Magmar is a bipedal Pokémon that has a red body with yellow flame designs along the bottom half. It has a puckered tan beak, small eyes, and two lumps on its forehead with a yellow flame on top of each one. Rigid, red scales cover its arms and it has five, clawed fingers on each hand. Magmar's shoulders and thighs are yellow, and its red feet have two, clawed toes each. It has black, metal shackles around its neck and ankles. Down its back is a row of red spikes, and there is a flame at the tip of its tapering, yellow tail.
Magmar's body temperature is nearly 2,200° Fahrenheit (1,200° Celsius), giving its body an orange glow. Because it hates cold places, this Pokémon typically resides in and around active volcanoes where it is born from. This Pokémon has even been known to spit scorching flames to establish an ideally warm environment for itself. The Magmar found in Alola are said to be sturdier than Magmar found elsewhere.
In battle, Magmar blows out intense flames from all over its body to intimidate its foes and incinerate its surroundings. The Pokémon the Series episode Riddle Me This has shown that extremely well-trained Magmar can block Electric-type attacks with super-heated air. However, an outmatched Magmar will quickly retreat, using its fiery camouflage and its wavering, rippling glare to blend into any present fires. As stated in the 23rd chapter of Pokémon Adventures, Magmar is very persistent and will hunt down anyone who manages to defeat it. It is able to heal its wounds and weariness by soaking in lava. Magmar has a bad habit of unintentionally burning its prey to a crisp. Its body is always constantly burning. Magmar is feared as one of the many causes of fires.
It dislikes cold places, so it blows scorching flames to make the environment suitable for itself. (Pokémon Red, Silver, or Crystal inserted) The fiery surface of its body gives off a wavering, rippling glare that is similar to the sun. (Pokémon Blue, Gold, or Yellow inserted)
In battle, Magmar blows out intensely hot flames from all over its body to intimidate its opponent. This Pokémon's fiery bursts create heat waves that ignite grass and trees in its surroundings.
In battle, it blows out intense flames from all over its body to intimidate its foe. These fiery bursts create heat waves that ignite grass and trees in the area.
In battle, Magmar blows out intensely hot flames from all over its body to intimidate its opponent. This Pokémon's fiery bursts create heat waves that ignite grass and trees in its surroundings.
Legend has it that this Pokémon was born from the crater of a volcano. When wounded, it bathes in lava to heal its body, much as one would soak in a hot spring.
Magmar and Electabuzz seem to be counterparts; both evolve in a very similar way (first at level 30, then after being traded holding an item which has a name that ends with the suffix "-izer"), both have the same gender ratio (75% male, 25% female), and both are typically exclusive to one version of a pair of games. They both have similar status-inducing Abilities (Flame Body and Static), as well as the same Hidden Ability, Vital Spirit. Since Generation V, they also often learn similar moves at the same level. They even have the same special moves when purified in Pokémon XD: Follow Me and Cross Chop. Their evolutionary relatives were released in the same generation (Generation II and IV). Both also appear to be based on beings from Japanese mythology; Magmar has similarities to the Karura and Electabuzz has similarities to the oni.
Magmar has the highest base stat total of all middle evolution stage Pokémon.
Magmar is one of four Pokémon to be capable of having every Ribbon that can be obtained without events, the others being Magmortar, Magneton, and Magnezone.
Magmar was originally depicted with four fingers in its Generation I artwork and its sprites for the first three generations, except for Pokémon Yellow. It otherwise consistently has five fingers across official media.
Magmar seems to be a combination of a booby or duck with a mythical salamander of fire. However, the tail and the spikes on its back resemble those of an iguana. It is possibly overall based on a Karura, depicted in Japanese Hindu-Buddhist mythology as a birdlike, fire-breathing creature. Its face may also be based on Hyottoko masks, which resemble a man blowing fire through a bamboo pipe.
Name origin
Magmar may be a combination of magma and fulmar (a seabird known for projectile-vomiting stomach oil as a defense mechanism).
Boober may be a combination of booby (another type of seabird) and a corruption of burn.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.