Red Gyarados
- This article is about the Red Gyarados from the Johto region. For Lysandre's Shiny Gyarados, see Lysandre → In the anime.
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 The red Gyarados in Pokémon Generations 
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The red Gyarados (Japanese: あかいギャラドス Red Gyarados) is a term used to refer to a Gyarados that is Shiny, which is red rather than its usual blue. According to the anime, this is due to the forced evolution; the Magikarp it evolves from retains its red color, having no time to change its scale color to blue. Unlike most Shiny Pokémon, the red Gyarados's existence is canon in that it is encountered as part of an event in the Generation II games and their remakes.
In the games
In the core series
In Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver, the red Gyarados is found in the Lake of Rage. It, along with other Magikarp at the lake, were forced to evolve by Team Rocket's Radio broadcast. In Gold, Silver, and Crystal, this Gyarados has predetermined IVs, with an Attack IV of 14 and IVs in its other stats of 10, resulting in an HP IV of 0. While battling the red Gyarados, if the player uses Roar, Whirlwind, or Teleport, the moves will fail every time. Once captured or defeated, the red Gyarados drops a Red Scale. While this is the only chance to catch the Red Gyarados in the original games, it will respawn in the remakes after the player defeats Lance and the Elite Four, should the player fail to capture it.
In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, in the Rocket Warehouse located on Five Island, one of the computers displays information about induced evolution using electromagnetic waves, hinting at their future radio transmission in Generation II.
Sightings of a red Gyarados were national news. Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl begins with a news report broadcast in Twinleaf Town of Sinnoh, according to which the Red Gyarados had eluded detection by a research crew; it is unknown to which point in time this corresponds in the Johto-based games, although they happened the same time. The player accompanies their best friend to Lake Verity in the hopes of seeing a similar Pokémon. In Pokémon Platinum, this reference was removed, but a cameraman in the Battle Zone comments he filmed it, and claims it was "award winning".
In Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, Lana jokes about having reeled in a red Gyarados once.
While the easiest and most common way to obtain a red Gyarados is at the Lake of Rage in Generations II or IV, any Shiny Gyarados will be red, no matter how it is encountered, through evolution of a gold Magikarp or by encountering it with the normal 1/8192 odds. This is the only possible way to get a red Gyarados outside of the Johto-based games without trading.
Starting movesets
| Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal | Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sprites
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| Sprite from Gold |
Sprite from Silver |
Sprite from Crystal |
Sprites from HeartGold and SoulSilver | |
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| Overworld sprite from Generation II |
Wild overworld sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
Walking overworld sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver | ||
In events
Due to its popularity, there have also been event distributions and Wild Area News updates centered around the Shiny Gyarados and its unevolved counterpart, Magikarp. The following is a listing of them in chronological order.
Distributions
| Games | Event | Region | Location | Level | Distribution period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWB2W2 | Pokémon Center Nagoya Magikarp | Japanese | Japan | 99
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March 20 to May 6, 2013 |
| XYORAS | Pokémon Center Hiroshima Gyarados | All | Japan | 20
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June 25, 2015; June 26 to August 31, 2015 |
| ORAS | Winter Counterattack Gyarados | All | South Korea | 50
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January 16 to 17, 2016 |
| SM | Lunar Magikarp | Japanese region | Online | 19
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January 26 to February 6, 2017 |
| SM | Lunar Magikarp | American region | Online | 19
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January 26 to February 6, 2017 |
| SM | Lunar Magikarp | PAL region | Online | 19
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January 26 to February 6, 2017 |
| SM | Lunar Magikarp | Taiwanese region | Online | 19
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January 26 to February 6, 2017 |
Wild Area News
| Start date | End date | Focus Pokémon | Notes | Source | ||
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| Both games | Sword | Shield | ||||
| December 31, 2019 | January 4, 2020 |  
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Increased chance to be Shiny A limited-time serial code, 0T0SH1DAMA, for 10 Dive Balls was also given. |
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In the spin-off games
Because of its impact on the core series, red Gyarados have frequently appeared in special events and cameo appearances in spin-off games.
