Magikarp

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Magikarp
image:Art-Magikarp.png
National Pokédex
Tauros - Magikarp (#129) - Gyarados
Johto Pokédex
Politoed - Magikarp (#076) - Gyarados
Hoenn Pokédex
Seaking - Magikarp (#052) - Gyarados
Sinnoh Pokédex
Alakazam - Magikarp (#023) - Gyarados
Japanese name Koiking
Evolves from None
Evolves into Gyarados
Generation First
Species Fish Pokémon
Type Water
Height 2 ft 11 in (0.9 m)
Weight 22.0 lb (10.0 kg)
Ability Swift Swim

Magikarp (コイキング Koikingu?, Koiking in original Japanese language versions) are one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar[1] Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. The purpose of Magikarp in the games, anime, and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon—untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments—and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers.[2]

Their Japanese name, Koiking, is a combination of the words "koi" and "king". Nishikigoi, or koi for short, are domesticated carp that are kept primarily in outdoor ponds. The "king" part of its name comes from the golden colored dorsal fin shaped like a crown. This can also be noted as an influence of Magikarp's English name, as "Magi" means "king".

Contents

[edit] Biological characteristics

According to the Pokédex, Magikarp is a tough Pokémon that can withstand waters with high levels of toxicity. As shown in the Pokémon anime, Magikarp is difficult to eat, being only scale and bones; Team Rocket's Meowth tries to eat one and only ends up with broken teeth. However, it is also mentioned in the Pokédex that species such as Pidgeotto and Pidgeot prey upon Magikarp, possibly relying on their sharp beaks and talons to pierce its flesh.

The Pokédex also states that Magikarp used to be a much more powerful Pokémon in the past, but has grown weaker over time. They have very weak attacks; their primary attack does nothing whatsoever. It is so weak that it cannot even swim and is very easily washed about by ocean currents and tides. Because it is so weak, Magikarp tend to live at the bottom of the sea where there is less of a current. However, Magikarp will come up to a higher level to feed. They may jump high on certain occasions, but never more than seven feet.

[edit] In the video games

The only move all Magikarp know by nature is Splash, an attack which does nothing. At level 15, they learn Tackle, a weak attack learned naturally by many Pokémon. Since Pokémon Gold and Silver, Magikarp has also been able to learn the move Flail, an attack varying in power depending on how damaged the user is.

In Pokémon Red and Blue, as well as in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, a Magikarp salesman in the Pokémon Center outside of Mt. Moon will offer to sell the player a Magikarp. In every Pokemon game (except Ranger, Mystery Dungeon, Trozei and Dash) Magikarp can be obtained by using an old fishing rod in any body of water.

Magikarp are found in the Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap in all six of the game’s main courses. In the Valley Course in particular, a Magikarp can be hurled by a Mankey and then shot into a waterfall by a Pester Ball in order to evolve into a Gyarados.

In Pokémon Channel, Magikarp can be found by fishing at Secret Cove, along with many other Pokémon.

[edit] In the anime

In the Pokémon anime episode that takes place aboard the SS Anne, James of Team Rocket purchases a Magikarp in a gold-plated Poké Ball, thinking it to be very valuable and strong and that it would help him become rich by laying golden eggs. He is very surprised when he asks it to save them from drowning and it is incapable of doing anything except splash in the water. In the subsequent episode, Team Rocket and the main cast are starving on a raft and think about eating the Magikarp. After Meowth discovers it is just scales and bones, James angrily kicks it into the water, triggering its evolution into a very angry Gyarados.

In the episode "The Joy of Pokémon", a Nurse Joy befriends a humongous Magikarp that saved her life as a child. Later in the episode, the Magikarp evolves into an equally-oversized Gyarados to help her again.

In the episode "The Wacky Watcher", Ash, Misty, and Tracey help Quincy T. Quackenpoker, a Pokémon Watcher who happens to strongly resemble Groucho Marx, as he observes the migration and evolution of a group of Magikarp.

In "Pearls are a Spoink's Best Friend", James buys a Feebas from the Magikarp salesman, only to later find out that it is another Magikarp, painted to look like Feebas. He then promptly gets rid of the Magikarp and history repeats itself (see above). The Magikarp salesman, interestingly, is the same one who sold James his first Magikarp, which prompts James to chase the man for some time(the Salesman has been responsible for the release of James' Victreebel, among several other schemes).

In "Judgement Day", a minor character recalls a story where he fell into a river, and when he came out, he found a Gold Magikarp in his shirt, which he traded for a Charmeleon.

Team Rocket also has a Magikarp-shaped submarine that they use when they are traveling underwater. It was prominently used in the Orange Islands saga to travel between islands.

Magikarp makes an appearance in the Diamond and Pearl episode "The Strongest Magikarp and the Most Beautiful Feebas".

[edit] In the card game

Most versions of Magikarp have two different attacks. Common attacks include one that does 10 or 20 damage, and requires one or two Energy cards, respectively. For those attacks requiring just one Energy, this may or may not have to be a Water Energy.

Flail is another attack found on several cards. It does 10 damage times the number of damage counters on Magikarp(since Magikarp usually have only 30 HP, Flail only does 20 damage at most).

A number of Magikarp cards have an attack that lets the player find a card to evolve Magikarp in their deck. Not all of these lets the player evolve Magikarp instantly.

The most powerful attack found on a Magikarp card is one found on Giovanni's Magikarp, a card found in the Gym Challenge card set. The attack, called Ancestral Memory, does 40 damage with just a single Water Energy. However, the attack requires the player to flip a coin, and if he flips tails, the attack fails. Additionally, the attack can only be used once, unless the card is returned to the hand or the discard pile and returned to play from there.

Magikarp is one of the ten Pokémon that have been released as a Shining Pokémon. Shining Magikarp is found in Neo Revelations, along with Shining Gyarados. Shining Magikarp by itself allows you to draw more cards or search your deck for a Gyarados, Dark Gyarados or Shining Gyarados and put it on your hand. Its true strength, however, is not unleashed until it is evolved into Shining Gyarados, a powerful card with 100 HP and the ability to do up to 120 damage by using Outrage with 9 damage counters on it. These cards, however, are limited by the restriction of only being able to have one of each in the deck.

As of August 2005, all Magikarp cards have 30 HP. Forwards from that, there have been 4 copies of Magikarp, two of which are still legal. They are:

  • EX Dragon
  • EX Team Rocket Returns
  • EX Deoxys
  • EX Holon Phantoms (as Magikarp δ, Steel Type)

[edit] References

Publications
  • Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
  • Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed Version & Pokémon LeafGreen Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
  • Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5

[edit] External links

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