Lucario, The Aura Pokémon. A well-trained one can sense auras to identify and take in the feelings of creatures over half a mile away. It's said that no foe can remain invisible to LUCARIO, since it can detect auras. Even foes it could not otherwise see. By catching the aura emanating from others, it can read their thoughts and movements. It has the ability to sense the auras of all things. It understands human speech.

Overview

Lucario is one of those weird Pokemon that manages to get good because it has just the right stats and moves in just the right places to be used well. Its defenses are bad, speed slightly above average and attack and special attack great, but not "amazing" (compare it to Latios or Terrakion). It gets by through its incredible, unpredictable movepool that lets it hurt almost everything. It also can cover its average speed with Extremespeed while sort of working around the bad defenses with a good Steel / Fighting typing that leaves it with many resistances. Lucario has the ability to smash nearly every Pokemon in the game in two hits and can gain enough power in one single turn to decimate a team on its own. Do not take the steel jackal lightly or it will turn your team to dust in the blink of an eye.

Abilities

Steadfast: Boosts Speed one stage when flinched. A great ability but not as good as Inner Focus. Why? Well Lucario is very frail. When you get smashed in the face by Waterfall or Air Slash you need to retaliate immediately. Lucario also needs all the HP it can to sweep under pressure from Extremespeed and Bullet Punches. The speed boost is nice though and you can set up on Jirachi's Iron Head a little easier so its not a bad ability, its just a little less useful than Inner Focus.
Inner Focus: Prevents this Pokemon from being flinched. Extremely useful. You can take Fake Outs, Air Slashes, Iron Heads, and most importantly Waterfalls and Swords Dance in their face.
Justified: Raises Attack by one stage when hit by a Dark move (which Lucario 4x resists!). Great ability. Amazing in fact. Just one problem. It is impossible to run on a set with Ice Punch (4th gen move tutor) and due to breeding restrictions it can't get get Crunch either. This is very bad as these two moves are the backbone of Lucario's physical coverage. If Justified Lucario is released with Crunch or Ice Punch is a move tutor in B/W 2 it might become good but sadly until then it's a lesser option.

Movesets

"Luke, I am your father."

- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Ice Punch / Crunch / Bullet Punch
Ability: Inner Focus / Justified
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk) / Jolly

That's right. Time for Star Wars quotes. Why? Luke... Lucario... Come on you think of something better. Anyhow this is the set you will see on almost all Lucario. The reason? It's so incredibly powerful. Swords Dance up on something like a Forretress or Choice Band Tyranitar locked into Crunch, then sweep. After a Swords Dance Close Combat has incredible power, blowing through Skarmory in one shot. What makes Lucario so deadly isn't his Close Combat it's the inability of faster frail things like Latios and Landorus to safely revenge kill him due to Extremespeed. The final slot is to help take out the FEW things that can switch in on Lucario. Ice Punch demolishes Gliscor, bulky Latias, and Dragonite while Crunch helps take down Jellicent and Deoxys D who otherwise could be a problem. The final option is Bullet Punch. Bullet Punch takes down Terrakion, Scarf Tyranitar and Gengar but it also is the only move that can be used with Justified. The potential of getting a +3 Extremespeed is pretty awesome. Bullet Punch leaves you a sitting duck against Jellicent and Gliscor but it you can take them out very little will stand in your way. Life Orb is the best item option due to the sheer destruction +2 Close Combats can wreck but Air Ballon can give Lucario a setup opportunity against Landorus and even Gliscor. Nature depends on what you want to outrun. Adamant gives Close Combat unrivaled killing power but Jolly outpaces Mamoswine, most Gliscor, Rotom and virtually all Haxorus.

"I’m Luke Skywalker, I’m here to rescue you."

