ferroseed #597
Type Matchups
Weak to (2x damage):
Resistant to (½x damage):
ferroseed
Generation V · #0597 — Thorn Seed Pokémon
Ferroseed, known as the Thorn Seed Pokémon, is a dual-type Grass/Steel Pokémon introduced in Generation V that represents an intriguing fusion of botanical and mineral characteristics. As National Pokédex entry #597, this small but defensive-minded creature stands merely 0.6 meters tall and weighs 18.8 kilograms, making it one of the more compact members of its evolutionary line. With a base stat total of 305, Ferroseed prioritizes defensive capabilities, boasting a base Defense stat of 91 and a respectable base Special Defense of 86, while sacrificing offensive power with minimal Attack (50) and Special Attack (24) statistics and an extremely low Speed stat of just 10. Its signature ability, Iron Barbs, damages any Pokémon that makes physical contact with it, dealing 1/8 of their maximum HP as recoil damage, making Ferroseed a formidable defensive wall despite its unaggressive stat distribution. With a notably high capture rate of 255, Ferroseed can be caught with relative ease, and its base happiness of 70 indicates a generally amicable disposition toward trainers who care for it properly.
Base Stats
Height
0.6m
Weight
18.8kg
Category
Thorn Seed Pokémon
Gender
Male 50% / Female 50%
Color
gray
Shape
ball
Abilities
Damages attacking Pokémon for 1/8 their max HP on contact.
Ferroseed Biology & Physical Characteristics
Ferroseed is a cave-dwelling Pokémon that bears a striking resemblance to a durian fruit, featuring a round, spiky body covered in numerous green thorns that serve as its primary defensive mechanism. Its metallic body displays a combination of gray coloration with distinctive black stripes and polygonal spots, along with small yellow eyes with black pupils that give it an almost mechanical appearance despite its organic origins. The Pokémon's most remarkable biological feature is its ability to anchor itself to cave walls and ceilings using its spikes while simultaneously absorbing valuable minerals and iron from the surrounding rock formations. This dual nature as both a plant and mineral-based life form is reflected in its egg group classifications, belonging to both the Grass and Mineral groups, an unusual combination that speaks to its hybrid composition. According to the Pokédex entries from Sword and Shield, Ferroseed's spikes grow larger and stronger when it consumes enzymes contained within mosses that thrive in its preferred cave environments, suggesting a complex biological relationship between the Pokémon and the flora that shares its habitat. The creature produces oxygen through the absorption of nutrients and moss growth, though this process becomes problematic when exposed to rocks from Chargestone Cave, which can yield disastrous results for the Pokémon's wellbeing.
Pokedex Numbers
Training
Breeding
Ferroseed Breeding, Gender Ratio & Egg Groups
Ferroseed exhibits a standard gender distribution with a 50% male to 50% female ratio, allowing for conventional breeding mechanics within the Pokémon world. As a member of both the Grass and Mineral egg groups, Ferroseed has breeding compatibility with a diverse range of Pokémon, contributing to its versatility within breeding chains and hybrid offspring possibilities. The species maintains a relatively moderate egg hatch time, requiring 20 egg cycles to produce a healthy Ferroseed offspring, which translates to approximately 4,884 to 5,140 steps of in-game travel to fully incubate an egg. This hatch rate places Ferroseed in the middle-range for breeding convenience, neither particularly fast nor demanding extensive travel. The dual egg group membership is particularly significant given Ferroseed's unique status as a Pokémon that bridges plant-based and mineral-based life forms, creating breeding possibilities that would not exist for more conventional species. Ferroseed's base friendship value of 70 (as recorded in Generations V through VII, later adjusted in newer generations) indicates that newly hatched or freshly caught specimens develop positive bonds with their trainers relatively readily, reducing the grinding typically required to maximize friendship-based evolutionary mechanics or friendship-triggered move learning in other species.
Held Items
Sprites
Held Items
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
sticky-barb
bad-held-items
Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.
