
Is Kingler Good in Red & Blue Playthrough?
Kingler has one of the highest Attack stats in the game, and almost none of it matters. Water moves are Special in Gen 1, which means that massive Attack doesn't power any Water damage. All that physical strength goes toward Normal-type moves instead. A Pokemon that would be great in a different generation.
Kingler trades roughly evenly with Brock's team.
Kingler trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Kingler trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Kingler trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Kingler trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Kingler trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Kingler has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Kingler resists most of Giovanni's coverage and hits back hard.
Kingler trades roughly evenly with Lorelei's team.
Kingler has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Agatha's typing presses Kingler's defenses.
Kingler trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Kingler trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Catchable
Catch Kingler on Seafoam Islands (walking, Lv 37, rare).
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
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Celadon Department Store roof
- After Erika
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- LV 42WaterCrabhammerPower 135Accuracy 85%PP 10
- After Sabrina
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 90%PP 5Pokémon Mansion
- After Koga
- TM03NormalSwords DancePower —Accuracy 100%PP 30Silph Co.
Catch Krabby
Catch Krabby on Seafoam Islands (walking, Lv 28-30, uncommon).
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
- After Erika
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Fuchsia City
- LV 35WaterCrabhammerPower 135Accuracy 85%PP 10
- After Sabrina
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 90%PP 5Pokémon Mansion
How to Get Kingler in Red & Blue
Ten encounters spread across a handful of spots, off the Super Rod and along the shore. A Krabby reaches level 28 and pincers up into Kingler, usually before the wild version shows.
3 locations to catch Kingler14 locations to catch Krabby
Encountered via fishing with a Rod, tall grass encounters
Encountered via fishing with a Rod, tall grass encounters
Catch Krabby at any of the 14 locations below, then level it up to 28 — it evolves into Kingler.
Where To Catch Kingler in RB
The path to Kingler starts with Krabby at Lv. 15-33 via fishing and walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch KrabbyRoute 11Lv.15Super RodRate 50%Route 6Lv.15Super RodRate 50%Vermilion City - CityLv.15Super RodRate 50%Vermilion City - HarborLv.15Super RodRate 50%Cerulean CityLv.15Super RodRate 33%Cerulean GymLv.15Super RodRate 33%Route 24Lv.15Super RodRate 33%Route 25Lv.15Super RodRate 33%Fuchsia CityLv.15Super RodRate 25%Route 12Lv.15Super RodRate 25%Route 13Lv.15Super RodRate 25%Route 17Lv.15Super RodRate 25%Route 18Lv.15Super RodRate 25%Safari Zone - CenterLv.15Super RodRate 25%Safari Zone - EastLv.15Super RodRate 25%Safari Zone - NorthLv.15Super RodRate 25%Safari Zone - WestLv.15Super RodRate 25%Seafoam Islands - B1FLv.30-32GrassBlueRate 30%Seafoam Islands - 1FLv.28-30GrassBlueRate 20%Seafoam Islands - B2FLv.28-30GrassBlueRate 15%Seafoam Islands - B3FLv.29-31GrassBlueRate 15%Seafoam Islands - B4FLv.31-33GrassBlueRate 35%
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in Red & Blue for Kingler.
Kingler Weakness
Kingler's Water typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric and Grass. Its Water typing keeps the defensive matchups simple. Kingler's physical bulk (base 115 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice |
- 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 Kingler Weak Against
AvgKingler Evolutions
Evolve Krabby at level 28 to get Kingler. At 475 stats, this Water type caps the chain without any egg option. Evolving from Krabby gave Kingler the biggest boost in HP (+25), bringing the total to 475 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
RB Kingler Best Moveset
130 Attack and all Water moves using the Special stat (50) instead. Same problem as Gyarados and Flareon but worse, since the Special is too low to even fake Water damage. The move slots rely on MoveBody Slam and MoveHyper Beam because the actual Water TermStab can't use the one good stat.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Swords Dance
- Crabhammer
- Hyper Beam
- Body Slam
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without TMs, Kingler's movepool is bare bones. With them, you get Normal and Ice coverage on top of Crabhammer and Surf for STAB. The natural kit handles basics, but TMs are doing the real work.
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 19 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
The large pincer has 10000 hp of crushing power. However, its huge size makes it unwieldy to use.
Kingler Red & Blue Guide
In Red & Blue, use Kingler as a wallbreaker. Special attacks are the main output. Speed is middling, Crabhammer is the primary attack.
Gigantamax Kingler is exclusive to Sword & Shield, so it's not usable in Red & Blue. The form has a unique appearance and a signature G-Max move.
Game Availability
Kingler first appeared in Red & Blue and spans 19 games across 9 generations. It later gained a Gigantamax form in Generation 8, adding new dimensions to its competitive identity.
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 8SwShGigantamax

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 Kingler.