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Struggle
ORAS Struggle
わるあがき
Vain Struggle
Generation: I
Battle Data
Type: Type Normal
Category Physical
Power: 50
Accuracy: N/A
PP: N/A, max: ?
Affects: Selected target
Secondary Effect: None
Priority: 0
Contact: Yes
Affected by
Magic Coat: No
Magic Bounce: No
Bright Powder: No
Protect/Detect: Yes
Snatch: No
Mirror Move: No
King's Rock: Yes
Contest Data
Contests (RSE)
Type: Cool
Appeal: 4 ♥♥♥♥
Jam: 0
Super Contests (DPPt)
Type: Cool
Appeal: 3 ♥♥♥
Contest Spectaculars (ORAS)
Type: Cool
Appeal:
Jam:
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Struggle (Japanese: わるあがき, HepburnVain Struggle) is a Physical Normal-type move that cannot be learned naturally by any Pokémon. It can only be used if a Pokémon cannot use any moves, most commonly due to a lack of PP.

Effect[]

Generation I[]

Struggle deals damage to the opponent and the user receives recoil damage. The user takes recoil damage equal to 50% of the damage the attack did to the opponent. The move Struggle will automatically be used by a Pokémon that has no usable moves but is ordered to attack and has infinite PP in such a situation.

If the user of Struggle attacks first and faints itself due to recoil damage, the opponent will not attack or be subjected to recurrent damage during that round. If Struggle breaks a Substitute, the user will take no recoil damage.

The move Struggle has 10 base PP, though no PP would ever be deducted from it. Self-inflicted recoil damage from Struggle from the previous turn can be countered if the opponent did not make a move on the following turn.

In Stadium, no recoil damage is taken if Struggle knocks out an opponent.

Generation II[]

Same as before, but with a maximum of 1 PP instead of 10–16.

Struggle now inflicts normal damage to Rock- and Steel-type Pokémon, and hits Ghost-type Pokémon even if the user has not previously used Foresight.

Generation III[]

Pokémon with the ability Rock Head will not take recoil damage. Hits Ghost-type Pokémon without the effects of Foresight and Odor Sleuth. Shedinja, the Pokémon with the Wonder Guard ability, is not immune to Struggle.

Generation IV onward[]

Same as Generations II and III; however, the user takes ¼ of its maximum HP as recoil damage instead. Neither Rock Head nor Magic Guard can prevent the user from taking recoil from this move.

Usability[]

The move Struggle can be only used when:

  • All of the user's PP of all moves are gone.
  • The user knows only status moves and it fell for the Taunt or holds an Assault Vest.
  • The user knows only one move and was subjected to Torment. (Applies every second turn only).
  • The user knows only moves like Fly and Bounce, and Gravity is in effect.
  • The user knows only sound-based moves and the foe has the ability Soundproof or the user is affected by Throat Chop.
  • The user knows only ballistic moves (e.g. Energy Ball, Sludge Bomb) and the foe's ability is Bulletproof.
  • The user knows only healing moves and is affected by Heal Block.
  • The user has no PP on the move that the Pokémon used to after the foe used Encore or another move is disabled.

Trivia[]

  • Even though Struggle can only be accessed by the loss of all PP, it has contest stats. This is most likely to prevent the game from crashing if it is hacked in since, through normal gameplay, it would be impossible to use Struggle within normal contest rounds. The contest stats seem to be the defaults. These stats can be seen when Struggle is learned artificially, usually with help of a hack or a modifier.
  • Struggle is one of three moves that cannot be Sketched by Smeargle. The other two are Chatter and Dark Void.
  • Struggle takes "typeless damage" - no Pokémon can gain "same type attack bonus" from it and it is unaffected by type matchups. This also makes Struggle the only Normal-type move which can hit a Ghost type opponent without the aid of Odor Sleuth, Foresight, or Scrappy.
    • However, this is not the case in Generation I, as Struggle's Normal type is treated normally and therefore will be unable to hit Ghost-type Pokémon.
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