How to Evolve Makuhita

Makuhita evolves into Hariyama simply by reaching level 24. No evolutionary stones, trading mechanics, or specific times of day are required. Once Makuhita hits level 24 through battle experience, Rare Candies, or EXP Candies, the evolution animation triggers immediately after the battle concludes or the item is consumed.

Makuhita offers one of the most reliable early-game power spikes for a standard playthrough. Reaching level 24 requires minimal grinding, and the reward is a Fighting-type powerhouse. We rate Hariyama a solid 7/10 for in-game story progression. It functions perfectly as a bulky physical breaker.

Its massive HP pool allows it to absorb neutral hits, while its high Attack stat lets it punch holes through opposing teams. If your Makuhita has the Thick Fat ability, it gains crucial resistances to Fire and Ice-type attacks, effectively turning it into a specialized wall against early gym leaders.

However, Hariyama lacks viability in serious competitive formats. Its abysmal Speed leaves it vulnerable to fast Flying and Psychic-type sweepers. It also suffers from poor Special Defense, meaning special attackers can easily exploit its low resistance despite the high HP.

• Target Level: 24
• Required Item: None
• Condition: Must level up in an active battle or via consumable items.
• Primary Role: Slow Physical Breaker / HP Wall

Pokémon Legends: Z-A maintains the traditional level 24 requirement for Makuhita. The urban environment of Lumiose City provides specific avenues to accelerate this process without tedious grinding. Experience mechanics in the Legends series heavily reward catching streaks and field research.

You can push Makuhita to level 24 efficiently by focusing on urban research tasks rather than repetitive trainer battles. Keep Makuhita in your active party to ensure it receives passive experience from every action you take in the city.

1. Place Makuhita in your active party slot.
2. Engage wild Pokémon in the designated training zones of Lumiose City.
3. Catch multiple Pokémon back-to-back without returning to a hub to build an experience multiplier.
4. Use EXP Candies obtained from completing urban research requests to bridge the remaining gap to level 24.
5. Watch the evolution screen trigger automatically once the threshold is crossed.

Keep Makuhita out of danger against the faster Fairy-types introduced in the Kalos region ecosystem. While fainting during a battle will not prevent evolution if it gains the required EXP beforehand, it slows down your team's overall momentum.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you can catch wild Makuhita very early in South Province (Area Two) or South Province (Area Three). They typically spawn between levels 9 and 14. To isolate Makuhita spawns, you can craft a Ham Sandwich to gain Encounter Power: Fighting Lv. 1.

Bridging the gap to level 24 takes less than an hour if you utilize the Paldean Tera Raid system. Farming low-level raids is significantly faster than grinding wild encounters in the early game.

1. Locate 2-star or 3-star Tera Raid crystals across the Paldea region.
2. Defeat the raid bosses to earn EXP Candy S and EXP Candy M.
3. Open your bag and feed the candies directly to Makuhita until its summary screen shows level 24.
4. Close the menu to allow the evolution animation to begin immediately.

If you prefer traditional battling, equip Makuhita with a Lucky Egg. This held item boosts experience yield by 50%, cutting the required battles in half. You receive the Lucky Egg from Jacq at the academy after defeating your fifth Gym Leader.

Pokémon GO completely bypasses the level 24 requirement. Instead, the mobile game relies entirely on its candy economy. You need exactly 50 Makuhita Candies to trigger the evolution into Hariyama.

Gathering these candies requires specific catching strategies to minimize the grind. Weather conditions and berry usage drastically alter how fast you can accumulate the required resources.

1. Hunt for Makuhita during Cloudy weather, which boosts Fighting-type spawn rates and increases the wild Pokémon's level.
2. Feed a Pinap Berry or Silver Pinap Berry to every wild Makuhita before throwing your Poké Ball to double the candy yield per catch.
3. Set Makuhita as your Buddy Pokémon. You will earn one candy for every 3 kilometers walked.
4. Transfer any low-IV Makuhita to Professor Willow to extract one additional candy per transfer.
5. Tap the Evolve button on Makuhita's profile page once you hit the 50-candy threshold.

Even with a simple level-based requirement, players frequently encounter roadblocks. If your Makuhita crossed level 24 but remains unevolved, one of these specific mechanics is actively blocking the process.

The most common issue in Scarlet and Violet is the Let's Go auto-battle feature. Pokémon cannot evolve if they level up while defeating wild Pokémon autonomously using the R button. To fix this, you must initiate a standard, turn-based battle and level up again, or feed Makuhita a single Rare Candy to force the evolution screen.

Another frequent culprit is the Everstone. If Makuhita holds this item, the evolution sequence is hard-locked. Check the summary screen, remove the Everstone from the held item slot, and level up one more time to trigger Hariyama's appearance.

Finally, accidental button presses cause missed evolutions. Pressing the B button during the glowing animation cancels the evolution entirely. If you accidentally hit B, do not panic. Simply gain one more level through battle or candy, and the game will prompt the evolution sequence again.