Is Kabutops Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Physical Rock/Water that handles Flint and Candice. AbilitySwift Swim doubles Speed in rain, which pairs with Politoed's AbilityDrizzle if you have both. Niche but strong when conditions align.
Kabuto resists most of Roark's coverage and hits back hard.
Gardenia's team hits Kabuto's weaknesses hard.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Maylene's team.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Byron's team.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Candice's team.
Volkner's team hits Kabuto's weaknesses hard.
Kabutops has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Kabutops has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Kabutops has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Kabutops trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Kabutops trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Kabuto can be revived from a fossil obtained on Oreburgh City. Revive Dome Fossil at Oreburgh Mining Museum
Your Kabuto should hit Level 40 before you reach Aaron, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Kabutops in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Kabutops can't be caught in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Transfer Kabuto from Red & Blue, Yellow, or Sword & Shield and evolve through the 2-stage line to get it. The step cards below map the full chain.
How to Obtain Kabutops in BDSP
Step 1Obtain KabutoCARTRIDGE TRADEfrom Sword & ShieldAvailableCatch in Sword & Shield via Surfing · Roaring-Sea Caves · Overcast, then trade to the current game via link cable.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Red & BlueNot TradeableAppears in Red & Blue via Gift · Cinnabar Island · Revive Dome Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom YellowNot TradeableAppears in Yellow via Gift · Cinnabar Island · Revive Dome Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom FireRed & LeafGreenNot TradeableAppears in FireRed & LeafGreen via Gift · Cinnabar Island · Revive Dome Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Diamond & PearlNot TradeableAppears in Diamond & Pearl via Gift · Oreburgh City · Revive Dome Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom PlatinumNot TradeableAppears in Platinum via Gift · Oreburgh City · Revive Dome Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCENot TradeableAppears in HeartGold & SoulSilver via Gift · Pewter City · Revive Dome Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
Step 2Kabutops ✓
Kabutops Weakness
Grass, Electric, Fighting, and Ground moves hit Kabutops for super-effective damage. Grass hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It resists 5 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Kabutops's physical bulk (base 105 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 |
What is Kabutops Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Kabutops
 Machop Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Machop builds →Focus Punch 2x107-127%KO Earthquake 2x49-58% | ||
 Cubone Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Cubone builds →Earthquake 2x56-67% Focus Punch 2x51-62% | ||
 Budew GrassPoison | D | |
 Phanpy Ground | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Phanpy builds →Earthquake 2x62-73% Rock Smash 2x18-22% | ||
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Geodude builds →Earthquake 2x73-87% Focus Punch 2x71-84% | ||
Machop Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Machop builds →Focus Punch 2x113-134%KO Earthquake 2x49-60% | ||
Cubone Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Cubone builds →Earthquake 2x60-70% Focus Punch 2x57-68% | ||
 Pachirisu Electric | C | |
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
 Luxio Electric | D | |
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x126-148%KO Earthquake 2x55-66% | ||
 Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x72-85% Focus Punch 2x69-82% | ||
 Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x74-88% Rock Smash 2x21-26% | ||
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
 Donphan Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Donphan builds →Earthquake 2x99-116%KO Thunder Fang 2x44-52% Rock Smash 2x27-33% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x72-85% Focus Punch 2x69-82% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x126-148%KO Earthquake 2x55-66% | ||
 Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodGreat Marsh Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Quagsire builds →Earthquake 2x74-88% Focus Punch 2x73-87% | ||
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x74-88% Rock Smash 2x21-26% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x68-81% Focus Punch 2x68-80% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x122-144%KO Earthquake 2x54-64% | ||
Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodGreat Marsh Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Quagsire builds →Earthquake 2x73-87% Focus Punch 2x71-84% | ||
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x71-84% Rock Smash 2x20-24% | ||
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x121-143%KO Earthquake 2x53-64% | ||
Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodGreat Marsh Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Quagsire builds →Earthquake 2x71-84% Focus Punch 2x71-84% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x68-81% Focus Punch 2x68-80% | ||
 Snover GrassIce | D | |
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Abomasnow builds →Solar Beam 4x248-292%KO Focus Punch 2x74-87% Earthquake 2x50-59% | ||
Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodGreat Marsh Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Quagsire builds →Earthquake 2x70-83% Focus Punch 2x69-82% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x117-138%KO Earthquake 2x53-63% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x66-78% Focus Punch 2x66-78% | ||
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Abomasnow builds →Solar Beam 4x248-292%KO Focus Punch 2x74-87% Earthquake 2x50-59% | ||
Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodGreat Marsh Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Quagsire builds →Earthquake 2x70-83% Focus Punch 2x69-82% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x117-138%KO Earthquake 2x53-63% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x66-78% Focus Punch 2x66-78% | ||
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Vileplume builds →Petal Dance 4x288-339%KO Drain Punch 2x34-40% | ||
 Cacturne GrassDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Cacturne builds →Solar Beam 4x300-353%KO Focus Punch 2x89-105%KO | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Abomasnow builds →Wood Hammer 4x178-209%KO Focus Punch 2x74-87% Earthquake 2x49-58% | ||
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Garchomp can KO Kabutops with Earthquake (121-143%). Breloom's Bullet Seed hits Kabutops for 62-74%. Raikou's Thunderbolt also KOs at 139-164%.
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityRough Skin ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x121-143%KO | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemFocus Sash NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Breloom builds →Bullet Seed 4x62-74% Mach Punch 2x49-57% | ||
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x139-164%KO Scald41-49% Aura Sphere 2x82-97% | ||
 Lucario FightingSteel | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityInnerfocus ItemLife Orb NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Lucario builds →Extreme Speed18-22% Close Combat 2x167-197%KO Aura Sphere 2x118-139%KO | ||
Kabutops Evolutions
Kabutops is the evolved form of Kabuto. Breeding produces Kabuto eggs, and they're slow to hatch. Evolving from Kabuto gave Kabutops the biggest boost in Attack (+35), bringing the total to 495 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Kabutops to get Kabuto eggs using 69 partners from the Water1 and Water3 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Aurora Beam, Bubble Beam, Confuse Ray and 8 more.
BDSP Kabutops Best Moveset
Dropped from A-tier to D as 115 Attack at 80 Speed behind Rock/Water TermStab lost ground in a faster format. AbilitySwift Swim doubles Speed in rain for a devastating physical attacker, but the rain dependency and 60/105/70 bulk limit the moveset outside that narrow condition.
Best Build
Kabutops best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Waterfall
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Kabutops misses out on Aurora Beam and Bubble Beam. That's 11 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Stone Edge and Surf, with coverage across 8 types rounding things out.
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. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
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
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It is thought that this Pokémon came onto land because its prey adapted to life on land.
Kabutops Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Don't let Kabutops's 495 base stat total fool you. Swift Swim is what makes it tick. It punches way above its weight class. We rate it C-Tier as a wallbreaker. Waterfall with Life Orb is the standard set.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Run Swift Swim on Kabutops. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Kabutops also gets Battle Armor and Weak Armor, but they don't compare. On wall sets, Swift Swim pairs with Kabutops's base 105 Defense to absorb physical hits on the switch.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Kabutops fills the wallbreaker role. It's a physical attacker with base 115 Attack. Base 80 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, run Waterfall, Swords Dance, Stone Edge, and Rapid Spin on Kabutops. Waterfall is the most common pick at 0% usage. Waterfall provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Kabutops has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 19 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
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 7LGPE
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