diff --git a/public/images/ui/passive_bg.png b/public/images/ui/passive_bg.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1e18a47b881
Binary files /dev/null and b/public/images/ui/passive_bg.png differ
diff --git a/src/loading-scene.ts b/src/loading-scene.ts
index aca2d5e6c41..4300ce1ebfe 100644
--- a/src/loading-scene.ts
+++ b/src/loading-scene.ts
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ export class LoadingScene extends SceneBase {
     this.loadImage("shiny_star_small", "ui", "shiny_small.png");
     this.loadImage("shiny_star_small_1", "ui", "shiny_small_1.png");
     this.loadImage("shiny_star_small_2", "ui", "shiny_small_2.png");
+    this.loadImage("passive_bg", "ui", "passive_bg.png");
     this.loadAtlas("shiny_icons", "ui");
     this.loadImage("ha_capsule", "ui", "ha_capsule.png");
     this.loadImage("champion_ribbon", "ui", "champion_ribbon.png");
diff --git a/src/ui/starter-select-ui-handler.ts b/src/ui/starter-select-ui-handler.ts
index f6f93814e4d..d6cab324f16 100644
--- a/src/ui/starter-select-ui-handler.ts
+++ b/src/ui/starter-select-ui-handler.ts
@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ export default class StarterSelectUiHandler extends MessageUiHandler {
   private classicWinIcons: Phaser.GameObjects.Image[];
   private candyUpgradeIcon: Phaser.GameObjects.Image[];
   private candyUpgradeOverlayIcon: Phaser.GameObjects.Image[];
+  private starterPassiveBgs: Phaser.GameObjects.Image[];
 
   private iconAnimHandler: PokemonIconAnimHandler;
 
@@ -398,6 +399,16 @@ export default class StarterSelectUiHandler extends MessageUiHandler {
 
     this.updateGenOptions();
 
+    this.starterPassiveBgs = new Array(81).fill(null).map((_, i) => {
+      const position = calcIconPosition(i);
+      const ret = this.scene.add.image(position.x + 153, position.y+14, "passive_bg");
+      ret.setOrigin(0, 0);
+      ret.setScale(0.75);
+      ret.setVisible(false);
+      this.starterSelectContainer.add(ret);
+      return ret;
+    });
+
     this.starterSelectGenIconContainers = new Array(gens.length).fill(null).map((_, i) => {
       const container = this.scene.add.container(151, 9);
       if (i) {
@@ -1853,6 +1864,7 @@ export default class StarterSelectUiHandler extends MessageUiHandler {
             this.shinyIcons[s][v].setTint(getVariantTint(speciesVariants[v] === DexAttr.DEFAULT_VARIANT ? 0 : speciesVariants[v] === DexAttr.VARIANT_2 ? 1 : 2));
           }
         }
+        this.starterPassiveBgs[s].setVisible(slotVisible && !!this.scene.gameData.starterData[speciesId].passiveAttr);
         this.hiddenAbilityIcons[s].setVisible(slotVisible && !!this.scene.gameData.dexData[speciesId].caughtAttr && !!(this.scene.gameData.starterData[speciesId].abilityAttr & 4));
         this.classicWinIcons[s].setVisible(slotVisible && this.scene.gameData.starterData[speciesId].classicWinCount > 0);