What does Magikarp evolve into?

Get Magikarp to Gyarados at level 20. At 200 BST, Magikarp is just the starting point.

At what level does Magikarp evolve?

Level 20 gets you Gyarados . Quick enough that Magikarp barely slows you down.

Should I use Magikarp?

In Crystal, Magikarp does the job early-game if you need a Water type on your team. Evolve it into Gyarados before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

Where can you catch Magikarp?

You can find Magikarp in Crystal. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 21 other games across the series.

Magikarp - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Special

Balanced

DTier

80Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Magikarp's spread isn't flashy. Speed leads, Attack trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Easy to catch and worth 1 Speed stat exp, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats

Below

HP20

Attack10

Defense55

Sp. Atk15

Sp. Def20

Speed80

Total200

Details

Catch Rate

Guaranteed255 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height0.9 m

Weight10.0 kg

Base XP40

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

Swift Swim

Doubles Speed during rain.

RattledHA

Raises Speed one stage upon being hit by a dark, ghost, or bug move.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1

Speed training source

Pokedex Entries

This weak and pathetic POKéMON gets easily pushed along rivers when there are strong currents.

Crystal

Magikarp Weakness

Electric and Grass moves hit Magikarp for super-effective damage. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Magikarp's physical bulk (base 55 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Magikarp Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Water, Ice, Steel

Type ChartGood

2Weak

4Resist

0Immune

Score0

Gen II Type Chart

Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Electric Grass

½xResist

Fire Water Ice Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (3)

Fire Ground Rock

How to Beat Magikarp in Crystal (Best Counters)

Tangela Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Vine WhipLv. 19 Mega DrainLv. 31 AbsorbLv. 10 Damage vs Magikarp Vine Whip 2x 150-178%KO Mega Drain 2x 134-159%KO Absorb 2x 70-84% View Tangela builds →
Weepinbell GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Vine Whip 2x 134-159%KO View Weepinbell builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Absorb 2x 55-66% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Magikarp Razor Leaf 2x 111-131%KO View Chikorita builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Available Move Moves Mega DrainLv. 30 Damage vs Magikarp Mega Drain 2x 67-80% View Hoppip builds →

Crystal Evolution

Magikarp evolves into Gyarados. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A small partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are hatches fast. The evolved forms gain up to 340 total stats over Magikarp. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#129Magikarp

Level 20

#130Gyarados

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Magikarp

Water

Gyarados

WaterFlying

95+75

ATK

125+115

DEF

79+24

SP.ATK

60+45

SP.DEF

100+80

SPE

81+1

BST

200D-Tier

540A-Tier+340

ROLE

Balanced

Wallbreaker

TYPE

Utility

Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Magikarp easily with 13 breeding partners from the Dragon and Water2 egg groups.

Egg Groups

DragonWater2

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

5 cycles·1,285 steps

Fast~1 min with Flame Body

Breed With (best first)

Crystal Magikarp Best Moveset

Best Build

Gen 2 build content has limited support (no abilities).

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

Magikarp's options are limited here. You've got Water STAB for STAB damage, but there isn't much beyond Water hitting power. TMs help fill gaps, though the kit stays tight.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Splash

———40Normal

Lv 15

Tackle

D409535Normal

Lv 30

Flail

D—10015Normal

TM Moves

Magikarp can't learn any TM moves

Egg Moves

Magikarp doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Magikarp can't learn any Tutor moves

Crystal Magikarp Locations

high spawn rates in early-game fishing spots across 160 locations. Magikarp's one of the easier catches on the list. Two different catch methods are in play here. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.

Best Locations to Catch Magikarp in Crystal

Magikarp shows up in 160 fishing and surfing spots from Lv. 5-40. Plenty of options, and the list is sorted so the highest-rate locations at each progression stage come first.

