Summary
ThePokemonfranchise’s main aim is to battle; this wouldn’t be possible without moves. Pokemon learn new moves as they gain XP and level up. Moves such as Tackle, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam are all well-known, butsome other moves are very rare.
Moves can be rare because they are exclusive to a limited number of Pokemon that are found across the nine regions. The Pokemon themselvescan be hard to obtain, not useful in battle, or sometimes even the move cannot be used in a particular entry in the franchise. Pokemon moves can do all sorts of things in battle and generate a lot of different effects. Chances are that the moves on this list won’t be used very often by even the most experiencedPokemongamer, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth tracking down.
10Rolling Kick
The Former Signature Move Of Hitmonlee
This move is a damaging ability that was introduced way back inPokemon Red & Blue, originally as the signature move of the Fighting-type PokemonHitmonlee.It was extended to another Hitmon-Pokemon in Hitmontop in Generation 2 and theGhost/Fighting Mythical Marshadowin Generation 7.
Rolling Kickis rare. It is currently unable to be used inPokemon Scarlet & Violet, due to no longer being in the game, so Hitmonlee no longer learns its former Signature Move. The move is actually useful in battle, as it deals a decent amount of damage and has a chance to flinch an opponent, something that gives players a great edge.
9Barrage
Exclusive To Exeggcute And Exeggutor
Another move that is no longer available inPokemon Scarlet & Violet,Barrageis a multi-strike move that can hit 2–5 times, similar to Bullet Seed, Twineedle, and Fury Swipes. Gamers may not know of this move for multiple reasons, but mainly because it is exclusive to theExeggcute-line. If players haven’t used these Pokemon in a playthrough, then they won’t have used this move.
Even if fans have never played aPokemongame before, and only watched the anime, they also won’t have heard of this move as it has never featured on-screen. Barrage is only becoming more rare, as gamers can’t even use it in the current Nintendo Switch title.
8Conversion 2
A Move Used By the Porygon-Line
Moves rarely have a sequel, but in this case,Conversion 2is a sequel to Conversion, a reference toPorygonbecomingPorygon2when it evolves. Conversion is rare in itself, but the second iteration takes this spot.
However, it is a useful move that allows players to change their battle strategy on the fly, making Porygon become stronger in the heat of the battle. If the Pokemon is hit with a Ground-type move, Conversion 2will turn Porygon (2/-Z)into a Flying, Grass, or Bug-type, making it resistant to Ground-type attacks. Porygon can be tough to find inPokemongames. Therefore, this signature move is also rare as a result. Porygon has also been outlawed in the anime, as its initial introduction caused children in Japan to have seizures, and it has not been included since.
7Tail Glow
A Forgettable Move That Only A Few Pokemon Can Learn
Tail Glowis actually an awesome move. It’s a shame that so few Pokemon can learn it. Just three Pokemon have access to Tail Glow, and all of those are rare Pokemon, found in just a few places throughout the games.
Formerly, Tail Glow was exclusive to the lightning bug PokemonVolbeat, which was incredibly fitting. It boosts the user’s Special Attack by three stages in the current Generation, making a weaker Pokemon like Volbeat more useful. However, the Firefly Pokemon has a 47 Special Attack stat to begin with, so even with these boosts, it is still not great. This is why Tail Glow is easily forgettable.
6Chatter
Just One Pokemon Knows This Move
If gamers have ever used aChatotin their playthroughs, then they will know of its signature move,Chatter. If they have not used Chatot, then this move will be lost in the archives. Chatter is a very good move, with 65 Power, and the fact thatit can confuse opponentsis a big plus.
What makes the move different is it can be used as a field move (outside of battle) in Generations 4 and 5 to record a new cry for the move using the Nintendo DS' microphone. In-game, this also adds the bonus effect of increasing the move’s chance of confusion. However, this handy feature cannot be implemented in current-gen games due to the Nintendo Switch not supporting such features.
5Crush Grip
Although It Is Powerful, Just Regigigas Can Use It
Regigigasis a powerful Legendary Pokemon, and like most Legendaries and Mythicals, they come with their signature move. The leader of the Regis' isCrush Grip. This move is kind of tricky to work out. Basically, the move is more powerful the more HP the target has. The exact formula can be found below.
The Normal-type Pokemon Regigigas is hard to find in the games. In most entries, gamers need to have Regice, Regirock, and Registeel in their parties to be able to encounter the titan. Tricky to locate as they are, in the older games, they needed to be transferred. Because Regigigas is rare in the games, its signature move is rare as a result.
4Take Heart
The Signature Move Of Rare Mythical Pokemon
Phioneis an interesting Pokemon, because it can never be caught in the games; it can only be acquired by breedingManpahyand then hatching from an egg. Manaphy and Phione were introduced in Generation 4, but this move only entered the world of Pokemon inPokemon Legends: Arceus.
Although this game is treated as a mainlinePokemongame, as it plays differently, it is essentially a spin-off,so this move doesn’t feel like a real moveto players only familiar with the classic games. The two Sea Guardians cannot be found inScarlet or Violet,so this move is stuck in the land of Hisui and, as they are hard to catch in that game also, this move is rarely used.
3Esper Wing
A Newer Move That Only One Pokemon Can Learn
It is not uncommon for Pokemon moves to be based on an element-based attack; Ice Fang, Steel Wing, and Fire Punch, for example. In this case,Esper Wingis a Psychic-type air move, but it can only be found in the Hisuian form ofBraviary. This Pokemon is great to use in battle, but it can only be found inPokemon Legends: Arceus.
It did not make the jump to the 9th Generation, making this move another one lost to time. It is still usable if Hisuian Braviary is transferred intoScarlet & Violet,but with only one Pokemon, that can only be found in one game, able to use this move, it leaves it as one to forget, despite having strong uses in battle.
2Fillet Away
A New Move Which An Underused Pokemon Knows
Veluzacannot evolve inPokemon Scarlet & Violet.Alot of gamers don’t like to use Pokemon that don’t evolve, as it removes the magic of the game’s progression. This leaves Veluza as a Pokemon that doesn’t see much use in Paldea.
That said,Fillet Awayis an awesome move, working like Belly Drum or Curse (for Ghost-type Pokemon). It cuts the user’s HP in half to increase their stats across the board by two stages, making it a much better battler even in a more weakened state. Since this is a new move, and only available for one Pokemon, it is considered quite rare.
1Mortal Spin
This Underused Pokemon Is The Only One To Learn This Move
Glimmorais the ace Pokemon of Paldea Champion Geeta. Her battle is surprisingly easy considering that it is meant to be the game’s final battle. Ace Pokemon of past Champions, such as Garchomp, Dragonite and Metagross, leave a much stronger impression.
Glimmora’sMortal Spinis a fantastic move. It is an upgraded form of Toxic, leaving the foe stricken with the Poison status effect, dealing some damage, and also removing any battle effects in the game, such as Leech Seed, Spikes, and Wrap. It is essentially Toxic and Rapid Spin lumped into one, but since Glimmora is rarely used in the rosters ofPokemon Scarlet & Violetplayers, this move is rarely used as well.
