What abilities can Greninja have in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?

With it finally appearing in another Pokémon game, Greninja is going to be a highly sought-after addition to many trainers’ teams. But just like with other returning Pokémon, one important thing to ask is what abilities Greninja can have in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet? 

Greninja is also in a very unique place with its abilities as it not only has one of the best Hidden Abilities introduced in a Pokémon game with Protean, but Battle Bond is also a thing. 

Battle Bond was introduced in Sun and Moon as sort of a tie-in with the Pokémon anime as it allowed certain special Greninja to change into a new form called Ash-Greninja. This alternate form is part of why players might be interested in Greninja as it is reintroduced in Scarlet and Violet, but can you even access it? 

What abilities can Greninja have in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?

As of being added in the Unrivaled Greninja Tera Raid event, Greninja and its evolutionary line can only have one of two abilities—Torrent and Protean. 

Torrent is the standard Water-type Starter Pokemon ability that boosts Water moves when a Pokemon’s health is below a certain percentage. 

Related: Best Pokémon to counter the Unrivaled Greninja Tera Raid event

Protean is the ability most players will be focused on as it allows the Pokemon to change its type to that of a move it is using right before the move is used. This allows players to strategize around type matchups or boost a Pokemon’s moves by giving it STAB on attacks. However, the ability has been nerfed in Scarlet and Violet to only allow one type switch per switch—meaning you need to swap the Pokemon with Protean out to use the type change again, limiting its versatility slightly. 

Those are the only two abilities Greninja can have naturally in Scarlet and Violet, but Battle Bond is still in the game to an extent. 

How to get Battle Bond Greninja in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Battle Bond can only be obtained, as of now, by transferring a Greninja with the Battle Bond ability to Scarlet and Violet through Pokemon HOME. That option is not available yet since the functionality to transfer eligible Pokemon through the app is not yet available, but this is the only legal method since Battle Bond Greninja can’t breed with other Pokemon—it is listed in the Unclassified Egg Group. 

You also will find Battle Bond has also been updated for Gen VII. It has removed the transformation aspect for Ash-Greninja and now boosts certain stats when an opposing Pokemon is knocked out, which is still a strong effect for a powerhouse like Greninja. Here are the listed changes for Battle Bond: 

• Original Ability
  • Defeating an opposing Pokémon strengthens the Pokémon’s bond with its Trainer, and it becomes Ash-Greninja. Water Shuriken gets more powerful.
• Scarlet and Violet rework
  • Boosts Attack, Speed, and Special Attack when opponents are knocked out.

Is Ash-Greninja available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Based on the changes to Battle Bond and its limited availability, Ash-Greninja is not and likely never will be available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Ash-Greninja is probably being lumped into a category with special event Pokemon or generational gimmicks like Mega Evolution, which means it was only a thing for a select set of games and is not guaranteed to make a return. You can still use the Battle Bond ability to great effect, but you won’t have access to the absolute menace that is the alternate form.