Urshifu

Last updated: 2026-06-03

Urshifu Overview

Urshifu is a Legendary Pokemon introduced in Generation 8 in the Galar region. It evolves from Kubfu when shown the Scroll of Darkness (Single Strike Style) or Scroll of Waters (Rapid Strike Style) in the Tower of Darkness or Tower of Waters. Urshifu is known as the Wushu Pokemon, and its design is based on a martial artist bear — the Single Strike form resembles a powerful boxer while the Rapid Strike form resembles a swift kung fu practitioner.

Urshifu's signature ability Unseen Fist makes all of its moves bypass Protect, Detect, and similar protection moves. This is one of the most powerful abilities in competitive Pokemon, as it completely negates the opponent's ability to safely scout or stall behind protection. Combined with base 130 Attack and 100/100/97 bulk, Urshifu is a terrifying offensive threat. Its two forms have different typings: Single Strike is Fighting/Dark and Rapid Strike is Fighting/Water.

Battle Strategy

Urshifu-Single Strike (Fighting/Dark) is a powerful physical wallbreaker. Its signature move Wicked Blow is a Dark-type attack with an automatic critical hit, which lets it bypass defensive boosts and Intimidate. Close Combat provides Fighting STAB. Sucker Punch gives priority that bypasses Protect thanks to Unseen Fist. The fourth move is often U-turn for momentum or Poison Jab for Fairy-types. A Choice Band set makes Wicked Blow hit extraordinarily hard.

Urshifu-Rapid Strike (Fighting/Water) trades the auto-crit for multi-hit utility. Its signature move Surging Strikes is a Water-type attack that always hits three times, bypassing Focus Sash, Multiscale, and Substitute while also guaranteeing critical hits. Close Combat and Ice Punch provide coverage. Rapid Strike is generally preferred in VGC because Surging Strikes is excellent for chipping through defensive Pokemon and the Water typing provides better defensive synergy.

Urshifu's main weaknesses depend on the form. Single Strike is weak to Fighting, Fairy, and Bug, with a 4x weakness to Fairy. Rapid Strike is weak to Electric, Grass, Flying, Psychic, and Fairy. Both forms struggle against Fairy-types like Clefable, Sylveon, and Tapu Koko. Tera Ghost or Tera Steel are common tera types. Despite these checks, Urshifu's Unseen Fist ability alone makes it a top-tier threat in any format.

Evolution Chain

Competitive Usage

Urshifu has been a dominant force in competitive Pokemon since its introduction. In VGC, both forms have been top-tier threats across multiple regulation sets. Rapid Strike is generally preferred for its Surging Strikes that breaks through Focus Sash and boosts from Intimidate. Urshifu-Rapid Strike was one of the most used Pokemon in the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. It pairs well with Tornadus for Tailwind support and with Incineroar for Intimidate cycling.

In Smogon OU, Urshifu-Single Strike is ranked as a top-tier wallbreaker. Its ability to bypass Protect with all moves makes it nearly impossible to safely scout. The main counterplay involves using Fairy-types that resist both STABs and can threaten back with Moonblast or Play Rough. Dondozo with Unaware can survive Urshifu's hits and burn it with Order Up. In VGC, common answers include Pelipper, whose Drizzle activates Urshifu-Rapid Strike's rain weakness, and Amoonguss, which can redirect Surging Strikes with Rage Powder.

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