Magikarp (Pokémon)
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Magikarp, known in Japan as , is a
Pokémon species (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of what each of thos ...
in Nintendo and
Game Freak is a Japanese video game developer, best known as the primary developer of the mainline ''Pokémon (video game series), Pokémon'' series of role-playing video games published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. History Predating the vide ...
's ''
Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...
'' franchise. Created by
Ken Sugimori is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, and director. He is best known as the primary character designer and art director for the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, in ...
, Magikarp first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' and subsequent
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the sam ...
s. They have later appeared in various merchandise, spinoff entries, and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. Known as the
Fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...
Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...
, Magikarp is found in many
bodies of water A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ...
, especially
lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much lar ...
s,
river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...
s, and
pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or Artificiality, artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% Aquatic plant, emergent vegetation helps in disting ...
s. Magikarp received mixed responses from critics, with some criticism directed towards it for being useless or pointless.


Description

Magikarp is a red, medium-sized fish, although shiny Magikarp are golden in color. Its notable characteristics include large, heavy scales. Its fins are primarily white, but it has a stiff, three-pointed fin on its back and a four-pointed fin on its stomach which are both yellow. The shape of the dorsal fin resembles a crown, leading to its Japanese name ''Koiking''. It also has long
barbels In fish anatomy and turtle anatomy, a barbel is a slender, whiskerlike sensory organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, the hagfish, the sturgeon, the zebrafish, the black dragonfish and s ...
, which are white on females and tan on males. Although this Pokémon is capable of surviving in even the most polluted ponds, it is usually overlooked by trainers because it is pathetically weak. Even in the heat of battle it will do nothing but flop around. They are normally seen using Splash, which is unusual, as it makes them easy targets to
predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...
s. Before the species multiplied, it is believed that the ancestors of Magikarp were actually much stronger than the Magikarp seen today, and this belief has led scientists to research this species. Long-lived Magikarp are able to utilize their immense splashing power to leap high enough to jump mountains. Magikarp is found in many bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, and ponds. It is not a strong swimmer, and currents in the water will sweep it downstream. The concept of Magikarp evolving into Gyarados is based on the Chinese mythological tale of the carps leaping over the Dragon Gate. According to the legend, carps that leap over a legendary waterfall called the Dragon Gate are rewarded for their perseverance and transformed into dragons. In the Nintendo 64 game, ''
Pokémon Snap is a 1999 first-person photography game with rail shooter style gameplay mechanics developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was first released in Japan in March 1999 and was later released in July 1999 in No ...
'', the only way for the player to see a wild Gyarados is to knock a Magikarp into a waterfall, where it will evolve. In the first generation of Pokémon games, Magikarp can only learn 2 moves by level. The moves are Splash and Tackle, at levels 1 and 15, respectively. From generations 2 to 8, Magikarp can learn the aforementioned moves at those respective levels, plus the move Flail, at level 25. In some generations, Magikarp can learn Hydro Pump and Bounce, however, the method to learn these moves is not by leveling up. There are some Magikarp that have been awarded to players (either in-game or by events) that know a few moves other than the mentioned before, however, those are few specimens.


