In the Games
In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, as well as the remakes FireRed and LeafGreen and Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, the Magikarp salesman appears in Route 4’s Pokémon Center and sells the player a Magikarp for 500.
Though he does not make an appearance, the Magikarp salesman is briefly alluded to in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, as well as the remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver. In the Poké Mart in Pewter City, a boy will offer to show his Gyarados to anyone who speaks to him. Speaking to a girl nearby causes her to remark how the boy had purchased a Magikarp from a “weird old man” three years prior, and trained it until it evolved into a Gyarados.
In Black, White, Black 2, and White 2, the Magikarp salesman appears again on Marvelous Bridge to sell a Magikarp for 500. However, unlike in Kanto, Magikarp are not native to Unova and can only be found in the Nature Preserve. It always has a speed IV of 31 in these games.
Quotes
Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow
- “Hello, there! Have I got a deal just for you! I’ll let you have a swell Magikarp for just 500! What do you say?”
- No: “No? I’m only doing this as a favor to you!”
- Yes: (<player> got Magikarp!)
- After giving the player a Magikarp
- “Well, I don’t give refunds!”
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
- “Hello there, laddie/sweetie pie! Have I got a deal just for you! I’ll let you have a secret Pokémon – a Magikarp – for just 500! So, you’ll buy it, am I right?”
- No: “No? You say no? I’m only doing this as a favor to you!”
- Yes: (<player> paid an outrageous 500 and bought the Magikarp…)
- After giving the player a Magikarp
- “Well, I don’t give refunds. You knew what you were getting!”
Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2
- “Son/Miss! I have a deal for YOU! And for you alone. Here’s your chance. I will sell you the secret Pokémon Magikarp… For an unbelievable 500! How about it? Interested?”
- No: “Oh, that’s too bad…”
- Yes: (<player> bought the Magikarp for 500.)
- After giving the player a Magikarp
- “Oh, yeah… Returns not accepted, got that?”
- If the player doesn’t have enough money
- “Looks like you don’t have enough money.”
- If the player’s party is full
- “You have no room in your party!”
In the Anime
In the Main Series
History
Original Series
The Magikarp salesman is a recurring character who appeared in the Pokémon anime. He usually appears as a traveling con man who is always getting people, usually James, to buy one of his worthless Pokémon.
He debuted in Battle Aboard the St. Anne, where he was selling Magikarp to anyone on the St. Anne foolish enough to buy one. He would tell them that they would reproduce at a rapid rate and make the buyer rich. James was foolish enough to buy one, which later evolved into a Gyarados.
In Tricks of the Trade, he was partially responsible for Jessie obtaining her Wobbuffet. The Magikarp salesman was again trying to sell Magikarp to James, but he recognized him from the St. Anne and chased after him. During the pursuit, the Magikarp salesman bumped into Jessie, which sent her flying over to a nearby trade machine. When she bumped into it, the Poké Ball containing her Lickitung fell into the machine, trading it for Benny’s Wobbuffet, which he had been trying to trade off throughout the episode.
Some time after, he reappeared with the same selling strategy in Doin’ What Comes Natu-rally. Later, in Here’s Lookin’ at You, Elekid, he traded his Weepinbell for James’s Victreebel.
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
In Showdown at the Oak Corral, the Magikarp salesman tried his golden Magikarp scam on Tracey, claiming that the Magikarp could lay golden Eggs. However, unlike Team Rocket, Tracey was too smart to fall for this trick. The Magikarp salesman ran off when he discovered that he had knocked on the door of Professor Oak‘s Laboratory.
In the Hoenn region, the Magikarp salesman had changed his operation; now, he was attempting to sell Pokémon disguised as rare Pokémon. In Pearls are a Spoink’s Best Friend, he sold a Magikarp disguised as Feebas to Team Rocket for a stolen Spoink‘s pearl. After placing her new Pokémon into some water, Jessie realized she had been conned as the paint washed away, revealing Feebas to be a Magikarp. Ash and his friends were able to reunite Spoink with its pearl, but the Magikarp salesman was able to escape.
In Who’s Flying Now?, he was selling a Hoppip disguised as a Chimecho at Fortree City’s Feather Carnival. James came across him while searching for a Chimecho and attempted to catch it. However, its real identity was revealed and a gust of wind blew it away.
He made a cameo appearance when Ash caught Aipom in Channeling the Battle Zone.
Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
In Ya See We Want An Evolution!, he sold a dual evolution machine/mecha-bot to Team Rocket. While he did inform Team Rocket that the machine must warm up for at least a week before use, Team Rocket forgot to follow his instructions, which resulted in its failure to evolve Pokémon and sustain its mecha-bot form. Therefore, it is unknown if this was another one of his scams, or if the machine would truly have worked. However, considering the fact that he ran off after telling them this information, it may have been another lie to keep them from following him.
Pokémon the Series: Black & White
In The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!, he had his own table at the Kanto Fair. There, he was once again trying to sell Magikarp to people.
Character
The Magikarp salesman is a con man; as such, he isn’t afraid to lie to or mislead his customers in order to sell his goods. He prefers to travel the world, likely to remain undetected by the authorities and any disgruntled clientele like James.
In Pokémon Origins
The Magikarp salesman appeared briefly in File 2: Cubone, selling Red a Magikarp for 500.
Trivia
- The Magikarp salesman was given a Hispanic accent in all of the dubbed episodes except for Showdown at the Oak Corral and The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!, where he speaks without an accent. This may have been an oversight of both the Pokémon Chronicles and The Pokémon Company International production teams, since after TPCi took over the dub, his Hispanic accent returned only in Ya See We Want an Evolution!.
- In most of the Magikarp salesman’s appearances, the Team Rocket Trio ends up losing and gaining a Pokémon:
- In Battle Aboard the St. Anne, James gains a Magikarp and loses it soon after.
- In Tricks of the Trade, Jessie loses her Lickitung and gains a Wobbuffet.
- In Here’s Lookin’ at You, Elekid!, James loses his Victreebel but gains a Weepinbell that evolves into another Victreebel (and loses that one soon after).
- In Pearls are a Spoink’s Best Friend, Jessie gains and loses a Magikarp after thinking it was a Feebas.
- In Who’s Flying Now?, James gains a Hoppip and loses it soon after (he also gains a Chimecho in the same episode).
- Trades often occur in episodes that the Magikarp salesman appears in.
- Every episode he appeared in as a major appearance was written by Yukiyoshi Ohashi. The two episodes in which he made a cameo appearance were written by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- The Magikarp’s salesman’s appearance is similar to that of the main character from the series Tensai Bakabon, Bakabon’s Papa.