TM: Difference between revisions

If you were looking for either of the Pokémon Trading Card Game expansions sometimes abbreviated as TM, see EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua (TCG) or Triumphant (TCG).

Using a TM in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

A Technical Machine, or TM for short (Japanese: わざマシン Move Machine), is a machine used by Pokémon Trainers to teach a Pokémon a new move that it might not otherwise learn. Up until Generation V, TMs were good for only one use, unlike Hidden Machines, which can be used over and over again on many different Pokémon. TMs can be found on the ground or bought at department stores. Some are also given away by Gym Leaders as prizes for defeating them in addition to a Badge. Silph Co. has distributed a pamphlet containing information on TMs and HMs, indicating they are, at least partially, developed or produced by the company.

Mutually-compatible TMs (such as Flamethrower from a father Typhlosion to a baby Torchic) will also be passed down through breeding, though prior to Generation V there were several Pokémon that could only learn certain moves contained in TMs via breeding, such as Vulpix with Energy Ball.

The depiction of TMs has changed over time. In the TCG, they are shown as small boxes that the Poké Ball would be inserted into, but from FireRed and LeafGreen onwards, they have been depicted as discs that are inserted into the TM Case and the case itself teaches the Pokémon the move. Thus, the one-use nature of the TMs prior to Generation V can be seen as analogous to DVDs that destroy themselves after use.

For the in-game locations of TMs, see List of TM and HM locations.

TM through generations

Generation I

Generation I featured 50 TMs with an additional five HMs. Move Tutors in FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald teach several of the moves that were removed from the TM list between Generation I and Generation III.

Generation II

Generation II introduced several new TMs, a majority of which were new moves introduced in this generation. There remained 50 TMs, as some Generation I TMs were removed. Several moves that were contained in TMs in Generation II but were no longer contained within TMs during Generation III can be taught by a Move Tutor in Pokémon Emerald.

Generation III

In Generation III, more moves were introduced, and the TM list was again adjusted. The 50-TM limit remained, and several older moves became TMs—including some that lost their TM status between Generations I and II.

Generation IV

Due to the connectivity with the Generation III games, the 50-TM list was not redone in Generation IV. To include new moves and incorporate older moves as TMs, the TM list was expanded from 50 to 92, leaving the first 50 TMs intact. With the eight HMs, the number of machine-learnable moves in Generation IV was at an even 100.

Generation V

In Generation V, TMs have changed from being single-use items to having infinite uses, making them akin to HMs. But unlike HMs, TMs can be forgotten without the help of a Move Deleter. In addition, when a Pokémon forgets a move in order to learn from a TM, the move learned with a TM takes on the current PP of the move replaced by the new move. This is to prevent repeated usage of TMs for the purpose of PP restoration. The prices of the buyable TMs are also much higher, and they can no longer be held. The number of TMs was expanded once again from 92 to 95. However, many of the 92 TMs found in Generation IV contain different moves. As there are only six HMs, there are 101 machine-learnable moves normally available in Generation V.

List of TMs

Move Tutor moves

Main article: Move Tutor

Though technically not TMs, some moves can only be obtained via a Move Tutor: a non-player character who teaches the desired move to a single Pokémon. Often, these moves are moves which were formerly contained in TMs. They first appeared in Crystal, where outside of the Goldenrod City Game Corner a man would teach a compatible Pokémon Flamethrower, Ice Beam, or Thunderbolt for 4000 coins on certain days of the week.

This was continued in FireRed and LeafGreen, where Trainers could encounter NPCs who would offer to teach a Pokémon a move that was not otherwise available to it. All but three of these moves (the elemental Hyper Beam variations) were available as TMs in Red, Blue, and Yellow; FireRed and LeafGreen use the updated TM list of Generation III.

In Emerald, the same moves were able to be learned via Move Tutors, with the addition of some outdated Generation II TMs as well.

Incompatible Pokémon

Although most Pokémon are able to learn a wide range of TM moves, there are 18 Pokémon who cannot learn any. Typically, these Pokémon are low in their evolutionary line or rely on a set moveset.

#	Pokémon		Type
010		Caterpie	Bug		Poison
011		Metapod	Bug		Poison
013		Weedle	Bug	Poison
014		Kakuna	Bug	Poison
129		Magikarp	Water		Poison
132		Ditto	Normal		Poison
201		Unown	Psychic		Poison
202		Wobbuffet	Psychic		Poison
235		Smeargle	Normal		Poison
265		Wurmple	Bug		Poison
266		Silcoon	Bug		Poison
268		Cascoon	Bug		Poison
360		Wynaut	Psychic		Poison
374		Beldum	Steel	Psychic
401		Kricketot	Bug		Poison
412		Burmy	Bug		Poison
415		Combee	Bug	Flying
602		Tynamo	Electric		Poison

TM-exclusive moves

In all five Generations, there have been moves exclusively taught by TMs:

Returning moves

Several moves taught by TM in Generations I and/or II returned as TMs in Generation IV, but assigned with a different TM number. In Generation V, all but Endure and Sleep Talk maintained their TM status.

