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This article is about the type of item. For the item called Poké Ball, see Poké Ball (item).

The 27 Poké Ball variants found in the core series

Original concept

A Poké Ball (Japanese: モンスターボール Monster Ball) is a type of item that is critical to a Trainer's quest, used for catching and storing Pokémon. Both a general term used to describe the various kinds as well as a specific term to refer to the most basic among these variations, Poké Balls are ubiquitous in the modern Pokémon world. Up to six Pokémon can be carried with a Trainer in Poké Balls, while more Poké Balls can be held in the Bag for later use. These six Pokémon in the Poké Balls can be attached to the user's belt for carrying them around. Some Pokémon do not like to be carried around in Poké Balls, such as Ash's Pikachu.

The strength of a Poké Ball is determined by how much it raises a wild Pokémon's catch rate, and may in fact vary depending on the conditions of the battle. Poké Balls limit the power of Pokémon contained inside, taming them, though they do not cause the Pokémon inside to always obey the Trainer.

Stylized Poké Balls are used in many places to symbolize Pokémon in general: the logos of the Battle Frontiers, the Pokémon Contests, the Pokéathlon, and the Pokémon Musical all feature a Poké Ball in their design, while several Poké Balls can be seen in every Pokémon Center. The headgear of the protagonists of Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova-based games feature Poké Ball designs, as do the Bags of the protagonists of Johto-based games. Ethan's headgear is also similar to the top half of an Ultra Ball, and Lucas's Bag prominently features a Poké Ball.

History

Main article: History of Poké Balls

The invention of Poké Balls occurred in the Johto region, where Apricorns grow; these fruit were cut apart and carved out, then fitted with a special device, and used to catch wild Pokémon prior to the mass production of the Balls that occurs in modern times under Silph Co., the Devon Corporation, and the Kalos Poké Ball Factory. Some Trainers still use Poké Balls made from Apricorns, while Kurt, a resident of Azalea Town, still constructs them. In the games, in the Memory Link event A New Light, Drayden claims that Poké Balls did not exist during his childhood. In the anime, in A Shipful of Shivers, Poké Balls are found in the ghost ship, implying that Poké Balls were first made at least 300 years ago. According to the Encyclopedia Pokemonica and a Pokémon Daisuki Club site describing the Pokémon world, modern Poké Balls were developed in 1925 from the research of Professor Westwood of Celadon University.

According to Pocket Monsters: The Animation, Poké Balls were developed to allow for various trainers to efficiently capture and train Pokémon in relatively little risk to themselves, as the act of training a Pokémon often results in severe injuries and even death. It also claims that the Pokémon Primeape and its notoriously violent nature was directly responsible for their creation.

Prior to the invention of Poké Balls, Pokémon were referred to as magical creatures (Japanese: 魔獣 majū), indicating that the name Pokémon, short for Pocket Monster, did not come into common parlance as a term until Poké Balls allowed the various magical creatures to be stored easily.

Mechanics and design

A schematic displaying Poké Ball size, storage, and mechanics

Though the technology behind a Poké Ball remains unknown and has evolved through the centuries to accommodate the diverse requirements of their creators, the basic mechanics are simple enough to understand and tend to remain constant: in a Pokémon battle, once an opposing wild Pokémon has been weakened, the Pokémon Trainer can throw a Poké Ball at it. When a Poké Ball hits the Pokémon, as long as it is not deflected, the Poké Ball will open, convert the Pokémon to a form of energy, pull it into its center, and close. A Pokémon in this state is given a chance to struggle to attempt to break free from the ball and escape, being instantly re-converted from energy into matter. Should a Pokémon escape a Poké Ball, the device will either be destroyed (in the games and some manga) or will return to the Trainer (anime), who can attempt once again to catch the Pokémon. A Pokémon who does not escape the Ball will be caught.

Poké Balls are specifically constructed for Pokémon capture, transport, and training. As well as being physically difficult to escape from (as they seal tightly shut as soon as a Pokémon is taken into them) the environment of a Poké Ball is designed to be attractive to Pokémon also; according to Lucian of the Sinnoh Elite Four, weakened Pokémon instinctively curl up tight in an attempt to heal themselves, an action that the environment of the Poké Ball encourages. Furthermore, while it is not known how caught Pokémon perceives their time inside their Ball, the device is said to replicate a "Pokémon-friendly" environment that is "designed for comfort". All of these factors strongly discourage Pokémon from escaping their Balls. In the manga, Bugsy refers to his "capture net" as being the net that is supposedly inside a Poké Ball, but visible and already deployed. According to Kurt, this invisible net captures and physically stores a Pokémon.

