Introduced in generation one, with the Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green games, Poliwrath is a dual type water and fighting Pokemon. It is one of the final evolutions of Poliwag with the other being Politoed and both will evolve from Poliwhirl through different conditions. Poliwhirl is classified as the “Tadpole Pokemon” by the Pokedex, indicating its frog-like nature. This guide will showcase Poliwrath’s capability in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Poliwrath.
About Poliwrath
As one of the original 151 Pokemon of generation one, Poliwrath has had many opportunities to appear in the anime. Its first appearance was an episode where it played a minor role in the original series with the episode The Punchy Pokemon. Poliwrath is fairly unique as it will evolve from Poliwhirl once a Water Stone is used and not only that, it is one of the two final evolutions of Poliwag, the other being Politoed. The Pokedex mentions Poliwrath’s incredible endurance, and the fact that it is capable of swimming across the Pacific Ocean without a break.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Original Series: The Punchy Pokemon |
| First appearance in game | Red/Green (Japan) Red/Blue (International) |
| Region | Kanto |
| Evolution | Final evolution of Poliwag, evolves from Poliwhirl |
| 1st Evo level | 25 |
| 2nd Evo level | Evolves from Poliwhirl into Poliwrath when a Water Stone is used. |
| Pokedex Entry | Poliwrath's highly developed, brawny muscles never grow fatigued, however much it exercises. It is so tirelessly strong, this Pokémon can swim back and forth across the Pacific Ocean without effort. |
Poliwrath Base Stats
Poliwrath received a small buff in generation six which makes it statline different in generations prior. This 10 stat buff went to its physical attack, making it a slighter more consistent damage dealer.
(Generations 1-5)
| HP | 90 |
| ATTACK | 85 |
| DEFENCE | 95 |
| SP. ATTACK | 70 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 90 |
| SPEED | 70 |
| TOTAL | 500 |
(Generation 6+)
| HP | 90 |
| ATTACK | 95 |
| DEFENCE | 95 |
| SP. ATTACK | 70 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 90 |
| SPEED | 70 |
| TOTAL | 510 |
Appearance
Poliwrath is a bipedal, bulky Pokemon and has a mostly blue body with a white pad on its stomach that has a swirling appearance. It also has white around its hands that resembles a pair of gloves and two rounded feet with no digits of any kind. Poliwrath is at an average height for a Pokemon at 4 feet and 3 inches, or 1.3 meters, tall.
Behavior
As a Pokemon from the original games, Poliwrath has appeared and played many different roles throughout the anime’s history. It was briefly used by James as one of his preferred Pokemon in battle and like all Pokemon, Poliwrath’s behavior reflects their trainers. However, all Poliwrath are known to be adept swimmers and energetic on land, and the Pokedex also mentions its endurance and how its muscles never seem to tire.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Poliwrath never managed to break higher than mid tier in competitive Pokemon battles. It has consistently been near the bottom as its base stat lines are very balanced throughout, which makes it rather difficult to succeed in any particular role. As a dual type water and fighting type Pokemon, Poliwrath is weak to flying, grass, electric, psychic, and fairy type moves. However, it does resist rock, bug, steel, fire, water, ice and dark type moves.
Shiny Poliwrath
While most of the evolution line simply becomes a lighter blue, Shiny Poliwrath swaps its color palette with Politoed. Shiny Poliwrath becomes lime green while Shiny Politoed turns blue although the white around Poliwrath’s stomach and hands remain the same. Of all the lime green shinies, at the very least, this one seems to have some justification. Like all shiny Pokemon, Shiny Poliwrath gains a starry animation upon entering battle.
Best Moveset
Since Poliwrath’s inclusion in the original games, it has not had much success throughout different generations of competitive play. It is typically run as a special attacking water type Pokemon with a fair amount of bulk. With a Leftovers, as a held item, it can live through many moves while also dealing some damage. Consider running Scald, Focus Blast, Ice Beam, and Vacuum wave for the best chance of success. Scald benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) and has a chance to burn, Focus Blast also benefits from STAB but with a higher base power for lower accuracy, Ice Beam is for type coverage and Vacuum Wave is for priority.
| Scald | Focus Blast |
| Ice Beam | Vacuum Wave |
How to Catch Poliwrath in Pokemon Go
If you would like to obtain a Poliwrath in Pokemon Go, the easiest way would be to find Poliwags in the wild. Like most final evolution Pokemon, it is quite rare to encounter in the wild but finding its base evolution is typically a lot more common. You can also find a Poliwrath from Team Rocket raids and defeating them can reward you with Poliwrath, but this method is inconsistent. You will need 25 Poliwag candies to evolve it into Poliwhirl, and another 100 to evolve it into Poliwrath. Of course, you can skip all the candy gathering if you manage to locate a Poliwrath raid in Pokemon Gyms. It has appeared as a tier four raid boss in the past so keep an eye out.
Trivia
- Poliwrath shares its epithet with its evolution line but Politoed is known as the “Frog Pokemon”.
- The inspiration for Poliwrath’s design likely comes from the real life glass frog. The spiral pattern is similar to the organs of these frogs.
- The name Poliwrath is a combination of the words polliwog and wrath.
Video
FAQ
Who is better: Politoed or Poliwrath?
Both of the Pokemon are fairly weak in comparison with other options available to you. Poliwrath has more balanced stats, while Politoed is more of a dedicated special defender. Both were considered during the meta where rain was prevalent to double their speed. However, only Politoed reached the top tiers of competitive play while Poliwrath only made it to the middle.
Is Poliwrath the only Water Fighting type?
Poliwrath used to be the only water and fighting type Pokemon but after generation five released a few Pokemon with similar typings. Both Urshifu and Keldeo have access to this rather rare type which means that after generation five, Poliwrath was not the only water and fighting type Pokemon.
What level does Poliwrath Evolve?
Poliwrath is the final evolution of the line and thus there is no other Pokemon beyond Poliwrath. In order to evolve your Poliwhirl into Poliwrath, you will need to use a Water Stone. If you want to evolve Poliwhirl into Politoed, you will need to trade your Poliwhirl while it is holding a King’s Rock. There is no Pokemon that Poliwrath evolves into.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Tadpole Pokemon”. While Poliwrath’s impact on competitive play is rather limited, it was fairly unique as one of the only Pokemon with a water and fighting type. While this did make Poliwrath open to more weaknesses, it does resist more moves than if it were simply a water type. As a final evolution Poliwrath is rather lackluster, however, it has very balanced stats which makes it capable of fulfilling any role in casual play.
