Poké Ball

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A Poké Ball (Japanese: モンスターボール Monster Ball) is a type of item that is critical to a 's quest, used for and storing . Both a general term used to describe the various kinds as well as a specific term to refer to the most basic among these variations, Poké Balls are ubiquitous in the modern Pokémon world.
Up to six Pokémon can be carried with a in Poké Balls, while more Poké Balls can be held in the Bag for later use. These six Pokémon in the Poké Balls can be attached to the user's belt for carrying them around. Some Pokémon do not like to be carried around in Poké Balls, such as Ash's Pikachu.
Stylized Poké Balls are used in many places to symbolize Pokémon in general: the logos of the Battle Frontiers, the Pokémon Contests, the Pokéathlon, and the Pokémon Musical all feature a Poké Ball in their design, while several Poké Balls can be seen in every Pokémon Center. The headgear of the protagonists of Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova-based games feature Poké Ball designs, as do the Bags of the protagonists of Johto-based games. 's headgear is also similar to the top half of an Ultra Ball, and 's Bag prominently features a Poké Ball.
==In the core series games==
The strength of a Poké Ball is determined by how much it raises a wild Pokémon's catch rate, and may in fact vary depending on the conditions of the battle. Poké Balls limit the power of Pokémon contained inside, taming them, though they do not cause the Pokémon inside to always obey the Trainer.
===History===
 
The invention of Poké Balls occurred in the Johto region, where Apricorns grow; these fruit were cut apart and carved out, then fitted with a special device, and used to catch wild Pokémon. Some Trainers still use Poké Balls made from Apricorns, while Kurt, a resident of Azalea Town, still constructs them. Pokémon Legends: Arceus shows that the first settlers of the Sinnoh region, back when it was known as the Hisui region, used pre-modern Poké Balls made of Tumblestone and Apricorns, with Professor Laventon claiming they were a more recent invention. According to Professor Elm, before the invention of the Poké Ball, people would walk with their Pokémon.
In the games, in the Memory Link event , Drayden claims that Poké Balls did not exist during his childhood.
Modern Poké Balls are not normally made from Apricorns, with the exception of specialist Poké Balls such as the Moon Ball. Modern Poké Balls are manufactured by Silph Co., the Devon Corporation, and the Kalos Poké Ball Factory.
===Mechanics and design===
Though the technology behind a Poké Ball remains unknown and has evolved through the centuries to accommodate the diverse requirements of their creators, the basic mechanics are simple enough to understand and tend to remain constant: in a Pokémon battle, once an opposing wild Pokémon has been weakened, the Pokémon Trainer can throw a Poké Ball at it. When a Poké Ball hits the Pokémon, as long as it is not deflected, the Poké Ball will open, cause the Pokémon to shrink, store it inside, and close. A Pokémon in this state is given a chance to struggle to attempt to break free from the ball and escape, being instantly growing back in size. Should a Pokémon escape a Poké Ball, the device is destroyed in the games (unlike in the animated series). A Pokémon who does not escape the Ball will be . Pokémon Legends: Arceus elaborates a bit on how the Pokémon are contained in a Poké Ball, with Professor Laventon explaining that Pokémon have the ability to reduce their size to miniscule, and Poké Balls take advantage of this to contain them.
Poké Balls are specifically constructed for Pokémon capture, transport, and training. As well as being physically difficult to escape from (as they seal tightly shut as soon as a Pokémon is taken into them) the environment of a Poké Ball is designed to be attractive to Pokémon also; according to Lucian of the Sinnoh Elite Four, weakened Pokémon instinctively curl up tight in an attempt to heal themselves, an action that the environment of the Poké Ball encourages. Furthermore, while it is not known how caught Pokémon perceives their time inside their Ball, the device is said to replicate a "Pokémon-friendly" environment that is "designed for comfort". All of these factors strongly discourage Pokémon from escaping their Balls. In the manga, Bugsy refers to his "capture net" as being the net that is supposedly inside a Poké Ball, but visible and already deployed. According to Kurt, this invisible net captures and physically stores a Pokémon.
When a Trainer Dynamaxes or Gigantamaxes a Pokémon, the Poké Ball expands to the size of an .
In some games, a Ball Capsule can be used in combination with Stickers to create special effects when the Pokémon is sent out.
===Poké Ball accuracy===
:See also: Catch rate
In some scenarios, a Poké Ball can miss the wild Pokémon completely (in contrast to breaking if the Poké Ball does not successfully capture the Pokémon):
* In the Generation I games, it was possible for a ball to miss the Pokémon when the likelihood of catching the Pokémon in question was particularly low—rather than the ball throwing animation playing and the ball wiggling zero times, a message would come up stating "You missed the !".
* In the Generation I games and , the s in Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower dodge any ball thrown at them before being unmasked by the Silph Scope. The Marowak ghost will dodge all Poké Balls even if it is unmasked.
* In , and in outside of battle, Poké Balls are thrown manually, and the player must aim properly to hit the Pokémon. Some Poké Balls, namely the and Feather Ball lines, have noticeably different throwing distances and trajectories compared to the standard variations.
In other scenarios, it is simply not possible to use Poké Balls in the first place:
* In the Generation I and II core series games, if both the player's party and their current Box are full, the player cannot throw a Poké Ball.
* In the core series games, in battles the player cannot throw a Poké Ball if there are multiple opponents—such as in wild Double Battles, Horde Encounters, or SOS Battles—with the game claiming that it's impossible to aim.
** This is not the case in .
* From onward, it is not possible to throw a Poké Ball if the opposing Pokémon is in the semi-invulnerable turn of a move (such as or ).
* Starting in Generation V, in Double and Triple Battles, it is not possible to issue a command to one Pokémon and then throw a Poké Ball as the second Pokémon's turn. However, it is still possible to throw a Poké Ball if one Pokémon is in the middle of a two-turn move.
* In , Ghetsis uses his cane to control a wild and orders it to attack the . The cane also emits signals that disrupt the use of empty Poké Balls, preventing Kyurem from being captured during the climax.
* In , , the player is forbidden from throwing Poké Balls at wild Pokémon in a trial site until the trial has been cleared.
* In Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, a signal that prevents the use of empty Poké Balls is broadcast throughout Aether Paradise to protect the Pokémon living there. This prevents the player from capturing the wild that attacks them on their first visit to the facility.
* In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the player cannot use a Poké Ball on a that has with a or .
* In , the player cannot catch a Pokémon whose level is above the limit the player's current Badges can allow. Such Pokémon is described as "very strong-looking".
* In The Crown Tundra expansion, the player cannot catch or during the encounter with it in the village because "It won't let its guard down!"
* In , the player cannot catch the encountered inside the Distortion Room in Ramanas Park.
* In , the player cannot catch certain Pokémon, including noble Pokémon and .
* In , the player cannot throw a Poké Ball at a wild Pokémon until it is sufficiently weakened, breaking through its transformation.
===Types of Poké Balls===
In the Pokémon games so far, there have been 34 (38 if the Hisuian Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Heavy Ball are considered distinct from their modern-day counterparts) different varieties of Poké Balls, all differing from each other in some way, whether it be an increased ability to catch a Pokémon from the wild or an effect which occurs only after the Pokémon has been caught. From Generation III onward, each variety of Poké Ball has a unique animation when it sends out a Pokémon (and also when it catches one prior to Generation VI), and the type of Poké Ball used to catch the Pokémon is preserved on its summary screen.
Prior to Generation VI, all hatched Pokémon are in a standard Poké Ball. In Generation VI, a bred Pokémon will be in the same Poké Ball as its mother, unless its mother was in a Cherish Ball or Master Ball, in which case the Pokémon will be in a standard Poké Ball; Pokémon bred from a male or gender-unknown Pokémon and will hatch in a standard Poké Ball. Since Generation VII, Pokémon bred from a male and a Ditto inherit the father's ball as well, and if two Pokémon of the same species in different balls are bred, the resulting offspring will be in either the mother's or father's ball. This also applies if the parents are different regional forms. Much like the Cherish Ball or Master Ball, the Strange Ball introduced in Generation VIII cannot be inherited and resulting offspring will be in standard Poké Balls.
Regardless of the type of Poké Ball, will fail if the user is holding one.
Starting in Generation III, each type of Poké Ball has an index number associated with it that is stored in the data structure of the Pokémon when or otherwise obtained with a given type of ball. Generation I and II did not store this data, resulting in any Pokémon transferred from Virtual Console via Poké Transporter being placed into standard Poké Balls. Pokémon caught in Park Balls within Pal Park will retain their original Poké Ball and index number from Generation III. Pokémon from caught in a Johto-exclusive Poké Ball (such as a Poké Ball made by Kurt or a Sport Ball) will be displayed in a standard Poké Ball while visiting . Pokémon originating from which are then transferred into another game (vice versa for those caught outside Legends: Arceus and then transferred in) will be displayed in Strange Balls while visiting a game where the Pokémon's ball is not programmed into the game, but will still retain its original index number. Pokémon originating from Legends: Arceus visiting will temporarily have their ball converted into a standard Poké Ball, with their original ball data being stored in Pokémon HOME's server.
Every Poké Ball (except the Beast Ball and Master Ball) has a 0.1× catch rate modifier when attempting to catch an Ultra Beast.
 	Name 	Gen. 	Index # 	 	Catch rate modifier 	Notes
 	 	I 	4 	04 	1× 	Must be in the player's Bag with an empty space in the party to obtain a when evolves from Generation IV onwards.
 	Great Ball 	I 	3 	03 	1.5× 	
 	Ultra Ball 	I 	2 	02 	2× 	
 	Master Ball 	I 	1 	01 	255× (guaranteed capture) 	The only Poké Ball other than the Beast Ball that does not have a 0.1× catch modifier when used on an Ultra Beast.
