Pancham and Pangoro Collector's Guide 2026: The Dark-Type Evolution Trick and Every Entry Point
By Dexhaul Team · September 29, 2026
Pangoro is the only fully evolved Pokémon in the franchise whose evolution is gated by what you carry in your party, not by any held item, location, or time of day.
Pancham (#674) was introduced in Pokémon X and Y in October 2013 alongside its evolution Pangoro (#675). The Kalos region framed both as the pandas of the Pokémon world: Pancham with its eager grin and perpetual scowl-practice, Pangoro with the strip of bamboo tucked in its mouth and a reputation for settling disputes with its fists. They sit in the Fighting category, but Pangoro adds Dark as a second type on evolution, and that design choice runs all the way back to the mechanic that triggers the evolution itself.
To evolve Pancham into Pangoro at level 32, you must have a Dark-type Pokémon somewhere in your party. The game's own flavor text explains it plainly: Pancham is influenced by the Dark type's association with cunning and mischief.
No Dark-type ally, no evolution. It is one of very few partner-dependent evolution conditions in the franchise, and the only one where the required companion is defined by type rather than a specific Pokémon species.
What You Get After the Evolution
Pangoro is a Fighting/Dark type, placing it in a narrow group that also includes Scrafty and Scraggy. The dual typing gives Pangoro resistances to Dark, Rock, and Bug moves, with weaknesses to Fairy, Fighting, and Flying.
The standout competitive ability is Mold Breaker, which lets Pangoro's moves ignore the effects of an opponent's ability entirely. Moves like Hammer Arm and Drain Punch land regardless of defensive abilities that would normally neutralize them.
The hidden ability Scrappy adds the ability to hit Ghost-type Pokémon with Normal and Fighting moves. In practice, Mold Breaker is the more broadly useful of the two in standard play.
Pangoro learned Sky Uppercut, Hammer Arm, Drain Punch, and Force Palm from level-up in the XY era. The move set stayed consistent through Sun/Moon and Sword/Shield with minor additions, making Pangoro one of the more stable Fighting-type movesets across generations.
Plush: Pancham Has More Formats Than Pangoro
Pancham has a wider plush footprint than Pangoro, which is the reverse of the usual pattern where evolutions receive more product attention. The current market has three distinct Pancham formats.
The Pokémon Fit Pancham at $18 (Ichiba Japan) is the entry point: a small, poseable plush from the Japanese Pokémon Center lineup, available via import. Takara Tomy Arts produced a larger 7.5-inch "I Choose You!" Pancham at $29.99 to $39.99 depending on seller, a softer construction aimed at display rather than play. At the top of the Pancham plush market sits the All-Star Collection from the Pokémon Center Japan, currently at $44.99 (Sweets and Geeks), a higher-quality import piece with more structured stuffing than the Fit line.
Pangoro's plush selection is shorter. The Pokémon Fit Pangoro at $22 (Ichiba Japan) is the primary option, priced $4 above its pre-evolution in the same product line.
The other format is the Battle Feature Figure from Jazwares: a 4.5-inch articulated figure with a spring-loaded punch action, available at $28 from Yachew. There is no Pangoro equivalent to Pancham's All-Star Collection or its Takara Tomy Arts soft format, so collectors focused on the evolved form are working with a tighter product range.
The TCG Arc: No GX, No V, and a Very Accessible Price Ceiling
Pancham and Pangoro have a clean, uncrowded TCG history. Neither Pokémon has received a GX, V, VMAX, VSTAR, or ex card in English as of September 2026. Every English print for both characters is a standard Rare, Uncommon, or Common, and the price ceiling across the entire catalogue sits under CA$5 for nearly every card.
Pangoro's first English card is 68/111 in XY: Furious Fists, released August 2014. It is a standard Rare with no holo finish on the standard print, available for under CA$0.50 at multiple storefronts. The Reverse Holo version runs CA$2 at 401 Games, which represents the upper end of the XY-era Pangoro market.
From Furious Fists through the SM era (Forbidden Light sm6, Team Up sm9, Cosmic Eclipse sm12, Unified Minds sm11), Pangoro received a card in most major sets as a standard Rare. All of these sit in the $0.28 to $4.71 range today.
The SWSH era continued that pattern: Crown Zenith 080/159 is available at $0.99. The SV era added Stellar Crown 093/142 ($0.50 to $1.00) and Journey Together 099/159 ($0.31 to $1.00).
The most recently released Pangoro card is the "Love Ball" variant in ME: Ascended Heroes (140/217), the fifth set in the Mega Evolution TCG series. The Love Ball designation refers to the Poké Ball type used to capture Pangoro in that card's art, a detail borrowed from the specialty ball distribution mechanics in the mainline games. At $0.99 from The Akiba Vault, it is priced identically to the Crown Zenith entry from the prior era, reflecting a consistent lack of premium pricing across the entire Pangoro TCG history.
For Pancham, the catalogue is similarly flat. Standard Rares from BREAKpoint and Forbidden Light sit at $0.28 to $1.50, and the All-Star Collection plush at $44.99 is the most expensive single item for Pancham across both TCG and merchandise.
Why the Budget Floor Is Genuine
The absence of a GX, V, VMAX, VSTAR, or ex card reflects Pancham and Pangoro's status as supporting characters across the XY through SV eras, present in sets but never headlining a Premium Collection, ex Box, or pin collection.
A complete XY-through-SV run of English Pangoro rares would cost under $20 at current prices. The ME: Ascended Heroes Love Ball card, the Crown Zenith entry, and both SV-era cards add under $5 combined.
There is no SIR ceiling, no ex wall, no graded-copy premium to factor in. The Pokémon Fit plush pair ($18 Pancham, $22 Pangoro) is the single most expensive combination in the entire catalogue for this line.
Legends: Z-A and the October 16 Window
Pancham and Pangoro are confirmed Kalos Pokémon, introduced in X and Y alongside the Lumiose City setting that anchors Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which launches October 16, 2026.
Legends Z-A is set in Lumiose City during an urban redevelopment era, with Pokémon from across regions confirmed alongside native Kalos species. Whether Pancham and Pangoro have roles in the story has not been announced. Collector interest in the Kalos Pokédex typically rises in the months around a Kalos-centered launch.
The current price floor on Pancham and Pangoro TCG singles and plush means that getting into both characters before October 16 costs less than a single booster pack from most modern sets.
Search DexHaul for Pangoro and Pancham to see the current in-stock product list from independent shops, including Pokémon Fit plush, Battle Feature Figures, TCG singles, and the ME: Ascended Heroes Love Ball card. DexHaul is independent and unofficial, not affiliated with The Pokémon Company.