Interior of a Poké Ball from the anime

Poké Balls are not always at full size. Pressing the button on the front will convert it between its full size, about the size of a baseball, to a smaller size, about that of a ping-pong ball, and back again. The larger size makes throwing the ball easier, while the smaller one makes for easier storage on a belt clip, in pockets, and in Bags.

As mentioned, the generic Poké Ball design is not constant and has been remodeled and altered innumerable times in order to create new Poké Balls that are adapted for specific conditions. For example, it is seen in several anime episodes such as Gulpin it Down! and Claydol Big and Tall that normal Poké Balls have difficulty catching Pokémon which are extremely large or extremely heavy. In the latter episode, it is revealed that ancient civilizations overcame this issue by constructing immense Poké Balls many times the size of the standard model known today, and made from stone instead. Other civilizations such as Pokémopolis also discovered new technologies that more closely resembled modern Poké Ball technology, such as the Dark Device and the Unearthly Urn, which were also adapted for the capture and storage of massive Pokémon but in small containers. However, devices like these became lost to the ages and their roles were subsequently supplanted by Heavy Balls in the modern world.

When a Pokémon is sent out from a Poké Ball, it will be accompanied by a distinctive sound effect and a bright light as it returns from its energy form and materialize nearby, often on the ground. This bright light has been shown to vary depending on the type of Ball in which the Pokémon is contained in the games, while it has always been shown to be white in the anime. Pokémon are recalled to their Poké Ball by holding up the Poké Ball with its button pointed at the Pokémon. A beam of red, white, or blue light will shoot from the button, converting the Pokémon back into energy and returning it to the Ball. The beam, however, has a limited range and can be dodged by the Pokémon. If the beam hits a person, they will be stunned for a moment, but aside from that, no ill effects will make themselves apparent.

Releasing a Pokémon from a Trainer's ownership, unlike normally sending the Pokémon out, will bathe the Pokémon in a blue glow, and the Poké Ball will no longer mark it, making it able to be caught by another Trainer's Poké Ball.

A Poké Ball can also be broken, which will release it from ownership, as seen when Jessie releases her Dustox in Crossing Paths. If a Trainer has done so accidentally, it must somehow be fixed before the Pokémon can be recalled. This was seen in Pokémon Food Fight!, where Ash becomes unable to recall Snorlax after its Poké Ball is broken. In the manga, if a Poké Ball is broken before a Pokémon is sent out, then that particular Pokémon cannot be used until their Poké Ball has been repaired. This happened several times in the Pokémon Adventures manga, such as during Red's battle against Giovanni, where the opening mechanism for the Poké Balls of Red's Venusaur and Gyarados were damaged, preventing either of them from being used in the match.

Pokémon appear to be conscious while inside Poké Balls. Several Pokémon have shown the ability to leave and return to their Poké Balls at will, most notably among them Jessie's Wobbuffet, Misty's Psyduck, Ash's Oshawott, Brock's Croagunk, and Clemont's Chespin, who tend to do so in every episode that they appear in. In Dig Those Diglett!, many Pokémon belonging to Gary Oak, as well as other Trainers, including Ash Ketchum, demonstrated the ability to prevent themselves from being sent from their Poké Balls, as they refused to fight against the Diglett, though this has not been demonstrated since. Pokémon have also shown to be able to hear orders given by their Trainer right before they are sent out.

Pokémon can even make their Poké Ball jump and roll around at high speeds, while also being able to navigate, as seen in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, when the partner Pokémon moves its Poké Ball onto an empty pedestal in Professor Oak's Laboratory after being caught in Pallet Town.

Poké Balls are able to communicate with a Trainer's Pokédex, as the system updates itself with information on newly-caught Pokémon, and keeps track of how many Pokémon the Trainer has with them. If a Trainer catches a new Pokémon with the full six already with them, the Pokédex will automatically send the newly-caught Pokémon in its Poké Ball to the Pokémon Storage System that the Trainer is using. As shown in Two Degrees of Separation, a Pokémon caught by a Poké Ball is "marked" by it, and thus most Poké Balls thrown at it will have no effect aside from temporarily stunning it. In the games, as well as in Bad to the Bone, however, the Trainer of the Pokémon will block a Poké Ball thrown by another, though it is possible that this is more out of courtesy to their Pokémon than to prevent capture outright. In Charmander – The Stray Pokémon, Ash was able to catch his Charmander in a Poké Ball despite his previous ownership by another Trainer, though it may have lost its "mark" when it abandoned its previous Trainer by refusing to return to its old Poké Ball. Earlier in the same episode, Ash failed to catch the same Charmander while it still held its loyalty, despite its weak condition.

