Key Item

Key Items (Japanese: 大切(たいせつ)なもの indispensable items) are special items that players can only obtain once, and tend to either aid the progression of the story or a specific task, allow access to new areas, give the player access to a certain mechanic, or affect the form changes of the player's Pokémon. They are mostly specific to the different games. They cannot be bought or sold at Poké Marts, disposed of without fulfilling their purpose, or given to Pokémon to hold. Key items cannot be stored in the PC in Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald. Since Generation II, these items have been given their own classification, and have been stored in a separate pocket in the Bag. Some Key Items can also be registered to a button for use in the overworld.

Obtaining Key Items

Key Items cannot be sold.

Key Items are generally not found lying on the ground, but are usually obtained throughout the storyline, and are given to the player by other people. Once a player has obtained a Key Item, there is no way of getting rid of it, unless it is part of the main storyline. For example, the Machine Part found in Kanto in Generation II as part of the mission to save the Kanto Power Plant could only be removed when the player had taken it back to the Plant and given it to the manager. Some Key Items, such as the SquirtBottle, are not deleted once their usefulness has passed, and remain in the inventory for the remainder of the game.

Common Key Items

Although many Key Items are specific to the game being played, basic items continue to feature:

• Bicycles - Items that enable players to travel faster than walking and/or clear certain obstacles.
• Fishing rods - Items that enable players to fish for Pokémon in bodies of water.
• Cases - Items for the storage of Coins, Accessories, Poffins, and Seals.
• Keys and cards - Items that enable players to open doors and access new areas, such as Card Keys.
• Tickets and passes - Items that enable players to board ships, enter Pokémon Contests, and exchange for other Key Items.
• HMs - Items that teach some moves that can be used outside of battle an unlimited number of times. HMs are referred to as Key Items in Japanese games, according to the text that appears when the player attempts to delete them.

Exchanging Key Items

The exchanging of one Key Item for another has been present since Generation I: a Bike Voucher was given to the player to exchange for a Bicycle. Key Item exchanging can only happen once, with the exception of Generation III, in which the player can swap the two bikes (the Mach Bike and the Acro Bike) as they choose. In any case, only one or two Key Items can be exchanged.

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 重要物品 Juhngyiu mahtbán Mandarin 重要物品 Zhòngyào wùpǐn Danish Vigtig genstand Dutch Sleutelvoorwerp* Belangrijk voorwerp* French Canada Article clé* Europe Objet rare German Basis-Item Greek Αντικείμενα Κλειδιά* Italian Strumento base Korean 중요한 물건 Jungyohan mulgeon Portuguese Objeto Chave* Spanish Objeto Clave Swedish Huvudföremål

This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items.