Faint (Japanese: ひんし, Hepburn: Hinji, Near death) is the condition when a Pokémon's HP depletes completely (drops to 0).
If all of the Pokémon in a Trainer's party have fainted, it results in a loss for said Trainer.
In the games[]
When the HP of a Pokémon reaches 0, it will cause the Pokémon to leave the battlefield with a distorted cry played. The condition is displayed as FNT in a red status bar or otherwise.
That Pokémon can still use in-field moves that it knows, such as Fly. It is also able to Evolve if the conditions are met. However, it cannot gain any experience.
The money dropped or given when the player blacks out during a loss is calculated by the level of every member in the party.
Direct Damage[]
- All moves will faint the target if they have dealt enough damage.
- One-hit knockout moves like Sheer Cold will instantly faint the target. Destiny Bond will knock out the Pokémon who knocked out the user, while Perish Song will cause all Pokémon on the field, except for Pokémon with Soundproof, to faint on 4 turns.
- Moves that involve taking the user out like Explosion will cause fainting.
- Assuming the user is at Low HP, Curse used by a Ghost-type Pokémon and recoil from moves like Wild Charge will effectively knock the user out.
Indirect Damage[]
- Prior to Generation V, Poison will effectively cause fainting if given enough time, dealing 1 HP of damage every 4 steps the player takes. It is automatically cured if the Pokémon is at 1HP as of Generation IV, and the Mechanic as a whole was removed in the generations after that.
- Burned Pokémon also take damage from their burn.
- Confusion may knock out the affected Pokémon considering it hits itself a lot.
- Leech Seed may cause fainting due to it siphoning away HP.
- Weather and Entry Hazards may cause fainting if they deal enough damage.
Glitches[]
- If a Pokémon with Low HP is given a Pomeg Berry, a Glitch may cause fainting Due to the reduced HP EVs.
Effects[]
The Friendship of the Pokémon is decreased, and the player blacks out. Starting from the Generation III Kanto remakes and the Sinnoh games, a cutscene explains what happens.
The Pokémon is considered fainted unless a Revive, Max Revive, or Revival Herb (at the cost of friendship) is used, or it is healed by a Pokémon Center. A Rare Candy may also revive a fainted Pokémon due to the HP it gains while Leveling up.
In the anime[]
In the anime, fainting is referred to as being unable to battle (Japanese: 戦闘不能, Hepburn: sentou funou), likely due to moral reasons. It is usually indicated by stunned expressions or swirled eyes akin to dizziness.
As certain Pokémon lack eyes, they have differing ways to indicate fainting, like the Staryu line's core flashing. In other cases, the Pokémon's eyes may simply close as they collapse from exhaustion.
It may instantly end a battle competition during a contest.
Trivia[]
- Sometimes during an adventure in gameplay, if there's a trainer fighting alongside the player character, they will heal the Pokémon after every battle or before a tough battle against a boss.
- Nurses and Doctors in Black, White, Black 2, and White 2 heal your Pokémon every time they are talked to after defeating them in battle the first time talking to them. Most of the time Pokémon will grow to like the player character more if they don't just rely on Pokémon Centers for healing, but using Revives and Potions to keep them from fainting, as long as a Pokémon is still healthy.
- A Sacred Ash can be used to heal all fainted Pokémon at once.
- In the Pokémon games where Pokémon have a proper fainting animation, the Pokémon usually closes its eyes as it falls.
- Falinks in Generation VII is an exception, as they use the swirled eyes animation much like how most Pokémon faint in the anime. In Generation IX however, this was changed to having their eyes closed upon fainting.