PKHeX is a powerful save file editing tool that allows you to modify your Pokemon game saves, including the Pokemon and the Trainer character you have in the game.
Besides adding moves, money, items, and making your Pokemon shiny, you can also change their genders in PKHeX. This feature is useful if you want to fix a mistake, customize your team, or need a specific gender for breeding.
However, gender editing is not always as simple as clicking a button. There are rules in Pokemon games that determine whether a Pokemon or Trainer can actually change gender.
In this guide, I’ll teach you how to safely change genders in PKHeX for both your Pokemon and your avatar.
Key Highlights:
- Pokemon you cannot gender swap: legendaries, gender-locked species like Nidoking/Nidoqueen.
- You can change your trainer’s gender from Gen 2 to 5 easily, but not in Gen 6 or onwards.
- You can use this feature for gender-specific moves (like Attract), breeding Pokemon, and getting the evolution/form you want.
Key Considerations When Changing Gender Using PKHeX
Before randomly swapping your Pokemon’s genders, here are a few important things to keep in mind.
- The gender of certain Pokemon, such as Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Blissey, Jynx, and Hitmonchan, cannot be changed.
- Legendary Pokemon are genderless and cannot be assigned a gender.
- Changing gender will also modify the Pokemon’s PID (Pokemon IDentification Number), which affects legality.
Changing Your Pokemon’s Gender in PKHeX
Changing a Pokemon’s gender is very simple once your save file is loaded.
Start by opening PKHeX and loading your save file. On the right side, go to your Party or Box tab and find the Pokemon you want to edit.
Right click on the Pokemon and select View. This will load its data into the editor on the left side.
Look for the gender icon near the top of the window, usually beside the PID and above the Pokemon’s species.
To change the gender, click the gender icon, and it will toggle between male and female.
Once you click it, PKHeX will automatically update the Pokemon’s PID to match the new gender. After making the change, always check the legality indicator.
If you see a green check mark, your Pokemon is valid. If not, you may need to adjust other details or use the Auto Legality Mod.
How to Change Trainer’s Gender in PKHeX
PKHeX also allows you to change your Trainer’s gender, but this works differently depending on the generation of the game.
Before doing this, make sure you create a backup of your save file. Trainer edits can affect multiple parts of the game. It’s crucial that you have a failsafe.
Gen 2 to Gen 5
In older games, changing your Trainer’s gender is very straightforward.
Open your save file in PKHeX, then go to the SAV tab. Look for the section that displays your Trainer information. You will see a dropdown menu or icon for gender.
Change the gender from male to female or vice versa, and export your save file.
When you load the game, your Trainer might still appear the same at first. To fix this, enter any building and exit again. This refreshes your character model and applies the change.
Gen 6 and Onwards
From Generation 6 onward, things become much more complicated.
Newer Pokemon games include gender-specific clothing, different overworld models, and additional customization data that cannot be changed in the press of a button.
Although PKHeX still shows the option to change your Trainer’s gender, it does not always work properly in-game.
In some cases:
- The gender change does not apply at all.
- The character remains the same.
- Visual bugs may occur.
For example, some players have reported that changing gender in newer titles can cause their character model to behave incorrectly or not appear as expected.
In my case, my Trainer became completely invisible. Because of this, changing Trainer gender in newer games is not recommended.
Why Gender Matters in Pokemon?
You might be wondering why gender even matters in Pokemon. Well, here are the reasons:
- Breeding requires compatible genders.
- Certain evolutions depend on gender.
- Some Pokemon have different forms based on gender.
Because of this, changing gender can affect gameplay mechanics, not just appearance.
Keep Reading:
- How to Use Cheats in melonDS
- How to Use Cheats on Visual Boy Advance (VBA)
- How to Transfer Save Files in Citra
Conclusion
Changing genders in PKHeX is a simple but powerful feature that lets you customize your Pokemon and Trainer exactly how you want.
For most Pokemon, the process only takes a few clicks, and PKHeX automatically adjusts the necessary data to keep things legal.
However, not everything can be changed. Gender-locked species and legendary Pokemon will always follow their original rules, and newer games make Trainer gender editing much more complicated.
As long as you understand these limitations and always keep a backup of your save file, you can safely experiment with gender changes without risking your progress.
If you’re looking to further customize your game, PKHeX offers even more tools and features to help you build the perfect Pokemon or Trainer.
And there’s no better place to learn everything you need to know than here at Pokecoders.
