In Hoenn and Sinnoh, Butterfree are as dominant in contests as Salamance and Garchomp are in battles. It is not a rare sight to see expert coordinators from afar in the Viridian forest, making the long journey to Kanto in the hopes of obtaining that magnificent contest pokemon.

Butterfree look majestic enough, certainly prettier than Hoenn's native Beautifly, but their true appeal lies in their myriad of attacks. There is little which can compare to the sight of a beautiful Silver Wind blowing around a dozen dazzling powders, then absorbed into multicolored Psybeams, and judges, although supposedly sworn to support creativity, are little more immune to their spell than the audience. The past six Master Rank Beauty winners have all been Butterfree, and they regularly compete in the top levels of Smart, Cute, and Cool contests as well.

In their native Kanto, where contests are unknown, Butterfree hold none of this acclaim. They are trained only by young Bug Catchers, who typically move on to fiercer bugs such as Scyther and Pinsir once they acquire a modicum of experience and skill.