What is a Nature in Pokémon?

Every Pokémon is assigned one of 25 Natures when it is generated. Twenty of them raise one stat by 10% and cut another by 10%; the other five (Hardy, Docile, Serious, Bashful and Quirky) leave every stat alone.

What is the best Nature?

It depends on the Pokémon’s role. Physical attackers usually want Adamant or Jolly, special attackers Modest or Timid, and defensive Pokémon a Nature like Bold, Impish, Calm or Careful — always one whose penalty lands on a stat the Pokémon never uses.

Can you change a Pokémon’s Nature?

The Nature itself is permanent, but from Sword & Shield onward you can feed a Pokémon a Nature Mint to swap which stats are boosted and lowered — the listed Nature stays the same while the stats behave like the mint’s Nature.

Do Natures affect HP?

No. HP is the one stat no Nature ever touches — only Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def and Speed can be raised or lowered.

How do you breed a Pokémon with a specific Nature?

Let a parent hold an Everstone: the Egg is then guaranteed to hatch with that parent’s Nature. Catching is easier too — a lead Pokémon with the Synchronize Ability makes wild Pokémon match its Nature.

Pokémon Natures

All 25 Natures — 20 of them raise one stat by 10% and lower another by 10%, and five change nothing at all.

Nature Chart

Read across: each row is the stat a Nature raises, each column the stat it lowers. The diagonal holds the five neutral Natures.

+10% \ −10%	−Attack	−Defense	−Speed	−Sp. Atk	−Sp. Def
+Attack	Hardy	Lonely	Brave	Adamant	Naughty
+Defense	Bold	Docile	Relaxed	Impish	Lax
+Speed	Timid	Hasty	Serious	Jolly	Naive
+Sp. Atk	Modest	Mild	Quiet	Bashful	Rash
+Sp. Def	Calm	Gentle	Sassy	Careful	Quirky

All Natures A–Z

A Nature also decides which Berry flavors a Pokémon likes and dislikes — it likes the flavor tied to its raised stat and turns its nose up at the lowered one.

Nature	Raises	Lowers	Likes	Dislikes
Adamant	+Attack	−Sp. Atk	Spicy	Dry
Bashful	—	—	—	—
Bold	+Defense	−Attack	Sour	Spicy
Brave	+Attack	−Speed	Spicy	Sweet
Calm	+Sp. Def	−Attack	Bitter	Spicy
Careful	+Sp. Def	−Sp. Atk	Bitter	Dry
Docile	—	—	—	—
Gentle	+Sp. Def	−Defense	Bitter	Sour
Hardy	—	—	—	—
Hasty	+Speed	−Defense	Sweet	Sour
Impish	+Defense	−Sp. Atk	Sour	Dry
Jolly	+Speed	−Sp. Atk	Sweet	Dry
Lax	+Defense	−Sp. Def	Sour	Bitter
Lonely	+Attack	−Defense	Spicy	Sour
Mild	+Sp. Atk	−Defense	Dry	Sour
Modest	+Sp. Atk	−Attack	Dry	Spicy
Naive	+Speed	−Sp. Def	Sweet	Bitter
Naughty	+Attack	−Sp. Def	Spicy	Bitter
Quiet	+Sp. Atk	−Speed	Dry	Sweet
Quirky	—	—	—	—
Rash	+Sp. Atk	−Sp. Def	Dry	Bitter
Relaxed	+Defense	−Speed	Sour	Sweet
Sassy	+Sp. Def	−Speed	Bitter	Sweet
Serious	—	—	—	—
Timid	+Speed	−Attack	Sweet	Spicy

How Natures Work

A Nature is rolled once, the moment a Pokémon is generated, and applies at every level — the boosted stat is multiplied by 1.1 and the hindered one by 0.9 whenever stats are calculated. HP is never affected. On the summary screen, modern games mark the raised and lowered stats so you can spot the effect at a glance.

A 10% swing sounds small, but at high levels it's often the difference between surviving a hit or outspeeding an opponent — which is why competitive players treat the Nature as part of the build, alongside EV training and IVs.

Choosing a Nature

The trick is to take the penalty on a stat the Pokémon never uses. A physical attacker has no use for Sp. Atk, so Adamant (+Attack) or Jolly (+Speed) costs it nothing. A special attacker flips that logic with Modest or Timid. Walls lean on Bold, Impish, Calm or Careful.

Wondering who makes the most of a boost? Browse the strongest attackers, special attackers and fastest Pokémon in the rankings.

Getting the Nature You Want

Synchronize. Put a Pokémon with the Synchronize Ability at the front of your party and wild Pokémon will match its Nature — a 50% chance in older games, guaranteed in recent ones.
Everstone breeding. A parent holding an Everstone always passes its Nature to the Egg. See the breeding guide for the rest of what's inherited.
Nature Mints. From Sword & Shield onward, feeding a Pokémon a Mint (like an Adamant Mint) overrides its stat effect — the fix when a keeper rolled the wrong Nature.

Flavors & Berries

Each battle stat pairs with a flavor: Attack is Spicy, Defense is Sour, Speed is Sweet, Sp. Atk is Dry and Sp. Def is Bitter. A Pokémon favors its raised stat's flavor and dislikes its lowered one — which matters for confusion-healing Berries like the Figy Berry: a Pokémon that hates the flavor gets confused by it. The five neutral Natures have no preference either way.

Pokémon Nature Questions & Answers

What is a Nature in Pokémon?: Every Pokémon is assigned one of 25 Natures when it is generated. Twenty of them raise one stat by 10% and cut another by 10%; the other five (Hardy, Docile, Serious, Bashful and Quirky) leave every stat alone.
What is the best Nature?: It depends on the Pokémon’s role. Physical attackers usually want Adamant or Jolly, special attackers Modest or Timid, and defensive Pokémon a Nature like Bold, Impish, Calm or Careful — always one whose penalty lands on a stat the Pokémon never uses.
Can you change a Pokémon’s Nature?: The Nature itself is permanent, but from Sword & Shield onward you can feed a Pokémon a Nature Mint to swap which stats are boosted and lowered — the listed Nature stays the same while the stats behave like the mint’s Nature.
Do Natures affect HP?: No. HP is the one stat no Nature ever touches — only Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def and Speed can be raised or lowered.
How do you breed a Pokémon with a specific Nature?: Let a parent hold an Everstone: the Egg is then guaranteed to hatch with that parent’s Nature. Catching is easier too — a lead Pokémon with the Synchronize Ability makes wild Pokémon match its Nature.