- Aura Sphere
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Vacuum Wave
- Dark Pulse
- Nasty Plot
Item Attached: Life Orb / Air Balloony
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

Nasty Plot is a new move for Lucario that for some reason it decided to learn in Black and White. Why? Who knows. This set plays pretty much like the Swords Dancer. Nasty Plot on something that fears you, then devastate. The difference is that Lucario tends to lure in Physical walls who have no chance of surviving any of Lucario's +2 hits. Even Special walls are annihilated by boosted moves. Blissey, the titan of Special Defense, is often OHKoed by +2 Aura Sphere. Eat you heart out Porygon Z. The main problem with Nasty Plot Lucario is that it can't cover it's relatively slow speed with Extremespeed like the Swords Dancer can. You can try with Vacuum Wave but its somewhat weak and requires you to give up on Hidden Power Ice.

"This is Red 5, I’m going in."

- Agility
- Close Combat
- Crunch / Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 68 SAtk / 188 Spd
Naughty Nature (+Atk, -SDef)

You've never heard of Agility Lucario? … It’s the set that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs... Yeah that was lame. Sorry. Many teams rely on beating Lucario by using faster hard hitters that can survive its boosted Extremespeed, Vacuum Wave, or Bullet Punch. Agility Lucario can throw a wrench into these plans and sweep. As with the previous two sets, find a chance to setup. At +2 Speed Lucario is so fast that with the given EVs you outrun Choice Scarf Latios, which is by far the fastest thing you will ever see in standard play. Close Combat has extreme power that allows it to easily OHKO anything weak to it and many frail things that don't resist. Crunch beats through Jellicent, Gengar, Latios and so on. Hidden Power Ice is being used over Ice Punch as it OHKOs Gliscor (Gliscor survives Ice Punch) and still OHKOs things like Dragonite and Landorus after Stealth Rocks. Dark Pulse is an option over Crunch for the flinch chance which can be a lifesaver against Reuniclus and Celebi. Agility Lucario will not break open holes in your opponent like the Swords Dancer will but it can late game sweep extremely well.

"You’re all clear, kid! Now let’s blow this thing and go home!"

- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Crunch
- ExtremeSpeed
Item Attached: Choice Band
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)

If setup sweepers aren't your thing you can always try Choice Band Lucario. Choice Band lets Lucario 1-2HKO almost every single Pokemon in the game with the right move. While other Pokemon such as Terrakion can also boast this what sets Lucario apart is Extremespeed. Choice Band Extremespeed is a wonderful tool to take out a rampaging Latios or Quiver Danced Volcarona. Lucario is also faster than Dragonite and doesn't have to lock itself into Outrage to use its most powerful attack. Choice Band Lucario has a lot of competition from other Choice Banders like Scizor, Dragonite, and Terrakion so it's best used alongside other Choice Banders to try and "team up" on single walls like Skarmory or Gliscor.

"Use the Force, Luke."

- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Vacuum Wave
Item Attached: Choice Specs
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

Choice Specs Lucario was a favorite back in 4th gen due to its ability to 2HKO Blissey with Aura Sphere. It still has the same problems from before unfortunately. It's slow, frail and doesn't really hit THAT hard (think of harder hitters like Politoed and Heatran). It has surprise value though. Laugh as your opponent switches in their Hippowdon and gets blasted by Aura Sphere, or Gliscor takes an HP Ice and never flies again. It's too slow to ever sweep so you should try and use Lucario as a battering ram. Bust through physical walls that think they can take you so your real physical sweepers can tear through your opponent's team.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- ExtremeSpeed
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)

In 4th generation Lucario made a great lead due to its sheer power, coverage and priority. It works now as very few Pokemon can take a hit from Close Combat + Coverage move. This makes a very good lead, capable of breaking down offensive teams and doing some damage to balanced teams as well. Focus Sash is the primary item as the makes an amazing lead. Life Orb is another worthy item that lets Lucario hit extremely hard from the start, KOing even Skarmory in two hits.

