How to Evolve Kubfu

To evolve Kubfu into Urshifu, you must use either a Scroll of Darkness or a Scroll of Waters on it from your bag. The Scroll of Darkness triggers the evolution into the Dark/Fighting Single Strike Style. The Scroll of Waters evolves it into the Water/Fighting Rapid Strike Style.

Evolving Kubfu requires a direct item application. The item you choose dictates the final form.

• Target: Urshifu (Single Strike Style) ➔ Method: Use item ➔ Item: Scroll of Darkness.
• Target: Urshifu (Rapid Strike Style) ➔ Method: Use item ➔ Item: Scroll of Waters.

Both forms share the Fighting type but differ entirely in their secondary typing, signature move, and visual stance.

In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, evolution mechanics for non-native legendary Pokémon rely on direct item usage rather than location-based trials. You do not need to visit specific towers.

1. Obtain Kubfu and place it in your active party or pastures.
2. Visit the rare item vendor or exchange post in Lumiose City.
3. Purchase the Scroll of Darkness or Scroll of Waters using Merit Points or the local currency.
4. Open your satchel, select the scroll, and apply it directly to Kubfu.

The evolution triggers immediately. No friendship or level requirements apply in this version.

In the Paldea region, the evolution items are tied to the auction system. You must have access to the Porto Marinada market.

1. Transfer Kubfu into your game via Pokémon HOME, or catch it via the Indigo Disk Snacksworth encounters.
2. Place Kubfu in your active party or PC boxes.
3. Travel to the auction market in Porto Marinada.
4. Look for the NPC in the black shirt offering special items. This NPC only appears if you own specific Pokémon requiring unique evolution items.
5. Win the auction for the Scroll of Darkness or Scroll of Waters.
6. Open your bag, navigate to the Key Items pocket, and use the scroll on Kubfu.

If you have multiple Kubfu, the auctioneer will eventually offer both scrolls, allowing you to obtain both forms on a single save file.

The original Isle of Armor DLC method is the only one that requires battling and friendship. This method is heavily tied to the story progression of the expansion.

1. Increase your friendship with Kubfu to the maximum level by battling, camping, and feeding it berries.
2. Show the friendly Kubfu to Mustard at the Master Dojo.
3. Choose to challenge either the Tower of Darkness or the Tower of Waters. You can only pick one per save file.
4. Defeat all five trainers in the chosen tower using only Kubfu.
5. Interact with the scroll on the top floor to trigger the evolution.

Once you select a tower, the other becomes permanently locked. Choose carefully based on which Urshifu form you want.

Players often encounter a few specific blockers when trying to trigger this evolution. Here are the most common issues and their fixes.

• The Porto Marinada NPC isn't showing up: The special auctioneer only spawns if Kubfu is physically present in your current Scarlet/Violet save file. Having its Pokédex entry registered is not enough.
• Giving the item to hold: The scrolls are Key Items. You cannot give them to Kubfu to hold. You must select "Use" from the bag menu and apply it like an evolution stone.
• Leveling up doesn't work: Kubfu will never evolve via level-up. You can level it to 100, and it will remain a Kubfu until a scroll is used.

Urshifu is a powerhouse for in-game playthroughs and post-game grinding. Both forms share the Unseen Fist ability, which allows contact moves to bypass protective moves like Protect and Detect.

Rapid Strike Style (Water/Fighting) is generally the safer and more versatile option. Its signature move, Surging Strikes, hits three times and guarantees a critical hit on each strike. This perfectly breaks Sturdy abilities and Focus Sashes while ignoring enemy Defense boosts.

Single Strike Style (Dark/Fighting) functions as a pure wallbreaker. Wicked Blow is a single, massive attack that also guarantees a critical hit. However, this form suffers from a severe 4x weakness to Fairy-type attacks, making it riskier to keep on the field against diverse late-game teams.