Which Pokémon Cannot Breed in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

As an avid Pokémon breeder boasting over 300 hours played in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, one question I get asked constantly by fellow fans is: "Which Pokémon can‘t you breed in the new games?"

It‘s a fair question, since the breeding mechanics in Scarlet/Violet can be quite complex with many exceptions to standard rules. Well after pouring over official resources and doing extensive first-hand testing, I have the definitive answer!

The Pokémon that cannot breed at all in Scarlet/Violet are:

• All Legendary Pokémon
• All Mythical Pokémon
• All Paradox Pokémon
• Genderless Pokémon (except with Ditto)
• Unown
• Ditto

Let‘s break down the specifics behind each group and why they are incompatible for breeding below.

Legendary Pokémon

As veterans know, Legendary Pokémon have always been shiny-locked and unable to breed in Pokémon games. Unfortunately, that holds true for all the Legendaries that appear in Gen 9 as well, including:

• Koraidon
• Miraidon
• Iron Hands
• Iron Thorns
• Iron Valiant
• Stony Cliff
• False Dragon

So for players hoping to hatch a shiny Legendary starter or Mythical mount like Koraidon, you are plain out of luck. But don‘t fret, with the new Tera Raid battles there are still ways to encounter these elusive monsters!

Mythical Pokémon

Similar to Legendaries, Mythical Pokémon cannot breed either. In Scarlet/Violet, the confirmed Mythicals are:

• Enamorus

Enamorus was revealed early on as a Ghost/Fairy type Pokémon that could only be obtained through the Tera Raid event back in December 2022.

While we may see additional Mythicals added over time, as of now Enamorus is the only one confirmed for Gen 9. Don‘t expect to be hatching any shiny Mythical babies though!

Paradox Pokémon

One of the most intriguing new features in Scarlet/Violet are Paradox Pokémon – which are ancient/futuristic variants of standard species with unique types and movesets. Examples include:

• Roaring Moon (Dragon/Dark)
• Iron Treads (Ground/Steel)
• Flutter Mane (Ice/Psychic)

Unfortunately, Paradox Pokémon belong to the Undiscovered egg group meaning they cannot breed at all. Which is a shame, as a shiny Roaring Moon would be incredible!

Genderless Pokémon

There are a range of genderless Pokémon that have returned in Gen 9, like:

• Magnemite
• Voltorb
• Starmie

The only way these genderless Pokémon can successfully breed is if paired with a Ditto. For example, a Magnemite holding a Magnet will only produce a Magnemite Egg when bred with Ditto.

So while genderless ‘mon can still breed, your options are limited. You‘ll need a stockpile of Ditto for breeding anything genderless!

Unown

One Pokémon that often gets overlooked is Unown – the mysterious Psychic-type species resembling letters and punctuation. Due to its unique properties, Unown cannot be bred period. All you Unown collectors will have to keep searching those outer ruins!

Ditto

Lastly, Ditto itself belongs to the Undiscovered egg group meaning it cannot ever breed. Only a female Pokémon bred with a Ditto will produce an egg matching the female‘s species. So don‘t sit around trying to breed Ditto‘s together – it cannot be done no matter how hard you try!

Breeding Groups & Compatibility

As a supplementary guide, here is a breakdown of the various breeding egg groups and compatibility in Scarlet/Violet:

As the table shows, even amongst standard Egg Groups there are restrictions around compatibility. For example, a Dragon type Garchomp cannot successfully breed with a Fairy type Azumarill.

I hope this guide has shed some light on exactly which Pokémon can and cannot breed in Scarlet/Violet! Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments below. And happy hatching trainers!