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Gender
Gender (Template:Ja Sex in Japanese) in Pokémon was introduced in the second generation video games Pokémon Gold and Silver, and it allows you to tell whether a Pokémon is male or female. Gender was later introduced for video game protagonists in Pokémon Crystal. Gender allows Pokémon with compatible egg groups to reproduce as long as a male and a female Pokémon are paired together, that is, two Pokémon with compatible egg groups of different sexes. The result of the union of these two compatible Pokémon is Pokémon offspring. This is only possible in a Pokémon Daycare or in Pokémon Care. Therefore, if a Pokémon species has no gender (such as Beldum and its evolutionary family), they can only breed by pairing up with Ditto in the Daycare.
The male gender is represented by the male gender symbol, and the female gender is represented by the female gender symbol.
In video games
The vast majority of Pokémon can be seen in both genders, female or male. Although there is a percentage that regulates the possibility of this occurring. In the vast majority of Pokémon, the probability of encountering male or female Pokémon is 50%, although in some Pokémon the percentage of one sex can be very low, such as in Starter Pokémon, where the chance of being female is only 12.5%, compared to 87.5% for being male.
During the Second Generation, male Pokémon had IVs higher in their Attack, compared to females, who had lower ones.
The range of individual attack values by sex is as follows:
| - class="header" | % of being female | % of being male | Range of attack IVs in female Pokémon | Range of attack IVs in male Pokémon | - | 0% | 100% | - | 0-15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.5% | 87.5% | 0-1 | 2-15 | ||||||
| 25% | 75% | 0-4 | 5-15 | ||||||
| 50% | 50% | 0-7 | 8-15 | ||||||
| 75% | 25% | 0-11 | 12-15 | ||||||
| 100% | 0% | 0-15 | - |
Thus, Cyndaquil, which has an 87.5% chance of being male, can have Attack IVs between 2 and 15, while females will only have 0 or 1. Pokémon like Vulpix, which has a 75% chance of being female, can have individual Attack values between 0 and 11 (never reaching 15), while males can have them between 12 and 15.
This changed in later generations, where sex does not affect IVs.
Special Cases
However, there are special cases where a Pokémon can belong to only one sex, that is, where the percentage of the opposite sex is 0%, such as Tauros, which can only be male, or Miltank, which can only be female. These cases extend to the fact that Azurill is able to change sex upon evolving, since in this Pokémon the percentage is 25% male and 75% female, but when it evolves the situation changes because the percentages are equal (50% each). There are also cases of Pokémon that do not have sex (probably because they are artificial Pokémon, an example of this is Baltoy, a clay doll Pokémon created by humans in ancient times.
In the last case are the Legendary Pokémon, Pokémon that due to their condition are unique and therefore cannot reproduce without a partner. There are special cases, legendary Pokémon with sexes, such as Latias and Latios, which, although they share the same category and their sexes are compatible, cannot reproduce either.
Importance
The importance of gender goes beyond reproduction. Some Pokémon, such as Combee, Kirlia, Snorunt, Burmy, and Salandit, only evolve if they are of a specific gender. In the case of Combee, only females can evolve into Vespiquen. In the case of Kirlia, starting with the fourth generation, it will evolve into Gallade only if it is male and using a Dawn Stone, but it can evolve into Gardevoir whether it is female or male. Snorunt can evolve into Glalie if it is male or female, but it will evolve into Froslass only if it is female and using a dawn stone. Burmy will evolve into Mothim if it is male and into Wormadam if it is female. In the case of Salandit, it will only evolve into Salazzle if it is female. An exceptional case is the Pokémon Meowstic and Indeedee, whose gender differences, in addition to affecting their appearance, also affect their movements and abilities. For example, female Meowstic have Tenacity as a skill, and males have Teaser. In Indeedee's case, females have the Own Rhythm skill, while males have Inner Focus.
Gender also influences battles, as there is a Lovestruck state, which causes most attacks to miss. This state is caused by the move Attract, the G-Max Move Gigamax Cuteness, and the Ability Great Charm. For a Pokémon to be in love with another, they must be of opposite sexes, with genderless Pokémon being immune to the state. Another way gender can affect battles is when a Pokémon has the Ability Rivalry, which increases Attack by 25% if the Pokémon is of the same sex and decreases the same percentage if it is of the opposite sex.
It should also be noted that if a Amor Ball is used, there is a greater chance of catching the Pokémon if it is of the opposite sex to the Pokémon being used.
Sex Differences After the Fourth Generation
Starting with the Fourth Generation, male Pokémon have slight physical differences from females. The differences between the two can be significant: the skin of Hippopotas is a different color depending on their sex; others are not so significant: a female Venusaur can be distinguished from a male by the small bulb on its flower. In total, 98 Pokémon have sex differences. These differences are solely in appearance, with the exception of Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀, whose differences are so significant that they are treated as separate species.
Obtaining a Different Sex
In certain cases, the Pokémon that can be obtained are only of a specific sex, as is the case with lost item trades in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. If the protagonist chosen by the player is a female, they will be given only male Pokémon; if they are a male, they will be given only female Pokémon. One of these is Ralts, since its sex is an important factor in evolving it into a specific Pokémon (male + Dawn Stone = Gallade). To obtain a Pokémon with a different sex, you can catch a Ditto and leave it in the Daycare with the Pokémon you want. The Pokémon will then hatch into a Pokémon Egg, and from there, the one that hatches can be male (♂) or female (♀).
In the anime
In the anime, the sex of some Pokémon has also been occasionally mentioned since the second generation.
In the anime, a Pokémon's sex is usually mentioned by its trainer or revealed by a Pokémon of a known sex using the move Attract or the Ability Great Charm, depending on whether or not it is affected by them.
In the manga
In the Pocket Monsters Special manga, a Pokémon's sex has also been occasionally mentioned, since the Gold, Silver, and Crystal Series. A clear example is the Red Pikachu (male) and the Yellow Pikachu (female), who have a Pokémon egg together.
Starting with the Diamond and Pearl series, the gender difference is more noticeable, as several Pokémon appear that have gender differences or evolve depending on their sex. Additionally, thanks to the publication of the PokéSPedia book, the gender of the protagonists' Pokémon is revealed.
- PMS343.jpg
Male and female Combee in the Diamond and Pearl series.