Pokémon Battrio
The red Gyarados appears in Pokémon Battrio, as the Special Pucks Gyarados (June 2010 Red Gyarados Cup) and Gyarados (Perfect Book).
Pokémon Duel
The red Gyarados appears in Pokémon Duel, as a variant of the Gyarados figure. Shiny Gyarados was made available in version 5.0.4. This figure was available in Time Booster (Sparkle) during various Team Matches and also as a Special Login Bonus from October 1 to 16, 2018.
  Shiny Gyarados |
A red Gyarados mask was available to win for the top 3000 players in a Queen's Cup competition from June 20, 2019, to June 24, 2019.
Pokémon Ga-Olé
The red Gyarados appears in Pokémon Ga-Olé.
| Disk No. | Name | Type | Grade |
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| P | Gyarados (Promotional disks) |  
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Pokémon GO
Red Gyarados, along with Shiny Magikarp, were the first two Shiny Pokémon made available to the public in Pokémon GO. For the March 22, 2017 Pokémon GO Water Festival 2017, the red Gyarados was available to catch. The event ended on March 29, 2017.
The red Gyarados was once again made available to catch for the Lunar New Year 2020 event that occurred on January 24, 2020. The event ended on February 3, 2020.
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Pokémon Masters EX
The red Gyarados and the events at the Lake of Rage are mentioned by Lance.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon WiiWare
The red Gyarados appears in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon WiiWare, where it can be obtained at Level 30 via Wonder Mail password.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
The red Gyarados appears in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, being one of the shiny Pokémon found in Mystery Dungeons.
Pokémon Tretta
The red Gyarados appears in Pokémon Tretta as pucks.
| Tretta No. | Name | Type | Class |
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| P | Gyarados (Promotional Tretta) |
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| P | Gyarados (Promotional Tretta) |
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Pokémon Rumble U
The red Gyarados appears in Pokémon Rumble U, where it appears as a password Pokémon for the US and Europe that has the Special Trait Gift.
| Pokémon | Move(s) | Japan | Europe | US | ||
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Shiny Gyarados | Dragon Rage | Thrash | 94839985 | --- | --- |
Pokémon Shuffle
The red Gyarados appears in Pokémon Shuffle, being one of the fifteen Shiny Pokémon in the game. It appeared in a Pokémon Safari during its tenth release. The event lasted from June 21, 2016, to July 5, 2016, and again from June 20, 2017, to July 4, 2017. The red Gyarados also appears in the competitive stage move-limited events 3DS and mobile as a Mega Gyarados.
The red Gyarados is referenced in a Great Challenge, where a Pikachu can be caught wearing a red Gyarados costume during the event Pikachu Appears. The event lasted from June 20, 2017, to July 4, 2017, and again from October 17, 2017, to October 24, 2017.