Cost: 4000
TMs & HMs
tm01
black white
tm01
black 2 white 2
tm01
omega ruby alpha sapphire
tm01
x y
tm03
crystal
tm03
gold silver
tm04
gold silver
tm04
crystal
tm05
lets go pikachu lets go eevee
tm06
yellow
tm06
gold silver
tm06
red blue
tm06
crystal
tm06
emerald
tm06
firered leafgreen
tm06
diamond pearl
tm06
platinum
tm06
ruby sapphire
tm06
colosseum
tm06
black 2 white 2
+492 more TMs/HMs
ferroseed's Evolution Chain
Ferroseed Evolution, Mega Evolution & Special Forms
Ferroseed follows a straightforward evolutionary line, developing into the formidable Ferrothorn when it reaches level 40. This evolution represents a significant transformation in both physical stature and combat capability, with Ferrothorn becoming considerably larger and more offensively-oriented while maintaining the same Grass/Steel typing. The evolution process marks a transition from a small, sessile mineral-absorber to a more mobile and battle-capable Pokémon, though both forms maintain their defensive-oriented philosophy through the Iron Barbs ability. While Ferroseed and Ferrothorn do not have Mega Evolution forms, their standard evolutionary progression provides substantial mechanical improvements in Attack, Special Attack, Speed, and overall defensive capabilities. The evolution at level 40 is reached relatively swiftly through standard leveling, making it an achievable goal for trainers early in their Unova journey. This straightforward evolution line contrasts with many Generation V Pokémon that introduced more complex evolutionary mechanics, positioning Ferroseed as an accessible option for players seeking a reliable defensive partner.
Where to Find
chargestone cave
unova
+21 more
Ferroseed Behaviour and Natural Habitat
Ferroseed exhibits distinctly cave-dwelling behavior, preferring mossy caves where it can anchor itself to walls and ceilings while extracting nutritional minerals from the rock itself. When threatened, the Pokémon demonstrates an active defensive strategy by shooting barrages of spikes in all directions, a tactic that creates an opportunity for escape by rolling away from danger. However, Pokédex entries and the anime episode "Crisis at Ferroseed Research!" reveal that young Ferroseed possess poor accuracy with their spike attacks, requiring substantial practice and experience to develop effective aim and control over their projectile defense mechanism. This suggests that Ferroseed develops its combat abilities through maturation and environmental interaction, learning to refine its spike-shooting technique over time. The Pokémon's preference for mineral-rich cave environments drives its behavioral patterns, as it must remain relatively stationary while anchored to cave walls to absorb iron and other nutrients efficiently. Despite its aggressive spike-launching defense when threatened, Ferroseed maintains a relatively docile demeanor outside of confrontation, with a base happiness rating that indicates it bonds readily with trainers who provide appropriate care.
Pokedex Entries
Generation V
When threatened, it attacks by shooting a barrage of spikes, which gives it a chance to escape by rolling away.
It absorbs the iron it finds in the rock while clinging to the ceiling. It shoots spikes when in danger.
They stick their spikes into cave walls and absorb the minerals they find in the rock.
Generation VI
When threatened, it attacks by shooting a barrage of spikes, which gives it a chance to escape by rolling away.
It absorbs the iron it finds in the rock while clinging to the ceiling. It shoots spikes when in danger.
When threatened, it attacks by shooting a barrage of spikes, which gives it a chance to escape by rolling away.
It absorbs the iron it finds in the rock while clinging to the ceiling. It shoots spikes when in danger.
Generation VIII
It defends itself by launching spikes, but its aim isn’t very good at first. Only after a lot of practice will it improve.
Mossy caves are their preferred dwellings. Enzymes contained in mosses help Ferroseed’s spikes grow big and strong.