 	Safari Ball 	I 	5 	05 	 	Prior to Generation VIII, it was only usable within Safari Zones.
 	Fast Ball 	II 	17 	11 	4× if used on a Pokémon with a base 1× otherwise 	In Generation II, it was intended to have a 4× catch modifier for Pokémon that can flee, but it only does for three of them: , and .
 	Level Ball 	II 	18 	12 	1× if the player's Pokémon is the same level as or a lower level than the wild Pokémon2× if the player's Pokémon is at a higher level than the wild Pokémon but less than double it4× if the player's Pokémon is more than double but less than four times the level of the wild Pokémon8× if the player's Pokémon is of a level four times or more than that of the wild Pokémon	
 	Lure Ball 	II 	19 	13 	4× if used on a Pokémon encountered while fishing1× otherwise 	In Johto, the bonus was 3x while in Alola, the bonus was 5x
 	Heavy Ball 	II 	20 	14 	-20 if used on a Pokémon weighing 220.2 lbs. (99.9 kg) or less±0 if used on a Pokémon weighing 220.5 lbs. (100.0 kg) – 440.7 lbs. (199.9 kg)+20 if used on a Pokémon weighing 440.9 lbs. (200.0 kg) – 661.2 lbs. (299.9 kg)+30 if used on a Pokémon weighing 661.4 lbs. (300.0 kg) or more 	In Pokémon Crystal only, there is a glitch that causes the retrieved weights of Pokémon whose index numbers are divisible by 64 (, , and ) to become junk data that are, in turn, interpreted as massive weights, causing these particular Pokémon to receive the +40 capture modifier.In only, a Heavy Ball will always fail to catch a Pokémon whose weight is less than 220.46 lbs (100.0 kg) and whose catch rate is less than or equal to 20. This is because the game will set the catch rate to 0 when the catch rate becomes negative due to the -20 modifier that is applied.
 	Love Ball 	II 	21 	15 	8× if used on a Pokémon of the same species but opposite gender of the player's Pokémon1× otherwise 	In Generation II, it has an 8× catch modifier if both Pokémon are the same species and gender.
 	Friend Ball 	II 	22 	16 	1× 	Sets caught Pokémon's friendship to 200Gen II-VII, or 150Gen VIII+
 	Moon Ball 	II 	23 	17 	4× if used on a Pokémon that evolves by using a Moon Stone1× otherwise 	In Generation II, it always has a 1× catch modifier due to a programming error.
 	Sport Ball 	II 	24 	18 	 	Prior to Generation VIII, it was only usable during the Bug-Catching Contest.
 	Net Ball 	III 	6 	06 	3.5× if used on a or Pokémon1× otherwise 	
 	Dive Ball 	III 	7 	07 	3.5× if used on a water-dwelling Pokémon1× otherwise 	In Generation III, it only had an increased catch rate underwater.
 	Nest Ball 	III 	8 	08 	((41 - Pokémon's level) ÷ 10)× if Pokémon's level is between 1 and 291× otherwise 	
 	Repeat Ball 	III 	9 	09 	3.5× if used on a Pokémon that is registered in the player's Pokédex as caught1× otherwise 	
 	Timer Ball 	III 	10 	0A 	(1 + number of turns passed in battle * )×, maximum 4× at 10 turns 	
 	Luxury Ball 	III 	11 	0B 	1× 	Doubles the rate at which the contained Pokémon's friendship increases.
 	Premier Ball 	III 	12 	0C 	1× 	
 	Dusk Ball 	IV 	13 	0D 	3× if used in a cave or at night1× otherwise 	
 	Heal Ball 	IV 	14 	0E 	1× 	Fully restores a caught Pokémon's and PP and removes their status conditions.
 	Quick Ball 	IV 	15 	0F 	5× if used on the first turn of a battle1× otherwise 	
 	Cherish Ball 	IV 	16 	10 	1× 	Unobtainable by the player, but used for various event Pokémon.
 	Park Ball 	IV 	 	1B 	255× (guaranteed capture if used in Pal Park) 	Unobtainable by the player, but used in Pal Park.
 	Dream Ball 	V 	25 	19 	4× if used on a ing Pokémon1× otherwise 	Used only in Entree Forest prior to Generation VIII.Catch rate modifier 255× (guaranteed capture) in Generation V.
 	Beast Ball 	VII 	26 	1A 	5× if used on an Ultra Beast0.1× otherwise 	If any other Poké Ball (except the Master Ball) is used on an Ultra Beast, it has a 0.1× catch modifier.
 	Strange Ball 	VIII 	 	1B 	 	Unobtainable by the player. Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus that were transferred from other games via Pokémon HOME, as well as Pokémon from Legends: Arceus in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl or Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be displayed in this ball.
 	Poké Ball (Hisui) 	VIII 	28 	1C 	0.75× 	
 	Great Ball (Hisui) 	VIII 	29 	1D 	1.5× 	
 	Ultra Ball (Hisui) 	VIII 	30 	1E 	2.25× 	
 	Feather Ball 	VIII 	31 	1F 	1×1.25× when boosted 	Can be thrown further than a regular Poké Ball. Is more effective for catching Pokémon .
 	Wing Ball 	VIII 	32 	20 	1.5×1.75× when boosted 	Can be thrown further than a Feather Ball. Is more effective for catching Pokémon .
 	Jet Ball 	VIII 	33 	21 	2×2.75× when boosted 	Can be thrown further than a Wing Ball. Is more effective for catching Pokémon .
 	Heavy Ball (Hisui) 	VIII 	34 	22 	1×1.25× when boosted 	Doesn't fly far, but is more effective if the Pokémon .
 	Leaden Ball 	VIII 	35 	23 	1.75×2× when boosted 	Upgraded version of the Heavy Ball. Doesn't fly far, but is more effective if the Pokémon .
 	Gigaton Ball 	VIII 	36 	24 	2.5×2.75× when boosted 	Upgraded version of the Leaden Ball. Doesn't fly far, but is more effective if the Pokémon .
 	Origin Ball 	VIII 	37 	25 	 	Automatically catches or at the end of the main story in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
All details are accurate to games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual item's page.	All details are accurate to games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual item's page.	All details are accurate to games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual item's page.	All details are accurate to games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual item's page.	All details are accurate to games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual item's page.	All details are accurate to games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual item's page. 	All details are accurate to games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual item's page.
===Other variants===
* In Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen, Professor Oak mentions that his Parcel contains a custom Poké Ball. However, this is not said in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
* The GS Ball is an event item that appears only in , where it was part of a giveaway on the Mobile System GB for Japanese games, similar to event items given out via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and Nintendo Network from Generation IV onward. It was not used to catch any Pokémon and was placed in the Key Items pocket. If given to Kurt for inspection, it will activate an event where the player can catch a in Ilex Forest.
* When transferring Pokémon via Poké Transfer, a blue Poké Ball is used to catch the Pokémon in the minigame. They are shot using a bow.
* In the Timegate Traveler Series featured in Pokéstar Studios, the future is ruled by Pokémon that capture wild humans in Human Balls (Japanese: ヒューマンボール Human Ball) instead of the other way around. They have no visual difference to Poké Balls.
* In , the Dynamax Band allows Trainers to increase the size of Poké Balls, making them look like giant Premier Balls.
** When a Pokémon is Dynamaxed (including Gigantamaxing) with a Dynamax Band, the Trainer returns their active Pokémon to its Poké Ball, then turns the Poké Ball into a giant Poké Ball. This giant Poké Ball is then thrown, sending out the Dynamax Pokémon.
** In Max Raid Battles and Dynamax Adventures, when the Dynamax Pokémon is defeated, the Trainer turns an empty Poké Ball into a giant Poké Ball, then throws it at the wild Dynamax Pokémon in an attempt to catch it.
Oak's Parcel dialogue.png|"Ah! This is the custom POKé BALL I ordered! Thank you!"
GS Ball Crystal.png|The GS Ball
Dynamax Poké Ball Concept Art.jpg|Concept art of a giant Poké Ball for Dynamax by Ken SugimoriShea, Brian (October 4, 2019). "Exclusive Pokémon Sword And Shield Concept Art Gallery." Game Informer (Archived on April 16, 2024.)
===Palette limitations===
In the games, certain Poké Balls appear off-color due to palette limitations. They are most likely intended to be standard Poké Balls rather than variations.
* In Generation I, during a Pokémon battle, the multiple kinds of Poké Ball have different throwing animations but otherwise look the same. They all appear with a black top and white bottom. This black and white design is clearly seen when the Poké Ball is shaking in an attempt to catch the wild Pokémon.
** In Generation II, all kinds of Poké Ball look the same when used in-battle except they have different color palettes. Unlike in the previous generation, all Poké Balls use the same throwing animation.
** In both Generations I and II, the Poké Ball changes color once the wild Pokémon is successfully caught, shortly appearing with the color palette of the caught Pokémon. For instance, no matter what kind of Poké Ball, it appears to be green once a green Pokémon is caught, or pink once a pink Pokémon is caught.
* In Generation I, the trade animation invariably displays both Pokémon using the Poké Ball design with the black top and white bottom, the same design seen in Pokémon battles.
** In Generation II, the trade animation uses a red color palette for both traded Pokémon, specifically a darker red at the top and a lighter red at the bottom.
* In the Generations from I to , several Trainer sprites have off-color Poké Balls. They often reuse the same colors seen elsewhere in the sprites such as the character's hair or clothes.