Blackthorn City

Surfing on water Lv.5-19 City

100%Early

Dark Cave - East

Surfing on water Lv.5-19 Cave

100%Early

Dark Cave - West

Surfing on water Lv.5-19 Cave

100%Early

Dragon's Den

Old Rod Lv.10

100%Early

Lake of Rage

Old Rod Lv.10 Water

100%Early

Route 45

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

100%Early

Fuchsia City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

100%Early

Fuchsia City

Surfing on water Lv.10-24 City

100%Early

Route 43

Surfing on water Lv.15-24 Route

100%Early

Route 45

Surfing on water Lv.15-24 Route

100%Early

Dragon's Den

Surfing on water Lv.10-19

90%Early

Lake of Rage

Surfing on water Lv.10-19 Water

90%Early

Blackthorn City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Cherrygrove City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Cianwood City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Dark Cave - East

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Dark Cave - West

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Ecruteak City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Ilex Forest

Old Rod Lv.10 Forest

85%Early

Mt. Mortar - 1F South

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Mt. Mortar - 2F

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Mt. Mortar - B1F

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Mt. Silver - 2F

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Mt. Silver - Outside

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

New Bark Town

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Olivine City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Olivine City - Harbor

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Route 30

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 31

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 32

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 34

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 35

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 40

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 41

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 42

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 44

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Ruins of Alph - Outside

Old Rod Lv.10 Ruins

85%Early

Slowpoke Well - 1F

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Slowpoke Well - B1F

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Union Cave - 1F

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Union Cave - B1F

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Union Cave - B2F

Old Rod Lv.10 Cave

85%Early

Violet City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Whirl Islands - 1F

Old Rod Lv.10 Water

85%Early

Whirl Islands - B2F

Old Rod Lv.10 Water

85%Early

Whirl Islands - B2F Inner Cave

Old Rod Lv.10 Water

85%Early

Cerulean City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Cinnabar Island - Gym

Old Rod Lv.10 Water

85%Early

Pallet Town

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Route 10

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 12

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 13

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 19

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 20

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 21

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 22

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 24

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 25

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 26

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 27

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 28

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 6

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Route 9

Old Rod Lv.10 Route

85%Early

Vermilion City - City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Vermilion City - Harbor

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Viridian City

Old Rod Lv.10 City

85%Early

Dragon's Den

Good Rod Lv.20

90%Mid

Lake of Rage

Good Rod Lv.20 Water

90%Mid

Route 45

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

90%Mid

Fuchsia City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

90%Mid

Blackthorn City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Cherrygrove City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Cianwood City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Dark Cave - East

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Dark Cave - West

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Ecruteak City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Ilex Forest

Good Rod Lv.20 Forest

35%Mid

Mt. Mortar - 1F South

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Mt. Mortar - 2F

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Mt. Mortar - B1F

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Mt. Silver - 2F

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Mt. Silver - Outside

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

New Bark Town

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Olivine City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Olivine City - Harbor

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Route 30

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 31

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 32

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 34

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 35

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 40

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 41

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 42

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 44

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Ruins of Alph - Outside

Good Rod Lv.20 Ruins

35%Mid

Slowpoke Well - 1F

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Slowpoke Well - B1F

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Union Cave - 1F

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Union Cave - B1F

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Union Cave - B2F

Good Rod Lv.20 Cave

35%Mid

Violet City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Whirl Islands - 1F

Good Rod Lv.20 Water

35%Mid

Whirl Islands - B2F

Good Rod Lv.20 Water

35%Mid

Whirl Islands - B2F Inner Cave

Good Rod Lv.20 Water

35%Mid

Cerulean City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Cinnabar Island - Gym

Good Rod Lv.20 Water

35%Mid

Pallet Town

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Route 10

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 12

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 13

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 19

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 20

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 21

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 22

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 24

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 25

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 26

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 27

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 28

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 6

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Route 9

Good Rod Lv.20 Route

35%Mid

Vermilion City - City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Vermilion City - Harbor