Appearances


In video games

In the video game series, Magikarp is seen commonly when fishing with an Old or Good Rod. In ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', and their remakes, an NPC will sell the player a Magikarp. In '' Pokémon Diamond and Pearl'', Magikarp appear flopping around in a dried-up lake. It has appeared in several Pokémon games later such as '' Pokémon Yellow'', ''
Pokémon Gold and Silver and are 1999 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. They are the first installments in the second generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series. They were released in Japan in ...
'', ''
Pokémon Crystal is a role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. It is the third version of second generation games after ''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'', and it is also the final ''Pokémon'' game to be ...
'', '' Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire'', ''
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and are 2004 remakes of the 1996 Game Boy role-playing video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''. They were developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' w ...
'', '' Pokémon Emerald'', '' Pokémon Platinum'', '' Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver'', '' Pokémon Black and White'', ''
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 and are 2012 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. Part of the fifth generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series, the games are direct sequels to ''Pok� ...
'', ''
Pokémon X and Y and are 2013 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They are the first installments in the sixth generation of the main ''Pokémon'' video game series. First ...
'', ''
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and are 2014 remakes of the 2002 Game Boy Advance role-playing video games ''Pokémon Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'', also including features from '' Pokémon Emerald''. The games are part of the sixth generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game s ...
'', ''
Pokémon Sun and Moon and are 2016 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They are the first installments in the seventh generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon ...
'', ''
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and are 2017 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. Part of the seventh generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' video game series, the gam ...
'', '' Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!'', ''
Pokémon Sword and Shield and are 2019 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. They are the first installments in the eighth generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series ...
'', and '' Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl''. Outside of the main series, in '' Pokémon Stadium'', Magikarp featured in its own mini-game called "Magikarp Splash", in which players must Splash high enough to hit the button at the top of the screen as many times as it can. It also appeared in ''
Pokémon Snap is a 1999 first-person photography game with rail shooter style gameplay mechanics developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was first released in Japan in March 1999 and was later released in July 1999 in No ...
'', '' Pokémon Pinball'', '' Pokémon Channel'', ''Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire'', ''
Pokémon Trozei! is a Pokémon-themed puzzle video game for the Nintendo DS published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. It was released in Japan on October 20, 2005, in North America on March 6, 2006, in Australia on April 28, 2006, and in Europe on May 5, ...
'', '' Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team'', '' Pokémon Ranger'', '' Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness'', ''Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky'', '' Pokémon Rumble'', '' PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure'', '' Pokémon Rumble Blast'', '' PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond'', '' Pokémon Conquest'' , '' Pokémon Rumble U'', '' Pokémon Battle Trozei'', '' Pokémon Shuffle'', '' Pokémon Rumble World'', '' Pokémon Picross'', and '' Pokémon Rumble Rush''. A mobile video game, called '' Pokémon: Magikarp Jump'', was announced in February 2017 under the title ''Splash! Magikarp'', and was released for
Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
and iOS on 25 May 2017. It also appears in ''
Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android ...
'' and '' New Pokémon Snap''.


In other media

In the anime, Magikarp has appeared several times, most notably as the subject of a running gag in which a salesman attempts to trick Team Rocket into buying Magikarp in various guises, the first one being in ''Battle Aboard the St. Anne''. In ''The Joy of Pokémon'', a Nurse Joy from the Orange Islands befriended a giant Magikarp that saved her as a child. It evolved into an equally large Gyarados, but it remained friendly, which happens rarely. In ''The Wacky Watcher'',
Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
, Misty, and
Tracey Tracy, Tracey, or Tracie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tracy (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname, also encompassing spelling variations Places United States * Tracy, ...
help a Pokémon Watcher named Dr. Quackenpoker observe the
migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum l ...
and
evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
of a
school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compu ...
of Magikarp. Another, in ''Ya See We Want an Evolution'', was nicknamed the strongest Magikarp. This Magikarp was unique in that it was in fact able to battle very well, even knocking out Pikachu. An official music video of Magikarp was made called "I Love Magikarp", the song featured how weak Magikarp is. It appears also on Pokétoon ''Magikarp’s Journey''.


In film

Magikarp appears in ''
Detective Pikachu Detective Pikachu may refer to: * ''Detective Pikachu'' (video game), a video game for the Nintendo 3DS **''Detective Pikachu Returns'', sequel of ''Detective Pikachu'' for the Nintendo Switch * ''Detective Pikachu'' (film), a 2019 fantasy film ...
'' when
Pikachu is a fictional species in the ''Pokémon'' media franchise. Designed by Atsuko Nishida and Ken Sugimori, Pikachu first appeared in the 1996 Japanese video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' created by Game Freak and Nintendo, which w ...
throws Magikarp and immediately evolved into Gyarados as it battles with Charizard.