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| Dex# | NDex | Icon | Pokémon | Type | Attack Power | Max RML
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Initial Skill |
 AlternateSkill(s) |
 Ameliaicons | |
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| Lv 1 | Max | |||||||||
| #478 | #0130 | 
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Gyarados Shiny |
Water | 70 | 110 | 5 | L-Boost | N/A | 2 |
| #016 | #0025 | 
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Pikachu Costume |
Electric | 50 | 100 | 5 | L-Boost | N/A | 1 |
| List # | Pokémon | Type | Description/Notes | Gauge | Max 
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| 478 | 
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Shiny Mega Gyarados | Water | Erases all Mega Gyarados in the puzzle area. | 19 | 10 |
Special stages
Tenth release
| Pokémon | Type | Encounter rate | HP | Moves | Catchability | EXP | Notes | ||
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| Base | Bonus | ||||||||
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Gyarados Shiny |
Water | 2.85% | 4,948 | 8 | 20% | 2% | 5 | - |
Great Challenge
| Event | Pokémon | Type | HP | Moves | Catchability | EXP | Cost | Availability | Notes | ||
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| Base | Bonus | ||||||||||
| Pikachu Appears | |
Pikachu (Shiny Gyarados) Costume |
Electric | 5,439 | 11 | 8% | 4% | 5 |  Heart ×1 |
June 20 to July 4, 2017 October 17 to 24, 2017 |
 Personalized Skill Boosters may drop if caught*
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Move-limited events
3DS
| Pokémon | Type | Prize/ Alternate |
Moves | Winning threshold | EXP | Availability | |||
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| North America | PAL region | Japan | |||||||
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Shiny Mega Gyarados | Water |  Gyaradosite/ Level Up ×1 |
7 | 10,400 | 7,400 | 40,000 | 0 | June 27 to July 4, 2017 (Type-restricted*) |
Mobile
| Pokémon | Type | Prize/ Alternate |
Moves | Winning threshold | EXP | Availability | |
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Shiny Mega Gyarados | Water | Gyaradosite/ Level Up ×1 |
7 | 80,000 | 0 | June 27 to July 4, 2017 (Type-restricted*) |
In the anime
Main series
- Main article: Lance's Gyarados
The red Gyarados debuted in Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution, where it was revealed to have been created by Team Rocket's Project R at Lake Rage as a forced evolution of a regular-colored Magikarp. By the end of the episode, Team Rocket managed to capture the red Gyarados and began transporting it to their headquarters for further studying. At the beginning of the next episode, however, it escaped and began rampaging around, threatening Mahogany Town. In the end, Lance battled and caught the red Gyarados. It has since then made further appearances under his ownership.
Pokémon Generations
In The Lake of Rage, Lance and his Dragonite battled the red Gyarados in a flashback. Its appearance was what inspired Lance to investigate the Team Rocket HQ. Later, after Team Rocket's radio wave generator had been destroyed, Lance witnessed the red Gyarados calming down and diving back into the depths of the lake.
Moves used
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| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | ||||||||||
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
- Main article: Silver's Gyarados
This red Gyarados was the leader of a group of Gyarados. When Team Rocket used the Goldenrod City Radio Tower to disturb Pokémon with their evolution-inducing waves, these Gyarados went crazy. At the end he was caught by Silver with Gold's aid. After a battle with the Masked Man where even his Hyper Beam attack was futile, this Gyarados was frozen and remained at the bottom of Lake of Rage until Lt. Surge discovered him. Gyarados was able to free himself and Lt. Surge acquired and returned him to Silver following a brief battle between the former Team Rocket triad and himself.
Pokémon Pocket Monsters
The red Gyarados appeared in Stop That Strange Sonic Sound!!.
Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure
Ariana and Petrel were responsible for the appearance of the red Gyarados, which went on a rampage in JBA4; Jō attempted to stop it by battling it with his Totodile. When Gyarados got tired, Jō tried feeding it some Berries, but Gyarados was still angry. Later, when Jō and Lance were in a Double Battle against Ariana and Petrel, the red Gyarados returned to assist them. Jō fed it another berry and managed to win it over. It joined Jō's side and took over for Totodile. During the battle, it finished Ariana's Gloom off with Twister.
Moves used
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| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | ||||||||||
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
- Main article: Lance's Gyarados
The red Gyarados appeared in Flash of the Titans!, where it and Lance were defeated by Leon and his Charizard during the finals of the World Coronation Series.
