Charjabug Guide: A Pokemon With Potential To Surge To The Top

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Jesus Cruz, Lifelong Pokémon Fan

It all started in 2010 when Jesus was 10 years old. His dad gifted him a Nintendo DS and let him choose a game for it. A weird, enormous, and grey serpent caught my attention on the box art for Pokémon Platinum, and since that moment he's been hooked! He can only thank his 10 years old self for choosing the game that he loves the most in the series

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Charjabug, the battery Pokémon, is a Bug/Electric-type Pokémon introduced in the Seventh generation and is the evolution of Grubbin and the pre-evolution of Vikavolt. Charjabug is based on a beetle pupa but with a curious tweak since it is mixed with a battery. Charjabug’s body is designed to store energy out of the food digesting process, and it is capable of discharging it whenever it needs to.

Charjabug can provide enough power to feed a house for a whole day, and it can also share it with other Pokémon. Most of the time, you can find Charjabug digging directly into the ground and eating hummus. It is a green cuboid-like Pokémon with a rectangular mouth that opens sideways, it has a blue screen protecting its eyes, and you can only see them with a light source pointing directly at them.

Charjabug also has tiny yellow claws that resemble those big claws that Grubbin has. It is said that Charjabug is just a Grubbin with armor protecting it. Charjabug isn’t big, but it’s heavy (a normal Charjabug can weigh even more than 10 Kg).

Also, Its name comes from the union between Charge, Jaw, and Bug.

A curious thing is that it is one of the few Electric-type Pokémon that can learn Dig; this is because of its trend to being most of the time underground.

Charjabug Summary of Appearances in Pokémon Versions and Media (Games, Anime, Movies)

In the games, you can find Charjabug:

• Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon: Evolving a Grubbin, you can find one in Routes 1, 4, 5, and 6. Also, you can catch a wild Charjabug in the Blush Mountain.
• Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee: Charjabug is unavailable in this game.
• Sword and Shield: Evolving a Grubbin found in Route 1, Dappled Grove, East Lake Axewell, North Lake Miloch, Slumbering Weald and in the Watchtower Ruins. You can catch a wild Charjabug in Axew’s Eye, Dusty Bowl and in Hammerlocke Hills.

In the anime, Charjabug is well known for being one of Sophocles’ Pokémon. It appeared for the first time in the episode “So long, Sophocles!” after Ash caught it in a cage and gave it to Sophocles as a gift for its farewell. Sophocles’ Charjabug evolved into a Vikavolt in the episode “Evolving Research!”

Also, Charjabug is a part of that short list of Shiny Pokémon that has appeared in the anime.

Horacio’s red Charjabug made its first appearance in the episode “Mounting an Electrifying Charge!” where it took a spot in the Charjabug Race, losing it. It also appeared in “Evolving Research!” too when Horacio wanted it to evolve.

Charjabug has made a few minor appearances through the ash’s adventure in Alola, mostly coming from the ownership of a trainer.

In the manga, on the other hand, Charjabug has made some minor appearances in Pokémon Adventures (In PASM 19 being one of Moon’s Pokémon, a Grubbin that evolved into a Charjabug), and in Pokémon Horizon (in HOR01 and HOR03 being part of a fantasy).

In the TCG, Charjabug only has 3 different cards, Being part of the Sun & Moon, Unbroken Bonds and Rebel Crash expansions.

Charjabug Evolution Line: When Does Charjabug Evolve?

Charjabug is the evolution of Grubbin and the pre-evolution of Vikavolt. Grubbin evolves at level 20, and Charjabug evolves into a Vikavolt when it gets leveled up in a magnetic field (only on seventh-gen games, Sun & Moon and Ultra Sun & Moon) or when it gets exposed to a Thunder Stone (only on Sword and Shield).

Charjabug Stats

Charjabug can be considered one of those mid-stage Bug-type Pokémon that can learn Harden and have a lot of Defense stats. But the main difference between those Pokémon and Charjabug is that Charjabug can actually have many good attacks and is capable of learning a good amount of moves through TMs.

It’s hard to know what role could a Charjabug perform since it is a mid-stage (and because of that, a fairly weak Pokémon), and it’s hard to use it in a competitive battle. But it has its own tier where it can compete, named NFE (Not Fully Evolved), where you can use it as a supporter with its Sticky Web.

Abilities

Charjabug can only have Battery, its signature ability, which can raise the power of allies’ Special moves by 30%.

Natures

You can use Charjabug in two ways: thinking of using it without evolving as support and tanky Pokémon or training it to get a fully evolved Vikavolt, a Pokémon designed to be a sweeper.

Knowing that these are the natures that work with Charjabug the most:

Support Charjabug

• Bold (Enhance Defense, reduces Attack)
• Impish (Enhance Defense, reduces Special Attack)
• Relaxed (Enhance Defense, reduces Speed)
• Lax (Enhance Defense, reduces Special Defense)

We recommend not having Lax in a Charjabug, since its objective is to hold on enough in the battle to use Sticky Web.