Trivia

• 176 different moves have been available as a TM, adding together the TMs from every generation.
• Gym Leaders who give out a TM on their defeat typically give out one containing a move of their specialty type. However, in their respective first generation of an appearance each, Brock and Falkner do not, giving out TM34 (Bide) (a Normal-type move) and TM31 (Mud-Slap) (a Ground-type move), respectively. This is rectified in the remakes of their debut games with Brock giving away TM39 (Rock Tomb) while Falkner's prize is TM51 (Roost). Likewise, Cilan, Chili and Cress do not give out TMs matching their specialty type, instead giving out the Normal-type TM83 (Work Up), regardless of which of the three is battled. It should be noted, however, that there was no Flying-type TM during Generation II, while there was Rock-type TM during Generation I and at least two TMs for each of the starters type in Generation V.
• Until Generation V, TM01 always taught a move that involved punching; it was Mega Punch in Generation I, DynamicPunch in Generation II, and Focus Punch in Generations III and IV. The current TM01, Hone Claws, still involves the appendages.
• Many TMs have remained the same for several generations:
  • TMs 06, 14, 15, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32, 38, and 44 have contained the same move in all five generations.
  • TMs 05 (Mega Kick/Roar), 10 (Double-Edge/Hidden Power), 11 (BubbleBeam/Sunny Day), 17 (Submission/Protect), 18 (Counter/Rain Dance), 21 (Mega Drain/Frustration), 27 (Fissure/Return), 30 (Teleport/Shadow Ball), 36 (Selfdestruct/Sludge Bomb), 37 (Egg Bomb/Sandstorm), 45 (Thunder Wave/Attract) and 46 (Psywave/Thief) have contained the same move since Generation II.
  • TMs 19 (Seismic Toss/Giga Drain/Telekinesis), 23 (Dragon Rage/Iron Tail/Smack Down) and 47 (Explosion/Steel Wing/Low Sweep) taught the same move in Generations II-IV, but two different ones in Generations I and V.
  • TMs 13 (Ice Beam/Snore), 24 (Thunderbolt/DragonBreath), and 33 (Reflect/Ice Punch) are the only TMs that taught one move in Generation I, a different one in Generation II, and then returned to the move they taught in Generation I in Generations III to V.
  • TMs 39 (Swift/Rock Tomb) and 42 (Dream Eater/Facade) had the same move in Generations I and II, but a different one in Generations III to V.
• TMs 01 (Mega Punch/DynamicPunch/Focus Punch/Hone Claws), 03 (Swords Dance/Curse/Water Pulse/Psyshock), 09 (Take Down/Psych Up/Bullet Seed/Venoshock), 34 (Bide/Swagger/Shock Wave/Sludge Wave), 43 (Sky Attack/Detect/Secret Power/Flame Charge), 48 (Rock Slide/Fire Punch/Skill Swap/Round), and 49 (Tri Attack/Fury Cutter/Snatch/Echoed Voice) are the only TMs that have taught four different moves.
  • No TM has taught a different move in each of the five generations because every Generation III TM was retained for Generation IV.
• 24 of the 50 TMs in Generation I taught Normal-type moves, and no TMs taught Bug- or Ghost-type moves. In Generation II, all types had a TM except for Flying, and finally, in Generation III, Bug was again without a TM. Generation IV is the first generation in which there is at least one TM that teaches a move of each Pokémon type.
• Curse, the only move that was ever ???-type in the main series games, is taught by TM03 in Generation II.
• Rock Smash, which was TM08 in Generation II, became HM06 in Generation III and IV and then returned to its TM status in Generation V, as TM94.
• Flash, which was HM05 in Generations I, II, and III became TM70 in Generation IV.
• With few exceptions, all Pokémon who are compatible with TMs can learn the following moves:
  • Generation I: 06 (Toxic), 10 (Double-Edge), 20 (Rage), 31 (Mimic), 32 (Double Team), 34 (Bide), 44 (Rest), 50 (Substitute).
  • Generation II: 03 (Curse), 06 (Toxic), 10 (Hidden Power), 13 (Snore), 17 (Protect), 20 (Endure), 21 (Frustration), 27 (Return), 32 (Double Team), 34 (Swagger), 35 (Sleep Talk), 44 (Rest), 45 (Attract).
  • Generation III: 06 (Toxic), 10 (Hidden Power), 17 (Protect), 21 (Frustration), 27 (Return), 32 (Double Team), 42 (Facade), 43 (Secret Power), 44 (Rest), 45 (Attract).
  • Generation IV: 06 (Toxic), 10 (Hidden Power), 17 (Protect), 21 (Frustration), 27 (Return), 32 (Double Team), 42 (Facade), 43 (Secret Power), 44 (Rest), 45 (Attract), 58 (Endure), 78 (Captivate), 82 (Sleep Talk), 83 (Natural Gift), 87 (Swagger), 90 (Substitute).
  • Generation V: 06 (Toxic), 10 (Hidden Power), 17 (Protect), 21 (Frustration), 27 (Return), 32 (Double Team), 42 (Facade), 44 (Rest), 45 (Attract), 48 (Round), 87 (Swagger), 90 (Substitute).
• Generation IV TMs 19 (Giga Drain), 23 (Iron Tail), 48 (Skill Swap), 49 (Snatch), 51 (Roost), 59 (Dragon Pulse), 60 (Drain Punch), 67 (Recycle), 76 (Stealth Rock), 79 (Dark Pulse), and 82 (Sleep Talk) all lost their TM status in Pokémon Black and White, but were added back as Move Tutor moves in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.
• Generation V introduced only one Pokémon that cannot learn any TMs.

In other languages

Language Title European French Capsule Technique (CT) German Technische Maschine (TM) Italian Macchine Tecniche (MT) European Spanish Máquina Técnica (MT)

See also

• HM
• List of TM and HM locations
• TMs in the Trading Card Game

This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.