In the TCG
The red Gyarados has served as the basis for many cards in the TCG, each known by different names. The following is a list of cards based on the red Gyarados.
| Red Gyarados Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats. | |||||||
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| Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
| Shining Gyarados | 
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Neo Revelation | 
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65/64 | Awakening Legends |
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Gyarados  δ
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EX Holon Phantoms | 
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102/110 | Holon Phantom | 
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008/052 |
| Gyarados |
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HeartGold & SoulSilver | 
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123/123 | L-P Promotional cards | 004/L-P | |
| Gyarados |
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XY Black Star Promos | XY109 | ||||
Gyarados 
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BREAKpoint | 
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26/122 | Rage of the Broken Heavens | 
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018/080 |
| BREAKpoint | 
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114/122 | Rage of the Broken Heavens | 
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081/080 | ||
| BREAKpoint | 
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123/122 | Rage of the Broken Heavens | 
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089/080 | ||
| XY Black Star Promos | XY106 | ||||||
 Gyarados
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BREAKpoint |
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27/122 | Rage of the Broken Heavens |
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019/080 |
| BREAKpoint |
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115/122 | Rage of the Broken Heavens |
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082/080 | ||
| Gyarados Spirit Link | I | BREAKpoint | 
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101/122 | Rage of the Broken Heavens | 
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075/080 |
Artwork
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| Artwork from Parallel Worlds |
Pokemon Coins
The red Gyarados was released as a coin for the TCG.
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Initial release date | Japanese | N/A |
| International | February 3, 2016 | ||
| Korean | N/A | ||
| Release information | Japanese | N/A | |
| International | Wave Slasher | ||
| Korean | N/A | ||
| Description: Large-sized, Red Non Holofoil, Black-backed Coin featuring Mega Gyarados released within the Wave Slasher Theme Deck February 3, 2016 | |||
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Initial release date | Japanese | N/A |
| International | May 2, 2016 | ||
| Korean | N/A | ||
| Release information | Japanese | N/A | |
| International | Wave Slasher | ||
| Korean | N/A | ||
| Description: Large-sized, Red Confetti Holofoil, Black-backed Coin featuring Mega Gyarados released within later shipments of the Wave Slasher Theme Deck May 2, 2016 | |||
Pokemon Pins
The red Gyarados was released as a pin for the TCG.
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| Release Date | February 17, 2016 |
| Release Information | BREAKpoint Pin Blisters |
| Description | Pin featuring Mega Gyarados |
Merchandise
XY9 accessories
The official release of the Rage of the Broken Heavens expansion also saw numerous card sleeves and deck boxes become available to purchase.
Deck case: The Mega Gyarados Deck Case (Japanese: デッキケース メガギャラドス) has the capacity to store up to 180 cards (or 90 cards in sleeves) and comes with 2 dividers for organization. The case itself features the focal Pokémon of the expansion—a Shiny Mega Gyarados, its roar parting the sea.
Accessory cases: Participating Pokémon Centers and Pokémon Card Gym venues gave away 1 of 2 exclusive accessory cases (Japanese: 小物ケース) at random to customers who purchased 2 Rage of the Broken Heavens booster boxes in a single transaction. One case features Shiny Mega Gyarados and the other features Espeon. The cases can be used to store TCG essentials such as damage counters, status counters, coins, and dice.
Sleeves: Each pack contains 32 card sleeves.
- The Mega Gyarados Sleeves (Japanese: デッキシールド メガギャラドス Deck Shield: Mega Gyarados) feature the same 5ban Graphics illustration of Shiny Mega Gyarados as that used on Rage of the Broken Heavens booster packs and other products.
Product images:
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Rage of the Broken Heavens Aeon Limited Special Pack
Numerous items of merchandise were made available on January 1, 2016. One of these was the Rage of the Broken Heavens Aeon Limited Special Pack (Japanese: 「破天の怒り」イオン限定スペシャルパック), which was only available to purchase at AEON brand stores across the country. The pack contains 4 Rage of the Broken Heavens booster packs and a competition record book for players to document their activity during 2016.
