At 355 BST, Kabuto is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Kabutops before bringing it to any serious fight.

What is Kabuto weak to?

In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, Kabuto's biggest threats include Venusaur (Grass), Jolteon (Electric), and Hitmonlee (Fighting), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Venusaur is the most dangerous since Grass moves deal 4x damage. Ground-type attackers are also a problem.

What is the best ability for Kabuto?

Kabuto gets Swift Swim, Battle Armor, and Weak Armor. But Swift Swim is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

What role does Kabuto play in battle?

Kabuto is a physical attacker with base 80 Attack. Fragile, can't afford to take many hits, too. Speed tells the real story. At base 55 Speed, it won't be moving first often.

In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, For a casual playthrough, Kabuto works as a placeholder. Rock/Water coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Kabutops . That's where the stats start mattering.

Kabuto - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Balanced

DTier

55Speed · Slow

Stats & Training

Nothing fancy in Kabuto's spread. It leans physical with Defense out front. And you'll get 1 Defense EV per KO for it. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats

Avg

HP30

Attack80

Defense90

Sp. Atk55

Sp. Def45

Speed55

Total355

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging45 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Fast1M XP

Height0.5 m

Weight11.5 kg

Base XP71

Abilities

Swift Swim

Doubles Speed during rain.

Battle Armor

Protects against critical hits.

Weak ArmorHA

Raises Speed and lowers Defense by one stage each upon being hit by a physical move.

EV Yield

HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe

Defense training source

Pokedex Entries

A Pokémon that was recovered from a fossil. It used the eyes on its back while hiding on the seafloor.

Kabuto Weakness

Kabuto is weak to Grass, Electric, Fighting, and Ground. Watch out for Grass attacks, those deal 4x damage. The Rock/Water typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Kabuto's physical bulk (base 90 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Kabuto Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
4x (Critical)	Grass
2x (Weak)	Electric, Fighting, Ground
0.5x (Resist)	Normal, Ice, Poison, Flying
0.25x (Resist)	Fire

Type ChartVulnerable

4Weak

5Resist

0Immune

Score-4

4xCritical

Grass

2xWeak

Electric Fighting Ground

½xResist

Normal Ice Poison Flying

¼xResist

Fire

0xImmune

None

STAB (6)

Fire Ice Flying Bug Ground Rock

How to Beat Kabuto in Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee (Best Counters)

Hitmonlee Fighting	B
Obtain MethodSaffron City Gift Available Moves Moves High Jump KickLv. 45 Jump KickLv. 30 Brick BreakLv. 20 Rolling KickLv. 1 Damage vs Kabuto High Jump Kick 2x 179-211%KO Jump Kick 2x 140-166%KO Brick Break 2x 107-126%KO Rolling Kick 2x 85-100%KO View Hitmonlee builds →
Tangela Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Power WhipLv. 54 Vine WhipLv. 15 Mega DrainLv. 34 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Kabuto Power Whip 4x 184-217%KO Vine Whip 4x 72-86% Mega Drain 4x 165-194%KO Absorb 4x 87-103%KO View Tangela builds →
Parasect BugGrass	C
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 9 Damage vs Kabuto Absorb 4x 58-69% View Parasect builds →
Venusaur GrassPoison	C
Available Moves Moves Power WhipLv. 1 Petal DanceLv. 1 Razor LeafLv. 31 Vine WhipLv. 5 Damage vs Kabuto Power Whip 4x 243-286%KO Petal Dance 4x 480-566%KO Razor Leaf 4x 116-137%KO Vine Whip 4x 97-114%KO View Venusaur builds →
Rhydon GroundRock	C
Available Moves Moves EarthquakeLv. 54 Drill RunLv. 24 Damage vs Kabuto Earthquake 2x 150-177%KO Drill Run 2x 121-143%KO View Rhydon builds →

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee Evolution

Kabuto is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Kabutops. Check the evolution method below. A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are slow to hatch. Evolving adds up to 140 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#140Kabuto

Level 40

#141Kabutops

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Kabuto

RockWater

Kabutops

RockWater

60+30

ATK

115+35

DEF

105+15

SP.ATK

65+10

SP.DEF

70+25

SPE

80+25

BST

355D-Tier

495C-Tier+140

ROLE

Balanced

Wallbreaker

TYPE

Physical

Breeding is not available in this game

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee Kabuto Best Moveset

Best Build

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee uses different battle mechanics.

Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.

Moves

Most of Kabuto's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Surf and Scald, but Normal and Grass and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Scratch

—4010035Normal

Lv 6

Harden

D——30Normal

Lv 12

Leer

——10030Normal

Lv 18

Absorb

—4010025Grass

Lv 24

Aqua Jet+1

D4010020Water

Lv 30

Rock Throw

—509015Rock

Lv 36

Sand Attack

——10015Ground

Lv 42

Rock Slide

C759010Rock

Lv 48

Leech Life

C8010010Bug

TM Moves

TM51

Blizzard

D110705Ice

TM10

Dig

C8010010Ground

TM12

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM01

Headbutt

D7010015Normal

TM55

Ice Beam

D9010010Ice

TM53

Mega Drain

D7510015Grass

TM07

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM09

Reflect

C——20Psychic

TM05

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM22

Rock Slide

C759010Rock

TM29

Scald

C8010015Water

TM56

Stealth Rock

C——20Rock

TM08

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM47

Surf

C9010015Water

TM27

Toxic

C—9010Poison

TM25

Waterfall

C8010015Water

Egg Moves

Kabuto doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Kabuto can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Kabuto in Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee

Kabuto is handed to you at Cinnabar Island. No encounter rates or random spawns involved, so there's nothing to grind. Check the location details below for the exact conditions to trigger it.

Best Locations to Catch Kabuto in Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee

Cinnabar Island - Pokémon Lab

Let's Go PikachuGift from NPC Lv.44 Water

Late

Revive Dome Fossil

Cinnabar Island - Pokémon Lab

Let's Go EeveeGift from NPC Lv.44 Water

Late

Revive Dome Fossil

Kabuto Guide

At 355 BST, Kabuto is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Kabutops before bringing it to any serious fight.
In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, Kabuto's biggest threats include Venusaur (Grass), Jolteon (Electric), and Hitmonlee (Fighting), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Venusaur is the most dangerous since Grass moves deal 4x damage. Ground-type attackers are also a problem.
Kabuto gets Swift Swim, Battle Armor, and Weak Armor. But Swift Swim is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Kabuto is a physical attacker with base 80 Attack. Fragile, can't afford to take many hits, too. Speed tells the real story. At base 55 Speed, it won't be moving first often.
In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, For a casual playthrough, Kabuto works as a placeholder. Rock/Water coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Kabutops. That's where the stats start mattering.

Game Availability

Present since Red & Blue, Kabuto appears in 19 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Kabuto have the longest track record of availability in the series.

Click a game to view version-specific details

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Want to tell us more?

What was most useful?

About:

What could be improved?

About:

Thanks for your feedback

Zapdos ElectricFlying	A
Recommended Build AbilityStatic ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves Heat Wave TailwindUtility ThunderboltSTAB RoostRecovery Damage vs Kabuto Heat Wave 21-25% Thunderbolt 2x 243-287%KO View Zapdos builds →
Venusaur GrassPoison	C
Recommended Build AbilityChlorophyll ItemFocus Sash NatureMild Moves Sludge Bomb Giga Drain ProtectPriority Solar Beam Damage vs Kabuto Sludge Bomb 63-74% Giga Drain 4x 421-496%KO View Venusaur builds →