Poliwrath'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 Electric, Grass, Flying, and Psychic. Known as the Tadpole Pokemon.
Poliwrath's built to absorb hits, not race for knockouts. Balanced defenses with Defense doing the heavy lifting. And the 1.06M XP medium-slow curve means it won't take forever to bring up, worth 3 Defense EVs.
With its extremely tough muscles, it can keep swimming in the Pacific Ocean without resting.
Poliwrath Weakness
AvgType-wise, Poliwrath takes extra damage from Electric, Grass, Flying, and Psychic. It resists 7 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Poliwrath is one of 2 ways Poliwhirl's chain can end. This one takes the item path, while the siblings go different directions. Breed through Poliwag to get eggs. Poliwrath and Politoed share the same 500 total stats, but they're distributed differently. Check the comparison below to see where each one specializes.
How to Evolve
Breed with Poliwrath to get Poliwag eggs easily using 69 partners from the Water1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Bubble Beam, Endeavor, Haze and 7 more.
Leftovers buys the setup turn. Poliwrath clicks Bulk Up, then starts cleaning with Waterfall and utility options. Jolly nature with max Attack and Speed EVs makes sure nothing tanks a boosted hit comfortably.
Best Build
Best Poliwrath Moveset
- Waterfall
- Substitute
- Ice Punch
- Bulk Up
Recommended Teammates
Breeding's the move. Bubble Beam and Endeavor give Poliwrath options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 7 types already covers a decent range on top of Focus Punch and Focus Blast. The egg moves push it further.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Transfer Moves
No wild encounters for Poliwrath. The 3-stage chain runs through Poliwag, which you can catch at solid rates from the locations below. Evolve through a special method once you've got the levels.
How to Obtain Poliwrath in Diamond & Pearl
The path to Poliwrath starts with Poliwag at Lv. 10-55 via surfing and fishing encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch PoliwagEASYRoute 225DiamondGood RodLv.10-25CommonEarlyRouteEASYRoute 225PearlGood RodLv.10-25CommonEarlyRouteEASYRoute 227DiamondSurfing on waterLv.20-30CommonMidRouteEASYRoute 227PearlSurfing on waterLv.20-30CommonMidRouteEASYRoute 228PearlSurfing on waterLv.20-30CommonMidRouteEASYRoute 228DiamondSurfing on waterLv.20-30CommonMidRoute
Step 2Catch or Evolve PoliwhirlEASYRoute 227PearlSurfing on waterLv.10-55CommonEarlyRouteEASYRoute 227DiamondSurfing on waterLv.10-55CommonEarlyRouteEASYRoute 225DiamondSuper RodLv.30-55CommonMidRouteEASYRoute 225PearlSuper RodLv.30-55CommonMidRouteEASYRoute 225DiamondSurfing on waterLv.40-50CommonLateRouteEASYRoute 225PearlSurfing on waterLv.40-50CommonLateRouteEASYRoute 228PearlSurfing on waterLv.40-55CommonLateRouteEASYRoute 228DiamondSurfing on waterLv.40-55CommonLateRouteor evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)
Step 3Poliwrath ✓
Poliwrath looks average on paper at 500 BST. But Swift Swim is why it sees play — build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier on our tier list.
Poliwrath gets Swift Swim, Water Absorb, and Damp. But Swift Swim is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Poliwrath is a physical attacker with base 85 Attack. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 70 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many.
Poliwrath appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
Present since Red & Blue, Poliwrath appears in 20 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Poliwrath have the longest track record of availability in the series.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
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