ПсиПатето PsiPateto | From the English name and патенцето patentseto (duckling) |
| Greek | Σάιντακ Sáidak | Transcription of the English name |
| Lithuanian | Psyantis | From the English name and antis (duck) |
| Hebrew | פסיידק Psaydak | Transcription of the English name |
| Hindi | साइडक Psyduck | Transcription of the English name |
| Thai | โคดัก Khodak | Transcription of the Japanese name |
| Vietnamese | Koduck | Transcription of the Japanese name |
Did you know?
- Game Freak's Junichi Masuda has said Psyduck is his favourite Pokémon – and in 2016 Japan received 'Junichi Masuda's Psyduck' as an Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire distribution.
- Psyduck was considered as Pikachu's counterpart in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, but lost out to Eevee because its colouring was too close to Pikachu's.
- Until Generation V, Psyduck and Golduck were the only Pokémon that could have the Cloud Nine Ability.
- In the original Pokémon Ranger, Psyduck takes more loops of the Capture Styler to catch than any other Pokémon – even more than Metagross.
- Psyduck could inherit Psychic as an Egg Move from Generation II onwards, yet it could not learn the move from TM29 until Generation IV.
- Scarlet and Violet programmed Psyduck to inherit Simple Beam, but no Pokémon in those games could pass it on, so the move stayed out of reach until Pokémon HOME was updated. Spoink is in the same boat.
- In Diamond and Pearl, Psyduck is one of only fourteen Pokémon whose Pokédex entries in other languages could be collected.
- Its Gen I Special stat was 50; when Special was split in Generation II, Psyduck's Sp. Atk jumped to 65.
- A whole flock of Psyduck with headaches blocks Route 210 in Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl until Cynthia hands over the cure.
- The anime put its own spin on a Psyduck roadblock in 'The Psyduck Stops Here!', where the reason turns out to involve a clutch of Psyduck Eggs.
- Register all 151 Pokémon in Pokémon Stadium's Hall of Fame and your reward is a Lv. 15 Psyduck that knows Amnesia.
- In Pokémon Channel, Psyduck is the news anchor of the Pokémon News Flash – and it sometimes falls asleep on air.
- In Super Smash Bros. Melee, you can fight on top of Psyduck's head and beak as it drifts across the Poké Floats stage.
- Pokémon Sleep notes that Psyduck suffers headaches even while asleep – seeing one sleep peacefully without holding its head is very rare.
- Before Generation VII, Cantonese media called it 傻鴨 Sòh'aap – the 'silly duck'.
09Quizzes, archive & further reading
More Psyduck
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 →
Mewtwo Strikes Back: BeginnerThe film that brought Pokémon to cinemas everywhere! How well do you remember Pokémon: The First Movie?Take the quiz →
Pokémon General Knowledge: BeginnerFancy yourself a Pokémon fan? Warm up with these fun questions about the games, the anime and everything in between.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 Psyduck 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 29 October 2026.