Other wireless capabilities of Poké Balls are shown in Destiny Deoxys, as when the electricity of the city is down, Rebecca claims that the "Poké Ball Management System" was no longer working without power. There has been no mention of any such system since.

Poké Balls are able to be decorated to no ill effect, with several Poké Balls that have been painted with special colors being seen in the anime. Additionally, a Ball Capsule can be used in combination with Seals to create special effects when the Pokémon is sent out.



Poké Ball accuracy

In some scenarios, a Poké Ball can miss the wild Pokémon completely (in contrast to breaking if the Poké Ball does not successfully capture the Pokémon):

In the Generation I games, it was possible for a ball to miss the Pokémon when the likelihood of catching the Pokémon in question was particularly low—rather than the ball throwing animation playing and the ball wiggling zero times, a message would come up stating "You missed the Pokémon !".

!". In the Generation I games and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, the ghosts in Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower dodge any ball thrown at them before being unmasked by the Silph Scope. The Marowak ghost will dodge all Poké Balls even if it is unmasked.

In other scenarios, it is simply not possible to use Poké Balls in the first place:

Capture chances

Main article: Catch rate

Types of Poké Balls

In the Pokémon games so far, there have been 27 different varieties of Poké Balls, all differing from each other in some effect, whether it be an increased ability to catch a Pokémon from the wild or an effect which occurs only after the Pokémon has been caught. From Generation III onward, each variety of the Poké Ball has a unique animation when they open to draw in a Pokémon and when a Pokémon is sent out, and the type of Poké Ball used to catch the Pokémon is preserved on its status screen.

Prior to Generation VI, all hatched Pokémon are in a standard Poké Ball. In Generation VI, a bred Pokémon will be in the same Poké Ball as its mother, unless its mother was in a Cherish Ball or Master Ball, in which case the Pokémon will be in a Poké Ball; Pokémon bred from a male or genderless Pokémon and Ditto will hatch in a standard Poké Ball. In Generation VII, Pokémon bred from a male and a Ditto will inherit the father's ball as well, and if two Pokémon of the same species in different balls are bred, the resulting offspring will be in either the mother's or father's ball.

In other games

Pokémon GO

Using Poké Balls in Pokémon GO is a more detailed process than in most other games. The primary factor is the player's aim, rather than battling. The player must press their finger on the Ball, move it, and release it in order to throw the Ball. The Ball and Pokémon exist in a 3D environment, so the player may miss the Pokémon by throwing the Ball the wrong distance or too far to the side. Additionally, the wild Pokémon may attempt to dodge or attack every few seconds. When a Pokémon attacks, it temporarily becomes invulnerable to Poké Balls, and any Balls that hit it will be deflected. When a Pokémon dodges, it will move around but can still be hit by a thrown Ball.

The player's throwing technique can improve the chances of catching a Pokémon in two ways. One is aiming for the shrinking colored circle over the Pokémon. If the player's throw lands inside this circle, they will get a "Nice!", "Great!", or "Excellent!" throw bonus depending on how small the circle was. When the circle shrinks to nothing, it resets to its widest and continues to shrink again. The other factor is throwing a curveball. If the player spins the Ball while holding it, it will temporarily retain the spin and curve left or right when thrown.

Three types of Poké Balls are primarily available in Pokémon GO: regular Poké Balls, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls. They can be repeatably obtained in the game by

Spinning PokéStops or Gyms (Lv. 12+ for Great Balls and Lv. 20+ for Ultra Balls)

Opening a Gift (Lv. 12+ for Great Balls and Lv. 20+ for Ultra Balls)

Completing certain Field Research or Special Research tasks

Weekly Adventure Sync rewards

The player also receives Poké Balls upon leveling up.

Poké Balls awarded up to level 11 (including 50 Poké Balls starting at level 1)

Great Balls awarded from level 12 to level 19

Ultra Balls awarded starting level 20

Regular Poké Balls may be purchased in the Shop at the following rates:

20 for 100

100 100 for 460

460 200 for 800

All three types of balls have also been available in limited-time Box deals.

