Kingdra's stats are solid on their own, but Swift Swim is what pushes it over the line. It doubles its Speed in rain. Only weak to Dragon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets. A longtime staple going back to Gen 2.
You won't find a real weakness in Kingdra's stat line. It's well-rounded for the Dragon Pokemon, and what it does with that depends on moveset and items. Yields 3 Attack and Sp. Atk and Sp. Def EVs, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
It lives in caves on the seafloor and creates giant whirlpools every time it moves.
Kingdra Weakness
ExcellentType-wise, Kingdra takes extra damage from Dragon. Not many exploitable gaps in the Water/Dragon typing defensive chart. With 75 HP and balanced defenses, Kingdra can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Kingdra evolved from Horsea's chain using a trade. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Horsea eggs (average hatch time). The evolution from Horsea pushed Kingdra to 540 total stats. Sp.Def saw the largest single gain at +70.
How to Evolve
Breed with Kingdra to get Horsea eggs easily using 30 partners from the Dragon and Water1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Aurora Beam, Disable, Dragon Breath and 5 more.
Kingdra's locked into one move per switch-in with Choice Specs, trading flexibility for boosted special damage with move lock. Surf is the go-to spam option, with the remaining moves keeping switch-ins honest.
Best Build
Best Kingdra Moveset
- Draco Meteor
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Dragon Pulse
Recommended Teammates
Breeding's the move. Aurora Beam and Disable give Kingdra options it can't learn any other way, and Ice and Normal coverage and more already covers a decent range on top of Draco Meteor and Hydro Pump. The egg moves push it further.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
A trade step sits in Kingdra's 3-stage chain from Horsea. The step cards below map each stage with catch locations and evolution methods. Horsea shows up at solid rates, so the starting catch is the easy part.
How to Obtain Kingdra in Diamond & Pearl
The path to Kingdra starts with Horsea at Lv. 10-55 via fishing encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Kingdra looks average on paper at 540 BST. But Swift Swim is why it sees play — build around that and it pulls its weight. B-Tier on our tier list.
Kingdra's biggest threats include Dragonite (Dragon), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
Kingdra gets Swift Swim, Sniper, and Damp. But Swift Swim is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Kingdra is a mixed attacker — base 95 Attack and 95 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 85 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many.
Kingdra appears in 17 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.
Since Gold & Silver, Kingdra has been in 17 games. Requiring a trade evolution to obtain means it's consistently available but requires more effort than simply catching it in the wild.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGSDebut
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