Gyarados is a serpentine Pokémon with a long body covered in slightly overlapping scales. It is mostly blue with a yellow underbelly and a row of yellow spots down each side. Its mouth is very large and gaping, bearing four pointed teeth and yellow lips. It has one barbel and a small white fin on each side of its face. The barbels are white on a female and tan on a male. It has small, red eyes, a three-pointed, dark blue crest on its head, and four white, spiky dorsal fins. Gyarados's tail fin is similar in structure to the crest on its head, except with a thin, white fin spread between the points.
The process of evolution causes a change in its brain structure that is believed to cause its violent nature. Gyarados's fangs can crush stones and its scales are harder than steel. Gyarados is feared for its fierce temper and wanton destructive tendencies. It appears in times of conflict and destroys the surrounding area. Its rampages have been known to last a month at a time. Gyarados lives in both fresh and salty waters. Both Gyarados and its Mega form have demonstrated in the anime that it can leap huge distances both from the water and from the ground, usually several times its own body length.
When it Mega Evolves, Gyarados becomes bulkier. The fins on its cheeks become longer and gain a yellow tint. Its crest is larger and black, and its barbels also gain considerable length. A large spike extends downward underneath its chin, and it now has a black underside with a red stripe around the edges. The yellow spots along its body are replaced by raised red scales, which propel Mega Gyarados through the water. Two large yellow fins with blue spines appear on its back. Most of the other fins along its back disappear, replaced by two rows of blue spikes. There are now four yellowish, spiky fins near is tail: two on its back and two on its underside. While its brain a powerful destructive instinct, it will obey a Trainer it truly trusts. Mega Gyarados is tied with HoopaUnbound as the tallestDark-type.
In the anime
In the main series
Gyarados in the animeMega Gyarados in the animeShiny Gyarados in the animeShiny Mega Gyarados in the anime
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. In When Regions Collide!, it was revealed that it can Mega Evolve into Mega 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.
A Gyarados appeared in Mewtwo Strikes Back, under the ownership of Fergus. It was one of the Pokémon that were captured and cloned by Mewtwo. Fergus had Gyarados attack Mewtwo with Hyper Beam, but Mewtwo turned the attack back on it, knocking Gyarados out. The Gyarados clone reappeared in Mewtwo Returns. Before Mewtwo appeared, Ash commented that he heard Gyarados were hard to train.
A Gyarados appeared in The Joy of Pokémon, where it evolved from a giant Magikarp that the Nurse Joy of an unnamed island had befriended as a child. Afterwards, it defeated Team Rocket.
Two Gyarados appeared in The Joy of Water Pokémon. One was an inhabitant of Lake Lucid, while the other one was being treated by Nurse Joy for neck problems. The health of the Gyarados being treated by Nurse Joy was later jeopardized after an attack by Team Rocket, but Nurse Joy calmed it down despite her fear of Water-type Pokémon.
A Gyarados nicknamed (Japanese コイちゃんKoi-chan) appeared in SM113, where it evolved from a Magikarp and subsequently went on a rampage towards a television corporation, until it was calmed down by George Charino.
Minor appearances
Gyarados debuted in a cameo appearance in Pokémon - I Choose You!. It was seen swimming by in a river that Ash had jumped into to avoid being chased by a flock of Spearow.
A Gyarados appeared in Talking a Good Game!, where it had gone on a rampage after getting a twig lodged in its side. However, Salon Maiden Anabel calmed it and removed the twig.
Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokémon. A Water and Flying type. Rumors exist of a town that made Gyarados angry. That town was burned to the ground in one night, leaving no trace.
The red Gyarados made an appearance in The Lake of Rage, where it was being subjected to Team Rocket's experiments. However, it was calmed after Team Rocket's radio wave generator was destroyed.
Other
A soldier's Gyarados appeared in The Redemption, during a fantasy of a story from the past. It was one of the many Pokémon fighting in the great war of Kalos 3,000 years previously.
