Is Kabuto Good in Red & Blue Playthrough?
The other fossil option from Mt. Moon. Kabuto leans physical, which means Kabutops is the choice if you want a more aggressive Rock/Water Pokemon. Same late availability issue as Omanyte.
Brock's typing presses Kabuto's defenses.
Misty's typing presses Kabuto's defenses.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Erika's team hits Kabuto's weaknesses hard.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Sabrina's typing presses Kabuto's defenses.
Kabutops resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Kabutops resists most of Giovanni's coverage and hits back hard.
Kabutops trades roughly evenly with Lorelei's team.
Kabutops has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Kabutops trades roughly evenly with Agatha's team.
Kabutops trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Kabutops trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Fossil
Kabuto can be revived from a fossil obtained on Cinnabar Island. Revive Dome Fossil. Revive the Dome Fossil at the Pokemon Lab on Cinnabar Island. It is found at the end of Mt. Moon, where you choose it or the Helix Fossil.
Recommended Moves
- After Misty
- TM11WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Cerulean Gym Leader Misty
- TM08NormalBody SlamPower 85Accuracy 100%PP 15S.S. Anne
- After Lt. Surge
- TM10NormalDouble-EdgePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Rocket Hideout
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Celadon Department Store roof
- TM09NormalTake DownPower 90Accuracy 85%PP 20Silph Co.
- After Erika
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- After Sabrina
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 90%PP 5Pokémon Mansion
- LV 49WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
Evolve Kabuto to Kabutops
Kabuto evolves into Kabutops at Level 40. Your Kabuto should hit Level 40 before you reach Blaine, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Misty
- TM11WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Cerulean Gym Leader Misty
- After Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Rocket Game Corner
- TM10NormalDouble-EdgePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Rocket Hideout
- After Erika
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- TM40NormalSkull BashPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- After Sabrina
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 90%PP 5Pokémon Mansion
- After Koga
- TM03NormalSwords DancePower —Accuracy 100%PP 30Silph Co.
- LV 53WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
How to Get Kabuto in Red & Blue
The Cinnabar lab revives Kabuto from the Dome Fossil at level 30. The Dome is the Mt. Moon alternative to the Helix, so taking it means giving up Omanyte for this run.
1 location to catch Kabuto
Badge 7How to Obtain Kabuto in RB
- Step 2Evolve into Kabutops
Kabuto Weakness
Kabuto is weak to Grass, Electric, Fighting, and Ground. 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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Grass |
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Fighting, Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Ice, Poison, Flying |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Fire |
- Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
- Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
- Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
What is Kabuto Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Kabuto
 Tangela Grass | C | |
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Bulbasaur (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | S | |
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabuto View Parasect builds →Solar Beam 4x314-370%KO Dig 2x74-87% | ||
 Nidoking PoisonGround | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Nidorino (Celadon City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabuto View Nidoking builds →Earthquake 2x118-139%KO Thunderbolt 2x108-127%KO Submission 2x63-75% | ||
 Nidoqueen PoisonGround | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Nidorina (Celadon City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabuto View Nidoqueen builds →Earthquake 2x108-127%KO Thunderbolt 2x99-117%KO Submission 2x58-69% | ||
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabuto View Machoke builds →Earthquake 2x77-91% Submission 2x92-109%KO | ||
 Jolteon Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabuto View Jolteon builds →Thunderbolt 2x200-236%KO Double Kick 2x18-22% | ||
 Electrode Electric | B | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
 Raichu Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabuto View Raichu builds →Thunderbolt 2x170-200%KO Submission 2x58-69% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabuto View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 2x143-170%KO Submission 2x77-91% Thunderbolt 2x69-81% | ||
 Hitmonlee Fighting | B | |
Obtain MethodSaffron City Gift | ||
 Dugtrio Ground | B | |
 Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabuto View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x97-115%KO Submission 2x52-61% | ||
Kabuto Evolutions
Kabuto evolves into Kabutops, but can't breed. At 345 stats as a Rock/Water type, evolution is the only path. Evolving adds up to 150 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
RB Kabuto Best Moveset
Rock/Water pre-evolution with decent Attack but too slow and frail for competitive play. MoveSurf uses the low Special stat, not the Attack. Heading toward Kabutops.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Body Slam
- Surf
- Blizzard
- Hydro Pump
Moves List
Most of Kabuto's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Hydro Pump and Surf, but Normal and Grass and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- 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 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 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
All 16 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
A POKéMON that was resurrected from a fossil found in what was once the ocean floor eons ago.
Kabuto Red & Blue Guide
Revive the Dome Fossil at the Pokemon Lab on Cinnabar Island. It is found at the end of Mt. Moon, where you choose it or the Helix Fossil. Kabuto is revived at level 5. Give it Rare Candies or experience-share if you want it ready for the late-game.
In Red & Blue, for a casual playthrough, Kabuto works as a placeholder. Rock/Water coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Kabutops. That's where the stats start mattering.
Game Availability
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.
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 6ORAS
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 Kabuto.
Keep playing · Red & BlueRed & Blue Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Red & Blue Tier List