Breeded Charjabug to evolve it into a Vikavolt

• Timid (Enhances Speed, reduces Attack)
• Hasty (Enhances Speed, reduces Defense)
• Jolly (Enhances Speed, reduces Special Attack)
• Naive (Enhances Speed, reduces Special Defense)

We don’t recommend using Timid, the main idea with Vikavolt is to be fast and strong and swipe out every Pokémon that tries to get it down.

• Lonely (Enhances Attack, reduces Defense)
• Brave (Enhances Attack, reduces Speed)
• Adamant (Enhances Attack, reduces Special Attack)
• Naughty (Enhances Attack, reduces Special Defense)

We don’t recommend using Brave either, for the same reason you shouldn’t use Timid. Your best bet should be Lonely or Naughty.

Stats

Charjabug stats are the following:

As it looks, the main idea behind these stats is enhancing its HP and its Defense, this is meant to make it hold on enough in the battle to use its strategy and then supporting its teammates.

Based on its base stats, it only has 400 points, and based on the fact that it is a mid-stage Pokémon, it can only be useful in the NFE tier. Also, every time you defeat a wild Charjabug, it will give your Pokémon 2 EVs in Defense.

Moves List per Level (Gen 8)

Charjabug can learn the following moves by leveling up:

Moves List by TM/TR

Charjabug can learn the following moves by using a TM/TR on it:

Charjabug Strengths

Charjabug is a Bug/Electric-type Pokémon, which means it is strong against the following types:

• It gets only ½ of the damage against Steel type.
• It gets only ½ of the damage against Electric-type.
• It gets only ½ of the damage against Grass-type.
• It gets only ½ of the damage against Fighting-type.

Charjabug is a big contender in NFE since it can easily defeat some Water, Grass, Flying, Dark, and Psychic-type Pokémon with its STAB moves.

Also, it is a good counter of those NFE members like those Fighting-type Pokémon (like Machoke, Gurdurr, Kubfu, and even Hakamo-o) and Steel-type Pokémon (Klang, Magneton and Metang) the are a menace against most of the Pokémon of this tier.

Its Sticky Web/Toxic strat is hard to play against, and Charjabug is also a strong contender because of its Defense stats.

Charjabug Weaknesses

Charjabug is weak against the following types:

• It takes x2 damage against Fire-type.
• It takes x2 damage against Rock-type.

Due to its Bug/Electric-type, it is neutral against a big menace for the Electric-type Pokémon as it is the Ground-type, but it now has problems with every Stone Edge user of the NFE tier.

Also, even knowing Charjabug is a big defender, you can get rid of it with a Special Fire attack. Raboot or Magmar and Lampent are a great examples, as they are strong Pokémon and can learn some good Fire moves to faint a Charjabug.

Some things can sabotage the strategy Charjabug has, like those Taunt users that can deny the Sticky Web Strat, some other Pokémon that can use that passivity of the strategy buffing them up with Calm Mind, Swords Dance or Bulk Up, or those Pokémon that can outplay Charjabug like Hattrem.

Also, be careful of letting Charjabug get into a field with Stealth Rock; it is highly harmful to it.

But not everything is a problem with Charjabug since it has a good move set that can help it outplay almost every single problem Charjabug can have in this tier. Let’s take a look at it!

Charjabug Best Moveset

Charjabug is the king of NFE with this moveset:

• Sticky Web
• Skitter Smack
• Volt Switch
• Toxic/Thunder Wave

Using Eviolite as its item, using Battery as its ability, and Impish as its nature.

Ev’s: 252 HP / 4 Attack / 252 Defense

The critical move with Charjabug is Sticky Web. Charjabug is really slow, but Sticky Web can make their opponents slower than it, so you have to try to use it as soon as possible. After that, now you have to focus on using Skitter Smack against those Special attackers that can faint Charjabug since this move can reduce the Special Attack of the objective by 1.

Volt Switch is your option if you are against a Fire or Rock-type Pokémon that can One Hit-KO Charjabug, as it has the perfect opportunity to leave the field when it is behind. You can also use Toxic for those strong Pokémon that can faint Charjabug easily or Thunder Wave to paralyze those Pokémon that are so quick that you can’t get the advantage only with Sticky Web.

You can also use this same move set for double battles, as it is a good companion (with its ability, Battery) to any special sweeper in this tier.

Charjabug in Videos

Here, we can see Charjabug in action supporting a Primarina, showcasing how dangerous can Battery be for your rivals!

Here, we can see a more in-depth explanation of how Charjabug works!

FAQs

Conclusion

We can agree on something about Charjabug; it is one of the best not fully evolved Pokémon to compete. It is a strong one and in good hands, you should be careful with a Charjabug in a team. Like always, there’s a way to outplay a strat, but a good Charjabug will be responsible for trying to block your attempts to get it down with its good Defense and HP. We highly recommend using it on NFE!