Gyarados
Water
Best attacking moveset: Waterfall and Hydro Pump, worth 12.3 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Gyarados can learn 24 combinations. Waterfall with Hydro Pump does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bite | Dark | 6 | 0.5s | +4 |
| Dragon Breath | Dragon | 6 | 0.5s | +4 |
| Waterfall | Water | 13 | 1.0s | +7 |
| Dragon Tail Legacy | Dragon | 14 | 1.0s | +8 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crunch | Dark | 65 | 3.0s | -33 |
| Hydro Pump | Water | 135 | 3.5s | -100 |
| Outrage | Dragon | 110 | 4.0s | -50 |
| Twister | Dragon | 50 | 3.0s | -33 |
| Aqua Tail Legacy | Water | 50 | 2.0s | -33 |
| Dragon Pulse Legacy | Dragon | 90 | 3.5s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Gyarados has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Other forms
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 3,834 at level 50, 3,391 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,937 CP at level 20, or 2,422 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,855 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 237 attack · 186 defense · 216 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 1 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 1,000 Stardust and 1 Candy |
| Size | 6.5 m and 235 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Gyarados does not have one best moveset, it has 4. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Ground, Rock, Fire.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 19.3 |
| Rock | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 19.3 |
| Fire | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 19.3 |
| Dragon | Dragon Tail + Outrage | 17.5 |
| Ghost | Bite + Crunch | 15.1 |
| Psychic | Bite + Crunch | 15.1 |
| Normal | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 |
| Fighting | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 |
| Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 | |
| Poison | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 |
| Bug | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 |
| Steel | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 |
| Electric | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 |
| Ice | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 |
| Dark | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 |
| Fairy | Waterfall + Hydro Pump | 12.3 |
| Water | Bite + Outrage | 10.8 |
| Grass | Bite + Outrage | 10.8 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Gyarados is actually for.
Counters: what beats Gyarados
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Regieleki | Electric | Lock On + Thunder Cage Legacy | 54.0 |
 Zeraora | Electric | Volt Switch + Plasma Fists | 47.1 |
 Zekrom | DragonElectric | Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt Legacy | 46.0 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Discharge | 45.5 |
 Deoxys | Psychic | Charge Beam + Thunderbolt | 39.6 |
 Electivire | Electric | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 39.4 |
 Raikou | Electric | Volt Switch + Wild Charge | 38.3 |
 Zapdos | Electric | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon Legacy | 37.9 |
 Magnezone | ElectricSteel | Volt Switch + Wild Charge | 37.9 |
 Pawmot | ElectricFighting | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 36.9 |
Ranked by damage per second against Gyarados's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.