How to get Kubfu in Pokémon Go
Including how to evolve Kubfu into Urshifu.
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 how to 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 Tuesday 27th May 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.
Make sure you know the October event and raid schedule. 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
You can now evolve Kubfu into Urshifu in Pokémon Go. Visit our how to get Urshifu guide to learn how. (Spoiler warning - you'll need to fulfill a special requirement.)
Alongside this special requirement, you also need to choose between Single Strike Style Urshifu and Rapid Strike Style Urshifu. Both of these Urshifu forms retain Kubfu's ability to Dynamax, but their types are different - Single Strike is Fighting and Dark-type, while Rapid Strike is the Fighting and Water-type.
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.
As I mentioned above, you can now evolve Kubfu into Urshifu in Pokémon Go. Keep in mind that you will need to pick between its two forms and complete a special requirement which differs depending on the form you pick.
We've got a guide taking a look at which Urshifu form is better. Though here we will say that both Urshifu's forms have the ability to Dynamax and will have Gigantamax forms in the future. There are also some other important Urshifu details you might want to know from the main games.
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 has meant that the Urshifu forms have different stats and movesets 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!