Poké Ball trade Red Blue.png|A black Poké Ball at the start of a trade in 
Spr RB Red 2.png| with a purple Poké Ball in the intro from Pokémon Red and Blue
Spr RG Blue 2.png| with a purple Poké Ball in Pokémon Red and Blue
Spr RG Blue 3.png|Blue with a black Poké Ball as his sprite in Pokémon Red and Blue
Spr RG Juggler.png| with black Poké Balls in Pokémon Red and Blue
Spr RG Psychic.png| with black Poké Balls in Pokémon Red and Blue
GSC Ethan Back.png| with a brown Poké Ball in Generation II
C Kris Back.png| with a blue Poké Ball in Generation II
Spr GS Oak.png|Professor Oak with an olive green Poké Ball in Generation II
Spr GS Fisher.png| with a blue Poké Ball in Generation II
Spr GS Juggler.png|Juggler with blue Poké Balls in Generation II
Spr GS Psychic.png|Psychic with blue Poké Balls in Generation II
Spr RS Glacia.png|Glacia with a yellow Poké Ball in Generation III
===Item balls===
Items contained in Poké Balls have been present from the very first games, with many items that are found on the field being found in Poké Balls in conspicuous locations. These items are sometimes important, and usually will be among the required items for pickup along the way. Sometimes, even Poké Ball variants can be found in item balls, though it may be that the item ball itself is supposed to represent the item that is found (whenever or not it's a Poké Ball). Many other items, however, are hidden, and are not in item balls, instead being directly on the field, and can be found more easily using an Itemfinder or Dowsing Machine.
, , , , and appear as item balls in the overworld, but attack when interacted with (or if at close range for Galarian Stunfisk), except the Foongus in Accumula Town. In , fake item balls appear upside down.
===Game icons===
Poké Balls are often featured in the icons for Pokémon games, which are used on the home screens for the Nintendo DS, 3DS, and Switch.
							 		 					
							(Demo)		(Demo)					
==In the side series games==
===Pokémon Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness===
In and , a Snag Ball is not a single, separate type of Poké Ball, but rather any type of existing Poké Ball that has been "unlocked" by the Snag Machine, allowing it to snag an already-caught Pokémon during a . While it is able to be used on any Pokémon, Rui will only allow Wes to use it on Shadow Pokémon, while Michael's Aura Reader will render the Snag Machine inoperable when a Pokémon other than a Shadow Pokémon is targeted.
It is possible to snag a Shadow Pokémon even if there are two on the opposing side of the field, unlike catching Pokémon in the core series games.
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon GO===
Players do not battle wild Pokémon in Pokémon GO, and using Poké Balls is a matter of the player's aim. To throw one, the player must press their finger on the Poké Ball, move it, and release it. The Ball and Pokémon exist in a 3D environment, so the player may miss the Pokémon by throwing the Ball the wrong distance or too far to the side. Additionally, the wild Pokémon may attempt to dodge or attack every few seconds. When a Pokémon is attacking, any Poké Balls that hit it will be deflected. When a Pokémon dodges, it will move around but can still be hit by a thrown Ball.
:See more: Caught Pokémon → Pokémon GO
On the aiming screen, a colored circle displays over the Pokémon, gradually shrinks to nothing, then resets to its widest before continuing to shrink again. If the player's throw lands inside this circle, they will get a "Nice!", "Great!", or "Excellent!" catch chance bonus depending on how small the circle was. The player can also improve their catch chance by throwing a curveball. If the player spins the Ball while holding it, it will temporarily retain the spin and curve left or right when thrown.
:See more: Catch rate (GO)
Three types of Poké Balls were available in Pokémon GO upon release: regular Poké Balls, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls. These remain the only types of Poké Balls that are generally available. They can be repeatably obtained by:
* Spinning PokéStops or s (Lv. 12+ for Great Balls and Lv. 20+ for Ultra Balls)
* Opening a Gift (Lv. 12+ for Great Balls and Lv. 20+ for Ultra Balls)
* Completing certain Field Research or Special Research tasks
* Weekly Adventure Sync rewards
The player also receives Poké Balls upon leveling up.
* Poké Balls awarded up to level 11 (including 50 Poké Balls starting at level 1)
* Great Balls awarded from level 12 to level 19
* Ultra Balls awarded starting level 20
Regular Poké Balls may be purchased in the Shop at the following rates:
* 20 for 100
* 100 for 460
* 200 for 800
All three types of balls have also been available in limited-time Box deals.
Premier Balls debuted in Pokémon GO on June 20, 2017, a few days after its first anniversary with the introduction of s. They can only be used for catching Raid Bosses and , and other types of Poké Balls cannot be used on them. If the player runs out, the Raid Boss or Shadow Pokémon will flee. The number of Premier Balls are awarded to the player after a Raid Battle or Team GO Rocket battle is based on how well they battled. Unused Premier Balls are not retained and do not roll over to future challenges. Like in the main series, Premier Balls are just as effective as regular Poké Balls.
Beast Balls debuted in Pokémon GO on July 1, 2022 at Pokémon GO Fest 2022 Berlin. They can only be used for catching Ultra Beasts, and other types of Poké Balls cannot be used on them. Currently, an unlimited number of Beast Balls are provided to the player during an Ultra Beast encounter.
Master Balls have existed in Pokémon GO's coding since release, but they didn't debut until May 22, 2023, as a reward from the Let's GO! Special Research. Future opportunities to get Master Balls are planned.Never miss with the Master Ball—coming soon to Pokémon GO!
GO Safari Balls will debut in Pokémon GO on November 16, 2024 at Pokémon GO Wild Area. The GO Safari Ball will be made available in Pokémon GO during the GO Wild Area event. They have a higher catch rate. When this event is active, players will receive GO Safari Balls from Timed Research and can use them in wild encounters.Tickets – Pokémon GO All unused GO Safari Balls expire and disappear from the player's Bag at the end of each day of the event.Event Gameplay – Pokémon GOPokémon GO Wild Area: Global Pokémon caught in GO Safari Balls are unable to be sent to Pokémon HOME via the GO Transporter.
====Description====
Image	English name 	Japanese name 	Description
 	 	モンスターボールMonster Ball 	A device for catching wild Pokémon. It's thrown like a ball, comfortably encapsulating its target.
 	Great Ball 	スーパーボールSuper Ball 	A high-performance Ball with a higher catch rate than a standard Poké Ball.
 	Ultra Ball 	ハイパーボールHyper Ball 	An ultra-performance Ball with a higher catch rate than a Great Ball.
 	Master Ball 	マスターボールMaster Ball 	The best Poké Ball with the ultimate level of performance. With it, you will catch any wild Pokémon without fail.
 	Premier Ball 	プレミアボールPremier Ball 	A somewhat rare Poké Ball made to commemorate a special occasion of some sort.
 	Beast Ball 	ウルトラボールUltra Ball 	N/A
 	GO Safari Ball	サファリボールSafari Ball 	N/A
===Pokémon Snap===
In , the Pester Balls appear similar to Poké Balls at a glance. However, they are not used to catch Pokémon, and instead will release a Pokémon repellent on contact.
===Pokémon UNITE===
thumb|left|250px|A Unite Ball catching a Pokémon
In , Trainers use regular Poké Balls to send out their own Pokémon, after they have been knocked out in battle. (At the start of a Unite Battle, all Pokémon are present on the field.) During the game's tutorial, a from the Aeos Research Institute is sent out from a Poké Ball twice. This happens before Tutorial (Basics 1) and Tutorial (Basics 2). 
A unique variety of Poké Ball, the Unite Ball, is used as part of Unite Battles. (They are also known as Aeos Balls) Unite Balls are orange, purple, and yellow in colour, with a yellow stripe around in the middle and a white button. The pattern gives the Unite Ball a "U" design. Each Trainer has a Unite Ball, and uses it to catch the wild Pokémon their Pokémon knocks out in Unite Battles. After doing so, the Unite Ball stores the Aeos energy the Pokémon held. The stored energy is used by Pokémon to score at goal zones. At the start of an Unite Battle, the player's Unite Ball only holds a maximum of 30 Aeos energy. After their Pokémon reaches Level 9, the capacity increases to 40. At level 12, the capacity is boosted again to 50. Trainers only have one Unite Ball canonically, and the interface only depicts a single Unite Ball. Regardless, Trainers throw a Unite Ball for every wild Pokémon defeated even if more than one is defeated at the same time. 
In Mer Stadium's Catch 'Em battles, certain wild Pokémon have a white glow around them. When these Pokémon are defeated and captured, the player can send them out from their Unite Ball to temporarily take the place of their selected Pokémon. This function replaces the Trainer's . Additionally, after enough time has passed, the Battle Item will return to normal and that Pokémon will not be able to be switched into battle. If the captured Pokémon is sent out, a timer is set. When that timer elapses or the Pokémon faints, the Trainer's original Pokémon is sent back into battle from its Poké Ball. Defeating a Wild Pokémon while currently using a Caught Pokémon does not allow the player to switch to the defeated Wild Pokémon.
In Panic Parade, certain wild Pokémon have a white glow around them and a Aeos Ball icon over their heads. When these Pokémon are defeated and captured, the player can send them out from their Unite Ball. This function replaces the Trainer's , and after using the Battle Item will return to normal. (Although "normal" in Panic Parade means no Battle Item at all.) If another item is picked up or another capturable Pokémon is captured, the first Pokémon is lost. The sent out Pokémon wanders to the nearest opposing Pokémon, uses their Unite Move, then is recalled and leaves the battle.