Premier Balls are also available in Pokémon GO, exclusively for catching Raid Bosses and Shadow Pokémon. These Pokémon can only be caught with Premier Balls, and if the player runs out, the Raid Boss or Shadow Pokémon will flee. The number of Premier Balls are awarded to the player after a Raid Battle or Team GO Rocket battle is based on how well they battled. Unused Premier Balls are not retained and do not roll over to future challenges. Like in the main series, Premier Balls are just as effective as regular Poké Balls.

Master Balls are also coded into Pokémon GO, but they have not yet been made available.

Description

Image English name Japanese name Description Poké Ball モンスターボール

Monster Ball A device for catching wild Pokémon. It's thrown like a ball, comfortably encapsulating its target. Great Ball スーパーボール

Super Ball A high-performance Ball with a higher catch rate than a standard Poké Ball. Ultra Ball ハイパーボール

Hyper Ball An ultra-performance Ball with a higher catch rate than a Great Ball. Premier Ball プレミアボール

Premier Ball N/A (Used to capture the Raid Boss after winning a Raid Battle or a Shadow Pokémon left by Team GO Rocket) Master Ball マスターボール

Master Ball The best Poké Ball with the ultimate level of performance. With it, you will catch any wild Pokémon without fail.

In the Pokémon Pinball series

In Pokémon Pinball and Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, the Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Master Ball are available.

The Poké Ball is the normal ball used in the pinball tables since the beginning of the game. In both games, if the player lights up the three Field Multiplier Lanes found in all tables, the ball is upgraded to the next kind of Poké Ball (a Poké Ball is upgraded into a Great Ball, a Great Ball into an Ultra Ball, and an Ultra Ball into a Master Ball). If a minute passes without new Poké Ball upgrades, the ball returns to the previous state. If the player loses a ball, the next ball is a Poké Ball.

Bonus points

Gallery

Pokémon Pinball

Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire

In the anime

In the main series

Ash pulling out a Poké Ball, preparing to catch a Pokémon

In the anime, the basic Poké Ball is the most commonly used of all varieties, with other varieties appearing either very few times or not at all. A vast majority of Pokémon are shown to be stored in regular Poké Balls, to the point that large collections of Poké Balls can be seen with no variation among them. Even Ash's Pikachu, the most prominent Pokémon in the anime which spends all its time outside with Ash, has a plain Poké Ball that differs from others only by the small yellow lightning bolt symbol on it, as seen in Pokémon - I Choose You!.

Despite this, the various other types of Poké Ball have been seen in the anime, usually to illustrate a special property about that particular ball. The lack of the different types is unsurprising, however, due to the fact that, when the anime was first created, the games themselves did not even keep track of the Poké Ball that a Pokémon was caught in, and thus, it made no difference in sending a Pokémon out. This has recently become less common as of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, possibly to reflect the fact that NPC Trainers in Generation VII have certain types of Poké Balls associated with them.

The first time that a Poké Ball aside from the normal variation was seen was in EP035, where Ash was given 30 Safari Balls in order to compete in the Safari Game. With these 30 Safari Balls, Ash attempted to catch various rare Pokémon; however, he only managed to capture an entire herd of Tauros. They appeared in Safari Balls in Showdown at the Po-Ké Corral; however, whenever Ash uses one of his Tauros in a battle, it is sent out from a standard Poké Ball.

The GS Ball was the second of the variant Poké Balls to appear in the anime, this time with a special purpose. This mysterious ball was unable to be opened by Professor Ivy, and served as the reason for Ash's journeys to the Orange Archipelago (to pick it up) and Johto (to deliver it to Kurt), so that what was contained within it could be discovered. Celebi was long rumored to be related to the ball, something which the Pokémon Adventures and game canons verify, while a director of the anime confirmed that, had it not been insisted that Celebi appear in a central role in the fourth movie, the GS Ball arc would have concluded with Celebi being released from the ball and traveling with Ash and his friends.

Also related to Kurt, as in the games, the first non-standard Poké Ball variants, the Apricorn balls, made an appearance in the anime, and several were given to the members of the main cast. All three members of the main cast received a Fast Ball each in Going Apricorn!, with Brock using his to catch a Pineco shortly after receiving it. Many other Apricorn Poké Balls also appeared in a fantasy in this episode. In the next episode, Brock received a Heavy Ball, while Ash and Misty received a Lure Ball each. While Brock's Heavy Ball and Ash and Misty's Fast Balls would remain unused (and have not been mentioned since), both Ash and Misty would use their Lure Balls to capture a Totodile and Corsola, respectively. Another Heavy Ball appeared in Gulpin It Down, where it was used to capture a giant Gulpin, though this was not the one belonging to Brock. In Trouble's Brewing, the Kimono Sisters (excluding Sakura) were shown keeping their Eeveelutions inside Apricorn Poké Balls, with Satsuki's Jolteon's ball being a Moon Ball, Sumomo's Vaporeon's ball being a Lure Ball, and Tamao's Umbreon's ball being a Fast Ball. While Koume's Flareon's ball wasn't shown, her kimono pattern indicates it being a Love Ball.

