Highlights

• Muddy Water is a powerful Water-type move that hits all opponents and has the potential to lower their accuracy.
• Surf is a powerful Water-type move with 100 percent accuracy and a base power of 90, making it one of the strongest options.

With endless seas and lakes scattered across the eight regions of the Pokemon world, Water-type Pokemon can be found just about anywhere, making them the most common of all eighteen types in the franchise. Naturally, this means there is also a plethora of Water-type moves available to teach the many Water Pokemon that trainers might have caught on their journey.

As a great offensive typing ripe with an immensely powerful array of Pokemon to choose from, Water-types also carry some equally powerful attacks to back up their impressive Base Stat Totals (BSTs). Whether they are exclusive to particular Pokemon or they have risky drawbacks, the strongest Water-type moves certainly have the potential for some one-hit knockouts.

Updated February 6th, 2024 by Andrew Scariati: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk DLC concluded Generation Nine with even more powerful new moves. However, part one of the DLC, The Teal Mask, introduced the exceptional Ivy Cudgel, Ogerpon's signature move that changes type according to the mask it's wearing.

15 Muddy Water

Introduced in Generation Three, Muddy Water was once the signature move of Hoenn's Water starter, Swampert. As a Water/Ground dual type, Swampert naturally went hand in hand with a move like Muddy Water. It has since expanded its availability and is an exceptionally powerful choice for Pokemon like Gastrodon.

From a battle perspective, Muddy Water is very similar to Surf in terms of power but has some pros and cons. While Muddy Water and Surf both have a base power of 90, Muddy Water is less accurate, clocking in at 85 percent. However, the move hits all opponents and has the potential to drop your foe's accuracy by one stage.

14 Aqua Tail

Most of the strongest Water attacks hit on the special side, but Aqua Tail is one of the few moves that offer a physical attacking option. Physical Water-type Pokemon like Gyarados and Azumarill appreciate access to Aqua Tail as their move of choice.

As a move with a base power of 90, Aqua Tail is a powerful Water move but does clock in at only 90 percent accuracy, meaning there is a decent chance it may not connect. Certain non-Water Pokemon like Dragonite and Goodra can also learn Aqua Tail as a nice coverage move.

13 Surf

As a 100 percent accurate move with a base power of 90, Surf is one of the strongest and most reliable Water-type moves in the game. In older generations, it also provides additional utility as the sole way of traveling across water to explore new destinations.

Unlike Muddy Water, which only targets opponents, Surf will hit every Pokemon on the battlefield in a double battle for better or worse. While Surf does not have the additional effect of lowering the foe's stats, it is much more accurate than Muddy Water and therefore more consistent.

12 Sparkling Aria

Sparkling Aria is the signature move of Primarina and comes with a unique effect: any burned Pokemon will be cured of their ailment when this move makes contact. This can be either useful to heal the burn of an ally or counterproductive if it heals the foe.

In terms of power, Sparkling Aria is equivalent to Surf with two main differences that give it an advantage. In addition to hitting all adjacent Pokemon with 90 base power, Sparkling Aria is sound-based and thus can have its power increased with the Throat Spray item.

11 Crabhammer

Like Aqua Tail, Crabhammer is another physical Water-type attack with 90 percent accuracy. However, Crabhammer also boasts 100 base power and a 12.5 percent chance of landing a critical hit. If the user happens to get a crit, they will deal a large chunk of damage to the opponent, ignoring any defensive buffs they may have.

However, as its name suggests, the only Pokemon who can learn Crabhammer are the few who are based on crustaceans. This includes the likes of Kingler, Crawdaunt, Clawitzer, and Crabrawler – a solid group, but certainly not Pokemon you will see among the highest tiers of competitive play.

10 Hydro Pump

Hydro Pump is the go-to Water-type move that many Pokemon will carry in competitive matches due to its high damage output and accessibility. Many Water-types and other non-Water-types like Roaring Moon and Lugia also gain access to this powerful coverage option.

While its accuracy is not the greatest at 80 percent, Hydro Pump's 110 base power is often too good to pass up, especially if you want to avoid hitting your teammates with moves like Surf. It's often worth risking a missed attack when you consider the massive damage this move is capable of putting out.

9 Splishy Splash

Splishy Splash is a powerful Water-type move exclusive to Pikachu in Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! While it is still categorized as a Water-type move, Pikachu enhances Splishy Splash's 90 base power with static electricity, giving it a 30 percent chance to paralyze its target.

The added paralysis chance catapults Splishy Splash above other comparably powerful Water-type moves but gives it an incredibly unique niche. While it's unfortunately only available in LGP, it's understandable why a move like this is better off staying far away from competitive play.

