Malamar
Malamar is a Dark/Psychic-type Pokémon, the Overturning Pokémon, number 687 (#0687) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 6 and comes from the Kalos region. It is 1.5 m tall and weighs 47 kg.
Malamar is the Overturning Pokémon, an upside-down squid whose hypnotic powers, the Pokédex claims, beat those of every other Pokémon. Its glowing patterns can make people do whatever it wants.
How to pronounce Malamar
Malamar is pronounced MAL-uh-mar. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Malamar said out loud:
In Japanese it is カラマネロ (Calamanero).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Malamar is an amphibious squid that looks like it is the wrong way up: purple tentacles crown its bluish-purple head, and below them a dark purple body carries six round yellow lights inside a transparent mantle. Two white fins work as legs, and a long arm on each side ends in a scythe-like fin that the Pokédex says is supremely sharp. It is 1.5 m tall and weighs 47 kg.
Behaviour
Malamar hypnotises by flashing its lights, lures prey close, wraps it in its tentacles and finishes it with digestive fluids. The Pokédex says people under its control lose their memories of the event, and that its hypnosis has been used for nefarious deeds and played a part in certain history-changing events.
Habitat
The Pokédex gives no habitat, but the anime and the Trading Card Game show it near or under water. In Scarlet and Violet it arrives with The Indigo Disk, by evolving Inkay, in fixed encounters in the Canyon and Coastal Biomes, and in 5-star and 6-star Tera Raids. In Legends: Z-A it is found in Wild Zone 20 and, with the Mega Dimension DLC, Hyperspace Lumiose.
Powers
Malamar has Contrary, which inverts stat changes, so Superpower raises its Attack and Defense instead of lowering them; Suction Cups and the hidden Infiltrator are its other Abilities. It slashes with Night Slash and hits dirty with Foul Play, and with 92 base Attack it is a bulky physical attacker. Mega Malamar, from Legends: Z-A, stays Dark and Psychic with Contrary as its only Ability. Per the official Z-A site, via Bulbapedia, its body shimmers with rainbow light that boosts its hypnosis, and its haughty nature treats even Trainers as pawns. It stands 2.9 m tall with 120 base Special Defense.
Name origin
Malamar may combine the prefix mal- (bad) and calamari. The Japanese name is Calamanero (カラマネロ), possibly from the Italian calamaro (squid) and nero (black), or from karamasu (to entangle) and ma (demon).
Design inspiration
Hitoshi Ariga designed Malamar and Inkay, and has said the upside-down pose was inspired by squid being commonly drawn upside down in picture books. He has also hinted that its mind-controlling look may nod to the extraterrestrial supervillains of tokusatsu shows. Its hypnosis appears to reference how cuttlefish mesmerise prey with changing colours. These are fan readings.
Evolution notes
Malamar evolves from Inkay at level 30 or above when levelled up with the console held upside down.
In the games
Malamar gained a Mega Evolution in Legends: Z-A after first appearing in X and Y, and it was missing from the base Scarlet and Violet games until The Indigo Disk.
In the anime
Evil Malamar plotted world conquest in 'A Conspiracy to Conquer!', where one hypnotised an Officer Jenny to pose as 'Madame X', and again in 'Facing the Grand Design!', before escaping into the future with a machine. Xerosic's Malamar then faced Clemont's Pokémon in 'The Right Hero for the Right Job!'.
Fun facts
- A 'My Friend Malamar' campaign ran from 4 to 10 September 2025 and ended by unveiling Mega Malamar.
- Mega Malamar's base stat total of 582 is shared by no other Pokémon.
- In the anime it swims legs first, pushing itself along with its tentacles.
Base stats
- HP: 86
- Attack: 92
- Defense: 88
- Sp. Atk: 68
- Sp. Def: 75
- Speed: 73
Malamar’s base stat total is 482. Its highest stat is Attack.
Type matchups
What is Malamar weak to?
Malamar takes extra damage from Bug (4×), Fairy (2×) moves.
It is immune to Psychic moves.
Evolution
What does Malamar evolve from?
Malamar evolves from Inkay at level 30 (holding the console upside down).
Malamar is the final stage of its evolution family.
The whole family: Inkay, Malamar.
Forms
- Mega Malamar (Mega): Dark/Psychic-type, base stat total 582 (HP 86, Attack 102, Defense 88, Sp. Atk 98, Sp. Def 120, Speed 88). Ability: Contrary.
