Introduced in generation four, Gallade is a dual psychic/fighting type Pokemon. Gallade is one of the two final evolutions of Ralts, the other being Gardevoir. It was introduced in a different generation than Gardevoir and ends up being Wally’s main companion in the remakes of generation three, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Gallade had a number of appearances throughout the Diamond and Pearl seasons of the main series. This guide will showcase Gallade’s appearances in the anime, its capabilities in battle, as well as other general facts about Gallade.
About Gallade
Gallade first appeared in the Pokemon movie The Rise of Darkrai. It provided some development of the plot and its suspicions regarding Darkrai’s motives. Gallade also appeared in the main series episode A Grand Fight for Winning! In the Diamond and Pearl season of the anime. It is one of the two final evolutions for Ralts, the other being Gardevoir. However, unlike Gardevoir, it requires a few special conditions. Gallades can only be male and Kirlia will only evolve into Gallade when exposed to a Dawn Stone item. Ralts will evolve into Kirlia at level 20, and if no other conditions are met, Kirlia will evolve into Gardevoir at level 30. You will have to cancel the evolution if you want a male Kirlia to evolve into Gallade or use a Dawn Stone before it reaches the level threshold.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: A Grand Fight for Winning! Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Diamond and Pearl |
| Region | Sinnoh |
| Evolution | Final form of Ralts, will evolve from male Kirlia when exposed to a Dawn Stone. |
| 1st Evo level | 20 (From Ralts into Kirlia) |
| 2nd Evo level | Evolves into Gallade (From male Kirlia) when exposed to Dawn Stone |
| Pokedex Entry | A master of courtesy and swordsmanship, it fights using extending swords on its elbows. |
Gallade Base Stats
| HP | 68 |
| ATTACK | 125 |
| DEFENCE | 65 |
| SP. ATTACK | 65 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 115 |
| SPEED | 80 |
| TOTAL | 518 |
Appearance of Gallade
Gallade is a bipedal humanoid-like Pokemon. It stands on two legs, and its arms extend outwards into blades. Like Gardevoir, the red crest on Ralts is apparent on Gallade’s chest. The top half of Gallade’s body is green, and the bottom half is white. From Gallade’s rounded hips, are two thin legs. It has red eyes and a black pupil. On its head, it has a design that looks like a knight’s helmet. Similar to Gardevoir, there are spikes protruding from its cheeks.
Behavior of Gallade
Gallade is a noble Pokemon and is known to be a master of swordsmanship. With its psychic typing, it is capable of predicting an opponent’s moves and is very empathetic to its trainer. The Pokedex states that Gallade is sharply attuned to others’ needs, and will seek out those in need and aid them in battle. Gallade is known to be a courteous Pokemon and will assist wherever possible. The blades it has on its elbows are used to protect it and its trainer.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Gallade is a powerful physical attacker and can defend against many special attacking moves. It has a decent speed stat to go along with its powerful physical offensive abilities, but its health pool is rather low. As its physical defense stat is low, any physical attacking flying, ghost, or fairy type can get through a Gallade with ease. Due to its rather unique statline, it is not particularly useful against a wide range of Pokemon. However, you can still find a niche where Gallade is useful for your team if you need a special defender or a physical attacker.
Mega Gallade
Introduced in generation six with Pokemon X and Y, Mega Gallade retains its dual psychic and fighting typing. The top half of its body changes to white to match the bottom half. To go along with its already Knightley design, Mega Gallade gains a cape, and the blade designs on its elbows become more pronounced. Like most mega evolutions, Mega Gallade gains a large 100 total stat boost across many of its base stats. Its ability becomes an inner focus, making it impossible to flinch. You can mega evolve your Gallade if it is holding a Galladite.
Shiny Gallade
Shiny Gallade trades its green for a dark blue/purple. The crest in the middle of Shiny Gallade’s body becomes orange, and the helmet design becomes gray in the middle. The bottom half of Shiny Gallade remains white. Mega Shiny Gallade’s elbow blades gain an orange accent, and the inside of its cape becomes darker to match its body. Like all shiny Pokemon, Shiny Gallade gets a starry entrance upon entering battle.
