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How to get Kubfu in Pokémon Go

Including whether you can evolve Kubfu into Urshifu.

Image credit: Eurogamer/The Pokémon Company

Kubfu, one of the legendary Gen 8 Pokémon, debuted in Pokémon Go during the Might and Mastery season.

If you can't tell from its name, Kubfu is a little bear who loves kung fu. It also has the ability to Dynamax in Pokémon Go. While it evolves into Urshifu, you'll have to pick between two different forms - Single Strike Style Urshifu or Rapid Strike Urshifu.

So let's take a look at how to get Kubfu in Pokémon Go and whether you can currently evolve Kubfu into Urshifu.

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How to get Kubfu in Pokémon Go

Kubfu debuted during the Powerful Potential event during March 2025 in Pokémon Go.

Here's how to get Kubfu in Pokémon Go:

  • Might and Mastery Special Research quest - Complete Step 1
  • Pay-to-play Special Research quest

The easiest (and free) way to get Kubfu in Pokémon Go is to complete the first step in the Might and Mastery Special Research quest. No matter their progress, every Pokémon Go player has until Tuesday 3rd June at 9:59am (local time) to unlock this quest. If you're reading this quest before this deadline and the quest hasn't appeared, try closing and reopening Pokémon Go. This should force the game to refresh and cause the quest to appear.

Getting Kubfu from Might and Mastery is quite easy. You earn the encounter after completing the first quest step, which itself involves doing some walking and some battling. So, if you want Kubfu, put your walking boots on and head outside!

At the time of writing, the only way to get a second Kubfu is to purchase the pay-to-play Special Research quest, Fuzzy Fighter. It costs £7.99, $8 or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency. It is a nonrefundable purchase and can not be completed using PokéCoin. You can give this quest to a player you're Great Friends or higher with. It's important to note that this quest will only be on sale until Monday 10th March at 8pm (local time).

The entire reason why you might want to purchase this quest is because it will allow you to obtain both Urshifu - Single Strike and Rapid Strike Style. Since Kubfu can only evolve into one of these forms, you, of course, need two of the little bears.

Kubfu will be available again during later Pokémon Go events and quests, but, at the time of writing, we don't know how long the wait will be. If you don't want to purchase the quest (completely fair), we recommend conducting some research into which Urshifu form will suit your playstyle and current Pokémon lineups best to make the most out of your one Kubfu.


The Might and Mastery Season has arrived. The Festival of Colors is currently running in Pokémon Go. You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.


How to evolve Kubfu into Urshifu in Pokémon Go

At the time of writing, it is not possible to evolve Kubfu in Pokémon Go. This feature will most likely be released as part of an event occurring later on during the Might and Mastery season.

When the time comes, however, you'll have the choice between Single Strike Style Urshifu or Rapid Strike Style Urshifu. Both of these Urshifu forms will retain Kubfu's ability to Dynamax, but their types will be different - Single Strike is Fighting and Dark-type, while Rapid Strike is Fighting and Water-type.

We'll update this section once the ability to evolve Kubfu has been released!

The Kubfu to Single Strike Style Urshifu evolution line. | Image credit: The Pokémon Company

Urshifu Single Strike Style and Rapid Strike Style in Pokémon Go

One of Kubfu's most notable features is its ability to evolve into two different forms of the same Pokémon - Single Strike Style Urshifu or Rapid Strike Style Urshifu. Due to this, you must choose which style you wish to evolve your Kubfu into.

Yet, as I've mentioned in a previous section, the ability to evolve Kubfu is not currently available in Pokémon Go. This means we can't examine the meta details of either Urshifu Style in Pokémon Go properly. (Though we do know you'll be able to Dynamax it.) There are, however, some important Urshifu related details we can glean from the mainline games.

Left: Single Strike Style | Right: Rapid Strike Style

Firstly, the Urshifu forms have different typings. Single Strike Style Urshifu is Fighting and Dark-type, while Rapid Strike Style Urshifu Fighting and Water-type. Thanks to this, you'll need to decide which Urshifu form will fit into your team lineups best. Personally, I find Rapid Strike Style more interesting in this regard as Fighting and Water is a rather unique type combination. This type difference means the Urshifu forms may have slightly different movesets and possibly even stats once they're released in Pokémon Go.

Finally, while it's not very important, there are very small appearance differences between the Urshifu forms.

Best of luck adding Kubfu to your Pokémon Go collection!

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