Reception

''
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'' described it as "the ultimate in terms of being the strongest Pokémon", though noted its evolution Gyarados as one of the "biggest" characters in the series. IGN called it "possibly the most docile, unassuming, and weak of all the monsters in the Pokémon world" and further described it as serving "solely as
comic relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
", until its evolution into Gyarados. IGN criticized Magikarp as the "worst Pokémon ever", citing its low statistics and inability to learn moves from Technical or Hidden Machines, calling it a "Water wussymon." An ''IGN'' guide jokingly noted a trainer in '' Pokémon Platinum'' as having the "best team among those in the area" due to having six Magikarps, five of which are unable to attack. Steven Bogos of '' The Escapist'' listed Magikarp as 61st of their favorite Pokemon, stating that one of the most useless Pokemon, that if you can manage to level up, turns into one of the most bad-ass: Gyarados. The book ''Gaming Cultures and Place in Asia-Pacific'' cited it as an "example of a common recurring and weak element" in the games, whose presence rather than function was to "emphasize the exclusivity and strength of other, rarer creatures for players to find". Loredana Lipperini, author of the book ''Generazione Pokémon: i bambini e l'invasione planetaria dei nuovi'', described it as "innocuous-looking." Stephen Totilo of ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
''also gave criticism to Magikarp, commenting that the using it as his character in '' Pokémon Rumble'' made him learn the "hard way" that he "couldn't have had a worse idea." The
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
's Good Game has praised '' PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure'' for its faithfulness to various Pokémon's abilities; while Torterra and Hitmontop were described as using Razor Leaf and Rapid Spin, they merely described Magikarp's actions as just "being Magikarp." In ''
Pokémon Sword and Shield and are 2019 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. They are the first installments in the eighth generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series ...
'', Magikarp was one of the most hated Pokémon due to some players using Magikarp during the game's multiplayer raids. The website Bright Side of the Sun used an analogy involving Magikarp, commenting that the words "defense" and "rebounding" were "tossed around" more by their coach to them than "a Magikarp card at a Pokémon convention in 1997." Patricia Hernandez of ''Kotaku'' said that Magikarp is the best ''
Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android ...
'' buddy. Shane Redding of ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' ranked Magikarp as Generation 1 Pokémon that make no sense. Kyle Hilliard of ''
GameInformer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' listed Magikarp as one of the pointless video game pets that we love. Gortexfogg of ''
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. History ...
'' claimed that Magikarp is the greatest Pokémon, stating that "because he entirely fails at being a Pokémon. He is just a fish, a simple carp. It is that irony that sets him apart as the greatest." Khee Hoon Chan of ''
Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
'' noted that while players who dislike Magikarp, He had to defend it due to still how useful the Pokemon is, and stating that "It's existence is still a labor of love, one that has turned into a legacy. It even inspired a song." A variety of merchandise depicting Magikarp have been produced such as Poké lids, Toys, Plush, 18k luxurious gold and silver necklaces, and the
Pokémon Trading Card Game The , abbreviated as ''PTCG'' or ''Pokémon TCG'', is a collectible card game developed by Creatures Inc. based on the ''Pokémon'' franchise. It was first published in October 1996 by Media Factory in Japan. In the US, it was first published ...
. Magikarp has been also cosplayed by a
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...
streamer to compete other hot tub streamers, and a baby on
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...
Comic book convention being deemed to be the cutest cosplay ever.


References


Further reading

*


External links


Magikarp on Bulbapedia

Magikarp on Pokemon.com

Webpage listing the moves Magikarp can learn on Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow
{{Pokémon directory Fictional fish Pokémon species Video game characters introduced in 1996 Video game characters with water abilities ca:Línia evolutiva de Magikarp#Magikarp es:Anexo:Pokémon de la primera generación#Magikarp pl:Lista Pokémonów (121-140)#Magikarp