Aside from missing a large portion of older monsters, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet also cut a lot of moves available in previous generations of the franchise. Many of these moves were understandably cut due to their associated mechanics like Gigantamaxing and Z-Moves no longer being present in the games. However, there are a variety of other regularly-usable moves that, for one reason or another, are missing from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet entirely, leaving them as nostalgic pieces of Pokemon's past for longtime fans.
There is a possibility of previously missing mons returning to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet through DLC similarly to the way old mons made a return in Pokemon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra DLC, potentially bringing back some moves with them. The games' eventual compatibility with Pokemon Home will also open the door for previously unobtainable creatures to appear in the game. However, players will be unable to keep certain moves known by these mons and the game will prompt them to delete any incompatible with Gen 9. It's likely that DLC could see the return of certain signature moves for currently unobtainable Pokemon, but until any expansion is officially revealed, the status of those moves will remain in limbo.
Physical Moves Unavailable in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
These moves deal Physical damage but are unusable in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Some signature moves from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, such as Hisuian Decidueye's Triple Arrows, have data in the game, but are unavailable until Pokemon Home compatibility is added.
- Anchor Shot
- Aura Wheel
- Barrage
- Beak Blast
- Behemoth Bash
- Behemoth Blade
- Bide
- Bolt Beak
- Bolt Strike
- Bonemerang
- Chip Away
- Clamp
- Comet Punch
- Constrict
- Crush Grip
- Dizzy Punch
- Double Iron Bash
- Double Slap
- Dragon Hammer
- Dual Chop
- Egg Bomb
- Fishious Rend
- Feint Attack
- Freeze Shock
- Frustration
- Fusion Bolt
- Gear Grind
- Head Charge
- Heart Stamp
- Horn Drill
- Ice Ball
- Jump Kick
- Karate Chop
- Land’s Wrath
- Magnet Bomb
- Magnitude
- Meteor Assault
- Multi-Attack
- Natural Gift
- Needle Arm
- Power-Up Punch
- Punishment
- Pursuit
- Rage
- Return
- Revenge
- Rock Climb
- Rock Wrecker
- Rolling Kick
- Sacred Fire
- Secret Power
- Shadow Bone
- Skull Bash
- Sky Drop
- Sky Uppercut
- Smelling Salts
- Snap Trap
- Spectral Thief
- Spike Cannon
- Spirit Shackle
- Steamroller
- Storm Throw
- Sunsteel Strike
- Thousand Arrows
- Thousand Waves
- Triple Kick
- Twineedle
- Vital Throw
- Wake-Up Slap
Special Moves Unavailable in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
These moves deal Special damage but are unusable in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Some signature moves from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, such as Hisuian Typhlosion's Infernal Parade, have data in the game, but are, again, unavailable until Pokemon Home compatibility is added.
- Aeroblast
- Blue Flare
- Bubble
- Chatter
- Clanging Scales
- Core Enforcer
- Doom Desire
- Dragon Rage
- Dynamax Cannon
- Eternabeam
- Flame Burst
- Fusion Flare
- Glaciate
- Hidden Power
- Ice Burn
- Leaf Tornado
- Light of Ruin
- Luster Purge
- Mind Blown
- Mirror Shot
- Mist Ball
- Moongeist Beam
- Mud Bomb
- Nature’s Madness
- Oblivion Wing
- Octazooka
- Ominous Wind
- Photon Geyser
- Prismatic Laser
- Psycho Boost
- Psywave
- Razor Wind
- Searing Shot
- Secret Sword
- Seed Flare
- Shell Trap
- Signal Beam
- Silver Wind
- Sonic Boom
- Sparkling Aria
- Strange Steam
- Synchronoise
- Techno Blast
- Trump Card
- Wring Out
Status Moves Unavailable in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
These moves affect the status of the Pokemon in battle without dealing direct damage but are currently unusable in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Moves like Geomancy, the signature move for Pokemon X and Y's legendary Xerneas, may become available once past Legendaries can be transferred from Pokemon Home or are available via DLC.
