Greninja weaknesses, resistances & strengths explained in Pokemon

Niladri Sarkar
starter pokemon greninja

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players are eager to use Greninja, one of the biggest icons in the franchise, to have a competitive edge in battles. Here are all the details on the weaknesses, resistances, strengths, and best moves for starter Pokemon Greninja.

Greninja is one of the most iconic Pokemon in the franchise, and Scarlet and Violet players can add this starter to their collection in the Indigo Disk DLC.

As one of Ash Ketchum’s most memorable teammates in the anime, you must be looking forward to using this powerful Water/Dark-type against the meta.

So, here’s all about the weaknesses, resistances, strengths, and best moves of Greninja to excel in any Pokemon battle.

Greninja weaknesses explained in Pokemon

Greninja is weak to Bug, Electric, Fairy, Fighting, and Grass-type attacks in Pokemon.

Keep in mind that Greninja’s bulk is pretty low, making it difficult to even tank attacks that do neutral damage. Opponents like Flutter Mane can OHKO Greninja without trouble, so either switch it out or put hazards like Sticky Web on the opponent’s side to outspeed them.

Greninja resistances explained in Pokemon

Greninja resists Dark, Fire, Ghost, Ice, Steel, and Water-type attacks and is immune to Psychic-type attacks in Pokemon.

With so many useful resistances and an immunity, you can bring Greninja onto the battlefield against a powerful opponent like Roaring Moon and dish out Special attacks to take out chunks of their HP.

Due to its resistance to Ice and Steel-type moves, Greninja makes a good teammate to Dragon Pokemon. But, do remember that Greninja is also weak to Fairy-types, so keep it away from such threats.

greninja in pokemon scarlet and violet indigo disk dlc
You can get Greninja in Gen 9 by catching and evolving a Froakie in the Blueberry Academy.

Greninja strengths explained in Pokemon

Greaninja deals super-effective damage to Fire, Ghost, Ground, Psychic, and Rock-type Pokemon with its STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) Water, and Dark-type attacks.

But, this Pokemon’s greatest strength lies in its abilities. With Protean, Greninja’s type changes to match the type of move it uses each time it switches into the battlefield. So, the first move that Greninja uses once it enters the battlefield, it gets STAB on it.

That said, this move is a nerfed version of what it originally was in previous generations, getting STAB on moves used every single time. Its other ability, Battle Bond, gives Greninja a 50% boost to its Attack, Special Attack, and Speed when it knocks out an opponent.

Having used and fought against Greninja in countless battles, Battle Bond is definitely its go-to ability.

Best Greninja moves in Pokemon

The best Greninja moves in Pokemon are Surf, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, and Water Shuriken.

  • Surf is a 100% accurate, 90 base power STAB move. It is Greninja’s most reliable Water-type attack to use.
  • Dark Pulse also gets STAB and has a 20% chance to make the opponent flinch.
  • Ice Beam is Greninja’s best bet against Dragon and Grass-types, having a 10% chance to freeze the opponent.
  • Water Shuriken is a multistrike Priority move, meaning it will always go first no matter how fast the opponent is. If the opposing Pokemon is low on HP, Greninja can OHKO it with Water Shuriken, and get its offenses and Speed boosted thanks to the Battle Bond ability.

Other good moves for Greninja are Hydro Pump, Sludge Wave, Grass Knot, and Spikes.

And that’s it! This is all you need to know about making the most of Greninja in Pokemon battles. For more content on the game, check these out:

Kingambit weaknesses, resistances & strengths explained in Pokemon | Gyarados weaknesses, resistances & strengths explained in Pokemon | All Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Shiny Sandwich recipes | How to connect Pokemon Scarlet & Violet to Pokemon Home | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Mystery Gift codes for free items

About The Author

Niladri is a Writer who specializes in Pokemon Go, Scarlet and Violet, and competitive VGC battles. With more than seven years of experience in copywriting and SEO content writing, Niladri has previously written for Pokémon GO Hub and Smogon. He has been covering Pokemon for CharlieIntel since June 2023. Niladri can be contacted at [email protected].