#0098 · Kanto · Generation 1

Krabby

River Crab Pokémon · Water-type

Krabby is a Water-type Pokémon, the River Crab Pokémon, number 98 (#0098) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 1 and comes from the Kanto region. It is 0.4 m tall and weighs 6.5 kg.

Krabby is the River Crab Pokémon, though the Pokédex finds it on beaches, where it blows a screen of bubbles to look bigger than it really is. If it loses a pincer, a new one grows back.

How to pronounce Krabby

Krabby is pronounced KRAB-ee. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Krabby said out loud:

In Japanese it is クラブ (Crab).

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Krabby is a small crab, 0.4 m tall and 6.5 kg, with a red upper body, two small head spikes and a tan lower body that doubles as a jaw with two fangs. Its four long, thin legs end in single claws. Its two big red pincers are both weapons and balance aids for walking sideways, and the Pokédex says they break off easily but grow back fast.

Behaviour

Krabby digs burrows in sandy beaches, and the Pokédex says it squabbles with its neighbours over territory when food is scarce. If it senses danger it cloaks itself in bubbles from its mouth. In the anime it keeps to itself but defends itself quickly when provoked.

Habitat

It lives at the water's edge, mostly on salt-water shores and occasionally near fresh water, burrowed into the sand. It is not available in Scarlet and Violet or Legends: Z-A.

Diet

The Pokédex says that when it cannot find food, it swallows a mouthful of sand to absorb the nutrients in it.

Powers

Hyper Cutter stops its Attack being lowered, Shell Armor blocks critical hits, and the hidden Sheer Force strengthens moves with side effects. It hits with Crabhammer, Liquidation and X-Scissor and can learn Swords Dance and the one-hit Guillotine. Its base Attack is a strong 105, but with 30 HP and 25 in both special stats it is brittle.

Name origin

Krabby may combine 'crab' and 'crabby', meaning grouchy. Its Japanese name is Crab (クラブ), which is literally the English word.

Design inspiration

Krabby looks like an ordinary crab, perhaps a samurai crab or a sand bubbler crab. These are fan readings.

Evolution notes

Krabby evolves into Kingler at level 28.

In the games

A shoreline catch since Generation I, Krabby turns up around Galar's lakes and the Isle of Armor in Sword and Shield, and on Routes 10, 12 and 13 in the Let's Go games. In Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, a beach Krabby tells the player about bottles with mail inside.

In the anime

Gary's unusually large Krabby marked the species' debut in 'Mystery at the Lighthouse', and Ash caught another in the same episode; it waited at Professor Oak's lab until the Indigo Plateau Conference. Goh caught one on Cero Island in 'Getting More Than You Battled For!'.

Fun facts

• The Silver and SoulSilver Pokédex says that a Krabby that loses a pincer somehow becomes unable to walk sideways.
• Before Generation III, only Krabby and its evolution Kingler were known to learn Crabhammer.
• In 'Keeping Your Eyes on the Ball!', a caddy uses a live Krabby as a golf club in Pokémon Golf.
• A Shiny Krabby was given away online for Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! between 4 October 2019 and 3 February 2020.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Krabby (Pokémon) · Serebii: Krabby (Sword/Shield Pokédex; no Scarlet/Violet page)

Base stats

• HP: 30
• Attack: 105
• Defense: 90
• Sp. Atk: 25
• Sp. Def: 25
• Speed: 50

Krabby’s base stat total is 325. Its highest stat is Attack.

Type matchups

What is Krabby weak to?

Krabby takes extra damage from Electric (2×), Grass (2×) moves.

It resists Fire (½×), Water (½×), Ice (½×), Steel (½×).

Evolution

How does Krabby evolve?

Krabby evolves into Kingler at level 28.

The whole family: Krabby, Kingler.

Abilities

• Hyper Cutter: Prevents Attack from being lowered by other Pokémon.
• Shell Armor: Protects against critical hits.
• Sheer Force (hidden ability): Strengthens moves with extra effects to 1.3× their power, but prevents their extra effects.

Moves

Moves Krabby learns by level up in Sword / Shield

TM moves (37)

Krabby can learn 37 moves from TMs in Sword / Shield: Dig, Rest, Rock Slide, Thief, Snore, Protect, Icy Wind, Attract, Rain Dance, Hail, Whirlpool, Facade, Brick Break, Dive, Rock Tomb, Mud Shot, Brine, Fling, Round, Razor Shell, False Swipe, Swords Dance, Body Slam, Surf, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Agility, Amnesia, Substitute, Endure, Sleep Talk, Superpower, Iron Defense, X-Scissor, Ally Switch, Scald, Liquidation.

Egg moves (5):Ancient Power, Hammer Arm, Knock Off, Night Slash, Slash.

Breeding & training

• Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
• Egg groups: Water 3.
• Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
• Catch rate: 225 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
• Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 1 Attack effort value.
• Base experience yield: 65.

Pokédex entries

If it senses danger approaching, it cloaks itself with bubbles from its mouth so it will look bigger. (Gold, HeartGold, X, Shield)

It can be found near the sea. The large pincers grow back if they are torn out of their sockets. (FireRed, Y, Sword)

Its pincers are superb weapons. They sometimes break off during battle, but they grow back fast. (Yellow, Let’s Go, Pikachu!, Let’s Go, Eevee!)

Krabby live on beaches, burrowed inside holes dug into the sand. On sandy beaches with little in the way of food, these Pokémon can be seen squabbling with each other over territory. (Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire)

It lives in burrows dug on sandy beaches. Its pincers fully grow back if they are broken in battle. (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Black, White, Black 2, White 2)

The pincers break off easily. If it loses a pincer, it somehow becomes incapable of walking sideways. (Silver, SoulSilver)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Taller than 11% of all Pokémon (0.4 m).
• Heavier than 19% of all Pokémon (6.5 kg).
• Base stat total 325, ranked #761 of 1,025.
• One of 154 Water-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
• One of 97 red Pokémon.
• Number 98 of 151 Pokémon introduced in Generation 1 (Kanto).
• Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
• Can learn 52 different moves in Sword / Shield.
• Catch rate 225: about 29.4% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 9 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: Krabby (Pokémon), Serebii: Krabby (Sword/Shield Pokédex; no Scarlet/Violet page).
• Pronunciation (KRAB-ee): 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

Water-type Pokémon · Kanto region guide · Hyper Cutter ability · Shell Armor ability · Sheer Force ability · Compare Krabby · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

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

← Hypno | Kingler →