Ash calling out a Pokémon

The Master Ball itself has only appeared once as an actual Poké Ball, in Whiscash and Ash, where it was used by Sullivan in a last resort attempt to catch a wild Whiscash called "Nero". Despite the fact that a Master Ball cannot be escaped from, the Whiscash swallowed the Master Ball, thus preventing capture, and disappeared back into the water. While not a Poké Ball itself, Misty owns a beach ball that is designed like the Master Ball, which can be seen in Beauty and the Beach and A Hot Water Battle.

The Generation III specialty balls have mostly been seen in cameos. The Repeat Ball and Luxury Ball appeared in the opening of Jirachi: Wish Maker. These balls contained Brendan's Shiftry and Aggron, respectively.

The debut of most of the specialty balls, both from Generation III and IV, came in the ending Which One ~ Is It?, which contained the first appearance of the Great Ball and Ultra Ball, as well as the first anime appearance of the Premier, Heal, Net, Dusk, Nest, Quick, Timer, and Dive Balls.

The first proper appearance of the Great, Ultra, Net, Nest, Dusk, Dive, Repeat, Premier, and Heal Balls was in A Frenzied Factory Fiasco!, where these balls were seen being manufactured at the Poké Ball Factory, in addition to normal Poké Balls, Luxury Balls, and Safari Balls, although the last ones were not shown. Although James did mention a Quick Ball in the Japanese version, one was never shown in the episode (a fact that was picked up by the dub, which removed the Quick Ball reference). Team Rocket tried to steal many of these Poké Balls, but were foiled by Ash and his friends.

Dawn 's Poké Balls with Ball Capsules and Seals

It was revealed in First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-Style! that James had been collecting Poké Balls. When Jessie's attempts to catch a Mimikyu with typical Poké Balls had failed, she grabbed the Luxury Ball James had been polishing and used it instead, capturing Mimikyu, much to James's dismay. The rest of James's collection appeared in Acting True to Form!, where it was revealed to also contain a Great, Ultra, Premier, Dusk, Heal, and Quick Ball, marking the first proper anime appearance of a Quick Ball. The collection reappeared in JN026, where it now consists of a Premier, Dive, Nest, Quick, Heal, and Dusk Ball.

Gladion keeps all of his known Pokémon in special Poké Balls. His Lycanroc is kept in an Ultra Ball (as first seen in A Glaring Rivalry!), his Silvally is kept in a Premier Ball (as first seen in Rising from the Ruins!), his Umbreon is kept in a Heal Ball (as first seen in Rescuing the Unwilling!), and his Zoroark is kept in a Dusk Ball (as first seen in the Poké Problem extra scene of SM127).

James's Poké Ball collection

Beast Balls debuted in A Mission of Ultra Urgency!, in which the Aether Foundation provided multiple of them for Ash and his classmates to use during their missions as Ultra Guardians. Since then, Beast Balls have appeared in a number of episodes. Most of the time they are only used to temporarily hold Ultra Beasts until they are released back into Ultra Space. The only Ultra Beast that has been kept in a Beast Ball for longer than one episode is Ash's Naganadel.

Many other Poké Balls have been shown in the anime; however, most of these are cosmetic alterations alone, such as Poké Balls with gold plating, diamond studded Poké Balls, and Poké Balls with stickers or special designs on them, usually to denote an organization. Ball Capsules and Seals can also be used to customize a Poké Ball's appearance, and they add special effects when the Pokémon is sent out. In the anime, they are mostly used by Coordinators during Pokémon Contests to create a showy entrance and ensure that the Pokémon will make a good impression right out of the Poké Ball.

Notably, a broken Poké Ball, snapped in half at its rusted hinges, was kept by both Ash and Gary, symbolizing their rivalry. After Ash defeated Gary during the Silver Conference, Gary gave his half of the Ball to Ash as a sign of ending their rivalry.