EVs & Natures

Lucario
On all Lucario sets run 252 speed and either attack or special attack. There is no reason to place the EVs anywhere in defenses as Lucario is so weak it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Other Options

So many. Counter, Hone Claws/ Cross Chop, Calm Mind, Bulk Up / Drain Punch, Hidden Power Electric, Stone Edge, Work Up, Flash Cannon, Choice Scarf and Final Gambit.
Counter can work on the Focus Sash lead set to surprise KO something like Gliscor.
Hone Claws can work with Cross Chop but it's pretty bad compared to a Swords Dance set.
Calm Mind can let you slowly boost against weak Special Attackers like Tentacruel, however Lucario doesn't have the bulk to try a Calm Mind sweep.
Bulk Up is slightly more viable as it can be run along Drain Punch and Ice Punch to try and outlast its counters. Still worse than just pummeling them with Swords Danced Extremespeeds though.
Hidden Power Electric hits Gyarados and Tentacruel harder than most other moves but is outclassed by Ice on most sets.
Stone Edge breaks Gyarados, Salamence, and Dragonite but doesn't hit as much as Ice Punch and has terrible accuracy.
If you want a mixed set Work Up can get some pretty decent power. But when you have something as strong as Lucario physical and special walls don't really slow him down. Might as well just use Swords Dance or Nasty Plot and sweep with full power.
Flash Cannon is weaker than Aura Sphere but has decent neutral coverage with it.
A Choice Scarf set is usable but largely outclassed by other Choice Scarfers like Salamence, Terrakion and Landorus who hit as hard but are faster and bulkier.
Last option if Final Gambit. Could work on the scarfer to surprise and remove Gliscor so something else can sweep.

Double & Triple Battle Options

Not MANY. It has an immunity to Fake Out and a bunch of useful moves like Rock Slide, Extremespeed and Earthquake but sadly its too slow and frail to last long enough to use them. Might as well just use Terrakion who has better speed, bulk and power as well as getting STAB on Rock Slide.

Partners

Other fighting types do well with Lucario. Lucario is great at breaking down fighting resists due to its crazy coverage. Terrakion can make short work of the opposing team if the enemy's Gliscor takes an Ice Punch. Infernape also works well with Lucario as they can one-two punch fighting counters like Reuniclus and Tentacruel. Lucario is so good because it just punishes anything it hits. Use it to bust holes in your opponent so the rest of your Pokemon can sweep. Just pair Lucario with other hard hitters and you should do fine.

Countering Lucario

Hahahaha. If you're looking for a Lucario counter... it doesn't exist. No Pokemon in the game can even come close to switching in on Lucario safely. Luckily most Lucario sets are just the Swords Dancer which isn't particularly hard to handle provider your team is healthy. Gliscor is the #1 Lucario counter. It has great defense, more speed than Lucario and STAB Earthquake to eliminate it. It can even survive a Specs Aura Sphere well enough. Its only issue is that it does not take Ice moves well. Faster Normal resisting Pokemon like Scarf Tyranitar, Terrakion, Scarf Heatran, Gengar, and Jirachi all give Lucario trouble by hitting the jackal before its terrifying coverage moves can land. Gyarados and Salamence can both survive a Nasty Plotted or Swords Danced hit and OHKO back. What makes Lucario scary isn't his outright inability to be safely countered, it's the way it can cut open gaping holes in defensive cores and sweep late game while having mind boggling numbers of usable sets. The good news is Lucario is pretty frail so if you're willing to take a risk you can avoid letting it set up much of the time.

Pre-Evolution Corner

Pre-evolution

- Roar
- Copycat
- Substitute
- Toxic
Item Attached: Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 180 HP / 56 Def / 56 SDef / 216 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)

A Riolu in OU? Sounds crazy but it works... sort of. The idea is this. Set up Spikes / Stealth Rocks and get Riolu in safely. Use Roar as they switch out or attack. Bulky EVs and Eviolite makes this possible as most things can not OHKO Riolu without sickeningly high attack. Ok so you use Roar and they switch out. That's not very useful right? Well now use Copycat. You will go first due to Prankster and copy your own Roar. You may now freely spam Copycat which will repeatedly pick your Roar until you run out of PP. So your opponent tries to take you out with Scizor Bullet Punch? Oh that's fine, Riolu is faster and will Copycat Scizor off the field long before you are hit. As Riolu Roars your opponent's team around Stealth Rocks an Spikes will devastate their team. Best of all Riolu isn't totally useless even if it can't get this combo off. You may use Priority Copycat to surprise Terrakion, Dragonite, Salamence, Haxorus and so on with their own mighty STAB moves right to the face. Substitute can be used to scout and help get a free turn to Roar while Toxic can take down Extremespeed Dragonite. The biggest problem is that this set is currently impossible to use without online simulators or hacking. Lucario's Dream World ability is possible to get but due to gender restrictions Riolu can not use its ability yet.

