Is Kabuto good in Pokemon GO?

Not for battle. Kabuto has no ranked PvP, raid or Max Battle role, so keep one for the Pokedex and transfer the rest.

Is Kabuto a good raid attacker?

Kabuto ranks #241 of 294 rock attackers with 6.4 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Can Kabuto be shiny in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Shiny Kabuto is available from egg, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.

Is Shadow Kabuto worth keeping?

Shadow Kabuto hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. It has no ranked role of its own, so treat it like a normal copy.

#140 · Generation 1

Kabuto

rock water

Max CP (L40 / L50): 1,370 / 1,549
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 783 / 979
Research CP (L15): 587
Buddy distance: 5 km
2nd charged move: 75,000 dust · 75 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Transfer

Transfer the extras

Kabuto has no job in PvP, raids, or Max Battles. Keep one for the Pokedex and any of the special variants below, and transfer the rest for candy.

Battle roles

–
Great Leagueshadow#566 of 1154 · score 73.1
Ranked #566 of 1154; not competitive in Great League.
–
Little Cup#82 of 168 · score 70.7
Ranked #82 of 168; not competitive in Little Cup.

Collection value

Can Dynamax: only copies caught in Max Battles can Dynamax, so keep at least one Max copy.
Shadow version exists: Shadows hit 20% harder and are worth a raid slot even with low IVs.

Tiers: S = meta-defining, A = strong, B = playable, C = niche. PvP from PvPoke overall rankings; raids from computed DPS/TDO within each attacking type; Max Battles from GO Hub tier lists.

Base stats

Attack148

Defense140

Stamina102

Base stats. Bars are scaled to the strongest Pokemon in the game.

Weak to

grass×2.56
electric×1.6
fighting×1.6
ground×1.6

Resists

fire×0.391
flying×0.625
ice×0.625
normal×0.625
poison×0.625

Evolution line

Kabuto
→50 candyKabutops

→ Kabutops: 50 candy

Check your Pokemon's IVs

Ranks all 4,096 spreads for each league

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PvP rankings (GO Battle League)

League	Tier	Rank	Score	Recommended moves	Typical build
Little Cup	–	#82 / 168	70.7	Mud Shot · Rock Tomb · Ancient Power	L14 · 4/14/11
Great League	–	#571 / 1154	73	Scratch · Aqua Jet · Rock Tomb	L49 · 13/15/13
Great LeagueShadow	–	#566 / 1154	73.1	Scratch · Aqua Jet · Rock Tomb	L49 · 13/15/13

Source: PvPoke overall rankings. Score is relative to the league meta (100 = best). Typical build is the IV spread PvPoke assumes.

Max Battles (Dynamax & Gigantamax)

Kabuto can Dynamax. Only copies caught in Max Battles (or from Max research) can enter Power Spot battles.

Max Moves

normalMax Strikefrom Scratch250 / 300 / 350 power
groundMax Quakefrom Mud Shot250 / 300 / 350 power
Max Guard+20 / +40 / +60 HP shield
Max Spiritheals 8 / 12 / 16% HP

Max Battle roles

Below the tier thresholds as a Max Battle attacker, tank, or healer.

Max Move power is per level 1 / 2 / 3; levels are unlocked with Max Particles and Candy. Tiers are computed from level-3 Max Move damage, Defence × HP and HP at level 40; thresholds on the guide page.

Raid attacker rankings

Attacking type	Tier	Rank	DPS	TDO	Best moves
waterShadow	–	#209 / 283	6.7	47	Scratch · Aqua Jet
water	–	#218 / 283	6.0	50	Scratch · Aqua Jet
rockShadow	–	#232 / 294	7.1	50	Scratch · Ancient Power
rock	–	#241 / 294	6.4	54	Scratch · Ancient Power

Level 40, 15/15/15, neutral target. DPS = damage per second, TDO = total damage output before fainting. Rank is among every Pokemon using that attacking type.

Moves

Fast move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	DPS	PvP power	PvP energy	Speed
Scratch	normal	6	+4	0.5s	12.0	3	+4	1 turn
Mud Shot	ground	4	+6	0.5s	8.0	3	+9	2 turns

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy	Effects
Ancient PowerSTAB	rock	70	-33	3.5s	2.12	60	-45	10% chance: +1 own Atk, +1 own Def
Aqua JetSTAB	water	45	-33	2.5s	1.36	70	-40
Rock TombSTAB	rock	65	-50	3.0s	1.30	75	-50	100% chance: -1 foe Atk

Questions people ask

Is Kabuto good in Pokemon GO?: Not for battle. Kabuto has no ranked PvP, raid or Max Battle role, so keep one for the Pokedex and transfer the rest.
Should I keep or transfer Kabuto?: Kabuto has no job in PvP, raids, or Max Battles. Keep one for the Pokedex and any of the special variants below, and transfer the rest for candy.
Is Kabuto a good raid attacker?: Kabuto ranks #241 of 294 rock attackers with 6.4 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Can Kabuto be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Kabuto is available from egg, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Kabuto worth keeping?: Shadow Kabuto hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. It has no ranked role of its own, so treat it like a normal copy.

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