Magikarp, that almost-useless fish Pokémon that’s known for two things: his predilection for using the useless move Splash in combat, and for evolving into a menace that’s been a mainstay in the competitive scene and that’s capable of wrecking cities if left unchecked.

This iconic Pokémon has been a fan-favorite since the first Pokémon games and can be caught in every mainline game.  He’s often the first water Pokémon that’s fished by players, and every competitive player has had at least one that he used to evolve into Gyarados, and that’s why he’s often portrayed in many memes and funny comics.

10 Magic Magikarp

Magikarp’s English name is a portmanteau of the words ‘Magic’ and ‘Carp’, and there have been multiple theories as to why it has ‘Magic’ in its name. Some say that it’s because magic is associated with powerful elements and attacks and that it’d be fun to use it to name a weak Pokémon.

Others say because Magikarp is partly inspired by Asian tales of carp that became dragons after climbing over the mythical Dragon Gate. But this image is proof that it was named that way because Magikarp looks cool when they wear a magician’s outfit.

Source.

9 Fishing for Magikarp

Ever since Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out, fans have been using in-game tools to make beautiful art to use and share. Some make paintings to hang on their house walls, others do it to stamp their clothes with it, and others to make funny stickers to place on the overworld.

Some have taken the opportunity to stamp their world with their favorite things, such as this twitter user that stamped the ground with a Magikarp. Just imagine how cool would be if you could catch Pokémon in Animal Crossing!

8 You Heard The Rules

Even though many Pokémon can learn the move Splash, Magikarp is its most (in)famous user. If for some odd reason you don’t know what the move splash, well, you’re not missing that much, as it doesn’t do anything.

Unless, of course, that you make the Pokémon hold a Normal-type Z-Crystal, which in that case you can boost Splash to transform it into Z-Splash, which raises a Pokémon’s Attack stat by three stages. Some players even let their Gyarados keep his trusty Splash, so they can Z-Power it to skyrocket its attack values. But this one Magikarp, well, he won’t be splashing for a while.

7 It’s Super Effective!

Some veteran Pokémon players often test their game knowledge engaging in very hard self-imposed challenges. One of them is limiting themselves to use weak Pokémon, and Magikarp is one of the weakest Pokémon of the games, so he’s often seen in those kind of challenges. Some even go beyond that and limit themselves using only Magikarp through the game.

Although it’s very common knowledge that Magikarp is a weak Pokémon, the scientists that wrote its Pokédex entry may have been too hard on him. Sure, he’s weak and all, but c’mon, it’s sad to read its Pokédex entries.

6 Magikarp Is Using Struggle Again

A little bit of self-deprecating humor is fine, as it’s Ok to make fun of ourselves every now and then, but can you imagine if Magikarp did a bit of that too? Well, he can just read its own Pokédex entries, as they’re pretty harsh.

The good news is, that they don’t stay as Magikarp forever, as if they’re trained hard enough they’ll evolve into a powerful Pokémon that’s often used in serious competitions. Maybe all that rage Gyarados has is due to how much bullying Magikarp went through?

5 Magiflail

If you aren’t aware of how many moves can a normal Magikarp learn when leveling up, he can learn just 2 moves: Tackle and Flail. Both are extremely weak attacks, as Tackle has a Power value of only 40, and Flail’s Power value depends on how much HP the Pokémon has, and if you know of Magikarp, their HP stat is pretty much worthless.

So it’d be safe to say that Pokémon trainers would make better use of it if they use their Magikarp as a literal flail. Fun fact: Humans in the Pokémon world are very strong, as they’re often seen surviving Pokémon attacks and being strong enough to break rocks with punches and kicks.

4 Duel Of The Weaklings

You don’t need to be too deep into anime or manga to know who Yamcha is, he’s a Dragon Ball Z character that’s always the laughing stock of the Z-Warriors.  What does he have to do with Magikarp? Well, both Magikarp and Yamcha are known for one thing: being weak.

And while it’s debatable if Yamcha can defeat a Magikarp, well, maybe he can defeat one, but not a Gyarados, Yamcha would probably make for a very effective Magikarp trainer, as he’d certainly see himself reflected in Magikarp’s Pokédex entries.

3 Not Another One!

Fishing in the Pokémon games can be a pretty relaxing experience, as there are places where you can spend a lot of time looking for  Pokémon while riding atop of a floating Poke, and certain fishing spots can have many interesting Pokémon to fish and catch.

Sadly, Magikarp is found on most lakes and beaches of the Pokémon world, so you’ll certainly find a lot of them while fishing. And since they don’t offer anything interesting if you already own a Gyarados, you just get tired of running away from them. Although, you might want to keep a Magikarp that’s hard to run away from, as they may have decent Speed IVs.

2 Clever Fish!

Do you remember that thing about how Magikarp can learn how to use Flail? Well, this one went beyond that and learned how to use a flail! Well, maybe Magikarps aren’t good flail users, as their fins wouldn’t be able to give them a grip strong enough to hold them.

What’s even sadder is that competitive Gyarados dont’ use Flail, as players would rather use Gyarados’ insane Attack stat instead of relying on it surviving with low HP. So seriously, don’t let your raging water dragon keep this move.

1 Puberty Does Wonders

Can you imagine the face of a trainer that just saw a pitiful Magikarp turn into a strong mythical water dragon for the first time? They’d probably be sorry that they used their Magikarp’s turn to revive their favorite Pokémon!

This rampaging machine is often well-regarded as a lead offensive Pokémon, as it has a strong Attack stat, as well as mid-level HP and Speed stats. It can also Mega Evolve, which makes his stats and typing even better.

NEXT: Pokémon: Get In The Bag, Nebby (& 9 Other Meme-able Quotes)