is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Gyarados first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. Gyarados was voiced by Unshō Ishizuka in both Japanese and English media until Ishizuka died from esophageal cancer. Known as the Atrocious Pokémon, Gyarados is the evolved form of Magikarp, well known for its fierce temper and reputation for causing nothing but destruction so much so that once it has worked itself into a frenzy, it will not calm down until everything around it has been destroyed. Gyarados appears multiple times in the anime under various trainers such as Misty, Lance, Crasher Wake, and Nurse Joy. Two different Gyarados appear in the Pokémon Adventures manga. One is originally owned by Misty, but is traded between Red and Blue. The other is a red Gyarados owned by Silver. Since it appeared in the Pokémon series, Gyarados has received generally positive reception. It has been featured in several forms of merchandise, including figurines, plush toys, and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Gyarados has been described as both one of the most well known and most powerful Pokémon. Design and characteristics Gyarados was one of 151 different designs conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized by Ken Sugimori for the first generation of Pocket Monsters games Red and Green, which were localized outside Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue. Originally called "Gyarados" in Japanese, Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children. As a result, the species' beta name was "Skulkraken", a combination of "skull" or "skulk" and "kraken", but in the final release the original Japanese name was used. Gyarados is a Pokémon whose design is inspired by dragons, specifically dragons seen in Chinese mythology. The concept of Magikarp evolving into Gyarados is based on the ancient Chinese myth about carp that can evolve into flying dragons after leaping a waterfall. Its snakelike body is largely blue, but its underbelly is pale yellow. It has four white fins down its back, and a large and gaping mouth. Gyarados is known for its fierce temper and wanton