In Mystery at the Lighthouse, it was shown that if a Trainer catches a Pokémon while they already have six on hand, it is automatically sent to the regional Professor. Sewaddle and Burgh in Pinwheel Forest shows a major difference in what happens after a Pokémon is captured. Instead of being automatically sent to the regional Professor, the Poké Ball is sealed and the button becomes red. The Pokémon is kept inactive until it is switched out by another actively in the Trainer's party.

History

Main article: History of Poké Balls

Pokédex entries

Episode Subject Source Entry EP001 Poké Ball Ash's Pokédex While being trained, a Pokémon usually stays inside its Poké Ball. However, there are many exceptions. Some Pokémon hate being confined.

In Pokémon Origins

A Poké Ball in Pokémon Origins

Besides the regular Poké Ball, the other Generation I variations of it were also seen during the Pokémon Origins miniseries. In File 3: Giovanni, it was shown that Giovanni kept his strongest Pokémon, Rhyhorn and Rhydon, within Ultra Balls. In File 4: Charizard, Red was seen catching an Arbok with a Great Ball and a Chansey with a Safari Ball. He also used Ultra Balls to capture the Legendary Pokémon Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo.

The Master Ball only appeared in a demonstration in File 3: Giovanni, as it was still under development at the time. After Team Rocket was driven out of the Silph Co. building by Red, the development of the Master Ball was put on hold for a while.

Additionally, in Pokémon Origins, the sound effects and bright light used when a Trainer is catching, sending out, or recalling a Pokémon differ in comparison to the sound effects and lights that are used in the main Pokémon anime, more resembling the effects seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.



In Pokémon Generations

The only Poké Ball variant seen in Pokémon Generations was an Ultra Ball, which appeared in The Scoop. It was shown being used by a Trainer to catch a Deoxys in outer space.



In the manga

In the various Pokémon manga, Poké Balls have been shown to appear differently, as an attempt to explain how a Trainer knows which Pokémon is in which ball, as most Pokémon manga series were, like the anime, developed at a time when the games could not keep track of the ball a Pokémon was contained in.

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, the rules are more similar to the anime; however, Poké Balls are numbered on the outside, on the button, so that a Trainer knows which member of their team they are sending into battle. In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Trainers must obtain a license before they are legally allowed to purchase Poké Balls.

It is also possible for a Pokémon to be placed inside a Poké Ball without it being owned by a Trainer. In Days of Gloom and Glory, Meowzie steals a Poké Ball from a shop and puts her kitten in it so that it will not be hurt by a flood affecting the city.

In the Magical Pokémon Journey manga

In Magical Pokémon Journey, the main characters generally do not capture Pokémon, rather, they befriend them. Although Almond, one of the main characters, is known to be a Pokémon Trainer, he is not actually depicted capturing or raising any Pokémon. In fact, in the bonus materials of Volume 2, in which the cast of the manga meet Ash, Misty and Brock in a series of crossovers, it is revealed that Hazel and Coconut do not even know what Poké Balls are. When Ash and Misty explain that they are used to capture Pokémon, they both proceed to attempt to use them to capture Almond, as he is each of their love interest.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Yellow 's Seadra inside his Poké Ball in Pokémon Adventures

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, the tops of Poké Balls are semitransparent, allowing the Pokémon inside, which is miniaturized, to be seen through the ball, while the Pokémon can likewise see out of the ball it is contained in. In this manga, unlike in the anime, Pokémon already captured can be recaught in another Poké Ball, as is seen when Red recatches Misty's Gyarados in Gyarados Splashes In! (though Blue states that catching a Pokémon that belongs to another is not possible in Lapras Lazily).

Like in the anime and the games, specialty balls do exist, although they are much more commonly used than in the anime. In Holy Moltres, Team Rocket was shown to have caught the Legendary birds in Ultra Balls. In And Mewtwo... Three!, Blaine gave Red the Master Ball, which Red used to catch Mewtwo shortly afterwards. In Teddiursa's Picnic, Gold and Silver received a Friend Ball and Heavy Ball, respectively, with Silver using his ball to catch an Ursaring, while Gold used his to catch a Teddiursa for Maizie. Close to the end of the Gold, Silver & Crystal chapter, the Masked Man was shown creating a GS Ball and using it to catch Celebi. In Innocent Scientist, Blake used Luxury Balls while trying to catch the Genesect controlled by Colress, eventually succeeding. In Scizor Defends, a Quick Ball was seen amongst the Poké Balls that Y had used while trying to catch an Absol. Safari Balls have been seen being used by Red at the Kanto Safari Zone, by Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum at the Great Marsh, and by Silver at the Johto Safari Zone. Crystal and Emerald have also been shown using special balls to catch Pokémon, with Crystal specializing in Apricorn balls and Emerald specializing in Poké Balls introduced in Generation III. Additionally, the three original types of Poké Ball are used to identify the Trainer's rank; most Trainers keep their Pokémon in Poké Balls, Gym Leaders use Great Balls, and Elite Four members and Frontier Brains use Ultra Balls.

