Pokémon GO: How to beat Arlo

Team GO Rocket’s Arlo is back at it in Pokémon GO, causing trouble with a brand-new team of Shadow Pokémon at his side. Returning with a fresh roster of creatures in May 2025, you must defeat him to get one step closer to a duel with his boss, Giovanni.

You can only encounter Arlo while having an active Rocket Radar, so the first order of business is to secure one of these. That’s fairly simple: Defeat Team GO Rocket Grunts and collect the Mysterious Components they drop. Once you have six of these, they can be combined to form a Rocket Radar.

Once it’s activated, you can encounter Arlo, Cliff, or Sierra at PokéStops or on Rocket Balloons. Defeating all three bosses enables you to claim a Super Rocket Radar, finally unlocking the fight against Giovanni.

This guide will tell you how to beat Arlo in Pokémon GO in 2025.

Arlo’s current Pokémon

Arlo is guaranteed to open the battle with his Shadow Horsea, though things get murky after that as your opponent has three possible choices for his second and third Pokémon. Let’s get you up to speed and prepare for all of them.

• Slot #1: Horsea
• Slot #2: Steelix / Slowbro / Crobat
• Slot #3: Scizor / Alolan Muk / Alakazam

Best counters to Arlo’s Horsea in Pokémon GO

Horsea doesn’t like to touch grass and fears being grilled by electric currents, which are both Pokémon types that come in handy later on — but Electric-types more so than Grass-types.

• Raikou (Electric): Thunder Shock, Wild Charge, Shadow Ball
• Magnezone (Electric, Steel): Volt Switch, Wild Charge, Zap Cannon
• Electivire (Electric): Thunder Shock, Wild Charge, Thunder Punch

Best counters to Arlo’s Steelix in Pokémon GO

Steelix is a Ground- and Steel-type Pokémon, making attacks of the Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water varieties most effective against it. While Fire- and Ground-types have uses against other foes, they aren’t extremely versatile against Arlo’s line-up.

• Groudon (Ground): Mud Shot, Precipice Blades, Fire Punch
• Garchomp (Ground, Dragon): Mudshot, Earthquake, Earth Power
• Heatran (Fire, Steel): Fire Spin, Magma Storm, Flamethrower

Best counters to Arlo’s Slowbro in Pokémon GO

This Psychic-and Water-type opponent can be covered by the Electric-type you prepared for Horsea. Ghost-, Dark-, and Grass-type moves will do a fantastic job as well.

• Raikou (Electric): Thunder Shock, Wild Charge, Shadow Ball
• Magnezone (Electric, Steel): Volt Switch, Wild Charge, Zap Cannon
• Electivire (Electric): Thunder Shock, Wild Charge, Thunder Punch

Best counters to Arlo’s Crobat in Pokémon GO

Crobat is a Poison- and Flying-type, making it another easy victim for your Electric-type, though Ice, Psychic, and Rock work as well.

• Raikou (Electric): Thunder Shock, Wild Charge, Shadow Ball
• Magnezone (Electric, Steel): Volt Switch, Wild Charge, Zap Cannon
• Electivire (Electric): Thunder Shock, Wild Charge, Thunder Punch

Best counters to Arlo’s Scizor in Pokémon GO

Arlo's signature Pokémon is only particularly weak to Fire-type attacks and has a lot of resistances. Obviously, that gives it some overlap with Steelix.

• Blaziken (Fire, Fighting): Counter, Blast Burn, Overheat
• Emboar (Fire, Fighting): Low Kick, Blast Burn, Focus Blast
• Heatran (Fire, Steel): Fire Spin, Magma Storm, Flamethrower

Best counters to Arlo’s Alolan Muk in Pokémon GO

Alolan Muk only takes additional damage from Ground-type attacks, so there’s overlap with Steelix once again.

• Groudon (Ground): Mud Shot, Precipice Blades, Fire Punch
• Garchomp (Ground, Dragon): Mudshot, Earthquake, Earth Power
• Excadrill (Ground, Steel): Mud-Slap, Scorching Sands, Drill Run

Best counters to Arlo’s Alakazam in Pokémon GO

Alakazam’s inclusion complicates things further, as the Psychic-type is weak to Bug, Ghost, and Dark attacks, which fall out of any previous patterns. Luckily, you can bring some allrounders to help you out with this one.

• Raikou (Electric): Thunder Shock, Wild Charge, Shadow Ball
• Genesect (Shock Drive) (Bug, Steel): Fury Cutter, Techno Blast, X-Scissor
• Tyranitar (Dark, Rock): Bite, Brutal Swing, Stone Edge

Defeating Arlo not only gets you a step closer to Giovanni, but enables you to catch his starter Pokémon as well.