#0983 · Paldea · Generation 9

Kingambit

Big Blade Pokémon · Dark/Steel-type

Kingambit is a Dark/Steel-type Pokémon, the Big Blade Pokémon, number 983 (#0983) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 9 and comes from the Paldea region. It is 2 m tall and weighs 120 kg.

Kingambit is the Big Blade Pokémon, the general of a whole army of Bisharp and Pawniard, and only the Bisharp that stands above all others can become one. For all that power, the Pokédex says it is no strategist and wins by brute force.

How to pronounce Kingambit

Kingambit is pronounced kin-GAM-bit. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Kingambit said out loud:

In Japanese it is ドドゲザン (Dodogezan).

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Kingambit is 2 m tall and 120 kg, a samurai-like figure in red and black with gold trim. Its head blade has swollen into a huge machete shape, two blade-like moustaches sit above its mouth, and long, curved, metallic hair shields its back. Bulbapedia says the hair is sturdy enough to sit or ride on.

Behaviour

Kingambit commands a massive army of Pawniard and Bisharp and has a battle-hungry temper, pressing on until it gets what it wants. The Pokédex says it is not skilled at complex strategies and simply keeps pushing with brute strength.

Habitat

The Pokédex gives no natural habitat, only that it leads armies. In Scarlet and Violet it appears in Tera Raids and, with The Teal Mask, in Timeless Woods.

Powers

Its Ability Supreme Overlord boosts Attack and Special Attack for each party member that has fainted, and Defiant raises Attack sharply when its stats are lowered; Pressure is hidden. Its signature move is Kowtow Cleave, a slash after a kowtow that never misses. With base Attack 135 and Defense 120 but Speed of only 50, it is a slow, heavy bruiser.

Name origin

Kingambit may combine 'king' and 'gambit', both chess terms, as in the King's Gambit opening, and may also draw on the karambit, a curved knife. The Japanese name is Dodogezan (ドドゲザン), which may blend do ('very much'), dogeza (a bow with the forehead to the floor) and zan (slash); Dogezan is also the Japanese name of Kowtow Cleave.

Design inspiration

Bulbapedia sees a shogun or daimyo leading a samurai army in Kingambit, and its red colouring and blade moustache recall the armour of Takeda Shingen. These are fan readings.

Evolution notes

Kingambit evolves from Bisharp, which must first defeat three leader Bisharp, the ones carrying a Leader's Crest, and then level up. It does not evolve further.

In the games

A Bisharp becomes Kingambit in Scarlet and Violet, where it debuted, after beating leader Bisharp, and it also appears in 5-star and 6-star Tera Raids. Bulbapedia lists it as unobtainable in Legends: Z-A.

In the anime

Kingambit debuted in 'Food Fit for a Kingambit!', where Mokichi's Kingambit serves as the Anything Goes Café's mascot.

Fun facts

• According to Bulbapedia, no other known Pokémon can learn Kowtow Cleave or have the Ability Supreme Overlord, and the game data agrees.
• Its base HP of 100 and Attack of 135 are the highest HP and Attack of any Steel type introduced in Generation IX.
• No other Pokémon shares the Dark and Steel type pairing of Kingambit and its pre-evolutions, and those are the two types introduced in Generation II.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Kingambit (Pokémon) · Serebii: Kingambit (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex)

Base stats

• HP: 100
• Attack: 135
• Defense: 120
• Sp. Atk: 60
• Sp. Def: 85
• Speed: 50

Kingambit’s base stat total is 550. Its highest stat is Attack.

Type matchups

What is Kingambit weak to?

Kingambit takes extra damage from Fighting (4×), Fire (2×), Ground (2×) moves.

It resists Normal (½×), Grass (½×), Ice (½×), Flying (½×), Rock (½×), Ghost (½×), Dragon (½×), Dark (½×), Steel (½×).

It is immune to Poison, Psychic moves.

Evolution

What does Kingambit evolve from?

Kingambit evolves from Bisharp (Defeat 3 leader Bisharp). The 3 Bisharp you beat must be holding a Leader's Crest. Then level up.

Kingambit is the final stage of its evolution family.

The whole family: Pawniard, Bisharp, Kingambit.

• Pawniard evolves into Bisharp at level 52.

Abilities

• Defiant: Raises Attack two stages upon having any stat lowered.
• Supreme Overlord: Attack and Special Attack are boosted for each party Pokémon that has been defeated.
• Pressure (hidden ability): Increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.

Moves

Moves Kingambit learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet

“Evo” means Kingambit learns the move the moment it evolves: Kowtow Cleave.

TM moves (47)

Kingambit can learn 47 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Scary Face, Protect, Low Kick, Thief, Facade, Aerial Ace, Snarl, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Low Sweep, Fling, Endure, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Dig, False Swipe, Brick Break, Zen Headbutt, Shadow Claw, Foul Play, Air Slash, Sleep Talk, Grass Knot, Thunder Wave, Poison Jab, Rest, Taunt, Swords Dance, Flash Cannon, Dark Pulse, Iron Head, Substitute, Iron Defense, X-Scissor, Stealth Rock, Reversal, Stone Edge, Giga Impact, Focus Blast, Hyper Beam, Steel Beam, Tera Blast, Spite, Lash Out, Throat Chop, Metal Sound.

Egg moves (4), which Pawniard can hatch knowing:Headbutt, Mean Look, Quick Guard, Sucker Punch.

Breeding & training

• Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
• Egg groups: Human-Like.
• Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
• Catch rate: 25 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
• Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 3 Attack effort values.
• Base experience yield: 275.

Pokédex entries

Though it commands a massive army in battle, it's not skilled at devising complex strategies. It just uses brute strength to keep pushing. (Violet)

Only a Bisharp that stands above all others in its vast army can evolve into Kingambit. (Scarlet)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Highest HP among Steel types in Gen 9: 100.
• Highest Attack among Steel types in Gen 9: 135.
• Taller than 87% of all Pokémon (2 m).
• Heavier than 86% of all Pokémon (120 kg).
• Base stat total 550, ranked #129 of 1,025.
• Its best stat is Attack, ranked #23 of 1,025.
• One of 3 Pokémon that are both Dark and Steel.
• One of 51 black Pokémon.
• Number 78 of 120 Pokémon introduced in Generation 9 (Paldea).
• Part of an evolution family of 3 Pokémon.
• Can learn 62 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
• Catch rate 25: about 3.3% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 2 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: Kingambit (Pokémon), Serebii: Kingambit (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
• Pronunciation (kin-GAM-bit): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Dark-type Pokémon · Steel-type Pokémon · Dark/Steel weaknesses and matchups · Kingambit vs Bisharp · Paldea region guide · Defiant ability · Supreme Overlord ability · Pressure ability · Compare Kingambit · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

Gen 9 Dark-type Pokémon · Gen 9 Steel-type Pokémon · Gen 9 Pokémon list · Black Pokémon list · Human-Like egg group · Pokémon that start with K

← Dudunsparce | Great Tusk →