Unite Balls (mislabeled Poké Balls) are used as part of the Prize Machine menu. By throwing Unite Balls at one of the items on display, the prize gauge for that item is increased. When the prize gauge of an item is full, the item is obtained. A single Unite Ball has a 66% chance to add 1 unit to the prize gauge, a 30% chance to add 2 units to the prize gauge, a 3.3% chance to add 3 units, a 0.6% chance to add 5 units, and a 0.1% chance to add 10 units. Players have two Unite Balls to use in this menu. After using a Unite Ball, players must wait 12 hours before it can be used again. Players can spend to hasten this timer. Some events provide additional Unite Balls in the Prize Machine menu, under the umbrella name No-cost Holiday Balls. When available, only 10 of these Poké Balls can be obtained per day, and they are lost if they are not used before the next day begins. Usually there is a cap on the number of No-cost Holiday Balls obtainable per event, with that cap usually being 100. Sometimes, these additional Unite Balls have alternate names, such as Holiday Balls or Anniversary Balls. (Oddly, the menu's text states that "Poké Balls always hit their target..." in this mode, even though Unite Balls have never been shown to miss in any media.)
===Pokémon Pinball series===
In Pokémon Pinball and Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, the , Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Master Ball are available.
The Poké Ball is the normal ball used in the pinball tables since the beginning of the game. In both games, if the player lights up the three Field Multiplier Lanes found in all tables, the ball is upgraded to the next kind of Poké Ball (a Poké Ball is upgraded into a Great Ball, a Great Ball into an Ultra Ball, and an Ultra Ball into a Master Ball). If a minute passes without new Poké Ball upgrades, the ball returns to the previous state. If the player loses a ball, the next ball is a Poké Ball.
The bonus points are as follows:
* The has no bonus multiplier.
* The Great Ball multiplies bonus points by ×2.
* The Ultra Ball multiplies bonus points by ×3.
* The Master Ball multiplies bonus points by ×4 in Pokémon Pinball and by ×5 in Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire.
====Pokémon Pinball====
			
			
====Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire====
			
			
===Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure===
In Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure, the Typing Balls are thrown after one successfully types a Pokémon's name. It has the overall design like that of a normal Poké Ball, only having an additional vertical line at the bottom, resembling the letter "T".
Typing Ball.png|A Typing Ball
===Super Smash Bros. series===
In the , Poké Balls appear as items, which fighters can pick up and throw to release a random Pokémon. These Pokémon will typically attack the opponents of the player who summoned them, but may also have other effects. Starting in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, the Master Ball also appears as an item, which has the same effect as Poké Balls but can only summon or Mythical Pokémon (or ).
The Pokémon that can appear from Poké Balls differ between the games. The in Super Smash Bros. all come from Generation I, the in Super Smash Bros. Melee come from up to Generation II, the in Super Smash Bros. Brawl come from up to Generation IV, the in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U come from up to Generation VI, and the in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate come from up to Generation VII. The only Pokémon that have appeared in all of the Super Smash Bros. games as Poké Ball Pokémon are , , and .
Poké Ball SSB4.png|The Poké Ball in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
Master Ball SSB4.png|The Master Ball in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
The Pokémon series as a whole is represented by a Poké Ball logo in the Super Smash Bros. series. The logo was updated in Brawl.
File:Smash Bros Pokemon Symbol.png|The Pokémon series' symbol from SSB and Melee
File:Smash Bros Brawl Pokemon Symbol.png|The Pokémon series' symbol from Brawl, SSB4, and Ultimate.
====Super Smash Bros. Melee====
;Poké Ball trophy:
:These balls are used to catch and contain wild Pokémon. Most Pokémon must be weakened in some way before they can be caught, but once they're inside a Poké Ball, they enjoy their new home, since Poké Balls contain an environment specially designed for Pokémon comfort. Master Balls are the strongest type.
====Super Smash Bros. Brawl====
;Poké Ball trophy:
:"An item used for capturing Pokémon and calling them out into battle. Pokémon live in these items which despite appearances, actually contain a wide, comfortable Pokémon-friendly world inside them. In Super Smash Bros., Pokémon give temporary support to who calls them out. You never know which you will get, but some are devastatingly powerful."
====Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U====
;Poké Ball trophy:
:NA: An item used to call out different Pokémon. Which Pokémon emerges is a mystery, but it will aid whoever threw the Poké Ball. Some of the Pokémon contained inside are extremely powerful and will really intensify the battle. It's definitely worth beating your opponents to these!
:PAL: A ball holding one of any number of Pokémon just waiting to burst out and help you in battle. Which kind will it be? Well, that's a surprise, but whichever one it is, it'll definitely up the intensity of the battle! If you see one, make sure you're the one to grab it!
;Master Ball trophy:
:NA: These valuable, powerful balls can capture any wild Pokémon. In Smash Bros., hard-to-find Pokémon often pop out of them. You can easily identify a Master Ball by the distinct purple appearance and large M on the top. A Pokémon within a Master Ball may turn the tide of battle.
:PAL: A rare type of Poké Ball that never fails to catch a Pokémon. Throw one in this game, and the Mythical or Legendary Pokémon inside will come to your aid. Master Balls are easy to identify due to their purple colour and the large M on them. Use one to quickly turn the tide of any battle!
===Pokémon Tower Battle===
In Pokémon Tower Battle, the featured Pokémon come from , with some rare Pokémon from Ultra Balls and Master Balls.
===Camp Pokémon===
In Camp Pokémon, the Poké Ball Roll minigame features the Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Master Ball.
===Pokémon Sleep===
Poké Balls do not exist in Pokémon Sleep. Instead, Poké Biscuits are used to "befriend" Pokémon (which is the same mechanic as catching them in the core series games).
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
====Mechanics====
In , Poké Balls are not always at full size. Pressing the button on the front will convert it between its full size, about the size of a , to a smaller size, about that of a , and back again. The larger size makes throwing the ball easier, while the smaller one makes for easier storage on a belt clip, in pockets, and in Bags. 
When a Pokémon is sent out from a Poké Ball, it will be accompanied by a distinctive sound effect and a bright light as it returns from its energy form and materializes nearby, often on the ground. This bright light has been shown to vary depending on the type of Ball in which the Pokémon is contained in the games, while it has always been shown to be white in Pokémon the Series. Pokémon are recalled to their Poké Ball by holding up the Poké Ball with its button pointed at the Pokémon. A beam of red, white, or blue light will shoot from the button, converting the Pokémon back into energy and returning it to the Ball. The beam, however, has a limited range and can be dodged by the Pokémon. If the beam hits a person, they will be stunned for a moment, but aside from that, no ill effects will make themselves apparent.
Releasing a Pokémon from a Trainer's ownership, unlike normally sending the Pokémon out, will bathe the Pokémon in a blue glow, and the Poké Ball will no longer mark it, making it able to be caught by another Trainer's Poké Ball.
A Poké Ball can also be broken, which will release it from ownership, as seen when Jessie releases her Dustox in Crossing Paths. If a Trainer has done so accidentally, it must somehow be fixed before the Pokémon can be recalled. This was seen in Pokémon Food Fight!, where Ash becomes unable to recall Snorlax after its Poké Ball is broken. In the manga, if a Poké Ball is broken before a Pokémon is sent out, then that particular Pokémon cannot be used until their Poké Ball has been repaired. This happened several times in the Pokémon Adventures manga, such as during 's battle against , where the opening mechanism for the Poké Balls of Red's Venusaur and Gyarados were damaged, preventing either of them from being used in the match.
In Just Waiting On A Friend, an old Poké Ball was shown to bind the Pokémon caught with it, a , to staying close to it, making it unable to leave its home until the Poké Ball was broken. This seems to be a quality unique to this particular Poké Ball, as later series have featured Pokémon venturing a long distance away from their Poké Balls, such as Goh's Suicune, which was able to remain as a roaming Pokémon despite not leaving Goh's ownership.
Pokémon appear to be conscious while inside Poké Balls. Several Pokémon have shown the ability to leave and return to their Poké Balls at will, most notably among them Jessie's Wobbuffet, Misty's Psyduck, Ash's Oshawott, Brock's Croagunk, and Clemont's Chespin, who tend to do so in every episode that they appear in. In Dig Those Diglett!, many Pokémon belonging to Gary Oak, as well as other Trainers, including Ash Ketchum, demonstrated the ability to prevent themselves from being sent from their Poké Balls, as they refused to fight against the Diglett, though this has not been demonstrated since. Pokémon have also been shown to be able to hear orders given by their Trainer right before they are sent out.
Pokémon can even make their Poké Ball jump and roll around at high speeds, while also being able to navigate, as seen in , when the moves its Poké Ball onto an empty pedestal in Professor Oak's Laboratory after being caught in Pallet Town.
Poké Balls are able to communicate with a Trainer's Pokédex, as the system updates itself with information on newly caught Pokémon, and keeps track of how many Pokémon the Trainer has with them. If a Trainer catches a new Pokémon with the full six already with them, the Pokédex will automatically send the newly caught Pokémon in its Poké Ball to the Pokémon Storage System that the Trainer is using. As shown in Two Degrees of Separation!, a Pokémon caught by a Poké Ball is "marked" by it, and thus most Poké Balls thrown at it will have no effect aside from temporarily stunning it. In the games, as well as in Bad to the Bone, however, the Trainer of the Pokémon will block a Poké Ball thrown by another, though it is possible that this is more out of courtesy to their Pokémon than to prevent capture outright. In Charmander – The Stray Pokémon, Ash was able to catch his in a Poké Ball despite his previous ownership by another Trainer, though he may have lost his "mark" when he abandoned his previous Trainer by refusing to return to his old Poké Ball. Earlier in the same episode, Ash failed to catch the same Charmander while he still held his loyalty, despite his weakened state.
Other wireless capabilities of Poké Balls are shown in Destiny Deoxys, as when the electricity of the city is down, claims that the "Poké Ball Management System" was no longer working without power. A similar mechanism is suggested to exist in the games, with the Paradise Protection Protocol issuing a lock signal that disables the use of any Poké Balls that do not have a specific ID.
