Return (move)

"Return" may also refer to an exclamation often used in the animated series when recalling a Pokémon.

Return
おんがえし Return Favor
Type  Normal
Category  Physical
PP  20 (max. 32)
Power  —
Accuracy  100%
Priority  0
Range
Opponent Opponent Opponent
Self Ally Ally
Normal: May affect anyone adjacent to the user
Availability
Introduced  Generation II
Condition  Cute
Appeal  1
Jam  0  
An appeal that excites the audience in any contest.
Condition  Cute
Appeal  2 ♥♥
Earn +2 if the Pokémon performs first in the turn.
Condition  Cute
Appeal  4 ♥♥♥♥
Jamming  0  
Quite an appealing move.

Return (Japanese: おんがえし Return Favor) is a damage-dealing Normal-type move introduced in Generation II. It was TM27 from Generation II to Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Effect

Return inflicts damage and has no secondary effect. The base power of Return is dependent on the friendship of the user. The greater the user's friendship, the greater the base power.

The base power can be calculated using the following formula:

BasePower=Friendship2.5

If the user's friendship is 127 or less, Frustration is stronger than Return.

Generation II

The base power of Return varies between 0 (at the minimum friendship value of 0) and 102 (at the maximum friendship value of 255).

Generation III to VII

The base power of Return is now set to 1 if the formula outputs 0.

Generation VIII onwards

Return cannot be selected in a battle.

Description

Games Description
Stad2 A Normal-type attack. The tamer the user, the more powerful the move.
GSC An attack that is based on loyalty.
RSEColoXD An attack that increases in power with friendship. (move)
The more the user likes you, the more powerful this move. (TM)
FRLG This attack move grows more powerful the more the user likes its Trainer.
DPPtHGSSPBR
BWB2W2
XYORAS
A full-power attack that grows more powerful the more the user likes its Trainer.
SMUSUMPE This full-power attack grows more powerful the more the user likes its Trainer.
SwShBDSPLA
SV
This move can't be used. It's recommended that this move is forgotten. Once forgotten, this move can't be remembered.


Learnset

By leveling up

# Pokémon Types Egg Groups Level
0428 Lopunny Field Human-Like 13 13 13 1, Evo.
Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move.
Italics indicates a Pokémon whose Evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move.
A dash (−) indicates a Pokémon cannot learn the move by the designated method.
An empty cell indicates a Pokémon that is unavailable in that game/generation.


By TM

# Pokémon Types Egg Groups Compatibility
TM27
Every Pokémon can learn this move by TM except the ones listed below and only if marked with ✘.
0010 Caterpie Bug Bug
0011 Metapod Bug Bug
0013 Weedle
Bug Bug
0014 Kakuna
Bug Bug
0129 Magikarp Water 2 Dragon
0132 Ditto Ditto Ditto
0201 Unown
Unown
All forms
No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered
0202 Wobbuffet Amorphous Amorphous
0235 Smeargle Field Field
0265 Wurmple Bug Bug
0266 Silcoon Bug Bug
0268 Cascoon Bug Bug
0360 Wynaut No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered
0374 Beldum
Mineral Mineral
0401 Kricketot Bug Bug
0412 Burmy
Burmy
All forms
Bug Bug
0415 Combee
Bug Bug
0602 Tynamo Amorphous Amorphous
0664 Scatterbug Bug Bug
0665 Spewpa Bug Bug
0771 Pyukumuku Water 1 Water 1
0789 Cosmog No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered
0790 Cosmoem No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered
Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move.
Italics indicates a Pokémon whose Evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move.
A dash (−) indicates a Pokémon cannot learn the move by the designated method.
An empty cell indicates a Pokémon that is unavailable in that game/generation.


Special move

Generation III

# Pokémon Types Egg Groups Obtained with
0196 Espeon Field Field Wes's initial PokémonColo
Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move.
Italics indicates a Pokémon whose Evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move.
A dash (−) indicates a Pokémon cannot learn the move by the designated method.
An empty cell indicates a Pokémon that is unavailable in that game/generation.


Generation IV

# Pokémon Types Egg Groups Obtained with
0151 Mew No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered My Pokémon Ranch
Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move.
Italics indicates a Pokémon whose Evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move.
A dash (−) indicates a Pokémon cannot learn the move by the designated method.
An empty cell indicates a Pokémon that is unavailable in that game/generation.


In other games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

Return deals damage. In the Rescue Team and Explorers series, Return's damage depends on the user's IQ. At 0 IQ, it deals 5 damage. The damage is increased by 5 after reaching 50 and 100 IQ, and every 100 IQ after that, until it deals a maximum 45 damage at 700 IQ. Although not possible under normal gameplay, an IQ in the range of 1000-9999 makes Return behave like a one-hit knockout move, and an IQ of 10000 or higher makes it deal only 1 damage due to a numerical overflow, while a negative value has it deal standard 5 damage.