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Viridian City

Good Rod Lv.20 City

35%Mid

Lake of Rage

Super Rod Lv.40 Water

70%Late

Fuchsia City

Super Rod Lv.40 City

70%Late

Dragon's Den

Super Rod Lv.40

60%Late

Route 45

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

60%Late

Blackthorn City

Super Rod Lv.40 City

20%Late

Dark Cave - East

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Dark Cave - West

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Ecruteak City

Super Rod Lv.40 City

20%Late

Ilex Forest

Super Rod Lv.40 Forest

20%Late

Mt. Mortar - 1F South

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Mt. Mortar - 2F

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Mt. Mortar - B1F

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Mt. Silver - 2F

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Mt. Silver - Outside

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Route 30

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 31

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 32

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 35

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 42

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 44

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Ruins of Alph - Outside

Super Rod Lv.40 Ruins

20%Late

Slowpoke Well - 1F

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Slowpoke Well - B1F

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Union Cave - 1F

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Union Cave - B1F

Super Rod Lv.40 Cave

20%Late

Violet City

Super Rod Lv.40 City

20%Late

Route 10

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 12

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 13

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 22

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 24

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 25

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 28

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 6

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Route 9

Super Rod Lv.40 Route

20%Late

Viridian City

Super Rod Lv.40 City

20%Late

Magikarp Guide

Get Magikarp to Gyarados at level 20. At 200 BST, Magikarp is just the starting point.
Level 20 gets you Gyarados. Quick enough that Magikarp barely slows you down.
In Crystal, Magikarp does the job early-game if you need a Water type on your team. Evolve it into Gyarados before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
You can find Magikarp in Crystal. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 21 other games across the series.

Game Availability

Magikarp has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 22 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

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Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Vine Whip 2x 100-120%KO View Bellsprout builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Upcoming Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Learns Razor Leaf at Level 8 View Chikorita builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Upcoming Move Moves Mega DrainLv. 30 Learns Mega Drain at Level 30 View Hoppip builds →

Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Absorb 2x 54-65% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Magikarp Razor Leaf 2x 103-122%KO View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Vine Whip 2x 108-130%KO View Bellsprout builds →
Elekid Electric	D
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Move Moves Thunder PunchLv. 9 Damage vs Magikarp Thunder Punch 2x 165-195%KO View Elekid builds →
Pichu Electric	D
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Move Moves Thunder ShockLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Thunder Shock 2x 68-81% View Pichu builds →

Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Absorb 2x 57-68% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Magikarp Razor Leaf 2x 109-130%KO View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Vine Whip 2x 116-136%KO View Bellsprout builds →
Elekid Electric	D
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 Thunder PunchTM41 Damage vs Magikarp Thunder 2x 255-300%KO Thunder Punch 2x 180-211%KO View Elekid builds →
Pichu Electric	D
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 Thunder ShockLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Thunder 2x 173-205%KO Thunder Shock 2x 68-82% View Pichu builds →

Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Absorb 2x 58-69% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Magikarp Razor Leaf 2x 117-138%KO View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Vine Whip 2x 121-144%KO View Bellsprout builds →
Sunkern Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 10 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Mega Drain 2x 63-75% Absorb 2x 33-40% View Sunkern builds →
Elekid Electric	D
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 Thunder PunchTM41 Damage vs Magikarp Thunder 2x 273-323%KO Thunder Punch 2x 185-219%KO View Elekid builds →

Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Absorb 2x 56-67% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Magikarp Razor Leaf 2x 108-129%KO View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Vine Whip 2x 116-138%KO View Bellsprout builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Available Move Moves Mega DrainLv. 30 Damage vs Magikarp Mega Drain 2x 63-76% View Hoppip builds →
Sunkern Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 10 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Mega Drain 2x 60-71% Absorb 2x 32-38% View Sunkern builds →

Raikou Electric	S
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves RestRecovery Sleep Talk ThunderSTAB Hidden Power Ice Damage vs Magikarp Thunder 2x 457-539%KO View Raikou builds →
Venusaur GrassPoison	C
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves Leech Seed Sleep Powder Giga Drain SynthesisRecovery Damage vs Magikarp Giga Drain 2x 277-327%KO View Venusaur builds →
Electabuzz Electric	C
Recommended Build ItemScopelens Moves Ice Punch Cross Chop ThunderSTAB Hidden Power Grass Damage vs Magikarp Thunder 2x 388-457%KO View Electabuzz builds →