Poké Balls are able to be decorated to no ill effect, with several Poké Balls that have been painted with special colors being seen in the Pokémon the Series.
Should a Pokémon escape a Poké Ball, the device will return to the Trainer, who can attempt once again to catch the Pokémon.
It has sometimes been shown that items can be contained in Poké Balls, apparently able to be captured in much the same way as a Pokémon. Pokémon the Series has used this as a gag on several occasions, most notably in Primeape Goes Bananas, where accidentally catches a rice ball when he throws a Poké Ball in an attempt to catch a wild Mankey.
====Types of Poké Balls====
In , the basic Poké Ball is the most commonly used of all varieties, with other varieties appearing either very few times or not at all. A vast majority of Pokémon are shown to be stored in regular Poké Balls, to the point that large collections of Poké Balls can be seen with no variation among them. Even Ash's Pikachu, the most prominent Pokémon in the series, which spends all its time outside with Ash, has a plain Poké Ball that differs from others only by the small yellow lightning bolt symbol on it, as seen in Pokémon - I Choose You!.
Despite this, the various other types of Poké Ball have been seen in Pokémon the Series, usually to illustrate a special property about that particular ball. The lack of the different types is unsurprising, however, due to the fact that, when the animated series was first created, the games themselves did not even keep track of the Poké Ball that a Pokémon was caught in, and thus, it made no difference in sending a Pokémon out. This has recently become less common as of , possibly to reflect the fact that NPC Trainers in Generation VII have certain types of Poké Balls associated with them.
The first time that a Poké Ball aside from the normal variation was seen was in EP035, where Ash was given 30 Safari Balls in order to compete in the Safari Game. With these 30 Safari Balls, Ash attempted to catch various rare Pokémon; however, he only managed to capture an entire herd of . They appeared in Safari Balls in Showdown at the Po-Ké Corral; however, whenever Ash uses one of his Tauros in a battle, it is sent out from a standard Poké Ball.
The GS Ball was the second of the variant Poké Balls to appear in Pokémon the Series, first appearing in Poké Ball Peril, this time with a special purpose. This mysterious ball was unable to be opened by Professor Ivy, and served as the reason for Ash's journeys to the Orange Islands (to pick it up) and Johto (to deliver it to Kurt), so that what was contained within it could be discovered. was long rumored to be related to the ball, something which the Pokémon Adventures and game canons verify, while a director of the animated series confirmed that, had it not been insisted that appear in a central role in the fourth movie, the GS Ball arc would have concluded with Celebi being released from the ball and traveling with Ash and his friends.
Also related to Kurt, as in the games, the first non-standard Poké Ball variants, the Apricorn balls, made an appearance in Pokémon the Series, and several were given to the members of the main cast. All three members of the main cast received a Fast Ball each in Going Apricorn!, with using his to catch a shortly after receiving it. Many other Apricorn Poké Balls also appeared in a fantasy in this episode. In the next episode, Brock received a Heavy Ball, while Ash and received a Lure Ball each. While Brock's Heavy Ball and Ash and Misty's Fast Balls would remain unused (and have not been mentioned since), both Ash and Misty would use their Lure Balls to capture a and , respectively. Another Heavy Ball appeared in Gulpin It Down, where it was used to capture a , though this was not the one belonging to Brock. In Trouble's Brewing, the (excluding Sakura) were shown keeping their Eeveelutions inside Apricorn Poké Balls, with Satsuki's 's ball being a Moon Ball, Sumomo's 's ball being a Lure Ball, and Tamao's 's ball being a Fast Ball. While Koume's 's ball wasn't shown, her kimono pattern indicates it being a Love Ball.
The Master Ball itself has only appeared once as an actual Poké Ball, in Whiscash and Ash, where it was used by Sullivan in a last resort attempt to catch a wild called "Nero". Despite the fact that a Master Ball cannot be escaped from, the Whiscash swallowed the Master Ball, thus preventing capture, and disappeared back into the water. While not a Poké Ball itself, Misty owns a beach ball that is designed like the Master Ball, which can be seen in Beauty and the Beach and A Hot Water Battle.
The Generation III specialty balls have mostly been seen in cameos. The Repeat Ball and Luxury Ball appeared in the opening of Jirachi: Wish Maker. These balls contained 's and , respectively.
The debut of most of the specialty balls, both from Generation III and IV, came in the ending Which One ~ Is It?, which contained the first appearance of the Great Ball and Ultra Ball, as well as the first animated series appearance of the Premier, Heal, Net, Dusk, Nest, Quick, Timer, and Dive Balls.
The first proper appearance of the Great, Ultra, Net, Nest, Dusk, Dive, Repeat, Premier, and Heal Balls was in A Frenzied Factory Fiasco!, where these balls were seen being manufactured at the Poké Ball Factory, in addition to normal Poké Balls, Luxury Balls, and Safari Balls, although the last ones were not shown. Although James did mention a Quick Ball in the Japanese version, one was never shown in the episode (a fact that was picked up by the dub, which removed the Quick Ball reference). tried to steal many of these Poké Balls, but were foiled by Ash and his friends.
It was revealed in First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-Style! that James had been collecting Poké Balls. When Jessie's attempts to catch a with typical Poké Balls had failed, she grabbed the Luxury Ball James had been polishing and used it instead, capturing Mimikyu, much to James's dismay. The rest of James's collection appeared in Acting True to Form!, where it was revealed to also contain a Great, Ultra, Premier, Dusk, Heal, and Quick Ball, marking the first animated series appearance of a Quick Ball. The collection reappeared in Splash, Dash, and Smash for the Crown!, where it now consisted of a Premier, Dive, Nest, Quick, Heal, and Dusk Ball.
 keeps all of his known Pokémon in special Poké Balls. His is kept in an Ultra Ball (as first seen in A Glaring Rivalry!), his is kept in a Premier Ball (as first seen in Rising from the Ruins!), his is kept in a Heal Ball (as first seen in Rescuing the Unwilling!), his is kept in a Dusk Ball (as first seen in the Poké Problem extra scene of SM127), and his is kept in a Beast Ball (as first seen in The Homecoming Crown!).
Beast Balls debuted in A Mission of Ultra Urgency!, in which the Aether Foundation provided multiple of them for Ash and to use during their missions as Ultra Guardians. Since then, Beast Balls have appeared in . Most of the time they are only used to temporarily hold until they are released back into Ultra Space. The only Ultra Beasts that have been kept in a Beast Ball for longer than one episode are Ash's Naganadel and Gladion's .
In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!, used an Ultra Ball in an attempt to catch , only for Eternatus to break out.
Many other Poké Balls have been shown in Pokémon the Series; however, most of these are cosmetic alterations alone, such as Poké Balls with gold plating, diamond studded Poké Balls, and Poké Balls with stickers or special designs on them, usually to denote an organization. Ball Capsules and Seals can also be used to customize a Poké Ball's appearance, and they add special effects when the Pokémon is sent out. In the series, they are mostly used by s during Pokémon Contests to create a showy entrance and ensure that the Pokémon will make a good impression right out of the Poké Ball.
Notably, a broken Poké Ball, snapped in half at its rusted hinges, was kept by both Ash and , symbolizing their rivalry. After Ash defeated Gary during the Silver Conference, Gary gave his half of the Ball to Ash as a sign of ending their rivalry.
In Mystery at the Lighthouse, it was shown that if a Trainer catches a Pokémon while they already have six on hand, it is automatically sent to the regional . Sewaddle and Burgh in Pinwheel Forest shows a major difference in what happens after a Pokémon is captured. Instead of being automatically sent to the regional Professor, the Poké Ball is sealed and the button becomes red. The Pokémon is kept inactive until it is switched out by another actively in the Trainer's party.
=====Other variants=====
* A green Poké Ball appeared in Pokémon - I Choose You!. Interestingly, the cover of the book greatly resembles this Poké Ball, and is labeled as a Safari Ball.
** In addition to this, the artwork of , in , features Brendan holding a green Poké Ball.
* Several objects were used to contain and control Pokémon before Poké Balls themselves were developed. Large monumental objects have been shown several times in episodes to be containers for large ancient Pokémon, as seen most notably in The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis. Smaller objects have also been used, such as the staff belonging to Sir Aaron, which contained his partner, , until released it in the current era. Special armor developed by Marcus was used to control Pokémon in ancient Michina Town, though it did not directly contain the Pokémon; unlike other methods of using Pokémon, these Pokémon were enslaved, instead of befriended, and they turned against him the moment the armor was broken.
* had a collection of strange Poké Balls known as (Japanese: ミュウツーボール Mewtwo Balls) in Mewtwo Strikes Back, which incorporated an eye into their design, and were used primarily to capture Pokémon to be cloned. These balls had no trouble catching Pokémon which were already captured—even if they were already inside of Poké Balls.
* In Spell of the Unown: Entei, Molly Hale, whose imagination caused the power of the to change the world around them, was able to use strange, crystalline Poké Balls when she challenged and . The Pokémon sent from these appeared normally, but dissolved into crystal, rather than being recalled. These crystal Poké Balls only appeared when used by her imagined older selves, and do not appear to actually exist.
* A special variant of Poké Ball, the Lake Ball, was used during the Seaking Catching Competition in Hook, Line, and Stinker; this is viewed by many to be similar to the Sport Ball used in the Bug-Catching Contest. They appear as blue and white Poké Balls, with a fish pattern around the edge, and a yellow arrow on the top and bottom of the ball. They don't shake after capture, implying an automatic catch.
* In One Trick Phony!, specially marked Poké Balls appeared at the , containing the Park's rental Pokémon. They looked almost exactly like standard Poké Balls, except that they had the Park's stylized "BP" logo on the top.
