#0141 · Kanto · Generation 1 · fossil

Kabutops

Shellfish Pokémon · Rock/Water-type

Kabutops is a Rock/Water-type Pokémon, the Shellfish Pokémon, number 141 (#0141) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 1 and comes from the Kanto region. It is 1.3 m tall and weighs 40.5 kg.

Kabutops is the Shellfish Pokémon in its hunting form, a Rock and Water type with scythes for hands that swam at roughly 29 knots (about 54 km/h). The Pokédex says it was already changing to live on land when it died out.

How to pronounce Kabutops

Kabutops is pronounced KAB-uh-tops. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Kabutops said out loud:

In Japanese it is カブトプス.

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Kabutops is 1.3 m tall and 40.5 kg. Bulbapedia describes a bipedal, skeletal-looking arthropod with a flat, half-circular head, a ridged back and a pointed tail, and large grey scythes where hands would be. The Pokédex says it tucked in its limbs to swim, and that changes in its gills and legs show it was apparently becoming a land dweller.

Behaviour

The Pokédex calls Kabutops an aggressive hunter of warm seas. It sliced up its prey with its scythes, and the leftovers fed other Pokémon. One entry thinks it came ashore because its prey had adapted to life on land.

Habitat

The Pokédex places it in warm seas, and its habitat category is Sea.

Diet

The Pokédex says it drank the body fluids of the prey it slashed.

Powers

Kabutops has the same Abilities as Kabuto: Swift Swim or Battle Armor, with Weak Armor hidden. Its scythes show in Slash and Night Slash, and it also learns Aqua Jet, Liquidation and Stone Edge, with Swords Dance and X-Scissor by TM. Base Attack 115 and Speed 80 make it a quick physical attacker.

Name origin

Kabutops may join kabutogani ('horseshoe crab') or kabuto ('helmet') with '-ops', a Greek-derived ending meaning 'face' that is common in names of ancient animals. The Japanese name is Kabutops (カブトプス).

Design inspiration

Kabutops appears to be based on the horseshoe crab and on eurypterids, or sea scorpions, ancient predators of seas and rivers. Bulbapedia notes the large head matches a trilobite's, though the scythes and hunting style look more like a eurypterid's.

Evolution notes

Kabutops evolves from Kabuto at level 40 and is the final stage.

In the games

Kabutops is the evolved form of the fossil-revived Kabuto, a line players have met since Generation I. It appears in the wild in Shield's Expansion Pass areas and in Max Raid Battles, but is unobtainable in Scarlet and Violet and in Legends: Z-A.

In the anime

A giant Kabutops revived from a fossil by Annie and Oakley chases Ash and Latias in the film 'Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias'. In 'Wild in the Streets!', a Kabutops escapes the Oreburgh Mining Museum with help from a rampaging Aerodactyl.

Fun facts

• Its scientific name, Kabutops maximus, is stated in 'Fossil Fools'. Bulbapedia notes that Oddish, as Oddium wanderus, is the only other Pokémon to get one.
• The radio drama The Birth of Mewtwo announces Kabutops as the oldest Pokémon discovered, unchanged for 2 million years, according to Bulbapedia.
• In Pokémon Origins, Red uses a Kabutops against Giovanni in the episode 'File 3: Giovanni'.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Kabutops (Pokémon) · Serebii: Kabutops (Sword/Shield Pokédex)

Base stats

• HP: 60
• Attack: 115
• Defense: 105
• Sp. Atk: 65
• Sp. Def: 70
• Speed: 80

Kabutops’s base stat total is 495. Its highest stat is Attack.

Type matchups

What is Kabutops weak to?

Kabutops takes extra damage from Grass (4×), Electric (2×), Fighting (2×), Ground (2×) moves.

It resists Fire (¼×), Normal (½×), Ice (½×), Poison (½×), Flying (½×).

Evolution

What does Kabutops evolve from?

Kabutops evolves from Kabuto at level 40.

Kabutops is the final stage of its evolution family.

The whole family: Kabuto, Kabutops.

Abilities

• Swift Swim: Doubles Speed during rain.
• Battle Armor: Protects against critical hits.
• Weak Armor (hidden ability): Raises Speed and lowers Defense by one stage each upon being hit by a physical move.

Moves

Moves Kabutops learns by level up in Sword / Shield

“Evo” means Kabutops learns the move the moment it evolves: Slash.

TM moves (48)

Kabutops can learn 48 moves from TMs in Sword / Shield: Mega Kick, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Dig, Screech, Rest, Rock Slide, Thief, Snore, Protect, Icy Wind, Giga Drain, Attract, Sandstorm, Rain Dance, Hail, Whirlpool, Facade, Brick Break, Dive, Rock Tomb, Mud Shot, Rock Blast, Brine, Psycho Cut, Cross Poison, Round, Razor Shell, Swords Dance, Body Slam, Hydro Pump, Surf, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Low Kick, Waterfall, Leech Life, Substitute, Endure, Sleep Talk, Superpower, Iron Defense, X-Scissor, Earth Power, Stone Edge, Stealth Rock, Scald, Liquidation.

Egg moves (8), which Kabuto can hatch knowing:Aurora Beam, Bubble Beam, Confuse Ray, Flail, Knock Off, Mega Drain, Rapid Spin, Take Down.

Move tutor moves (2): Flip Turn, Meteor Beam.

Breeding & training

• Gender: 87.5% male, 12.5% female.
• Egg groups: Water 1, Water 3.
• Egg cycles: 30 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 3,840).
• Catch rate: 45 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
• Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 2 Attack effort values.
• Base experience yield: 173.

Pokédex entries

The cause behind the extinction of this species is unknown. Kabutops were aggressive Pokémon that inhabited warm seas. (Shield)

Kabutops slices its prey apart and sucks out the fluids. The discarded body parts become food for other Pokémon. (Sword)

A slim and fast swimmer. It sliced its prey with its sharp sickles and drank the body fluids. (Let’s Go, Pikachu!, Let’s Go, Eevee!)

It swims at speeds of roughly 29 knots, quickly closing in on its prey and slashing into them with its scythes to finish them off. (Ultra Moon)

Its body had begun to change so it could function on land. But it didn't adapt in time and went extinct. (Ultra Sun)

Kabutops swam underwater to hunt for its prey in ancient times. The Pokémon was apparently evolving from being a water-dweller to living on land as evident from the beginnings of change in its gills and legs. (Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Taller than 64% of all Pokémon (1.3 m).
• Heavier than 62% of all Pokémon (40.5 kg).
• Base stat total 495, ranked #317 of 1,025.
• One of 11 Pokémon that are both Rock and Water.
• One of 147 brown Pokémon.
• Number 141 of 151 Pokémon introduced in Generation 1 (Kanto).
• Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
• Can learn 69 different moves in Sword / Shield.
• Catch rate 45: about 5.9% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 15 distinct Pokédex entries.

Sources and fact-checking

• Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
• Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Kabutops (Pokémon), Serebii: Kabutops (Sword/Shield Pokédex).
• Pronunciation (KAB-uh-tops): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 19 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Rock-type Pokémon · Water-type Pokémon · Rock/Water weaknesses and matchups · Kanto region guide · Swift Swim ability · Battle Armor ability · Weak Armor ability · Compare Kabutops · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

Gen 1 Rock-type Pokémon · Gen 1 Water-type Pokémon · Gen 1 Pokémon list · Brown Pokémon list · Water 1 egg group · Water 3 egg group · Pokémon that start with K · Crab and Crustacean Pokémon

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