In the Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon chapter, Beast Balls were created for the Aether Foundation by Colress as a means of catching Ultra Beasts.

Like in the games, but unlike the anime, Pokémon placed in their balls don't recover from status conditions nor regain lost health, no matter how much time passes.

In the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys

Besides regular Poké Balls, Apricorn Poké Balls also received notable attention in the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga. They were first featured in The Great Search! Let's Rescue The Slowpoke!, where Gold and Kurt used some of Kurt's hand-made Poké Balls to save a group of Slowpoke from drowning in the flooding Slowpoke Well. Kurt's Level Ball also proved crucial in stopping the Black Tyranitar's rampage during the manga's climax.

In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga

In Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All, Poké Balls are depicted as solid, with no visual identification as to which Poké Ball is which. In Special Chapter - Get Pikachu!, it is revealed that when Shu met Pikachu, Pikachu's Poké Ball had been abandoned in a forest because it was defective and it was causing Pikachu's electricity to be released throughout the surrounding area.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

In Pokémon Pocket Monsters, Poké Balls are often shown as transparent to identify when a Pokémon is inside. They usually have their typical appearance from far away, suggesting that they may not always be transparent, or are only see-through from up close. Pokémon appear to be able to see the world outside of their Poké Balls, as shown in Bring Down the Powerful Opponent Onix!!, when Clefairy sees Pikachu inside his Poké Ball, and they talk to each other. In Introducing the Pokémon Clefairy!!, when Green is choosing Charmander as his starter Pokémon, he is shown to be able to pick up and lift Charmander directly from the Poké Ball without throwing it first.

Red's Pikachu inside his Poké Ball, in his debut appearance

Green's Charmander being lifted from its Poké Ball

In the TCG

Ultra Ball

Several variants of Poké Ball have been released in card form in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, ranging from the standard variants found in the games and other media to variants specific to the TCG.

In the Super Smash Bros. series

In the Super Smash Bros. series, Poké Balls mainly appear as items which a character can pick up and throw to release a random Pokémon. Most Pokémon will perform a direct attack against the characters on the stage, but some may have other effects. Like many other items, the Poké Balls also do damage simply by hitting other characters. The fourth game in the series also introduced a Master Ball variant on the Poké Ball, which essentially functions the same as a Poké Ball except that it usually contains a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon.

The Pokémon that can appear from Poké Balls differ between the games. The Poké Ball Pokémon in Super Smash Bros. all come from Generation I, the Poké Ball Pokémon in Super Smash Bros. Melee come from up to Generation II, the Poké Ball Pokémon in Super Smash Bros. Brawl come from up to Generation IV, the Poké Ball Pokémon in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U come from up to Generation VI, and the Poké Ball Pokémon in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate come from up to Generation VII. The only Pokémon that have appeared in all 5 games as Poké Ball Pokémon are Goldeen, Snorlax, and Mew.

The Poké Ball also features in a couple of other ways in the Super Smash Bros. series. In Brawl, in The Subspace Emissary, Pokémon Trainer is shown to push the button on the Poké Ball to send out his Pokémon, a mechanic that has not been shown in the anime. A Poké Ball logo is also used to represent the Pokémon games in the Super Smash Bros. series. In the third and fourth games, this logo is updated to match Generation IV's redesigned icon.

The Pokémon series's symbol from SSB and Melee

The Pokémon series's symbol from Brawl and SSB4

These balls are used to catch and contain wild Pokémon. Most Pokémon must be weakened in some way before they can be caught, but once they're inside a Poké Ball, they enjoy their new home, since Poké Balls contain an environment specially designed for Pokémon comfort. Master Balls are the strongest type.

"An item used for capturing Pokémon and calling them out into battle. Pokémon live in these items which despite appearances, actually contain a wide, comfortable Pokémon-friendly world inside them. In Super Smash Bros., Pokémon give temporary support to who calls them out. You never know which you will get, but some are devastatingly powerful."