* Older Poké Balls have also appeared in Pokémon the Series, specifically the one carried by Sam in Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, which was colored differently, and it had a knob that needed to be twisted before the Pokémon inside could be sent out. While it is unknown how these types were manufactured, it is likely that they were made by hand using Apricorns, prior to the standardization and mass production of modern-day Poké Balls.
* The Iron-Masked Marauder, an agent of Team Rocket, used special Dark Balls that corrupted Pokémon caught inside them and made them into mindless servants of the Trainer, as well as raising their power significantly. Multiple Pokémon were caught in these Poké Balls, including the and a powerful . They seem capable of catching any Pokémon without fail.
* As in the games, the GS Ball appeared in , and was the primary motivation for Ash's trip to the Orange Islands, where he would compete in his second Pokémon League. It also served as the catalyst for his journey to Johto, as he needed to deliver the ball to Kurt. Former director Masamitsu Hidaka revealed that a shelved storyline, that would have concluded the GS Ball's arc, involved a that would have traveled with Ash and his friends through at least part of Johto. The storyline was viewed as redundant after the decision was made to introduce Celebi in the fourth movie instead.
* Claydol, Big and Tall featured the "Stone Balls", two huge Poké Balls made of stone used to seal away a destructive that had caused devastation on Izabe Island in the past. One of the balls was destroyed by , who wanted to get their hands on Claydol. When it proved to be uncontrollable, the trio was forced to team up with Ash and his friends in order to reseal it within the second ball.
* In Battling the Enemy Within!, an ancient relic resembling a Poké Ball was first mentioned by , who told Ash and his friends a story about the King of Pokélantis, who had once tried to control for his own evil purposes. When Ash later found the relic, it was revealed that the King of Pokélantis's spirit was actually sealed within it, and it possessed Ash until it was banished from his body and resealed back inside the relic.
* In A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition!, a specially marked Poké Ball, called the "Fishing Poké Ball", was used in the fake fishing contest set up by Team Rocket. This Poké Ball highly resembled the regular red and white Poké Ball, except that it had a dark fish mark on its red part.
* In The Power of Us, the participants of the Pokémon Catch Race used special "Catch Race Poké Balls" to catch specifically marked Pokémon around Fula City. These Poké Balls feature a blue-and-white color scheme, with a gold button.
* In , starting from Ivysaur's Mysterious Tower!, the Team Rocket trio was provided with the Rocket Prize Master, a vending machine that lets them borrow random Pokémon from it, contained in special Team Rocket Poké Balls. When a Pokémon is sent out from them, these Balls drop a small leaflet explaining details about the Pokémon in question.
* Dynamaxed Poké Balls were first used in Flash of the Titans! during and 's World Coronation Series . In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!, Goh, with Ash's help, used a Dynamaxed Poké Ball to catch a weakened , which was later sealed away.
======Gallery======
Green Poké Ball anime.png|A green Poké Ball in Pokémon - I Choose You!
Bulbasaur Ball.png|The Poké Ball containing in Pokémon - I Choose You!
Charmander Ball.png|The Poké Ball containing in Pokémon - I Choose You!
Squirtle Ball.png|The Poké Ball containing in Pokémon - I Choose You!
Ash Pikachu Poké Ball.png|The Poké Ball containing in Pokémon - I Choose You!
Chansey Poke Ball.png|A PIA Nurse Joy's Poké Ball in Showdown at Dark City
Meowzie Poké Ball.png|A diamond-encrusted Poké Ball in Go West Young Meowth
Mewtwo Balls anime.png|'s Mewtwo Balls
Crystal Ball anime.png|Molly Hale holding a Crystal Poké Ball
Lake Ball anime.png|The Lake Ball from Hook, Line, and Stinker
Lokoko Poké Ball anime.png|Lokoko's old Poké Ball from Just Waiting On a Friend
Battle Park Ball.png|A Poké Ball used in the in One Trick Phony!
Team Rocket Ball.png|A Team Rocket Ball from Mewtwo Returns
Dark Ball.png|Iron-Masked Marauder holding a Dark Ball
Sammy Old Poké Ball.png|Sammy's old Poké Ball from Celebi: The Voice of the Forest
Annie Oakley Ball.png| and Oakley's Poké Balls from Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias
Promo Annie Oakley Ball reverse.png|A promotional toy version of Annie and Oakley's Poké Balls, produced by Tomy
Giant stone Poké Ball anime.png|'s giant stone Poké Ball from Claydol, Big and Tall
Pokélantis Poké Ball anime.png|A relic holding the King of Pokélantis's spirit
Fishing Poké Ball.png|A Fishing Poké Ball from A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition!
Catch Race Poké Ball.png|A Catch Race Poké Ball from The Power of Us
Team Rocket Ball JN.png|Team Rocket Balls from 
Dynamax Poké Ball anime.png|A Dynamaxed Poké Ball in Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!
====History====
As mentioned, the generic Poké Ball design is not constant and has been remodeled and altered innumerable times in order to create new Poké Balls that are adapted for specific conditions. For example, it is seen in several episodes such as Gulpin it Down! and Claydol Big and Tall that normal Poké Balls have difficulty catching Pokémon which are extremely large or extremely heavy. In the latter episode, it is revealed that ancient civilizations overcame this issue by constructing immense Poké Balls many times the size of the standard model known today, and made from stone instead. Other civilizations such as Pokémopolis also discovered new technologies that more closely resembled modern Poké Ball technology, such as the Dark Device and the Unearthly Urn, which were also adapted for the capture and storage of massive Pokémon but in small containers. However, devices like these became lost to the ages and their roles were subsequently supplanted by Heavy Balls in the modern world.
In A Shipful of Shivers, modern Poké Balls are found in the ghost ship, implying that modern Poké Balls were first made at least 300 years ago. According to Pocket Monsters: The Animation, Poké Balls were developed to allow for various Trainers to efficiently capture and train Pokémon in relatively little risk to themselves, as the act of training a Pokémon often results in severe injuries and even death. It also claims that the Pokémon and its notoriously violent nature was directly responsible for their creation.
Prior to the invention of Poké Balls, Pokémon were referred to as magical creatures (Japanese: majū), indicating that the name Pokémon, short for Pocket Monster, did not come into common parlance as a term until Poké Balls allowed the various magical creatures to be stored easily.
====Pokédex entries====
===Pokémon Horizons: The Series===
Poké Balls in work the same way they do in .
====Other variants====
* In Orla and the Poké Ball Smith, several custom-made Poké Balls created by Karna were shown. These include the Rocket Ball, which has miniature rocket engines that boost its speed; the Boomerang Ball, which curves back around once thrown; the Bomb-Bomb Ball, which has a fuse that lights up when the ball is about to be thrown and causes the ball to explode when it burns out; the Chase Ball, which homes in on the target Pokémon on a set of wheels; and an unnamed Ball that Karna gave to Orla as a gift at the end of the episode.
* In HZ075, Gibeon was revealed to keep his in a Poké Ball that resembles those used by Lucius.
=====Gallery=====
HZ029 Poké Ball 3.png|Some of Karna's custom Poké Balls from Orla and the Poké Ball Smith
Rocket Ball.png|A Rocket Ball from Orla and the Poké Ball Smith
Boomerang Ball.png|A Boomerang Ball from Orla and the Poké Ball Smith
Bomb-Bomb Ball.png|A Bomb-Bomb Ball from Orla and the Poké Ball Smith
Chase Ball.png|A Chase Ball from Orla and the Poké Ball Smith
HZ029 Poké Ball 1.png|One of Karna's custom Poké Balls from Orla and the Poké Ball Smith
HZ029 Poké Ball 2.png|One of Karna's custom Poké Balls from Orla and the Poké Ball Smith
Gibeon Poké Ball.png|Gibeon's Poké Ball from HZ075
====Ancient Poké Ball====
The search for these Poké Balls is an important plot within . The only known Ancient Poké Balls all belonged to the Ancient Adventurer Lucius, who used them to capture the members of the Six Heroes. In addition to capturing Pokémon, they seem to have unique powers and react to certain stimuli, like Rystal's , Pagogo, and Lucius's other Ancient Poké Balls. 
=====History=====
These Poké Balls were used before the modern ones 100 years ago. The Ancient Adventurer Lucius is the only known s to have used these Poké Balls to catch his Pokémon, the Six Heroes. After the end of his journey, Lucius reached the Pokémon paradise Laqua and his Ancient Poké Balls were scattered all around the along with his Pokémon. At some point, his Rayquaza's Poké Ball ended up at the shores of an island, where it was found by a man, who later gave it to his grandson Roy.
Roy is in possession of one of Lucius's Ancient Poké Balls thanks to his grandfather. It first appeared in The Treasure After the Storm!, where Roy mentioned how he had never managed to open it. In The Ancient Poké Ball, the ball reacted with Liko's pendant and opened to reveal a Black Rayquaza that flew away soon after. In Arboliva's Forest, another identical Ancient Poké Ball appeared around a giant 's neck. In the next episode, this Poké Ball was revealed to be under the possession of Arboliva, and that it was owned by Lucius as well. Another Ancient Poké Ball appeared under the possession of the Lucius's , between its talons. Another Ancient Poké Ball appeared under the possession of Lucius's giant , in the island it lives in a sea. Another Ancient Poké Ball appeared under the possession of Lucius's , in a cave in Tengu Mountain. Another Ancient Poké Ball appeared under the possession of Lucius's , hidden between its fur.
=====Pokémon housed in Ancient Poké Balls=====
Pokémon 	Region 	Debut
Black Rayquaza	Kanto 	The Ancient Poké Ball
 	Paldea 	Nemona and Brassius and…
 	Galar 	Charge! Galar Mine!