Ferroseed Name Origin & Design Inspiration
The name "Ferroseed" derives from a combination of "ferrous" (relating to iron) and "seed," perfectly encapsulating the Pokémon's dual nature as a mineral-absorbing botanical organism. The Japanese name "Tesseed" (テッシード) similarly combines elements suggesting iron and seeds in Japanese linguistic construction. The Pokémon's visual design draws heavily from the durian fruit, a spiky Southeast Asian fruit known for its hard exterior and distinctive appearance, adapted here into a metallic, mechanical aesthetic through the incorporation of black stripes and polygonal spots reminiscent of armor plating. This design choice cleverly represents the fusion of organic plant matter with mineral and metal properties, making Ferroseed visually distinct from typical Grass-type Pokémon while maintaining botanical elements through its green thorns and cave-dwelling nature. The small size, rounded shape, and profusion of spikes create an instantly recognizable silhouette that communicates both the Pokémon's defensive nature and its origin as a seed-like form. The color palette of gray, black, and green creates visual harmony between its metallic and organic components, reinforcing the biological concept that Ferroseed represents a Pokémon that has evolved to incorporate mineral absorption into its fundamental physiology.
Learnable Moves
Ferroseed can learn 60 moves:
Move | Type | Cat. | Power | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acid spray | poison | Special | 40 | 100 | 20 |
| assurance | dark | Physical | 60 | 100 | 10 |
| attract | normal | Status | — | 100 | 15 |
| bullet seed | grass | Physical | 25 | 100 | 30 |
| confide | normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
| curse | ghost | Status | — | — | 10 |
| double team | normal | Status | — | — | 15 |
| endeavor | normal | Physical | — | 100 | 5 |
| endure | normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| energy ball | grass | Special | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| explosion | normal | Physical | 250 | 100 | 5 |
| facade | normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| flash | normal | Status | — | 100 | 20 |
| flash cannon | steel | Special | 80 | 100 | 10 |
| frustration | normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| giga drain | grass | Special | 75 | 100 | 10 |
| gravity | psychic | Status | — | — | 5 |
| gyro ball | steel | Physical | — | 100 | 5 |
| harden | normal | Status | — | — | 30 |
| hidden power | normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 |
| hone claws | dark | Status | — | — | 15 |
| ingrain | grass | Status | — | — | 20 |
| iron defense | steel | Status | — | — | 15 |
| iron head | steel | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| knock off | dark | Physical | 65 | 100 | 20 |
| leech seed | grass | Status | — | 90 | 10 |
| magnet rise | electric | Status | — | — | 10 |
| metal claw | steel | Physical | 50 | 95 | 35 |
| mirror shot | steel | Special | 65 | 85 | 10 |
| nature power | normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
| payback | dark | Physical | 50 | 100 | 10 |
| pin missile | bug | Physical | 25 | 95 | 20 |
| poison jab | poison | Physical | 80 | 100 | 20 |
| protect | normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| rest | psychic | Status | — | — | 5 |
| return | normal | Physical | — | 100 | 20 |
| revenge | fighting | Physical | 60 | 100 | 10 |
| rock climb | normal | Physical | 90 | 85 | 20 |
| rock polish | rock | Status | — | — | 20 |
| rock smash | fighting | Physical | 40 | 100 | 15 |
| rollout | rock | Physical | 30 | 90 | 20 |
| round | normal | Special | 60 | 100 | 15 |
| secret power | normal | Physical | 70 | 100 | 20 |
| seed bomb | grass | Physical | 80 | 100 | 15 |
| self destruct | normal | Physical | 200 | 100 | 5 |
| sleep talk | normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| snore | normal | Special | 50 | 100 | 15 |
| solar beam | grass | Special | 120 | 100 | 10 |
| spikes | ground | Status | — | — | 20 |
| stealth rock | rock | Status | — | — | 20 |
| steel beam | steel | Special | 140 | 95 | 5 |
| steel roller | steel | Physical | 130 | 100 | 5 |
| substitute | normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| sunny day | fire | Status | — | — | 5 |
| swagger | normal | Status | — | 85 | 15 |
| tackle | normal | Physical | 40 | 100 | 35 |
| thunder wave | electric | Status | — | 90 | 20 |
| thunderbolt | electric | Special | 90 | 100 | 15 |
| toxic | poison | Status | — | 90 | 10 |
| worry seed | grass | Status | — | 100 | 10 |
Ferroseed Competitive Battle Guide
In competitive battling, Ferroseed functions primarily as a defensive support Pokémon rather than a sweeper or special attacker, leveraging its impressive Defense and Special Defense statistics of 91 and 86 respectively to wall incoming threats. The Iron Barbs ability provides significant utility by punishing physical attackers, particularly dangerous in doubles and team formats where Pokémon with high Attack stats commonly execute close-range attacks. Ferroseed's movepool, while limited offensively with moves like Metal Claw, Pin Missile, and Flash Cannon available through leveling, includes valuable support and defensive options such as Harden, Ingrain, and Iron Head. The extremely low base Speed of 10 actually provides strategic advantage in certain situations, particularly when considering Trick Room mechanics that reverse Speed calculations, potentially allowing Ferroseed to move first against most opponents. However, Ferroseed's minimal offensive output and reliance on its evolved form Ferrothorn for competitive viability means that most competitive players would not field Ferroseed itself rather than its superior evolution. Ferroseed's role in lower-tier competitive formats and casual play focuses on setting up defensive layers and gradually wearing down opponents through Iron Barbs damage accumulation while providing support through moves like Ingrain for passive recovery and team support, positioning it as a niche but viable option for players seeking unconventional defensive strategies.