Product images:
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BREAKpoint Portfolios
Ultra Pro released a pair of portfolios for the BREAKpoint expansion in February 2016. The 4-pocket portfolio features the Greninja
and Luxray artwork from the expansion's booster packs, while the 9-pocket portfolio features the booster artwork of Shiny Mega Gyarados and Mega Scizor.
Product images:
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BREAKpoint Pin Blisters
Two different BREAKpoint Pin Blisters were released on February 17, 2016. They feature either Shiny Mega Gyarados or Mega Scizor. Each blister contains three BREAKpoint booster packs in addition to the pin.
Product images:
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Shiny Mega Gyarados Collection
The Shiny Mega Gyarados Collection was released on February 24, 2016. The collection contains four booster packs from recent expansions, a promotional Shiny Gyarados card, a figure of Shiny Mega Gyarados, and a TCGO code card. Like previous figure boxes, this product was not sold in Europe, being replaced by the Shiny Mega Gyarados Box.
Promotional card:
Product images:
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Shiny Mega Gyarados Box
The Shiny Mega Gyarados Collection was replaced in Europe by the Shiny Mega Gyarados Box and was released on February 24, 2016. It features promotional Shiny cards of Gyarados and Magikarp, a Jumbo M Gyarados-EX card, three booster packs of recent expansions, and a code card for the TCGO.
Promotional cards:
- Gyarados (XY Promo 109)
- Magikarp (XY Promo 143)
- M Gyarados-EX (BREAKpoint 27; Jumbo)
Product images:
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Triple Power Tins
Released on March 9, 2016, the Triple Power Tins feature alternate artwork reprints of three Generation I Pokémon: Machamp-EX from Ancient Origins, Mewtwo-EX from BREAKthrough and Gyarados-EX from BREAKpoint. Each tin also contains 4 booster packs from recent expansions, and a code card for the TCGO that unlocks a full 60-card deck.
Promotional cards:
- Gyarados-EX (XY Promo 106)
- Mewtwo-EX (XY Promo 107)
- Machamp-EX (XY Promo 108)
Product images:
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August 2016 accessories
The Pokémon Company International made a number of TCG accessories created in-house available for sale in August 2016. Products utilizing the same artwork were originally released in Japan alongside expansions: Mega Lucario from Rising Fist, Mega Gengar from Phantom Gate, both forms of Mega Mewtwo from Blue Shock and Red Flash, and Shiny Mega Gyarados from Rage of the Broken Heavens.
Deck boxes: Each deck box can hold a full 60-card deck and come with 2 dividers for card organization.
- Shiny Mega Gyarados Deck Box
Playmats: Each neoprene single-player playmat provides a surface for people to play the TCG.
- Shiny Mega Gyarados Playmat
Sleeves: Each pack contains 65 card sleeves.
- Shiny Mega Gyarados Sleeves
Product images:
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Turbo Colisão Boosters
The Turbo Colisão Booster packs were released along with the Theme Decks on April 8, 2016, featuring Greninja, Luxray, Mega Scizor, and Shiny Mega Gyarados. They were also available inside blisters.
Product images:
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Latas Poder Triplo
Released on June 10, 2016, the Latas Poder Triplo (English: Triple Power Tins) feature alternate artwork reprints of three Generation I Pokémon: Machamp-EX from Origens Ancestrais, Mewtwo-EX from Turbo Revolução, and Shiny Gyarados-EX from Turbo Colisão. Each tin also contains 4 booster packs from recent expansions and a code card for the TCGO that unlocks a full 60-card deck.
Promotional cards:
Product images:
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Trivia
- A red Gyarados is featured on the logo of the Pokémon Center in Hiroshima.
- It is impossible to Escape from battle with the red Gyarados in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, unless a Poké Doll is used, a trait shared with the Geodude/Voltorb/Koffing traps in Team Rocket HQ, the Celebi from the Ilex Forest shrine event, and Suicune, when fought at the Tin Tower in Crystal.
In other languages
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Related articles
For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Magikarp and Gyarados.