From Gates to Infinity onwards, with the removal of the IQ system, damage now increases the more dungeons the user was taken into. The damage is no longer fixed, instead based on the user's friendship, which increases by 2 upon entering a dungeon. There are four friendship tiers: 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, and 31+. The increases in power are very slight.

Game Base
Power
Max
Power
Base
PP
Max
PP
Base
Accuracy
Max
Accuracy
Range Target Cuts
corners
MDRB - - 12 - 100% - Front Enemy No
MDTDS - - 12 - 100% - Front Enemy No
BSL - - 12 - 70% - Front Enemy No
MDGtI - - 17 50 95% 98% Front Enemy No
SMD 3 99 17 40 95% 98% Front Enemy No
With some exceptions, Pokémon learnsets match those from the core series games:

Pokémon GO

In Pokémon GO, Return is a Charged Attack that has been available since July 22, 2019. It is exclusive to and the default move of Purified Pokémon. Upon purifying a Shadow Pokémon, Return replaces the Charged Attack in its first slot, regardless of whether that move is Frustration. If forgotten, it can't be retaught via Charged TM nor Elite Charged TM.

 Return
Charged Attack
Gyms & Raids
Power 35
Energy cost 33
Duration 0.7 seconds
Damage window 0.1 - 0.35 seconds
Trainer Battles
Power 130
Energy cost 70
Secondary effect ?
Effect chance ?%
Max Battles
Power Level 1: 250
Level 2: 300
Level 3: 350
Eligible Pokémon:
Standard eligibility
By Elite Charged TM
By GO Snapshot
As Shadow Pokémon
As Purified Pokémon
See List of Shadow Pokémon in Pokémon GO
Formerly eligible
None

Updates

Trainer Battles
  • December 11, 2019
    • Power: 50 → 130
    • Energy cost: 40 → 70

Pokémon Rumble Rush

Return
Attack power 16.58344
Charge time 0.5 seconds
Range type Arc (melee)
Number of hits 1
Number of projectiles 1
Critical hit rate 1.5%
Additional effect None

Description

Games Description
MDRB
MDTDS
Inflicts damage on the target. Its power rises with the user's IQ.
BSL てきポケモンに ダメージをあたえる じぶんの かしこさがたかいほど ダメージが おおきくなる
MDGtI
SMD
MDRTDX
It damages an enemy. The more you've opened up to your team, the more powerful this move will be.


In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Battle Frontier

In other generations

Core series games

0-60 Friendship 61-91 Friendship 92-200 Friendship

Side series games

0-60 Friendship 61-91 Friendship 92-200 Friendship

Spin-off series games

Trivia

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 報恩 Bou'yān
Mandarin 報恩 / 报恩 Bào'ēn
Czech Vděk
Danish Gengæld
Dutch Terugkeer
French Retour
German Rückkehr
Greek Αφοσίωση Afosiose
Italian Ritorno
Korean 은혜갚기 Eunhyegapgi
Brazilian Portuguese Retorno
Serbian Povratak
Spanish RetribuciónVI+
RetrocesoIIV
Thai ทดแทนคุณ
Vietnamese Trả Ơn
Variations of the move
Frustration
Generation II TMs
01020304050607080910111213141516171819202122232425
26 • • 2829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950
Generation II HMs
01020304050607
Generation III TMs
01020304050607080910111213141516171819202122232425
26 • • 2829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950
Generation III HMs
0102030405060708RSE
Generation IV TMs
0102030405060708091011121314151617181920212223
242526 • • 28293031323334353637383940414243444546
4748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869
7071727374757677787980818283848586878889909192
Generation IV HMs
01020304 • 05 (DPPtHGSS) • 060708
Generation V TMs
01020304050607080910111213141516171819
20212223242526 • • 2829303132333435363738
39404142434445464748495051525354555657
58596061626364656667686970717273747576
77787980818283848586878889909192939495
Generation V HMs
010203040506
Generation VI TMs
0102030405060708091011121314151617181920212223242526
28293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152
5354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778
798081828384858687888990919293 • 94 (XYORAS) • 9596979899100
Generation VI HMs
010203040506ORAS07ORAS
Generation VII TMs
SMUSUM
0102030405060708091011121314151617181920
212223242526 • • 28293031323334353637383940
4142434445464748495051525354555657585960
6162636465666768697071727374757677787980
81828384858687888990919293949596979899100
PE
0102030405060708091011121314151617181920
2122232425262728293031323334353637383940
4142434445464748495051525354555657585960
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.