What it does
Superpower is a Fighting-type physical move with very high base power — among the highest available for physical Fighting moves. After each use, the user's Attack and Defense each drop by one stage. Stack multiple uses and both stats keep falling.
Compared to Close Combat: they share similar power levels. Close Combat drops Defense and Special Defense; Superpower drops Attack and Defense. The practical difference is significant: Close Combat's Special Defense drop does not affect damage output, while Superpower's Attack drop directly reduces every subsequent hit. After two uses of Superpower, the damage output has dropped noticeably. That makes it better suited as a burst option — one or two uses in a game — rather than a cycling main attack.
Fighting-type coverage is broad: Ice, Rock, Steel, Dark, and Normal-types all take super effective Fighting hits, covering a significant portion of common doubles threats.
Who runs it
Flareon at 93% is a near-universal adoption rate. The reason is straightforward: Flareon has a limited movepool for coverage, and Fighting-type moves are one of its best available options outside Fire STAB. The Fire + Fighting combination hits a very wide range of Pokémon for significant damage. 93% means almost every Flareon set carries it.
Rampardos at 18% has an enormous Attack stat, and Superpower out of that Attack value is a major damage swing on the first use — Rock STAB plus Fighting coverage hits most of what stands in front of it. Luxray at 13% uses it purely as Fighting type coverage.
Azumarill at 7% runs Superpower alongside Huge Power — the doubled Attack stat makes even a self-dropping Fighting move hit extremely hard on the first click. Tyranitar at 7% uses it for similar coverage reasons against its typical opposition.
How to use it
First use is the most valuable: The first Superpower comes at full Attack. Use it when the target is at a health range where max-power Fighting STAB can confirm the KO or bring them into finishing range. Clicking it into a target that will survive with high HP means the follow-up hit is weaker — and you may want a different move for the weakened target anyway.
After the drop, change plans: Once Attack has dropped one stage, assess whether clicking Superpower again is worth it. Many users will pivot to their primary STAB (Fire for Flareon, for example) after the Attack drop to avoid stacking weakened offensive turns. Switching out and back resets the stat drops.
White Herb extends the window: White Herb activates after the stat drop, restoring Attack and Defense to their original levels. This gives one free high-power Superpower before the drops set in. On Flareon, White Herb means the second use is the first penalized one, effectively doubling the burst window.
Tips & strategy
Self-drop vs. opponent's Defiant: The Attack drop from Superpower is self-inflicted, not caused by an opponent. Defiant only activates when an opponent lowers your stats — so using Superpower next to a Kingambit is safe; the self-drop does not feed its ability.
Stacking is punishing: After three uses of Superpower, Attack is at −3 stages, roughly half normal output. At that point, the move is less effective than many standard-power attacks. Recognize when the damage threshold has dropped enough to switch targets or moves.
Coverage vs. power trade-offs: Against a target you need Fighting type to hit but where one-shotting is not the goal, Low Kick against a heavy target or Close Combat might be more practical for sustained use. Superpower is a burst tool, not a sustained pressure move.