Individual Values (IVs)
The stats a Pokémon is born with — a hidden 0–31 score in each stat, set the moment it's generated and worth up to 31 extra points at level 100.
How IVs Work
Where EVs are earned and a Nature multiplies, IVs are simply rolled once — when a Pokémon is caught, hatched or gifted — and never change through training. Each of the six stats gets its own value from 0 to 31, and at level 100 every IV point equals one stat point. Two freshly caught Pikachu can differ by up to 31 points per stat before any training happens.
Reading IVs: the Judge Function
Every recent game includes a Judge feature (usually unlocked in the Box menu) that rates each stat instead of showing raw numbers:
| Judge rating | IV range |
|---|---|
| Best | 31 |
| Fantastic | 30 |
| Very Good | 26–29 |
| Pretty Good | 16–25 |
| Decent | 1–15 |
| No Good | 0 |
Characteristics: the Early Hint
A Pokémon's summary-screen characteristic ("Proud of its power", "Likes to run"…) is determined by whichever stat holds its highest IV — a free clue before the Judge unlocks:
| Highest IV | Possible characteristics |
|---|---|
| HP | Loves to eat · Takes plenty of siestas · Nods off a lot · Scatters things often · Likes to relax |
| Attack | Proud of its power · Likes to thrash about · A little quick tempered · Likes to fight · Quick tempered |
| Defense | Sturdy body · Capable of taking hits · Highly persistent · Good endurance · Good perseverance |
| Sp. Atk | Highly curious · Mischievous · Thoroughly cunning · Often lost in thought · Very finicky |
| Sp. Def | Strong willed · Somewhat vain · Strongly defiant · Hates to lose · Somewhat stubborn |
| Speed | Likes to run · Alert to sounds · Impetuous and silly · Somewhat of a clown · Quick to flee |
Breeding for Perfect IVs
Breeding is how you stack the deck. An Egg normally inherits 3 random IVs from across its parents, with the rest rolled fresh. Two items tilt the odds:
- Destiny Knot: the Egg inherits 5 IVs (instead of 3) drawn from the two parents — the backbone of every serious breeding chain.
- Power items (Power Weight, Power Anklet and friends): the holder passes its IV in that item's specific stat, guaranteed.
Start from parents with several "Best" stats and repeat: each generation of Eggs gets closer to 6IV. Everything else that's inherited — Egg Moves, Abilities, Natures — is covered in the breeding guide.
Hyper Training
Don't want to breed? Hyper Training fixes IVs after the fact: spend a Bottle Cap to make one stat behave as a 31, or a Gold Bottle Cap for all six at once. The catch: the real IV underneath is untouched, so a Hyper Trained parent still passes its original values when breeding.
When 0 IVs Are Better
- 0 Attack: self-damage from confusion and the opponent's Foul Play both scale with your own Attack — special attackers want it as low as possible.
- 0 Speed: under Trick Room the slower Pokémon acts first, and moves like Gyro Ball hit harder the slower the user is.
IV Questions & Answers
- What are IVs in Pokémon?
- Individual Values are a Pokémon’s genes: a hidden score from 0 to 31 in each of the six stats, rolled once when the Pokémon is generated. At level 100, each IV point is worth one stat point.
- What does 6IV mean?
- A Pokémon with the maximum 31 IVs in all six stats. The Judge function labels a 31-IV stat "Best" — six Bests is the perfect roll breeders chase.
- Can you change a Pokémon’s IVs?
- Not directly — but Hyper Training with a Bottle Cap (one stat) or Gold Bottle Cap (all six) makes a stat calculate as if its IV were 31. The underlying IV is unchanged, so it still breeds on as the original value.
- How do you check IVs?
- Unlock the Judge function (available in every recent game, usually through the Box menu) and it rates each stat, from "No Good" (0) up to "Best" (31).
- Are 0 IVs ever useful?
- Yes — a 0 Attack IV minimizes damage from confusion and the move Foul Play, and a 0 Speed IV is ideal under Trick Room, where slower Pokémon move first.