 	Unknown 	Song Within the Mist
 	Kitakami	HZ073
 	Paldea 	HZ081
===Pokémon Origins===
Besides the regular Poké Ball, the other Generation I variations of it were also seen during the Pokémon Origins miniseries. In File 3: Giovanni, it was shown that Giovanni kept his strongest Pokémon, and , within Ultra Balls. In File 4: Charizard, was seen catching an with a Great Ball and a with a Safari Ball. He also used Ultra Balls to capture the Legendary Pokémon , , , and .
The Master Ball only appeared in a demonstration in File 3: Giovanni, as it was still under development at the time. After Team Rocket was driven out of the Silph Co. building by Red, the development of the Master Ball was put on hold for a while.
Additionally, in Pokémon Origins, the sound effects and bright light used when a Trainer is catching, sending out, or recalling a Pokémon differ in comparison to the sound effects and lights that are used in the , more resembling the effects seen in .
===Pokémon Generations===
The only Poké Ball variant seen in Pokémon Generations was an Ultra Ball, which appeared in The Scoop. It was shown being used by to catch a in outer space.
==In live-action media==
===The Strength of the Master===
In the Brazilian music video The Strength of the Master, there are CGI-animated Poké Balls with the stylized "E" logo of the performer Eliana.
The Eliana Poké Balls are sometimes seen slowly floating or flying fast in the air, and often used as screen transitions during the music video. Eliana is also shown throwing this Poké Ball. The Eliana Poké Balls usually appear in a red version (but with the white half at the top, as opposed to the regular Poké Ball), but there is also a blue version.
At some point, two Eliana Poké Balls float in the air and glow in front of a boy and a girl, magically causing them to wear cosplays of and .
Eliana Poké Ball.png|Eliana Poké Ball
Eliana Poké Ball blue.png|Eliana Poké Ball (blue version)
Children Poké Balls Eliana.png|Eliana Poké Balls floating
Ash Misty cosplays Eliana.png|Eliana Poké Balls after causing the children to wear cosplays
==In the manga==
In the various Pokémon manga, Poké Balls have been shown to appear differently, as an attempt to explain how a Trainer knows which Pokémon is in which ball, as most Pokémon manga series were, like the animated series, developed at a time when the games could not keep track of the ball a Pokémon was contained in.
===The Electric Tale of Pikachu===
In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, the rules are more similar to the animated series; however, Poké Balls are numbered on the outside, on the button, so that a Trainer knows which member of their team they are sending into battle. In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Trainers must obtain a license before they are legally allowed to purchase Poké Balls.
It is also possible for a Pokémon to be placed inside a Poké Ball without it being owned by a Trainer. In Days of Gloom and Glory, Meowzie steals a Poké Ball from a shop and puts her kitten in it so that it will not be hurt by a flood affecting the city.
In Haunting My Dreams, a giant Poké Ball named the Enormo Poké Ball-X1 (Japanese: ビッグモンスターボールX1 Big Monster Ball-X1) or EPB-X1 for short, was created to capture the gigantic , Black Fog. It was destroyed when the Black Fog used to free itself after being captured.
===Magical Pokémon Journey===
In Magical Pokémon Journey, the main characters generally do not capture Pokémon, rather, they befriend them. Although Almond, one of the main characters, is known to be a Pokémon Trainer, he is not actually depicted capturing or raising any Pokémon. In fact, in the bonus materials of , in which the cast of the manga meet , and in a series of crossovers, it is revealed that Hazel and Coconut do not even know what Poké Balls are. When Ash and Misty explain that they are used to capture Pokémon, they both proceed to attempt to use them to capture Almond, as he is each of their love interest.
===Pokémon Adventures===
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, the tops of Poké Balls are semitransparent, allowing the Pokémon inside, which is miniaturized, to be seen through the ball, while the Pokémon can likewise see out of the ball it is contained in. In this manga, unlike in the animated series, Pokémon already captured can be recaught in another Poké Ball, as is seen when recatches Misty's Gyarados in Gyarados Splashes In! (though states that catching a Pokémon that belongs to another is not possible in Lapras Lazily).
Like in the animated series and the games, specialty balls do exist, although they are much more commonly used than in the animated series. In Holy Moltres, Team Rocket was shown to have caught the in Ultra Balls. In And Mewtwo... Three!, Blaine gave Red the Master Ball, which Red used to catch shortly afterwards. In Teddiursa's Picnic, and received a Friend Ball and Heavy Ball, respectively, with Silver using his ball to catch an , while Gold used his to catch a for Maizie. Close to the end of the , the Masked Man was shown creating a GS Ball and using it to catch . In Innocent Scientist, used Luxury Balls while trying to catch the controlled by Colress, eventually succeeding. In Abyssal Ruins, Blake gave a Quick Ball to catch a . In Scizor Defends, a Quick Ball was seen amongst the Poké Balls that had used while trying to catch an .
Safari Balls have been seen being used by Red at the , by , , and at the Great Marsh, and by Silver at the . and have also been shown using special balls to catch Pokémon, with Crystal specializing in Apricorn balls and Emerald specializing in Poké Balls introduced in Generation III.
Additionally, the three original types of Poké Ball are used to identify the Trainer's rank; most Trainers keep their Pokémon in Poké Balls, Gym Leaders use Great Balls, and Elite Four members use Ultra Balls.
In the , Beast Balls were created for the Aether Foundation by Blake, who was disguised as Colress, as a means of catching Ultra Beasts. Sun used one to catch his in Madness!! Mother Lusamine!.
Like in the games, but unlike the animated series, Pokémon placed in their balls don't recover from status conditions nor regain lost health, no matter how much time passes.
====Variants====
* Bruno has modified his Poké Balls so that they are fitted onto the ends of his . By swinging them quickly and throwing the nunchuck forward, Bruno can have his Pokémon quickly attack his opponent, giving him the advantage.
* Koga and his daughter Janine modified their Poké Balls into to fit their ninja theme. In addition to being used as weapons, they can also be used to have their Pokémon pop up from different locations to surprise the opponent or to hold items to help an ally.
* Bugsy had Kurt modify his butterfly net into something he calls a Capture Net. His net has a Poké Ball nested into the middle of it. The bag of the net is made of the same material of the inside of a Poké Ball. Once a Pokémon is covered in the bag, they will automatically be sucked into the Poké Ball.
* Falkner has modified his Poké Balls into boomerangs using the feathers of his . Because of Skarmory's feathers being transparent, they have the tendency to turn invisible, confusing enemies when Falkner throws them in random directions only for them to turn around and go straight for them.
* Erika and modified their Poké Balls to be at the end of their arrows.
* In It Takes Patience, Knowledge and a Really Quick Beedrill, used a specifically designed Poké Ball with the letters "DNA" on its top half to capture .
* Multiple Dynamaxed Poké Balls appeared in the , being used to both capture Dynamax Pokémon and send them out.
Bruno Nunchuck Poké Ball.png|Bruno's nunchuck with Poké Balls on them
Koga Shuriken Poké Ball.png|Koga's shuriken Poké Ball
Bugsy Poké Ball net.png|Bugsy's Capture Net
Falkner Boomerang Poké Ball.png|Falkner's boomerang Poké Balls
Erika Arrow Poké Ball.png|Erika with one of her Poké Ball arrows
Moon bow Adventures.png|Moon with one of her Poké Ball arrows
DNA Ball.png|Giovanni's Deoxys Poké Ball
Dynamax Poké Ball Adventures.png|A Dynamaxed Poké Ball
===Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys===
Besides regular Poké Balls, Apricorn Poké Balls also received notable attention in the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga. They were first featured in The Great Search! Let's Rescue The Slowpoke!, where and Kurt used some of Kurt's hand-made Poké Balls to save a group of from drowning in the flooding Slowpoke Well. Kurt's Level Ball also proved crucial in stopping the Black Tyranitar's rampage during the manga's climax.
===Pokémon: Yeah! I Got Pokémon!===
In Pokémon: Yeah! I Got Pokémon!, Poké Balls are depicted as solid, with no visual identification as to which Poké Ball is which. In Special Chapter - Get Pikachu!, it is revealed that when Shu met , Pikachu's Poké Ball had been abandoned in a forest because it was defective and it was causing Pikachu's electricity to be released throughout the surrounding area.
===Pokémon Pocket Monsters===
In Pokémon Pocket Monsters, Poké Balls are often shown as transparent to identify when a Pokémon is inside. They usually have their typical appearance from far away, suggesting that they may not always be transparent, or are only see-through from up close. Pokémon appear to be able to see the world outside of their Poké Balls, as shown in Bring Down the Powerful Opponent Onix!!, when sees inside his Poké Ball, and they talk to each other. In Introducing the Pokémon Clefairy!!, when is choosing Charmander as his first partner Pokémon, he is shown to be able to pick up and lift Charmander directly from the Poké Ball without throwing it first.
Brock Pikachu PM.png| inside his Poké Ball, in his debut appearance
Green Charmander Poké Ball PPM.png|Green's Charmander being lifted from its Poké Ball
==In the TCG==
Many variants of Poké Ball have been released in card form in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, ranging from the standard variants found in the games and other media to variants specific to the TCG. Generally, Poké Balls are depicted as s that search the player's deck for and put them into the player's hand. Many Poké Ball cards require some number of successful flips in order to allow for the search to succeed, but some cards use the order of the player's deck to create inconsistency instead. There are even Poké Ball cards that are guaranteed to work, but these cards are balanced by only finding specific subsets of Pokémon, requiring some cost to be paid, or having another drawback.
Some cards, such as and , refer to Poké Ball cards as a group, using the phrase "Item cards that have the word “Ball” in their name". This phraseology excludes cards with "Balloon" in their name even though they otherwise meet the criteria. (An example of an excluded card was , before the errata that changed s to be a subtype of s rather than Item cards.)
