Kabuto is technically a pre-evolution of Kabutops, but it holds its own in formats where Eviolite is allowed. Swift Swim doubles its Speed in rain, adding extra value. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets. Part of the Gen 1 roster.
Nothing fancy in Kabuto's spread. It leans physical with Defense out front. And you'll get 1 Defense EV per KO for it. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
This species is almost entirely extinct. Kabuto molt every three days, making their shells harder and harder.
While some say this species has gone extinct, Kabuto sightings are apparently fairly common in some places.
Kabuto Weakness
VulnerableKabuto is weak to Grass, Electric, Fighting, and Ground-type moves. Watch out for Grass attacks, those deal 4x damage. The Rock/Water typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Kabuto's physical bulk (base 90 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
Kabuto is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Kabutops. Check the evolution method below. Plenty of partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are slow to hatch. Evolving adds up to 140 stat points total.
How to Evolve
Breed Kabuto with 74 breeding partners from the Water1 and Water3 egg groups. Pass egg moves like Aurora Beam, Bubble Beam, Confuse Ray and 5 more to offspring.
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Egg moves make a real difference. Kabuto gets Aurora Beam and Bubble Beam exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Grass and Normal coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Meteor Beam and Hydro Pump.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Kabuto appears at decent spawn rates across 8 spots in endgame water routes. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.
Best Locations
Surfing encounters at Lv. 60-65 across 8 spots for Kabuto. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.
At 355 BST, Kabuto is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Kabutops before bringing it to any serious fight.
Kabuto evolves into Kabutops at level 40. Kabuto is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Kabuto gets Swift Swim, Battle Armor, and Weak Armor. But Swift Swim is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Kabuto is a physical attacker with base 80 Attack. Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — at base 55 Speed, it won't be moving first often.
Kabuto appears in 19 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
Present since Red & Blue, Kabuto appears in 19 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Kabuto have the longest track record of availability in the series.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A