Is Magikarp Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
Available via fishing across Sinnoh. Same investment as every other game: Magikarp is useless until Gyarados at 20. The difference in Sinnoh is what the physical/special split does for Gyarados. That evolution payoff has never been better than it is in Gen 4.
Roark's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Gardenia's team hits Magikarp's weaknesses hard.
Maylene's typing presses Magikarp's defenses.
Crasher Wake's typing presses Magikarp's defenses.
Fantina's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Byron's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Candice's team hits Magikarp's weaknesses hard.
Volkner's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Gyarados resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
In-Game Trade
Magikarp can be received through an in-game trade on Route 226. Trade Finneon. NPC trade on Route 226. Trade a Finneon to the fisherman on the island. The Magikarp arrives at the same level as the Finneon you trade away.
Recommended Moves
- LV 15NormalTacklePower 35Accuracy 95%PP 35
Evolve Magikarp to Gyarados
Magikarp evolves into Gyarados at Level 20. Your Magikarp should hit Level 20 before you reach Aaron, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Lake Verity
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Celestic Town
- LV 35WaterAqua TailPower 135Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 41WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- LV 44DragonDragon DancePower —Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 47NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Sunyshore City
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Magikarp in Diamond & Pearl
Magikarp is unavoidable once you start fishing. With 210 encounters across 42 spots, any rod at almost any water hooks one. There is even a Finneon-for-Magikarp trade on a route, but you will never need it.
42 locations to catch Magikarp
Encountered via fishing with a Rod
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Magikarp in DP
Magikarp is where the line starts, caught through fishing and trade encounters at Lv. 3-25. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
- Step 1Magikarp ✓Canalave CityLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Celestic TownLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Eterna CityLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Fuego IronworksLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Great Marsh - Area 1Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Great Marsh - Area 2Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Great Marsh - Area 3Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Great Marsh - Area 4Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Great Marsh - Area 6Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Iron Island - OutsideLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Lake Acuity - CaveLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Lake ValorLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Lake VerityLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Mt. Coronet - 4F Room 1Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Mt. Coronet - B1FLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Mt. Coronet - Route 207 EntranceLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Oreburgh Gate - B1FLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Pastoria CityLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Pokémon LeagueLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Ravaged PathLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Resort AreaLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 203Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 204 - SouthLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 205 - NorthLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 205 - SouthLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 208Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 209Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 210 - NorthLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 212 - NorthLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 212 - SouthLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 213Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 214Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 218Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 219Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 220Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 221Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 222Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 223Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 224Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 225Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 226Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 227Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 228Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 229Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 230Lv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Sendoff SpringLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Sunyshore CityLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Twinleaf TownLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Valley WindworksLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Victory Road - B1FLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Victory Road - Nat Dex Area B1FLv.3-10Old RodRate 100%Route 229Lv.10-25Good RodRate 100%Victory Road - B1FLv.10-25Good RodRate 100%Victory Road - Nat Dex Area B1FLv.10-25Good RodRate 100%Canalave CityLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Celestic TownLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Eterna CityLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Fuego IronworksLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Great Marsh - Area 1Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Great Marsh - Area 2Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Great Marsh - Area 3Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Great Marsh - Area 4Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Great Marsh - Area 6Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Iron Island - OutsideLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Lake Acuity - CaveLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Lake ValorLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Lake VerityLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Mt. Coronet - 4F Room 1Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Mt. Coronet - B1FLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Mt. Coronet - Route 207 EntranceLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Oreburgh Gate - B1FLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Pastoria CityLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Pokémon LeagueLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Ravaged PathLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Resort AreaLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 203Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 204 - SouthLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 205 - NorthLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 205 - SouthLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 208Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 209Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 210 - NorthLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 212 - NorthLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 212 - SouthLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 213Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 214Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 218Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 219Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 220Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 221Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 222Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 223Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 224Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 225Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 226Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 227Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 228Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 230Lv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Sendoff SpringLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Sunyshore CityLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Twinleaf TownLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Valley WindworksLv.10-25Good RodRate 55%Route 226In-game tradeRate 100%Trade for (give Finneon)
- Step 2Catch or Evolve into GyaradosGreat Marsh - Area 1Lv.15-30Good RodRate 5%Great Marsh - Area 2Lv.15-30Good RodRate 5%Great Marsh - Area 3Lv.15-30Good RodRate 5%Great Marsh - Area 4Lv.15-30Good RodRate 5%Great Marsh - Area 6Lv.15-30Good RodRate 5%Route 229Lv.20-55Super RodRate 100%Victory Road - B1FLv.20-55Super RodRate 100%Victory Road - Nat Dex Area B1FLv.20-55Super RodRate 100%Eterna CityLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Lake Acuity - CaveLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Lake ValorLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Lake VerityLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Mt. Coronet - 4F Room 1Lv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Mt. Coronet - B1FLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Mt. Coronet - Route 207 EntranceLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Oreburgh Gate - B1FLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Pastoria CityLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Ravaged PathLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Resort AreaLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 203Lv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 204 - SouthLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 205 - NorthLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 208Lv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 209Lv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 210 - NorthLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 212 - NorthLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 212 - SouthLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 214Lv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 218Lv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 225Lv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 227Lv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Route 228Lv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Sendoff SpringLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Twinleaf TownLv.30-55Super RodRate 55%Canalave CityLv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Celestic TownLv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Fuego IronworksLv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Iron Island - OutsideLv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Pokémon LeagueLv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 205 - SouthLv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 213Lv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 219Lv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 220Lv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 221Lv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 222Lv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 223Lv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 224Lv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 226Lv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Route 230Lv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Sunyshore CityLv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Valley WindworksLv.30-40Super RodRate 40%Great Marsh - Area 1Lv.40-55Super RodRate 15%Great Marsh - Area 2Lv.40-55Super RodRate 15%Great Marsh - Area 3Lv.40-55Super RodRate 15%Great Marsh - Area 4Lv.40-55Super RodRate 15%Great Marsh - Area 6Lv.40-55Super RodRate 15%or evolve from Magikarp (Step 1)
Not landing the catch? Calculate Magikarp catch rates for Diamond & Pearl by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Magikarp in Diamond & Pearl
Magikarp breeds up a shiny best, so run the Masuda Method with a foreign parent. Compare Shiny Magikarp odds across every game
Diamond & Pearl Shiny Magikarp Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in Diamond & Pearl with Magikarp preloaded.
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Magikarp Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Magikarp
 Rotom ElectricGhost | C | |
Obtain MethodOld Chateau Interact Encounter | ||
 Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
 Elekid Electric | B | |
 Electrike Electric | C | |
 Grotle Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Turtwig (Lake Verity Gift) | ||
 Luxio Electric | C | |
 Pachirisu Electric | C | |
 Lombre WaterGrass | D | |
 Cherubi Grass | D | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Magikarp View Cherubi builds →Magical Leaf 2x134-160%KO | ||
 Budew GrassPoison | C | |
 Wormadam BugGrass | C | |
 Lileep RockGrass | C | |
Obtain MethodOreburgh City Gift | ||
Magikarp Evolutions
Magikarp evolves into Gyarados. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs hatch fast. The evolved forms gain up to 340 total stats over Magikarp. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Magikarp easily with 30 breeding partners from the Dragon and Water 2 egg groups.
DP Magikarp Best Moveset
No competitive moves, no stats, no ability worth mentioning. The moveset is Splash, Tackle, and regret. Evolve to Gyarados immediately.
Best Build
Magikarp best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Flail
- Splash
- Tackle
- Bounce
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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.
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 said to be the world’s weakest Pokémon. No one knows why it has managed to survive.
It is unable to swim against even slow-moving currents. It always splashes about for some reason.
Magikarp Diamond & Pearl Guide
NPC trade on Route 226. Trade a Finneon to the fisherman on the island. The Magikarp arrives at the same level as the Finneon you trade away. This is an NPC trade, so the Magikarp you receive is yours immediately, no transfer cable needed.
In Diamond & Pearl, Magikarp has 200 BST and evolves into Gyarados. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
Game Availability
Magikarp has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 22 titles across all 9 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 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Magikarp.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List