Best Moveset for Gallade
Gallade has a unique issue regarding its statline, it is difficult to take advantage of its high physical attack considering it will get outsped by many sweepers. While its speed stat is not bad, per se, it is simply outclassed by many Pokemon. This can be remedied with its mega evolution, but it is recommended to utilize regular Gallade in the lower tiers to have higher chances of success. For a decent moveset, consider Swords Dance, Close Combat, Zen Headbutt, and Knock Off. Swords Dance can help you abuse Gallade’s high physical damage, Close Combat is a high power fighting type move so it benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Zen Headbutt is much of the same story, and Knock Off can help you with problematic held items. For a held item yourself, consider a life orb or a lum berry for the best chance of one-hit KO’ing your opponents.
| Swords Dance | Close Combat |
| Zen Headbutt | Knock Off |
How to Catch Gallade in Pokemon Go
There are a couple of ways you can obtain a Gallade in Pokemon Go. You cannot catch a Gallade in the wild, but you can find Ralts or Kirlia in the wild to eventually evolve into a Gallade. In order to evolve your Ralts/Kirlia into a Gallade, you will need to obtain a male Ralts/Kirlia to gain access to Gallade. In addition to the male Ralts/Kirlia, you will also need a Sinnoh Stone to unlock Gallade. So in total, you will need 25 Ralts candies in order to evolve into Kirlia, and another 100 candies to evolve into Gallade; you will also need a Sinnoh Stone as another currency to evolve into Gallade. Of course, you can skip all of this if you manage to find a three-star raid featuring Gallade in a Pokemon Gym. Defeating the Gallade raid boss will give you a chance at capturing the Gallade.
Video Guide
Trivia
- As Ralts has two final evolutions, Gallade and Gardevoir, these two Pokemon have inverses in stats with their attack and special attack stats.
- A Mega Gallade has the highest physical attack stat of all non-legendary psychic type Pokemon that are available.
- The helmet design on Gallade’s head is likely based on Roman gladiator helmets.
FAQs
Q. What’s better, Gallade or Gardevoir?
In casual play, you just need to consider if you need physical attackers or special attackers. If the answer is the former, you will want a Gallade and vice versa for Gardevoir. They are nearly identical in stats besides their primary attacking stat. However, Gardevoir is placed in a higher bracket for competitive play, making its competition more difficult, but its general battle capabilities are higher as well. Therefore, it is likely that Gardevoir is stronger than Gallade.
Q. How do I evolve Kirlia into Gallade?
In order to evolve a Kirlia into Gallade, the Kirlia must be a male Pokemon and you will need to use a Dawn Stone on the Kirlia to evolve it into Gallade. There is no specific level threshold to get your Kirlia to evolve into Gallade. Instead, it works very similar to how evolving Eevee into Jolteon, Flareon, or Vaporeon works. You just need to use the Dawn Stone on a male Kirlia to evolve it into Gallade.
Q. Is Gallade a Legendary Pokemon?
Gallade is not a legendary Pokemon. There is nothing about Gallade that fits into the classification of legendaries in Pokemon. It can be bred at a Pokemon daycare, it is the final evolution of Ralts, and its total base stat average does not meet the legendary Pokemon threshold. While Manaphy may throw the evolution standard for legendary Pokemon into contention, Gallade is not considered to be a legendary Pokemon.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this noble Pokemon. Gallade had a major role to play in The Rise of Darkrai movie as well as offering a role as the rival trainer’s ace in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Its Knightley appearance is in line with its noble behavior. While it may be outclassed by many Pokemon in terms of its battle capabilities, many fans of the franchise have come to love Gallade’s design and Ralts evolution line as a result. Try Gallade for yourself if you want a powerful physically attacking Pokemon.