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game.

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game.

Colosseum/XD:
Not in game

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Riolu.

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Riolu.

Black/White:
Evolve Riolu

Animé Appearences

Lucario has made a few appearances. First it had a movie focused upon it when it was owned by Sir Aaron. Gym Leader Maylene used one in her Gym Battles against Ash & Dawn and Riley used one to help protect Iron Island # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics M8 Lucario & The Mystery of Mew Mew & The Wave-Guiding Hero - Lucario Pics M10 The Rise of Darkrai Dialga VS Palkia VS Darkrai Pics 534 Lost Leader Strategy! Lucario & The Aura Sphere of Rage! Pics 535 Crossing the Battle Line! Dawn's First Gym Battle! Pics 536 A Triple Fighting Chance! Veilstone Gym! Lucario VS Buizel! Pics 578 Steeling Peace of Mind! Riley & Lucario! Pics 579 Saving the World from Ruins The Hidden Ruins of Iron Island! Pics 618 Unlocking the Red Chain of Events! The Red Chain! Team Galactic Start!! Pics M13 Zoroark - Master of Illusions Phantom Champion Zoroark Pics 651 League Unleashed! Opening! Sinnoh League - Suzuran Tournament!! Pics S28 TBC Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 Introduction Pics 768 Cameron's Secret Weapon! Ash VS Cameron! The Hydreigon Secret Weapon!! Pics 769 A Unova League Evolution Unova League Conclusion! Lucario VS Pikachu!! Pics S35 Pokémon Mega Evolution Special I Strongest Mega Evolution ~Act 1~ Pics 833 Mega Revelations! Korrina and Lucario! The Secrets of Mega Evolution!! Pics 834 The Cave of Trials! Lucario VS Blaziken! The Cave of Trials!! Pics 835 The Aura Storm! Mega Lucario VS Mega Lucario! A Storm of Aura!! Pics 836 Calling From Beyond the Aura! Hearts Calling Out to One Another! Go Beyond Aura! Pics 837 Bonds of Mega Evolution Mega Lucario VS Mega Mawile! The Mega Evolution Bond!! Pics 842 Summer of Discovery! Pokémon Summer Camp! Enter the Rival Trio!! Pics 846 Origins of Mega Evolution! The Tower of Mastery! The History of Mega Evolution! Pics 847 Showdown at the Shalour Gym! Shalour Gym Match! Pikachu VS Mega Lucario!! Pics 865 The Future Is Now, Thanks to Determination! Protect the Future of Science! The Labyrinth of Electricity!! Pics 915 Master Class is in Session! The Master Class Begins! A Maidens' Fight Where Sparks Fly!! Pics 916 Performing a Pathway to the Future! Aria VS Serena! Open the Door to the Future!! Pics 926 A Diamond in the Rough! Find Carbink! Goodra and Dedenne!! Pics M19 Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel Volcanion & The Ingenious Magearna Pics 935 A Towering Takeover! Team Flare Attacks! The Zygarde at the Prism Tower!! Pics 936 Coming Apart at the Dreams! The Shocking Zygarde VS Zygarde! The Breaking World!! Pics 938 Rocking Kalos Defenses! The Megalith Advances! A Fight to Protect Kalos!! Pics 939 Forming a More Perfect Union! Zygarde Fights Back! The Final Battle for Kalos!! Pics 943 Till We Compete Again A Zero With No End! Till the Day We Meet Again!! Pics M20 Pokémon I Choose You! Pokémon I Choose You! Pics 1083 Z-Move Showdown! Guzzlord Attacks! Decisive Z-Move Battle!! Pics 1084 Exhibition Unmasked! Final Battle! Ash VS Kukui!! Pics 1085 A Full Battle Bounty! Burn with Passion! Get Filled with Intensity! A Full Battle!!! Pics 1086 Fiery