Pokémon Of The Day

The Pokémon of April 30th, 2025 is…

#99 Kingler

“Kingler (Japanese: キングラー Kingler) is a Water-type Pokémon introduced in Generation I.

It evolves from Krabby starting at level 28.

Kingler can Gigantamax into Gigantamax Kingler if it has the Gigantamax Factor.

Kingler is a crustacean Pokémon resembling a crab. Its strong shell covers the outside of its body, featuring a red upper half and a light tan lower half. Its upper half is topped with six tall, thin spikes that resemble a crown. Its light tan arms are also connected to its upper body. Its lower half doubles as its jaw with six fangs overlapping its upper body. Its two outer fangs are much larger than the inner four and are roughly half as tall as Kingler’s entire body. Its hips visibly protrude from its lower body and connect to its four long, thin legs. Each leg has a single, claw-like foot. Kingler’s main features are its orange pincers. Its left claw is roughly twice as large as the other and is as hard as steel.

Kingler is often found on the edges of water, usually the ocean. Its powerful claws have 10,000 horsepower and are capable of prying open the shells of Shellder and Cloyster. While Kingler’s large, left claw is its main tool for offensive maneuvers, it is so large and heavy that Kingler can barely lift it. It causes balancing problems and Kingler may quickly become fatigued from continuous use. However, it has been shown to communicate with other Kingler by waving its pincers around.

Prior to Generation III, Kingler and its pre-evolved form, Krabby, were the only known Pokémon capable of learning the move Crabhammer.

Kingler appears to be very similar to a fiddler crab or a terrestrial crab of the genus Cardisoma, which usually have one claw larger than the other. Crabs from the Eriphioidea family also share this trait, with one of its members, Pseudocarcinus gigas, being one of the largest crab species in the world. It may also draw inspiration from pliers and hammers. Conceptually, its crown of spikes and its name may allude to the king crab.

Its Gigantamax form may be based on Japanese spider crabs with a bubble beard, which may be a reference to the fact that crabs blow bubbles to keep oxygen flowing to the gills when they are out of the water. It also resembles a bearded king.”-Bulbapedia.