In Wild in the Streets!, it was revealed by Roark that he found Cranidos's fossil when he was still a kid, and it was the first Pokémon the scientists in Oreburgh had restored from a fossil. Later on, Cranidos evolved into Rampardos during a fight with Team Rocket. Ash then challenged Roark for a rematch in O'er the Rampardos we Watched!. Rampardos managed to easily defeat Ash's Aipom and Pikachu and almost defeated Turtwig, but Turtwig managed to emerge victorious due to quick thinking on Ash's part, earning Ash the Coal Badge.
It appeared again in Ancient Family Matters!, where it battled against Byron's Bastiodon. However, the match was interrupted due to Team Rocket. It then teamed up with Bastiodon to send them blasting off.
A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.
In the games
As in the anime, Rampardos is Roark's main Pokémon in the games. However, being the first Gym Leader the player faces in the games he appears in (Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum), in his battles he still has an unevolved Cranidos. In his rematch at the Battleground in Pokémon Platinum, however, it is shown to have evolved.