Poké Ball

The Poké Ball in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS

NA: An item used to call out different Pokémon. Which Pokémon emerges is a mystery, but it will aid whoever threw the Poké Ball. Some of the Pokémon contained inside are extremely powerful and will really intensify the battle. It's definitely worth beating your opponents to these!

PAL: A ball holding one of any number of Pokémon just waiting to burst out and help you in battle. Which kind will it be? Well, that's a surprise, but whichever one it is, it'll definitely up the intensity of the battle! If you see one, make sure you're the one to grab it!



Master Ball

The Master Ball in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS

NA: These valuable, powerful balls can capture any wild Pokémon. In Smash Bros., hard-to-find Pokémon often pop out of them. You can easily identify a Master Ball by the distinct purple appearance and large M on the top. A Pokémon within a Master Ball may turn the tide of battle.

PAL: A rare type of Poké Ball that never fails to catch a Pokémon. Throw one in this game, and the Mythical or Legendary Pokémon inside will come to your aid. Master Balls are easy to identify due to their purple colour and the large M on them. Use one to quickly turn the tide of any battle!



Other variants

The following Poké Ball variants are found outside of the standard games. They are often very unusual compared to the 27 types found in the games, and it is sometimes questionable whether or not they even qualify as Poké Balls. Many have separate articles, where their unique properties are described in greater detail.

In the games

A Pester Ball

Wes about to throw a Great Ball turned into a Snag Ball

A Typing Ball

Glacia with a yellow Poké Ball

In the anime

In the manga

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

In Haunting My Dreams, a giant Poké Ball named the Enormo Poké Ball-X1 (Japanese: ビッグモンスターボールX1 Big Monster Ball-X1) or EPB-X1 for short, was created to capture the gigantic Haunter, Black Fog. It was destroyed when the Black Fog used Explosion to free itself after being captured.

The Enormo Poké Ball-X1

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Bruno has modified his Poké Balls so that they are fitted onto the ends of his nunchucks. By swinging them quickly and throwing the nunchuck forward, Bruno can have his Pokémon quickly attack his opponent, giving him the advantage.

Koga and his daughter Janine modified their Poké Balls into shuriken to fit their ninja theme. In addition to being used as weapons, they can also be used to have their Pokémon pop up from different locations to surprise the opponent or to hold items to help an ally.

Bugsy had Kurt modify his butterfly net into something he calls a Capture Net. His net has a Poké Ball nested into the middle of it. The bag of the net is made of the same material of the inside of a Poké Ball. Once a Pokémon is covered in the bag, they will automatically be sucked into the Poké Ball.

Falkner has modified his Poké Balls into boomerangs using the feathers of his Skarmory. Because of Skarmory's feathers being transparent, they have the tendency to turn invisible, confusing enemies when Falkner throws them in random directions only for them to turn around and go straight for them.

Erika and Moon modified their Poké Balls to be at the end of their arrows.

In It Takes Patience, Knowledge and a Really Quick Beedrill, Giovanni used a specifically designed Poké Ball with the letters "DNA" on its top half to capture Deoxys.

Bruno's nunchuck with Poké Balls on them

Koga's shuriken Poké Ball

Bugsy's Capture Net

Falkner's boomerang Poké Balls

Erika with one of her Poké Ball arrows

Giovanni's Deoxys Poké Ball

In the TCG

Team Magma Ball

Team Aqua Ball

Rocket's Poké Ball

Team Plasma Ball

Team Magma's Great Ball

Team Aqua's Great Ball

Item balls

In both the anime and games, it has been shown that items can be contained in Poké Balls, apparently able to be captured in much the same way as a Pokémon. The anime has used this as a gag on several occasions, most notably in Primeape Goes Bananas, where Ash accidentally catches a rice ball when he throws a Poké Ball in an attempt to catch a wild Mankey.

Items contained in Poké Balls have been present from the very first games, with many items that are found on the field being found in Poké Balls in conspicuous locations. These items are sometimes important, and usually will be among the required items for pickup along the way. Sometimes, even Poké Ball variants can be found in item balls, though it may be that the item ball itself is supposed to represent the ball that is found. Many other items, however, are hidden, and are not in item balls, instead being directly on the field, and can be found more easily using an Itemfinder or Dowsing Machine.

Voltorb, Electrode, Foongus, Amoonguss and Galarian Stunfisk often appear as item balls in the overworld, but attack when interacted with (or if at close range for Galarian Stunfisk) except the Foongus in Accumula Town.



Trivia

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