How to find and beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go — March 2023

As anyone who has dealt with Team Rocket could have predicted, Giovanni is the one giving out commands for Team Go Rocket in Pokémon Go—though it is never explicitly stated until you are able to confront him.

Whether it be dealing with a Go Rocket Takeover and an increased number of Rocket Balloons floating above the overworld or simply hunting down the Big Boss yourself using your Rocket Radars, you should be ready to clash with the powerful Shadow Pokémon Giovanni is known for using.

You can encounter Giovanni by completing various pieces of special Go Rocket-themed research, typically given out monthly by Professor Willow. There are other, special ways to encounter Giovanni through the use of other research like Field Notes: Team Go Rocket or Special Research: Shadowy Skirmishes, but those are also typically part of a larger set of tasks that you will need to complete before battling the boss.

Where and how to find Giovanni in Pokémon Go

Giovanni is not an easy person to find in Pokémon Go, and that is clearly by design considering he is a crime boss working from the shadows.

Related: All Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research tasks and rewards

Typically, you will need to complete the following tasks in order to encounter Giovanni, but occasionally there will be other research tasks that allow you to skip around a few of the steps. But here is how you can encounter Boss Rocket in Pokémon Go.

• Collect six Mysterious Components from Team Rocket Grunts and unlock the Team Rocket Radar.
• Once you equip the radar, you’ll be able to find three other Rocket Leaders.
• After beating the new leaders you found, complete the Team Rocket-related Special Research tasks.
• You’ll get the Super Rocket Radar when you’re done with all the encounters and challenges.
• Equip the Super Rocket Radar radar and start visiting PokéStops to find Giovanni.

You can’t find Giovanni without the Super Rocket Radar, meaning completing the necessary steps will be a must if you want to take him down.

How to beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go

Players will need to prepare a strong squad of Pokémon for the encounter to beat Giovanni as fast as possible in Pokémon Go.

Giovanni generally uses the same lineup during each encounter for a set period of time before it eventually gets updated as part of a new event or larger patch. The main change typically involves the middle part of his team and the Shadow Pokémon he is using as his ace.

You will want to build up your own team of Pokémon based on Giovanni’s roster to ensure you have your best chance to take him down. Here is what you will be facing if you challenge him throughout March.

Giovanni’s Pokémon’s lineup in Pokémon Go

The first phase of the Giovanni battle

Giovanni starts off the battle with his trusty Persian, a Normal-type Pokémon. Persian is weak against Fighting-type moves, and you’ll want to feature Fighting-type Pokémon in your lineup to counter Persian.

Machamp, Breloom, and Lucario will be strong enough to bring down Persian, in most cases. If you have another strong Fighting-type Pokémon in your Pokédex, you can also use them.

The second phase of the Giovanni battle

During the second phase of the battle, you will end up battling a Nidoking, Cloyster, or Garchomp. All three are fairly powerful in their own ways, but as long as you come prepared you can take them out regardless of which one you face.

Nidoking is a Poison/Ground-type considered one of Giovanni’s signature Pokémon and makes a return to his team this month as a possible option for his second team member. This unique typing makes it weak to a myriad of types, including Psychic, Water, and Ground, so players may want to bring Pokémon like Mewtwo, Swampert, or Gyarados to make quick work of it.

If you end up facing Cloyster, watch out for Water and Ice-type attacks. It will hit you hard with those moves and unless you want to risk taking super effective damage while dealing it out yourself, your best bet is bringing a strong Electric-type like Electivire or Raikou or a Fighting-type like Machamp or Keldeo.

Garchomp is a Dragon/Ground-type that can hit harder than most of Giovanni’s other Pokémon. Bringing an Ice-type such as Mamoswine, Weavile, or Galarian Darmanitan is your best bet against this beast. You could also challenge it with your own Dragons or a Fairy-type too.

The third phase of the Giovanni battle

In his latest iteration, Giovanni has managed to capture the Steel-type Golem, Registeel, and turn it into a Shadow Pokémon.

This is nowhere near as threatening as previous Legendary Shadow Pokémon he has used such as Shadow Mewtwo or Shadow Suicune, but it is still a Pokémon that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Fire, Fighting, and Ground-types will be your best friend in this matchup, as most of Registeels moves will not harm them in the slightest. Blaziken, Charizard, Reshiram, and Machamp are all good options here. And, if you don’t have access to it, Groudon will be a boon to this battle once it gains the ability to use Primal Reversion during Pokémon Go Tour: Hoenn.