Commonly Asked Questions About Ferroseed
What type is Ferroseed?
Ferroseed is a grass and steel type Pokemon.
What does Ferroseed evolve into?
Ferroseed evolves into ferrothorn.
What are Ferroseed's weaknesses?
Ferroseed is weak to fighting, poison and fire type moves.
Where can I find Ferroseed?
Ferroseed can be found in chargestone cave (unova).
Ferroseed Cultural Impact & Franchise History
While Ferroseed maintains a more subtle presence in Pokémon popular culture compared to franchise mainstays, its unique design and defensive mechanics have cultivated a dedicated appreciation among fans and competitive players who value its distinctive biological and mechanical properties. The creature's appearance in the anime, particularly through the episode "Crisis at Ferroseed Research!" featuring a research facility dedicated to understanding Ferroseed biology, demonstrated the franchise's commitment to exploring the Pokémon's ecological niche and mineral-absorption capabilities. Ferroseed's dual Grass/Steel typing opened new design possibilities for the franchise, influencing subsequent Pokémon generations that would explore similar fusion concepts between organic and inorganic life forms. The species has achieved recognition in competitive circles as a defensive stalwart in lower tiers, with dedicated players developing sophisticated strategies around its Iron Barbs ability and support movepool. Within fan communities, Ferroseed has inspired creative interpretations in fan art and fiction that explore the Pokémon's unique lifestyle as a mineral-consuming cave dweller, with particular interest in how it bridges the gap between plant and mineral-based existence. The aesthetic appeal of its durian-like design has contributed to its presence in merchandise and collectible Pokémon figures, though it remains less prominent than more universally recognized species in mainstream merchandise lines.
Where to Find Ferroseed in Every Pokémon Game
Ferroseed's availability has evolved significantly across generations since its introduction in Generation V, appearing in various Unova-based games and subsequent titles with varying accessibility. In Pokémon Black and White, Ferroseed was available in cave locations with Pokédex number #103, while Black 2 and White 2 shifted its availability to #175, reflecting the expanded regional Pokédex. The species appeared in Generation VI's X and Y as entry #069 in the Coastal Kalos region, indicating its presence in updated regional classifications. In later generations including Sword and Shield, Ferroseed could be found in The Crown Tundra DLC area with Pokédex entry #179, demonstrating its continued inclusion in modern titles. The notably high capture rate of 255 across all appearances ensures that trainers can reliably catch Ferroseed when encountered, reducing the frustration typically associated with rare Pokémon. Ferroseed's presence in Wild Area News events and various side games expanded accessibility options for trainers seeking this species without spending extensive time in caves searching for wild encounters. The relatively quick evolution to Ferrothorn at level 40 means that players acquiring Ferroseed early in their adventure can rapidly develop it into a more formidable teammate, making it a practical choice for those seeking defensive Pokémon without lengthy grinding requirements. Contemporary availability in Pokémon Sword and Shield and other modern titles ensures that new players can readily obtain Ferroseed, maintaining its presence in the active competitive and casual metagames.