Gyarados debuts in Gyarados Splashes In!. Here, an enraged one attacks his own Trainer, Misty, but is recaught by Red, who returns him 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 him Gyara. When Red borrows Blue's Charizard to travel to Mt. Silver, he temporarily trades his Gyarados to Blue. He later appears as one of Blue's Pokémon in Entranced by Entei, used against Entei, and later part of his revealed team during the Gym Leader face-off. Prior to the FireRed and LeafGreen saga, Blue returns Gyarados to Red.
In Debonaire Dragonair, in the Dragon's Den, three Gyarados appeared, rising out of the water, but they did not attack Clair. Instead, they make way for her peacefully before Suicune appears and attacks.
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.
Crasher Wake has a Gyarados, which was used in a Gym battle against Hareta in Dialga's Secret Keys.
In Team Galactic's Conspiracy, Revealed!!, Cyrus sent out his Gyarados after his Weavile suffered heavy damage from Piplup's surprise attack. He used its Giga Impact to destroy the rope bridge where the battle was taking place, sending Hareta and Piplup falling into the river below.
"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."
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.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The player's Magikarp may evolve into Gyarados as part of the "Adios, Gyarados!" and "Macho Karp" events (and thereby force it to retire).
Pokkén Tournament: Gyarados has been shown in the background of the Magikarp Festival stage as an NPC background Pokémon.
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.
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.
In the Pokémon Red and Blue beta, Gyarados' name was Skulkraken, a combination of skull and kraken (a mythological sea monster).
Gyarados's original design resembled a massive leech-like creature without eyes.[1]
Gyarados is tied with Magikarp and Regigigas for being the lowest level Pokémon encountered in the wild, as well as also tied with Magikarp for the highest level Pokémon encountered in the wild. In Black 2 and White 2, Gyarados can be found at levels ranging from level 1 to 100 in the Nature Preserve by using a Super Rod in rippling water.
As of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Gyarados is used by three of the nine 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). However, Blue is the only one to use it in the Pokémon World Tournament.
Gyarados is also a popular Pokémon among Gym Leaders, being used by Misty, Blue, Clair, and Crasher Wake. However, Misty doesn't use Gyarados during the Gym battle.
In many ways, Gyarados is the counterpart of Milotic. Both are the serpentine evolved forms of weak fish Pokémon, and both appear in times of conflict, Gyarados to destroy, Milotic to becalm. Both have base stat totals of 540, the only difference being the distribution of their Attack, Special Attack and Special Defense stats.
Mega Gyarados has highest Attack stat of all Water-type Pokémon.
Mega Gyarados is tied with HoopaUnbound and Umbreon for having the highest Special Defense of all Dark-type Pokémon.
Origin
It appears to be based on a sea dragon or sea serpent and chinese dragon. 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 the player needs to get a 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).
Its Flying-type may be a reference of koinobori, a carp-shaped wind sock traditionally flown to celebrate the Children's Day in Japan, formerly called Tango no Sekku (端午の節句). It could also be inspired by the Inkanyamba, a giant, winged, eel that causes storms when angry - a trait Gyarados is famous for.
Name origin
Gyarados may derive from 虐殺 gyakusatsu (massacre/slaughter) or 逆境 gyakkyō (hardship/adversity)—both words relate to the creature's violent nature and the hardship it experienced before evolving. In addition, 逆 gyaku means "reverse" or "contrary", possibly referring to how Gyarados evolves from a weak Pokémon to one capable of destroying entire cities, and, in legend, how the carp goes against the flow of the waterfall in order to reach the top. It may also involve 嵐 arashi (storm) or 争い arasoi (conflict, referencing on how it appeared during wars). The last part may be from 脅す odosu (to threaten), again owing to Gyarados' violent nature.
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
ギャラドス Gyarados
From 虐殺 gyakusatsu or 逆境 gyakkyō, 嵐 arashi or 争い arasoi, and 脅す odosu
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, once in HeartGold & SoulSilver as Gyarados, and twice in BREAKpoint as Gyarados-EX and M Gyarados-EX.
Gyaradosite (100%)
For other sprites and images, please see Gyarados images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