Abilities
- Contrary: Inverts stat changes.
- Suction Cups: Prevents being forced out of battle by other Pokémon's moves.
- Infiltrator (hidden ability): Bypasses Light Screen, Reflect, and Safeguard.
Moves
Moves Malamar learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tackle | Normal | Physical | 40 |
| 1 | Wrap | Normal | Physical | 15 |
| 1 | Peck | Flying | Physical | 35 |
| 1 | Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — |
| 1 | Reversal | Fighting | Physical | — |
| 9 | Payback | Dark | Physical | 50 |
| 12 | Pluck | Flying | Physical | 60 |
| 15 | Psybeam | Psychic | Special | 65 |
| 18 | Swagger | Normal | Status | — |
| 21 | Slash | Normal | Physical | 70 |
| 24 | Night Slash | Dark | Physical | 70 |
| 27 | Psycho Cut | Psychic | Physical | 70 |
| 33 | Switcheroo | Dark | Status | — |
| 37 | Foul Play | Dark | Physical | 95 |
| 42 | Topsy-Turvy | Dark | Status | — |
| 47 | Superpower | Fighting | Physical | 120 |
TM moves (49)
Malamar can learn 49 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Fake Tears, Scary Face, Protect, Psybeam, Thief, Trailblaze, Facade, Aerial Ace, Swift, Stored Power, Fling, Endure, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Psyshock, Foul Play, Sleep Talk, Reflect, Light Screen, Rest, Rock Slide, Taunt, Dark Pulse, Skill Swap, Substitute, Trick, Liquidation, Psychic, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind, Helping Hand, Baton Pass, Reversal, Nasty Plot, Giga Impact, Trick Room, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Spite, Gravity, Knock Off, Lunge, Lash Out, Psych Up, Future Sight, Expanding Force, Throat Chop, Psychic Noise.
Egg moves (3):Acupressure, Destiny Bond, Disable.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
- Egg groups: Water 1, Water 2.
- Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
- Catch rate: 80 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: 169.
Pokédex entries
It's said that Malamar's hypnotic powers played a role in certain history-changing events. (Shield)
Gazing at its luminescent spots will quickly induce a hypnotic state, putting the observer under Malamar's control. (Sword)
It flashes the pattern on its torso to control its prey and draw them in. The edges of its fins are supremely sharp. (Ultra Moon)
When it comes to strong hypnosis, there's an endless number of people who utilize Malamar for their nefarious deeds. (Ultra Sun)
It lures its prey close with hypnotic motions, then wraps its tentacles around it before finishing it off with digestive fluids. (Y, Alpha Sapphire)
It wields the most compelling hypnotic powers of any Pokémon, and it forces others to do whatever it wants. (X, Omega Ruby)
Names around the world
| Japanese | カラマネロ |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Calamanero |
| French | Sepiatroce |
| German | Calamanero |
| Spanish | Malamar |
| Italian | Malamar |
| Korean | 칼라마네로 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 乌贼王 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 烏賊王 |
Trivia
- Heaviest Psychic type in Gen 6: 47 kg.
- Tallest Psychic type in Gen 6: 1.5 m, shared with 1 other.
- Highest HP among Psychic types in Gen 6: 86.
- Highest Defense among Psychic types in Gen 6: 88.
- Taller than 72% of all Pokémon (1.5 m).
- Heavier than 65% of all Pokémon (47 kg).
- Base stat total 482, ranked #401 of 1,025.
- One of 2 Pokémon that are both Dark and Psychic.
- One of 170 blue Pokémon.
- Number 38 of 72 Pokémon introduced in Generation 6 (Kalos).
- Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
- Can learn 65 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 80: about 10.5% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Has 1 alternate form.
- Appears in 6 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: Malamar (Pokémon), Serebii: Malamar (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (MAL-uh-mar): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.
Last checked: . Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.
Explore
Dark-type Pokémon · Psychic-type Pokémon · Dark/Psychic weaknesses and matchups · Kalos region guide · Contrary ability · Suction Cups ability · Infiltrator ability · Compare Malamar · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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Gen 6 Dark-type Pokémon · Gen 6 Psychic-type Pokémon · Gen 6 Pokémon list · Blue Pokémon list · Water 1 egg group · Water 2 egg group · Pokémon that start with M · Octopus and Squid Pokémon