[[File:GyaradosMouthClosed.jpg|thumb|230px|right|Gyarados with its mouth closed and violet eyes]]
[[File:GyaradosMouthClosed.png|thumb|230px|right|Gyarados with its mouth closed and violet eyes]]
* In the [[Pokémon Red and Green beta|Pokémon Red and Blue beta]], Gyarados' name was ''Skulkraken'', a combination of ''skull'' and ''{{wp|kraken}}'' (a mythological sea monster).
* In the [[Pokémon Red and Green beta|Pokémon Red and Blue beta]], Gyarados' name was ''Skulkraken'', a combination of ''skull'' and ''{{wp|kraken}}'' (a mythological sea monster).
* Despite being part {{type2|Flying}}, the only Flying-type move it can learn is {{m|Bounce}}, which is only possible via [[move tutor]] in {{game|Platinum}}. However, it has been seen flying in the {{pkmn|anime}}.
* Despite being part {{type2|Flying}}, the only Flying-type move it can learn is {{m|Bounce}}, which is only possible via [[move tutor]] in {{game|Platinum}}. However, it has been seen flying in the {{pkmn|anime}}.
Gyarados is a large dragon Pokémon, resembling dragons seen in Chinese mythology. Its serpentine body is mostly blue, but its underbelly is yellow, as well as the spots along its body. It has a three-pointed, dark blue crest on its head and four white fins down its back. Its mouth is very large and gaping, bearing four canine teeth, but bears some resemblance to that of its pre-evolution Magikarp. Like Magikarp, it has one barbel on both sides of its face. Its pectoral and dorsal fins also resemble Magikarp's. Gyarados is rarely shown with its mouth closed. When Gyarados is forced to undergo evolution, it still retains Magikarp's red coloring, leading to the phenomena of the Red Gyarados.
Gender differences
A female has white barbels, while a male has blue.
Special abilities
Gyarados, like most dragon-like Pokémon, has a high Attack stat, causing it to rely more on physical attacks than special ones. It is one of the few Template:Type2s able to wield both Template:Type2 and Template:Type2 attacks. Its fangs can crush stones and its scales are harder than steel. Despite the strength of its fangs, it cannot learn the move Crunch and can only learn one of the elemental fang moves.
Behavior
This Pokémon bears little resemblance to its docile pre-evolution. Gyarados is infamously known for its fierce temper and wanton destructive tendencies. Once it has worked itself into a frenzy, it will not calm until everything around it is destroyed—this tendency is attributed to the dramatic structural changes its brain undergoes during evolution. It seems attracted to violence. During times of human conflict, Gyarados are said to appear, burning entire cities down to the ground. In addition, Gyarados are also notoriously difficult to tame even after they are captured by the trainer, usually requiring an exceptional amount of work in taming it until it can become loyal and obedient to its trainer.
Gyarados usually live in large bodies of water, such as lakes and ponds or even seas and oceans. The Lake of Rage is the best known nesting area for Gyarados, and most famously, the red Gyarados, however, they are still quite rare even in the Lake Of Rage, as they are seldom found in the wild.
Misty obtained a Gyarados after passing the PIA test in Cerulean Blues. Prior to the test, Misty was terrified of Gyarados, but in order to pass the test, she had to overcome her fear of it. In the end, she calmed and kept the Gyarados.
It was then seen in Pokémon Shipwreck. James was frustrated with his Magikarp and kicked it into the water. That Magikarp evolved into a Gyarados. Groups of Gyarados were seen from within a submarine disguised as or styled after a Gyarados by Jessie, James, and Meowth in The Pi-Kahuna shortly before the onset of a massive, annual tidal wave celebrated by local surfers who were apparently not aware of the annual migration. According to James, the Gyarados gathered each year in this location to lay their eggs.
In Mewtwo Strikes Back, a Gyarados owned by Fergus was one of the Pokémon that were captured and cloned by Mewtwo. Fergus attacked Mewtwo with Gyarados's Hyper Beam, but Mewtwo turned the attack back on it, knocking the Gyarados out. The Gyarados clone is seen again in Mewtwo Returns. Before Mewtwo appeared, Ash commented that he had heard that Gyarados were hard to train.
Gyarados debuted in a cameo appearance in Pokémon - I Choose You!. It was swimming by in a river that Ash had jumped into to avoid being chased by a flock of Spearow.