===List of Poké Ball cards based on the games===
* The standard card, which was the first released, debuted in the expansion and has since been featured in many others. It requires the player to flip a coin and if it is successful, it searches the deck for a and puts it in the player's hand.
* The Ultra Ball can be seen in the artwork of , from the expansion. The 'H' on this Ultra Ball is derived from its Japanese name, Hyper Ball. The itself would debut in , with its effect requiring the player to discard 2 cards from the hand to search the deck for any single Pokémon.
* The , which first appeared in the coinciding with the of the Generation I games, is somewhat of an upgrade to the Poké Ball, and does not require the coin flip that the Poké Ball does, instead restricting the search to Basic Pokémon. Later, in , 's effect was changed to have the player search the top 7 cards of the deck for any one Pokémon card and put it in the hand.
* The , first appearing in the expansion, and in the games the most powerful of the Poké Balls, provides a vastly different effect than the standard. Rather than searching the entire deck, only the top seven cards may be searched. One found in these seven can be put into the hand, while the rest must be shuffled back into the deck. In , the was changed to an that allowed the player to search the entire deck for any one Pokémon. This effect is similar to Ultra Ball, but without the discard cost.
* Debuting in the expansion, the is different from the basic Poké Balls in that it draws from the rather than the deck. For each heads flipped, with a maximum of three, an can be returned from the discard pile and put into the hand. It has since been reprinted in .
* Also debuting in Skyridge, the , another Apricorn Ball, has a unique effect entirely, allowing the user to search their deck for a Pokémon of the same as one of the opponent's Pokémon and put it into their hand. It is effective in decks that typically match up well against their own type. It was also reprinted in Celestial Storm.
* The allows the player to go through their deck, turning over cards one at a time until they find the first evolution card, and then taking that into their hand, shuffling afterward. Like the other two Apricorn Balls, it debuted in Skyridge, but unlike the others, it has not appeared since.
* The , debuting in the expansion, is special, much as in the games, and allows the player to search either the deck or the discard pile for a to put into their hand.
* The , first released in the expansion, is among the rarest of the Poké Ball varieties in the games, though its catch rate is the same as that of a normal Poké Ball. Likewise it is so with the TCG, allowing a non- Pokémon to be searched from the deck, but only if another Luxury Ball card is not in the discard pile.
* The released in the expansion has a similar effect to the Fast Ball released in Skyridge, allowing the player to uncover cards from their deck until they find a Pokémon. An expansion of the Fast Ball's use, any Pokémon can be found, though this may prove an issue if the player is looking for an Evolution card specifically and finds a Basic Pokémon first, and vice versa. The Quick Ball was rereleased in the expansion with a different effect, requiring players to discard 1 card in order to search their deck for a Basic Pokémon.
* The , also first released in Mysterious Treasures, features an effect somewhat opposite from that of the pre-Plasma Blast version of Master Ball: Instead of the top seven cards being searched, only the bottom seven cards may be, and a Pokémon found there may be put into the player's hand.
* The , first released in , allows the player to search their deck for a Pokémon who has a Retreat Cost of 3 or more and put it into their hand.
* The , also first released in , allows the player to search their deck for a Pokémon that has 90 HP or less and put it into their hand.
* The , released only in , allows the player to search their deck for a Pokémon and put it into their hand.
* The , released only in , allows the player to search their deck for a Pokémon with the same name as one of their Pokémon in play and put it into their hand.
* The , first released in , allows the player to search their deck for a Basic Pokémon and put it onto their Bench.
* The , first released in , allows the player to search their deck for a number of Evolution Pokémon equal to the number of heads from flipping two coins.
* The , first released in , allows the player to search their deck for a Basic Pokémon or a Energy card and put it into their hand.
* The , first released in , allows the player to look at their Prize Cards, and swap an Ultra Beast found there with the Beast Ball card.
* The , first released in , allows the player to search their deck for any and put it into their hand.
* The , first released in , allows the player to search their deck for a Pokémon and put it on their bench, but the card can only be played if the player took it as a face down Prize card.
* The , first released in , allows the player to search their deck for a Pokémon with no Retreat Cost and put it into their hand.
* The , first released in Astral Radiance, allows the player to look at their Prize cards, and swap a Basic Pokémon found there with the Hisuian Heavy Ball card.
* The , first released in , is similar in effect to Friend Ball, except it allows the user to search their deck for a Pokémon of the same name (instead of the same type) as one of the opponent's Pokémon, and put it into their hand.
PokéBallScarletViolet185.jpg|
GreatBallPaldeaEvolved183.jpg|
UltraBallScarletViolet196.jpg|
MasterBallTemporalForces153.jpg|
FastBallSkyridge124.jpg|
LevelBallBattleStyles129.jpg|
LureBallCelestialStorm138.jpg|
HeavyBallBREAKthrough140.jpg|
LoveBallTwilightMasquerade156.jpg|
FriendBallCelestialStorm131.jpg|
NetBallLostThunder187.jpg|
NestBallScarletViolet181.jpg|
RepeatBallPrimalClash136.jpg|
TimerBallSunMoon134.jpg|
LuxuryBallStormfront86.jpg|
PremierBallGreatEncounters101.jpg|
DiveBallPrimalClash125.jpg|
DuskBallSurgingSparks175.jpg|
QuickBallSwordShield179.jpg|
CherishBallUnifiedMinds191.jpg|
DreamBallEvolvingSkies146.jpg|
BeastBallCelestialStorm125.jpg|
FeatherBallAstralRadiance141.jpg|
HisuianHeavyBallAstralRadiance146.jpg|
===List of Poké Balls original to the TCG===
* The is two Poké Balls together, and has a similar (but not identical) effect to using two Poké Ball cards. The player flips two coins then searches their deck for one Basic Pokémon per heads result.
* The is a Team Magma variation of the Poké Ball, released only in the expansion. First, the player flips a coin. If it has a heads result, the card allows the user to search for a Team Magma's Pokémon. If that coin flip results in tails, the search is limited to Team Magma Pokémon.
* The is a Team Aqua variation of the Poké Ball, also released only in the expansion. It has the same effect as the Team Magma Ball, but searches for Team Aqua's Pokémon instead.
* The is the Team Rocket variation on the Poké Ball, released in the expansion. It allows the player to search their deck for a .
* The is a Team Plasma variation of the Poké Ball, released in the expansion. It allows the user to search their deck for a Pokémon.
* The is a Team Magma variation on the Great Ball, released in the expansion. It searches the deck for a Basic Team Magma Pokémon and a Basic Energy.
* The is a Team Aqua variation on the Great Ball, also released in the expansion. It searches the deck for a Basic Team Aqua Pokémon and a Basic Energy.
DualBallCallLegends78.jpg|
Magma Ball artwork.jpg|
Aqua Ball artwork.jpg|
Rocket Ball artwork.jpg|
Plasma Ball artwork.jpg|
Magma Great Ball artwork.jpg|
Aqua Great Ball artwork.jpg|
==In the novels==
===Pocket Monsters: The Animation===
In Pocket Monsters: The Animation, it is said that Poké Balls were invented in 1925 by Professor Nishinomori.
==In the guidebooks==
According to the Encyclopedia Pokemonica, Pocket Monsters Encyclopedia, and a Pokémon Daisuki Club site describing the Pokémon world, modern Poké Balls were developed in 1925 from the research of Professor Westwood of Celadon University.
==In real life==
The Pokémon Company has occasionally partnered with certain companies in order to create certain products. This includes Poké Balls.
*The Pokémon Company has collaborated with in order to make a Poké Ball that also acts as a jewelry case.
Collaboration Tiffany & Co. Poké Ball.png|The Poké Ball.
==Trivia==
* has written about the Poké Ball in two of his lectures:
** For DP003, the Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia featured this senryū: 「ゲットだぜ　なげかたいろいろ　モンスターボール」 "I caught a Pokémon! can be thrown in all sorts of ways."
** For BW002, the Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster featured this senryū: 「あっポケモン　モンスターボール　わすれずに」 "Oh, a Pokémon; don't forget to bring your ."
* In , the Poké Balls serve as the balls in the machine; they can be used to capture Pokémon and are upgraded depending on the multiplier bonus at the time.
* In some early artwork for , Poké Balls are shown on the ground in two pieces while the Pokémon are in battle, rather than in the more familiar hinged form they take now. This may be a carryover from when Pokémon was known as Capsule Monsters, as the Poké Ball sprites in Generation I also do not show the button on the ball. In Generation II, Poké Balls split in half when capturing a Pokémon as part of their animation, while the animated series had been using the hinge style since the very first episode.
* In the earlier volumes of the Pokémon Adventures manga, Poké Balls captured and released Pokémon in large puffs of smoke, often with a strong sound effect. This may have been based on the capture and release animations in Generation I and II. As Generation III onwards exchanged the smoke effect for Ball-specific animations, the effect in the manga shifted instead to bursts of light. 
* Poké Balls are inspired by the capsules for machines, which contain small, handheld toys.
* In Generation II, after catching a Pokémon, the Poké Ball's color palette changes to that of the Pokémon that was just caught. It then changes back to normal thereafter.
* Starting in Generation III, all Poké Ball types have a special effect that appears whenever the ball is opened. These special effects also can be seen in Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. In Generation IV and , customizable special effects are available through Stickers.
* In , Cyrus's computer indicates that a Poké Ball would limit the power of and . This leads to Team Galactic creating the Red Chain instead to shackle them so they can control their full power.
* Generation VI is the only completed generation to date to not have introduced a new type of Poké Ball.
==In other languages==
==References==
==Related articles==
*
Category:Groups of items
Category:Super Smash Bros. trophies
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ja:モンスターボール (総称)
zh:精靈球