- Aromatherapy
- Assist
- Autotomize
- Barrier
- Bestow
- Captivate
- Clangorous Soul
- Camouflage
- Conversion
- Conversion 2
- Crafty Shield
- Dark Void
- Decorate
- Electrify
- Embargo
- Flash
- Floral Healing
- Flower Shield
- Foresight
- Forest’s Curse
- Gear Up
- Geomancy
- Grasswhistle
- Grudge
- Hail
- Heal Block
- Heal Order
- Ion Deluge
- Kinesis
- King’s Shield
- Laser Focus
- Lovely Kiss
- Lucky Chant
- Magic Coat
- Mat Block
- Meditate
- Me First
- Mind Reader
- Miracle Eye
- Mirror Move
- Mud Sport
- Nature Power
- Nightmare
- Obstruct
- Octolock
- Odor Sleuth
- Powder
- Psycho Shift
- Purify
- Refresh
- Rototiller
- Sharpen
- Sketch
- Snatch
- Spider Web
- Spotlight
- Tail Glow
- Take Heart
- Telekinesis
- Topsy-Turvy
- Toxic Thread
- Trick-or-Treat
- Venom Drench
- Water Sport
Z-Moves
Exclusive to Pokemon Sun and Moon and Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the mechanic of Z-Moves, which allowed players to use one of these powerful moves once per battle, is not present in Gen 9. As such, these moves are unavailable and unlikely to return in DLC.
- 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
- Acid Downpour
- All-Out Pummeling
- Black Hole Eclipse
- Bloom Doom
- Breakneck Blitz
- Catastropika
- Clangorous Soulblaze
- Continental Crush
- Corkscrew Crash
- Devastating Drake
- Extreme Evoboost
- Genesis Supernova
- Gigavolt Havoc
- Guardian of Alola
- Hydro Vortex
- Inferno Overdrive
- Let's Snuggle Forever
- Light That Burns the Sky
- Malicious Moonsault
- Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom
- Never-Ending Nightmare
- Oceanic Operetta
- Pulverizing Pancake
- Savage Spin-Out
- Searing Sunraze Smash
- Shattered Psyche
- Sinister Arrow Raid
- Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike
- Splintered Stormshards
- Stoked Sparksurfer
- Subzero Slammer
- Supersonic Skystrike
- Tectonic Rage
- Twinkle Tackle
Dynamax and Gigantamax Moves
Exclusive to Pokemon Sword and Shield, the mechanics of Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing allowed players to transform one of their Pokemon into a massive version of itself once per battle. They are not present in Gen 9, making these moves unavailable and unlikely to return in the future.
- Max Flare
- Max Flutterby
- Max Lightning
- Max Strike
- Max Knuckle
- Max Phantasm
- Max Hailstorm
- Max Ooze
- Max Geyser
- Max Airstream
- Max Starfall
- Max Wyrmwind
- Max Mindstorm
- Max Rockfall
- Max Quake
- Max Darkness
- Max Overgrowth
- Max Steelspike
- G-Max Wildfire
- G-Max Befuddle
- G-Max Volt Crash
- G-Max Gold Rush
- G-Max Chi Strike
- G-Max Terror
- G-Max Resonance
- G-Max Cuddle
- G-Max Replenish
- G-Max Malodor
- G-Max Stonesurge
- G-Max Wind Rage
- G-Max Stun Shock
- G-Max Finale
- G-Max Depletion
- G-Max Gravitas
- G-Max Volcalith
- G-Max Sandblast
- G-Max Snooze
- G-Max Tartness
- G-Max Sweetness
- G-Max Smite
- G-Max Steelsurge
- G-Max Meltdown
- G-Max Foam Burst
- G-Max Centiferno
- G-Max Fireball
- G-Max Drum Solo
- G-Max Hydrosnipe
- G-Max One Blow
- G-Max Rapid Flow
- G-Max Vine Lash
- G-Max Cannonade
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee-Exclusive Moves
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee featured several unique moves for players' partner Pikachu or Eevee to learn that have not appeared outside their original games. This makes them unlikely to return in Gen 9 via DLC, and, at this point, in future games in the series.
- Zippy Zap
- Splishy Splash
- Floaty Fall
- Pika Papow
- Bouncy Bubble
- Buzzy Buzz
- Sizzly Slide
- Glitzy Glow
- Baddy Bad
- Sappy Seed
- Freezy Frost
- Sparkly Swirl
- Veevee Volley
It's disappointing to see moves that have been staples of the franchise missing from the latest entries. Many moves are not currently available in the game, but have data suggesting they could return with a future update or Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's rumored DLC.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.