8 Ivy Cudgel

While Ivy Cudgel's base type is Grass, Ogerpon's signature attack becomes one of the best Water-type moves when it is wearing the Wellspring Mask. Much like Crabhammer, Ivy Cudgel is a 100 base power move that has a heightened (12.5 percent) chance of landing a critical hit.

However, unlike Crabhammer, this move is exclusive to a fairly powerful legendary, and boasts the ability to change types, outclassing its less versatile crab counterpart. Ivy Cudgel combines with Ogerpon's mask mechanic to make it both unique and powerful, a noteworthy combination among the best Water-type moves in Pokemon.

7 Fishious Rend

Fishious Rend has gained incredible fame as the signature move of Dracovish, one of the most powerful Pokemon to ever grace competitive play. Even Ash recognized the immense potential of this move, adding a Dracovish to his team in the anime. The move and its 85 base power offer far more than meets the eye.

If your Pokemon attacks first, Fishious Rend's power doubles to a whopping 170 – enough to eviscerate any competition. Dracovish's base 75 Speed doesn't jump off the page, but using a Choice Scarf usually offers enough Speed to ensure that Fishious Rend will land before your opponent can attack. When combined with the Strong Jaw ability, Fishious Rend gains a further 50 percent power, giving it amazing potential under the right circumstances.

6 Bouncy Bubble

While Eevee may just seem like a cute, but weak Pokemon, it's exceedingly strong in Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! Eevee's access to Bouncy Bubble is a huge reason why Eevee's power is comparable to its cuteness.

Bouncy Bubble is a 90 base power move with a secondary effect that blows even Pikachu's Splishy Splash out of the water. Bouncy Bubble functions like a Water-type Giga Drain – it absorbs half of the damage it deals and heals the user's own HP. Who knew Eevee could be so terrifying without evolving?

5 Origin Pulse

In the Generation Three remakes, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Kyogre received not only an incredibly powerful Primal form but also a powerful new signature move, Origin Pulse.

Origin Pulse might have the same base power as Hydro Pump at 110, but it also has a slightly higher accuracy of 85 percent and can hit two targets at once in a double battle without harming your partner, like Surf. In combination with Kyogre's Drizzle ability that will call forth the rain, Origin Pulse is one of the most feared Water-type moves out there.

4 Steam Eruption

Steam Eruption is the signature move of the mythical Fire/Water Pokemon, Volcanion. It is essentially a more powerful version of Scald, another solid Water-type attack. Unfortunately, only Volcanion can learn the attack which makes it impossible to use in many competitive settings.

With a base power of 110, Steam Eruption dishes out damage equivalent to a Hydro Pump while having 95 percent accuracy and a chance of burning the foe. Being able to burn the foe is especially important because it inflicts residual damage while cutting a physical attacker's damage output in half.

3 Wave Crash

If you're a lapsed Pokemon player who hasn't touched later generations, you may have missed the immense power buff that was bestowed upon Wave Crash. This move once clocked in at a mediocre 75 base power, but upon the release of Scarlet and Violet, it was increased to 120 base power: a massive boost.

Of course, this buff also coincided with the release of the lethal Dondozo and Tatsugiri combination that dominated Series One's competitive scene. Other Pokemon, like Paldean Tauros, were also beneficiaries of the power boost – especially when combined with a Sitrus Berry or Leftovers that help to negate the move's intrinsic recoil.

Powerful physical Water-type moves are in high demand, and this one finally offers the power that makes its recoil seem like a small price to pay.

2 Hydro Cannon

Hydro Cannon is essentially the Hyper Beam of Water-moves, as it has a very high base power of 150, an accuracy of 90 percent, and it requires the user to recharge for one turn after use.

In addition, Hydro Cannon can only be taught to the Water starters of each generation, meaning very few Water-type Pokemon can take advantage of this powerful move. However, despite its power, it is not commonly used in competitive battling due to the drawback of needing to recharge, which would leave you too vulnerable to justify using it.

1 Water Spout

Water Spout takes home the Water crown for the type's strongest attacking move. The power of Water Spout depends on the current health of the user. When the user is at full health, Water Spout has a 150 base power. As the user takes damage in battle, the damage output of Water Spout will also decrease.

To maximize the power of Water Sprout, trainers will often pair it with a Choice Scarf to greatly increase the holder's Speed stat, often enabling them to move first. In this way, Water Spout can deal an incredible amount of damage right from the start without having to worry about losing any HP from an opponent's attack.