Red Gyarados
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 The Red Gyarados in the anime | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Red Gyarados (Japanese: あかいギャラドス Red Gyarados) is a term used to refer to a Gyarados that is Shiny, which is red rather than its usual blue. According to the anime, this is due to the forced evolution; the Magikarp it evolves from retains its red color, having no time to change its scale color to blue. Unlike other Shiny Pokémon, the red Gyarados's existence is canon in that it is encountered as part of an event in the Generation II games and their remakes.
In the games
In Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver, the red Gyarados is found in the Lake of Rage. The player has one chance to catch it and the incident triggers the battle against Team Rocket in the Team Rocket HQ in Mahogany Town. When captured or defeated, the red Gyarados drops a Red Scale. While this is the only chance to catch the Red Gyarados in the original games, it will respawn in the remakes after the player defeats Lance and the Elite Four, should the player fail to capture it.
In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, in the Rocket Warehouse located on Five Island, one of the computers displays information about induced evolution using electromagnetic waves, hinting at what occurs to other Gyarados in Generation II's Lake of Rage.
Sightings of a red Gyarados were national news. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl begins with a news report broadcast in Twinleaf Town of Sinnoh, according to which the Red Gyarados had eluded detection by a research crew; it is unknown to which point in time this corresponds in the Johto-based games, although they happened the same time. Also, in Pokémon Platinum, a cameraman in the Battle Zone comments he filmed it, and claims it was "award winning". The player accompanies their best friend to Lake Verity in hopes of seeing a similar Pokémon.
While the easiest and most common way to obtain a red Gyarados is at the Lake of Rage in Generations II or IV, any Shiny Gyarados will be red, no matter how it is encountered, through evolution of a gold Magikarp or by encountering it with the normal 1/8192 odds. This is the only possible way to get a red Gyarados outside of the Johto-based games without trading.
Starting movesets
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Sprites
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| Sprite from Gold |
Sprite from Silver |
Sprite from Crystal |
Sprites from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
In the anime
History
Original series
The red Gyarados's first appearance was in Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution where it leaped out of the Lake of Rage and fired a Hydro Pump at Ash and his friends. However, the attack did not hit them. Later, during a Team Rocket plot, TRTyson ([[{{{2}}} (move)|{{{2}}}]]) assigned Jessie, James and Meowth to capture the red Gyarados. They successfully found the Gyarados and lured it to the surface where the other Team Rocket members caught it in a net. Ash and the group came by and unsuccessfully stopped Team Rocket from getting away with Gyarados, and they too got captured by Team Rocket. Professor Sebastian explained to them that the red Gyarados was forcibly evolved from a normal-colored Magikarp. Since it didn't have time to officially complete the evolution, the coloration of the Pokémon ended up staying red instead of turning blue.
During Rage of Innocence, after Team Rocket's success in catching the red Gyarados, they decided to do some research on it. Meanwhile, Lance found out that the Evolution Inducement Ray was the cause of all the unevolved Pokémon growing tired. He then destroyed its source with the help of his Dragonite's Hyper Beam. After the machine was destroyed, all of the side effects it caused disappeared. No longer affected by the ray, the red Gyarados began to go on a rampage. It then escaped from the helicopters Team Rocket was carrying it in and dove into the water below. The red Gyarados continued its rampage, destroying everything in sight with Hyper Beam. Ash tried to stop it from going berserk, but it had no effect, making Gyarados retaliate with Hydro Pump. The Team Rocket grunts tried catching it with another net. This time, Ash sent out Bayleef to cut the net with Razor Leaf. Just when the grunts were defeated, the Team Rocket trio arrived and shot a different net at the red Gyarados. Gyarados broke free from the net and went on another rampage, moving towards the river in Mahogany Town. Pryce stopped the Atrocious Pokémon from going any further by having his Dewgong use Ice Beam on the river. Lance, after defeating Tyson, battled the red Gyarados with his Dragonite in order for it to calm down. Lance successfully did so and caught the red Gyarados.
The Red Gyarados reappeared in a flashback in Beauty is Skin Deep when Ash and his friends told Clair about what happened in Mahogany Town.
Advanced Generation series
The red Gyarados did not appear again until the Advanced Generation series in The Scuffle of Legends where May, Max and Brock rode on it when Ash was captured by Team Magma.
During Gaining Groudon, it ended up helping them out during the fight between Kyogre and Groudon.
Lance's Gyarados appeared in Marina's scrapbook and fantasy, along with its Trainer and his Dragonite. However, instead of red, the color of the Pokémon in The Legend of Thunder! was the regular blue. This may have been because the original airing of Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution in Japan was after The Legend of Thunder! already had aired. This may also mean that Lance also possesses another, normally-colored Gyarados.
Personality and characteristics
Prior to Lance capturing the red Gyarados, the red Gyarados had a bad temper towards people. It became worse after the machine forcing Pokémon to evolve got destroyed. Because of the increased rage, the Gyarados easily broke out of the prisons Team Rocket held it in. After Lance caught the red Gyarados, it calmed down. During the Advanced Generation series, the red Gyarados got along with people and worked with Ash's friends to help them out during the fight with Groudon and Kyogre.
Moves used
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In the manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
- Main article: Silver's Gyarados
This red Gyarados was shown to be the leader of a group of Gyarados. When Team Rocket used the Goldenrod City Radio Tower to disturb Pokémon with their evolution-inducing waves, these Gyarados went crazy. At the end he was caught by Silver with Gold's aid. After a battle with the Masked Man where even his Hyper Beam attack was futile, this Gyarados was frozen and remained at the bottom of Lake of Rage until Lt. Surge discovered him. Gyarados was able to free himself and Lt. Surge acquired and returned him to Silver following a brief battle between the former Team Rocket triad and itself.
In the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga
Ariana and Petrel were responsible for the appearance of the red Gyarados. The red Gyarados goes on a rampage which Jō tries to stop by battling it with Totodile. When Gyarados got tired, Jō tried feeding it some Berries but Gyarados was still angry. Later, when Jō and Lance were in a Double Battle against Ariana and Petrel, the red Gyarados returns to assist them. Jō feeds it a berry and Gyarados starts to feel happy. It joins Jō's side and takes over for Totodile. During the battle, it finishes Ariana's Gloom off with Twister.
Moves used
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In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
The Red Gyarados made an appearance in Stop That Strange Sonic Sound!!.
In the TCG
The red Gyarados has served as the basis for three cards in the TCG, each known by different names. The following is a list of cards based on the red Gyarados.
| Red Gyarados Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats. | |||||||
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| Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
| Shining Gyarados | 
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Neo Revelation | 
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65/64 | Awakening Legends |
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Gyarados  δ
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EX Holon Phantoms | 
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102/110 | Holon Phantom |
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008/052 |
| Gyarados |
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HeartGold & SoulSilver | 
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123/123 | L-P Promotional cards | 004/L-P | |
Trivia
- Red Gyarados is the only one of Silver's Water-type Pokémon that did not evolve, as it was caught already in its final stage, unlike Feraligatr and Kingdra, who were received in their initial stage.
- A Red Gyarados is featured on the logo of the Pokémon Center in Hiroshima.
- Red Gyarados is the only shiny Pokémon to evolve from a non-shiny Pokémon, at least in the anime.
Related articles
For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Magikarp and Gyarados.
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