Surprises! Conclusion! Incineroar VS Torracat!! Pics 1114 A Festival Reunion! A Battle Festival Exploding With Life! VS Mega Lucario!! Pics 1123 Solitary and Menacing! Bea, the Lone Warrior! The Grapploct Menace!! Pics 1134 Sword and Shield: The Legends Awaken! Sword & Shield IV: Ultimate Sword & Shield Pics 1135 Getting More Than You Battled For! Battling & Getting! Mewtwo Comes Back Pics 1136 Crowning the Chow Crusher! Pokémon Champion! The Battle of Big Eaters!! Pics 1137 A Close Call... Practically Almost Pikachu Crisis! Pics 1140 Trials of a Budding Master! The Great Farfetch'd Trial! Pics 1142 Healing the Healer! Getting a Legend?! Search for Suicune, the Guardian Deity of Water!! Pics 1149 Beyond Chivalry... Aiming to be a Leek Master! Aim to Become Leek Master! Stay With Me, Chivalry!! Pics 1154 Thrash of the Titans! Dragon Battle! Ash VS Iris!! Pics 1159 Take My Thief! Please! Please Get Morpeko!! Pics 1165 All Out, All of the Time! Fully Powered! The Alola Desert Island Race!! Pics 1166 Excitement from the Ultra-Shocking Start! A Super-Electromagnetic Hyper Class Battle! Pics 1167 Detective Drizzile! The Cerise Laboratories Become a Target!! Pics 1173 An Adventure of Mega Proportions! The Lucarionite! Adventure on Mega Island!! Pics 1174 Battle Three with Bea! Rival Showdown! Ash VS Bea!! Pics 1175 A Battle of Mega vs Max! Mega Evolution VS Gigantamax! Pics 1177 Looking Out for Number Two! Trial Mission! The Deep Sea Diver Research Team!! Pics 1178 The Gates of Warp! Dialga & Palkia! The Space-time Cataclysm!! Pics 1179 Showdown at the Gates of Warp! Dialga & Palkia! The Decisive Space-time Battle!! Pics 1184 The Good, The Bad, and The Lucky! Farewell! The Wandering Team Rocket Pics 1188 Battling Turned Up to Eleven! Marnie from Spikemuth Pics 1191 Battling in the Freezing Raid! Trial Mission: A Frozen Raid Battle!! Pics 1192 The Future is Now, Thanks to Strategy! Ash & Clemont! Special Friendship Training!! Pics 1197 Catching the Aura of Fate! Lucario & Greninja! The Aura of Fate!! Pics 1198 Aim for the Eight! VS Raihan! A Fight with Masters Eight on the Line!! Pics 1201 Helping the Hometown Hero! A Triumphant Return! The Alola Champion!! Pics 1202 Chasing to the Finish! Last Mission! Get Regieleki & Regidrago!! Pics 1203 Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit! Fire Training Battle! Ash VS Paul!! Pics 1206 The Fiery Road to Mastership! VS Cynthia! Iris' Road to Dragon Master Pics 1207 Battling as Hard as Stone! Ash Heads Into Battle! VS Steven!! Pics 1210 TBC The Climax Begins: Ash's Masters Tournament Experience Pics 1211 It's Champion Time! The Semifinals I: Sweep Pics 1212 Bewitch, Battle, and Bewilder! The Semifinals II: Dazzle Pics 1213 Valor: A Strategic Part of Battling! The Semifinals III: Valor Pics 1214 Whittle While You Work! The Semifinals IV: Impact Pics 1215 TBC Go for Dream! Goh's Road to Mew!! Pics 1216 Just a Scone's Throw From Here Goh and Cinderace! The Place Where It All Began!! Pics 1217 TBC Climax! The Night Before the Decisive Match: Ash VS Leon!! Pics 1218 A Flood of Torrential Gains The Finals I: Torrent Pics 1219 Toying With Your Motions! The Finals II: Toying Pics 1220 Paring Pokémon While Parrying! The Finals III: Smashing Pics 1221 Partners in Time! The Finals IV: Partner Pics 1224 Heroes Unite! Pokémon! I Am Glad I Got To Meet You Pics 1225 These Could be the Start of Something Big! Ash and Goh! Setting Off Anew!! Pics