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 and Fairy. 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
GoodType-wise, Kingdra takes extra damage from Dragon and Fairy. 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.
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 65 partners from the Dragon and Water1 egg groups.
Flying coverage keeps opponents guessing about Kingdra's real targets. Life Orb provides extra damage on every hit for a health trade while max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs and Modest nature handle the stat profile. Swiftswim ties it together.
Best Build
Best Kingdra Moveset
- Draco Meteor
- Protect
- Hurricane
- Muddy Water
Recommended Teammates
Most of Kingdra's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Draco Meteor and Wave Crash, but Ice and Normal and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Kingdra isn't available in the wild in Scarlet & Violet. Start by transferring Horsea from Red, Yellow, or Ruby. The evolution path from Horsea to Kingdra is covered in the steps 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 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 leaning toward the physical side (base 95 Attack). 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