Is Gyarados Good in Gold & Silver Playthrough?
The Red Gyarados at the Lake of Rage is a free, guaranteed catch. One of the strongest Pokemon in Gold and Silver, and you don't even have to work for it. Handles Pryce, Lance's non-Dragon threats, and most of Kanto. Hard to leave it off any team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Clair's team hits Gyarados's weaknesses hard.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Gyarados resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Gyarados on Lake of Rage (interact, Lv 30, limited). Scripted shiny encounter in the middle of the Lake of Rage during the Team Rocket storyline.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 30)
- LV 30NormalThrashPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Ecruteak City
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Ice Path
- LV 40WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- LV 50NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5
Catch Magikarp
Catch Magikarp on Route 43 (Surf, Lv 10-24, common).
Recommended Moves
- LV 15NormalTacklePower 35Accuracy 95%PP 35
How to Get Gyarados in Gold & Silver
Most Gyarados come from evolving a Magikarp at level 20. The famous exception is the red one at Lake of Rage, a fixed level 30 encounter you trigger during the story, plus a few wild rod and surf spots.
2 locations to catch Gyarados51 locations to catch Magikarp
Encountered via fishing with a Rod
Encountered via fishing with a Rod, Surfing
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Catch Magikarp at any of the 51 locations below, then level it up to 20 — it evolves into Gyarados.
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5 Badge 6 Badge 7 Badge 8Where To Catch Gyarados in GS
Magikarp gets you Gyarados sooner: catch it (before Badge 2) and evolve it at Lv 20. Wild Gyarados first appears at Lake of Rage (after Badge 6).
- Step 1Catch MagikarpBlackthorn CityLv.5-19Surfing on waterRate 100%Dark Cave - EastLv.5-19Surfing on waterRate 100%Dark Cave - WestLv.5-19Surfing on waterRate 100%Route 45Lv.5-24Surfing on waterRate 100%Dragon's Den - B1FLv.10Old RodRate 100%Lake of RageLv.10Old RodRate 100%Route 43Lv.10-24Surfing on waterRate 100%Route 45Lv.10Old RodRate 100%Fuchsia CityLv.10Old RodRate 100%Fuchsia CityLv.10-24Surfing on waterRate 100%Dragon's Den - B1FLv.10-19Surfing on waterRate 90%Lake of RageLv.10-19Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 45Lv.10Good RodRate 90%Route 32Lv.5Old RodRate 85%the Qwilfish swarm on Route 32 that Fisher RalphBlackthorn CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cherrygrove CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cianwood CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Dark Cave - EastLv.10Old RodRate 85%Dark Cave - WestLv.10Old RodRate 85%Ecruteak CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Goldenrod CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Ilex ForestLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Mortar - 1F EntranceLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Mortar - 2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Mortar - B1FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Silver - 2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.10Old RodRate 85%New Bark TownLv.10Old RodRate 85%Olivine CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Olivine City - HarborLv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 30Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 31Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 32Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 34Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 35Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 40Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 41Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 42Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 43Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 44Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 44Lv.10Old RodRate 85%the Remoraid swarm on Route 44 that Fisher WiltonRuins of Alph - OutsideLv.10Old RodRate 85%Slowpoke Well - B1FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Slowpoke Well - B2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Union Cave - 1FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Union Cave - B1FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Union Cave - B2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Violet CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Whirl Islands - B2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Whirl Islands - B2F Inner CaveLv.10Old RodRate 85%Whirl Islands - SELv.10Old RodRate 85%Whirl Islands - SWLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cerulean CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cerulean GymLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cinnabar IslandLv.10Old RodRate 85%Pallet TownLv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 10Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 12Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 13Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 14Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 19Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 20Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 21Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 22Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 24Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 25Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 26Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 27Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 28Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 6Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 9Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Tohjo FallsLv.10Old RodRate 85%Vermilion City - CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Vermilion City - HarborLv.10Old RodRate 85%Viridian CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 45Lv.10Super RodRate 60%Dragon's Den - B1FLv.20Good RodRate 90%Lake of RageLv.20Good RodRate 90%Fuchsia CityLv.20Good RodRate 90%Blackthorn CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cherrygrove CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cianwood CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Dark Cave - EastLv.20Good RodRate 35%Dark Cave - WestLv.20Good RodRate 35%Ecruteak CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Goldenrod CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Ilex ForestLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Mortar - 1F EntranceLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Mortar - 2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Mortar - B1FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Silver - 2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.20Good RodRate 35%New Bark TownLv.20Good RodRate 35%Olivine CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Olivine City - HarborLv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 30Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 31Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 32Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 32Lv.20Good RodRate 35%the Qwilfish swarm on Route 32 that Fisher RalphRoute 34Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 35Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 40Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 41Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 42Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 43Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 44Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 44Lv.20Good RodRate 35%the Remoraid swarm on Route 44 that Fisher WiltonRuins of Alph - OutsideLv.20Good RodRate 35%Slowpoke Well - B1FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Slowpoke Well - B2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Union Cave - 1FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Union Cave - B1FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Union