Ditto (Pokémon)
| File:Ditto.jpg
Lapras (#131) - Ditto - Eevee (#133) | |
| General | |
|---|---|
| Name (Japanese), Number | Ditto (Metamon), 132 |
| Stage | Basic |
| Evolves from | (none) |
| Evolves to | (none) |
| Video game base stats¹ | |
| Hit points | 48 |
| Attack | 48 |
| Defence | 48 |
| Speed | 48 |
| Special attack² | 48 |
| Special defense² | 48 |
| Special³ | 48 |
| Biological | |
| Species | Transform Pokémon |
| Types | Normal |
| Height | 1'0" (0.3 m) |
| Weight | 9 lb (4 kg) |
| Shiny color | Light Blue |
| Gender distribution | Genderless |
| ¹ Stats for trading card versions may vary. ² Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal | |
The Pokémon Ditto has the ability to transform into the opponent's Pokémon via the move Transform, a move that only it and Mew are capable of learning. However, unlike Mew (which can't breed), it is also capable of breeding with any Pokémon that can breed, a trait which has made it very valuable to many players. Its number is #132 in National Pokédex order. When not in the shape of another Pokémon (or live being, or inanimate object as the Pokémon Anime shows it can do), Ditto takes the form of an amorphous pink blob. Although its only move in unmodified form is Transform, Ditto can use moves of any of the other Pokémon species once it has transformed. Its Japanese name is Metamon, probably from the word metamorphosis.
Blue Ditto
Because of Ditto's ability to breed with almost any Pokémon, and also the fact that a Pokémon with a shiny parent of the opposite gender (or a shiny Ditto parent) has a 1 in 64 chance of being shiny in Gold, Silver and Crystal, shiny Ditto can be quite useful for breeding other shiny Pokémon.
However, because the baby will always be in the evolutionary line of the non-Ditto Pokémon, shiny Ditto cannot be bred, so one would normally have to resort to finding one in the wild. However, because of a glitch in the programming of Red, Blue, and Yellow often referred to as the "Blue Ditto glitch", it is possible to generate a shiny Ditto without much effort. The glitch is as follows:
- Take the shiny Red Gyarados from the Lake of Rage (any shiny Pokémon that can learn Mimic and can be traded to Red/Blue/Yellow will work, but Gyarados is the only one you're guaranteed to see), and trade it to Red, Blue or Yellow. Teach it Mimic using the TM.
- Trade it back to Gold/Silver/Crystal and delete all moves except Mimic using the Move Deleter in Blackthorn City. Trade back to Red/Blue/Yellow.
- Battle a Ditto, and use Mimic on Transform before it attacks. Use Transform again (so that it's used Transform twice), and catch it.
In the anime
Ditto is a Pokémon used by the trainer Duplica, a Pokémon entertainer. Her first Ditto originally did incomplete transformations (it could not copy a Pokémon's face), but because of Team Rocket, it learned to transform perfectly. Duplica's second Ditto, nicknamed Mini-Dit, can transform into small Pokémon normally, but transforms into miniature versions of larger Pokémon. However, its attack power was unaffected.
Ditto is also a team member of the former Orange League champion and Pummelo Gym Leader Drake.
Glitches
For some reason, Ditto seems to have connections in the Red and Blue versions to the glitch Pokémon Missingno. and 'M. After an 'M is caught in the game during a battle, there will be an invisible Pokémon that will still be battling your Pokémon. When that is caught, the screen will say "you caught Ditto". Once it is caught it won't be invisible anymore. If you happen to have a Ditto when you are fighting against the invisible Ditto and transform into it, its image will turn into a Missingno's image, but it'll actually still be a Ditto.
Also, in Pokémon Stadium 2, any Missingno or 'M that are uploaded to the game will get turned into Dittos. The Missingno that becomes Ditto will be a normal shade of pink but the 'M that becomes Ditto will have a slightly different color.