Yes, the ability Reckless absolutely boosts the power of Hi Jump Kick. When a Pokémon with the Reckless ability uses an attack like Hi Jump Kick, its power receives a significant 20% increase.
How Reckless Enhances Attacks
The ability Reckless specifically enhances moves that either cause recoil damage to the user or have a chance to cause recoil damage. Hi Jump Kick falls into the latter category: it does not inherently cause recoil, but if it misses the target, the user takes 50% of its maximum HP as crash damage, which is treated as recoil for the purpose of this ability.
When a Pokémon with Reckless performs such an attack, its base power is multiplied by 1.2 (a 20% boost), leading to a much stronger hit. This makes Hi Jump Kick, already a powerful Fighting-type move, even more devastating when used by a Pokémon with this ability.
Common Moves Boosted by Reckless
Besides Hi Jump Kick, many other strong attacks benefit from the Reckless ability due to their recoil mechanics. These moves typically have high base power, but the drawback of recoil damage is mitigated by the significant power increase.
Here are some examples of moves that receive a boost from Reckless:
| Move Name | Type | Base Power | Reckless Boosted Power | Recoil Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi Jump Kick | Fighting | 130 | 156 | Miss Crash Recoil |
| Jump Kick | Fighting | 100 | 120 | Miss Crash Recoil |
| Brave Bird | Flying | 120 | 144 | Direct Recoil (1/3 dmg) |
| Double-Edge | Normal | 120 | 144 | Direct Recoil (1/3 dmg) |
| Flare Blitz | Fire | 120 | 144 | Direct Recoil (1/3 dmg) |
| Head Smash | Rock | 150 | 180 | Direct Recoil (1/2 dmg) |
| Wild Charge | Electric | 90 | 108 | Direct Recoil (1/4 dmg) |
| Volt Tackle | Electric | 120 | 144 | Direct Recoil (1/3 dmg) |
| Wood Hammer | Grass | 120 | 144 | Direct Recoil (1/3 dmg) |
| Take Down | Normal | 90 | 108 | Direct Recoil (1/4 dmg) |
Strategic Implications
For trainers, understanding the interaction between Reckless and moves like Hi Jump Kick is crucial for maximizing damage output. Pokémon with Reckless that also learn Hi Jump Kick (such as certain Fighting-type Pokémon or those with access to the move through TMs/breeding) become potent offensive threats. The increased power can often secure one-hit knockouts against opponents that might otherwise survive, despite the inherent risk of missing Hi Jump Kick.
This ability turns the recoil drawback of powerful moves into a calculated risk for immense damage, making Reckless users formidable attackers in competitive battles and in-game challenges.