Cave - B2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Violet CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Whirl Islands - B2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Whirl Islands - B2F Inner CaveLv.20Good RodRate 35%Whirl Islands - SELv.20Good RodRate 35%Whirl Islands - SWLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cerulean CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cerulean GymLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cinnabar IslandLv.20Good RodRate 35%Pallet TownLv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 10Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 12Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 13Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 14Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 19Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 20Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 21Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 22Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 24Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 25Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 26Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 27Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 28Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 6Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 9Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Tohjo FallsLv.20Good RodRate 35%Vermilion City - CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Vermilion City - HarborLv.20Good RodRate 35%Viridian CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Lake of RageLv.40Super RodRate 70%Fuchsia CityLv.40Super RodRate 70%Dragon's Den - B1FLv.40Super RodRate 60%Blackthorn CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Dark Cave - EastLv.40Super RodRate 20%Dark Cave - WestLv.40Super RodRate 20%Ecruteak CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Ilex ForestLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Mortar - 1F EntranceLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Mortar - 2FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Mortar - B1FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Silver - 2FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 30Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 31Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 32Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 35Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 42Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 43Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 44Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Ruins of Alph - OutsideLv.40Super RodRate 20%Slowpoke Well - B1FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Slowpoke Well - B2FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Union Cave - 1FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Union Cave - B1FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Violet CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Cerulean CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 10Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 12Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 13Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 22Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 24Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 25Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 28Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 6Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 9Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Tohjo FallsLv.40Super RodRate 20%Viridian CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in Gold & Silver for Gyarados.
How to Get Shiny Gyarados in Gold & Silver
Skip the odds entirely for this one: the red Gyarados thrashing at the heart of the Lake of Rage is a guaranteed shiny, the only certain one in the whole game, so just Surf out onto the water and take on that forced story battle to claim it. Compare Shiny Gyarados odds across every game
Gold & Silver Shiny Gyarados Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Breed w/ Shiny Parent, about 1 in 64 on each try.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
Breed w/ Shiny Parent: Eggs inherit stats from a shiny parent, so about 1 in 64 hatch shiny. A shiny Ditto helps every egg, and any other shiny parent (the red Gyarados works) helps only eggs of the opposite gender.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 7-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 19-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 45-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 147-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your Gold & Silver shiny odds for Gyarados.
Gyarados Weakness
Type-wise, Gyarados takes extra damage from Electric and Rock. Watch out for Electric attacks, those deal 4x damage. Ground moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. With 95 HP and balanced defenses, Gyarados can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Electric |
| 2x (Weak) | Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Fighting, Bug, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
What is Gyarados Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Gyarados
 Ampharos Electric | C | |
 Raikou Electric | S | |
 Magneton ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Magneton builds →Thunder 4x192-226%KO Rollout 2x12-14% | ||
 Electrode Electric | B | |
Obtain MethodTeam Rocket Hq Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Electrode builds →Thunder 4x140-165%KO Rollout 2x11-13% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Sudowoodo builds →Rock Slide 2x62-74% Thunder Punch 4x32-38% | ||
 Graveler RockGround | B | |
 Onix RockGround | C | |
 Shuckle BugRock | B | |
Gyarados Evolutions
Evolved from Magikarp. Gyarados is the final form in this two-stage line. A small partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs hatch fast. Attack grew the most through evolution (+115 over Magikarp), and Gyarados peaks at 540 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Gyarados to get Magikarp eggs easily using 13 partners from the Dragon and Water 2 egg groups.
GS Gyarados Best Moveset
125 Attack with Sp. Atk dropped to 60 from the stat split, meaning MoveSurf is weaker than ever. MoveReturn and physical moves use the Attack honestly. MoveThunder Wave and MoveRoar provide disruption and forcing switches support. Held ItemLeftovers sustains. Physical power and utility compensate for the special loss.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Surf
- Hydro Pump
- Body Slam
- Hidden Power Flying
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
TMs carry this one. Gyarados learns Hydro Pump and Surf naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Normal and Dark and beyond give it real matchup play.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
23 of 29 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
They say that during past wars, GYARADOS would appear and leave blazing ruins in its wake.
Once it appears, it goes on a rampage. It remains enraged until it demolishes everything around it.
Gyarados Gold & Silver Guide
Mega Evolution isn't available in Gold & Silver, but Gyarados does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Gyarados hits 640 BST.
Gyarados is a static encounter at Johto Lake Of Rage in Gold & Silver. Gyarados appears at level 30. Save before the encounter. These one-shot Pokemon don't respawn if you knock them out or run out of Poke Balls.
In Gold & Silver, Gyarados plays as a wallbreaker. Speed is middling, so pick your spots carefully. Surf is the primary attack.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Gyarados has appeared in 22 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 6, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORASMega
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Gyarados.
Keep playing · Gold & SilverGold & Silver Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Gold & Silver Tier List