One of the original 151 Pokemon from the first generation, Caterpie is a monotype bug Pokemon from the Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green games. It's the base evolution of Butterfree and set the standard of fast-evolving bug types over 25 years ago. As one of the original Pokemon, it has made an appearance more than a few times over the history of the anime. This modest-looking bug exists as a gateway into the games as well as the anime. This guide will showcase Caterpie’s appearances in the anime, its capabilities in battle, as well as other general facts about Caterpie.
About Caterpie
Since Caterpie has had over 25 years' worth of time to appear in episodes of the anime, it has made many minor appearances throughout the years. Most notably, it was one of the first Pokemon that Ash had ever caught, appearing in the second episode of the original series in the episode Pokemon Emergency! Caterpie is the base evolution of Butterfree and evolves into Metapod at just level 7. The Pokedex states that Caterpie is capable of releasing an awful stench to protect itself from predators.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon Original Series Pokemon Emergency! |
| First appearance in-game | Red/Green (Japan) Red/Blue (International) |
| Region | Kanto |
| Evolution | Base evolution of Butterfree evolves into Metapod |
| 1st Evo level | 7 |
| 2nd Evo level | 10 |
| Pokedex Entry | If you touch the feeler on top of its head, it will release a horrible stink to protect itself. |
Caterpie Base Stats
| HP | 45 |
| ATTACK | 30 |
| DEFENCE | 35 |
| SP. ATTACK | 20 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 20 |
| SPEED | 45 |
| TOTAL | 195 |
Appearance
Like most generation one Pokemon, the designs of the Pokemon did not stray too far from their real-life counterparts. Caterpie is no exception as it looks like an enlarged caterpillar. Its evolution line is similar to the metamorphosis of caterpillars in real life with Metapod being the cocoon that caterpillars inhabit before morphing into a butterfly. A Caterpie’s body is mostly green with a light green underbelly and four stubby legs. Caterpie also has a red antenna and solid black eyes but it’s quite small at only 1 foot, or 0.3 meters, tall.
Behavior
Like Caterpie’s real-life counterpart, it spends most of its lifetime eating leaves until it is ready to encase itself in a protective cocoon. Ash’s Caterpie was depicted as a loyal and joyful Pokemon but it suffered from self-esteem issues in light of Misty’s rejection of all bug-type Pokemon. However, despite that, it maintained a happy demeanor and stayed loyal to its trainer throughout its time on screen. Many fans of the original series may remember the heart touching moment when Ash said goodbye to his Butterfree.
Strengths and Weaknesses
There is not much to talk about regarding Caterpie’s strengths but since it doesn’t need long to evolve it into something stronger, it has become a popular pick for casual play. As a monotype bug Pokemon, Caterpie is weak to flying, rock and fire type Pokemon. Bug types will also resist fighting, ground, and grass types but the best selling point about Caterpie is its evolution line and the fact that it eventually becomes Butterfree. It can only learn up to two moves in generation one, and up to five moves in later generations, so you can evolve your Caterpie without worrying that it would miss out on a move.
Shiny Caterpie
The only change between Shiny Caterpie and Caterpie is that the green colour swaps out for a yellow color palette but it is still quite a striking shiny Pokemon. Shiny Caterpie’s outer body turns to yellow and its underbelly becomes a lighter yellow. If you are color blind, it may be more difficult to determine the difference between regular Caterpie and Shiny Caterpie but like all shiny Pokemon, Shiny Caterpie gains a starry animation upon entering battle. Keep your eyes peeled for the stars to distinguish between the two.
Best Moveset
There is not much to talk about regarding Caterpie’s moveset as it can only learn up to five moves at best depending on which generation you are playing. While LC (Little Cup) brackets will give Caterpie less powerful competition, it is still difficult to justify bringing it into competitive battles. Nevertheless, if you want to have any success running Caterpie, consider Bug Bite, Electroweb, Tackle, and String Shot. The only other move you have to consider is Snore, but that requires your Caterpie to be asleep. As there is no reliable way for Caterpie to accomplish this on its own, you are best off running its other four moves. Bug Bite will function as Caterpie’s main source of damage while also benefiting from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Electroweb is a decent type coverage while also slowing down your opponents, Tackle is often better than Snore and String Shot can slow down your opponents by two stages rather than Electroweb’s one.
| Bug Bite | Electroweb |
| String Shot | Tackle |
How to Catch Caterpie in Pokemon Go
If you want to obtain a Caterpie in Pokemon Go, you will just need to look around grassy areas. Anywhere that is considered farmland, fields, forests, parks, and gardens is a likely place for a Caterpie to spawn. It is a rather common spawn so it should not take too long in order to get a Caterpie naturally. It has also appeared as a tier one raid boss in Pokemon Gyms in the past, so you can guarantee a higher IV Caterpie or have a better chance at a shiny via this method. It will cost 12 candies to evolve Caterpie into Metapod and another 50 to evolve it into Butterfree.
Explainer Video
Trivia
- Caterpie was the first Pokemon in the anime to be caught and evolve.
- The design for Caterpie draws inspiration from real life caterpillars, specifically the Asian swallowtail.
FAQs
Q. Does Caterpie evolve into Rayquaza?
To be frank, it would be absurd to believe that Caterpie evolves into Rayquaza. The final evolution of Caterpie is Butterfree, and Caterpie evolves into Metapod. While new generations may introduce a new evolution line for Pokemon, Rayquaza is a generation three legendary while Caterpie already had an established evolution line in generation one.
Q. Where can I find Caterpie?
If you are playing Pokemon Go, you will likely find Caterpie as a common spawn near grassy areas. In the mainline games, it is often in forest areas like Viridian Forest in generation one whereas in other generations you can expect to find it in Ilex Forest, National Parks, and Eterna Forest.
Q. Is Caterpie real?
Caterpie has a real-life counterpart but Caterpie itself is not real. You could make an argument that since it is based on the real life Asian Swallowtail, eastern tiger swallowtail, or spicebush swallowtail that these real life caterpillars are Caterpie, but unfortunately like all Pokemon, Caterpie itself does not exist.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this worm Pokemon. Caterpie is a classic Pokemon, a representative of the original generation one games. While its use in battle is almost entirely restricted to casual play, Caterpie resides in the hearts of fans of the franchise as a friend we met in the second episode of the original series. Caterpie may not be the most creative designed Pokemon ever released, but the many roles it played throughout history has cemented Caterpie firmly in the Pokemon franchise.