Nurse Joy had befriended a giant Magikarp that later evolved into Gyarados in The Joy of Pokémon. Despite Magikarp being giant, it was regular-sized as a Gyarados.
Gyarados debuts in the Red, Green & Blue arc in its own round, Gyarados Splashes In!. Here, an enraged one attacks its own trainer, Misty, but is recaught by Red, who supposedly returns it to her. The drastic change in attitude of the Pokémon was the result of a Team Rocket experiment as is shown in Raging Rhydon.
Later on, Misty traded this Gyarados to Red in exchange for Red's Krabby which he names Gyara.
A Red Gyarados was seen in the Lake of Rage three years later, but it was caught by Silver. It had the ability to control the other Gyarados in the lake.
When Red borrows Blue's Charizard to travel to Mt. Silver, he temporarily trades his Gyarados to Blue. It later appears as one of Blue's Pokémon in Volume 13, used against Entei, and later part of his revealed team during the Gym Leader faceoff. Prior to the FireRed and LeafGreen saga, Blue returns Gyarados to Red.
The evolved form of Magikarp. Rarely seen in the wild. Huge and vicious, it is capable of destroying entire cities in a rage. Can fire a Hyper Beam from its mouth.
"An Atrocious Pokémon rarely seen in the wild. When it does appear, it's usually running rampant in a destructive rage--behavior that has the unfortunate side effect of leaving whole cities in ruin. It is said that when humans begin a conflict, Gyarados incinerates the towns of both warring parties. There are records of a Gyarados rampage lasting as long as a month. Its pre-evolution form is Magikarp."
Game data
In Diamond and Pearl a red Gyarados is featured on the TV on a program called "Search for the Red Gyarados." It is this that inspires Lucas or Dawn and their rival to go to Lake Verity, to see if there is a rare Pokémon dwelling in it.
When Magikarp evolves into Gyarados, its brain cells undergo a structural transformation. It is said that this transformation is to blame for this Pokémon's wildly violent nature.
Once Gyarados goes on a rampage, its ferociously violent blood doesn't calm until it has burned everything down. There are records of this Pokémon's rampages lasting a whole month.
It is an extremely vicious and violent Pokémon. When humans begin to fight, it will appear and burn everything to the ground with intensely hot flames.
In the Pokémon anime, Gyarados's eyes are violet instead of the red that appears in its sprites and official artwork.
Gyarados has the greatest increase of its base stat total of any Pokémon compared to its prevolution, an increase of 340 points. It shares this distinction with Milotic.
As of Generation V, Gyarados is used by three of the six Pokémon League Champions, being used by Blue, Lance and Wallace, making it the most popular Pokémon among Pokémon League Champions thus far (although Blue does not always have a Gyarados, depending on the player's starter Pokémon).
Both of Gyarados's abilities involve the Attack stat; Intimidate lowers the opponent's Attack, while Moxie increases its own.
Gyarados's known abilities are shared with another evolutionary line, Salamence.
It appears to be based on a sea dragon or sea serpent. Gyarados is partially based on a legend about how carp that leapt over the Dragon Gate would become dragons. Several waterfalls and cataracts in China are believed to be the location of the Dragon Gate. This is referenced by Pokémon Snap, as you need to get Magikarp into a waterfall to evolve it into Gyarados. This legend is an allegory of the drive and efforts needed to overcome obstacles (which can be tied to the fact that Gyarados' pre-evolution, Magikarp, could possibly take a lot of drive and effort to legitimately evolve into Gyarados). It also resembles a waterfall.
Name origin
Gyarados's name may be derived from a combination of 虐殺 gyakusatsu massacre/slaughter, and 逆境 gyakkyō, hardship/adversity. Both words relate to the creature's violent nature and the hardship it experienced before evolving. The end of Gyarados' name, ドス dosu, is a Japanese onomatopoeic word representing the piercing of flesh, once again owing to Gyarados' violent nature. Alternatively, the dos may just indicate that it's the second in its evolutionary line.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.
δ, and in HeartGold & SoulSilver as Gyarados. The most recent appearance in HeartGold & SoulSilver most likely commemorates Red Gyarados's initial appearance as a significant part of the storyline in Pokémon Gold and Silver.
For other sprites and images, please see Gyarados images on Bulbagarden Archives.
