Introduced from the very start of the franchise, Mankey and Primeape are a pair of pure Fighting-type Pokemon with plenty of versatility. Mankey evolves into Primeape, but for the longest time, Primeape did not have a form to evolve into. This has now been permanently changed in Scarlet and Violet.
Catching Mankey and reaching the right level is nothing new, but Primeape will prove a bit more obtuse if you are not prepared to pay close attention to its moveset.
Where To Catch Mankey
There are a couple of locations around Paldea to find the pig monkey Pokemon, Mankey. Notably, an easy and early-game catch location is the hillside near Cortondo. Just go for a ride on Koraidon or Miraidon and do a quick search for the fluffy and angry little things, and you should find plenty in no time at all. They are not a rare spawn.
There is a bit of the description for the habitat section of the Pokedex that players may find misleading. The Pokedex states that Mankey “makes its home up in the trees,” but as seen in the image above, groups of Mankey will walk on the ground. There are Pokemon that can only be found by shaking trees in the area, and despite what the Pokedex says, Mankey is not one of them. Mankey will wander the area on its feet just like the vast majority of wild Pokemon do. For those who would like to start their journey to Annihilape with Mankey, the only areas to watch out for are grassy hill areas.
Evolve Mankey Into Primeape
Mankey evolves into Primeape starting at level 28. If you choose not to evolve at this level, or if Mankey reaches this level using the Let’s Go mechanic, all you have is do is raise its level again with experience candy or from a battle. Mankey is more than capable of earning these levels on its own. Being a pure Fighting-type Pokemon, it has an advantage against Normal and Steel types and a weakness to Fairy, Psychic, and Flying.
Its ability, Anger Point, is also incredible and should be considered when catching as it will carry over to Primeape. Anger Point will raise Mankey and Primeape’s attack to maximum if it is damaged by a critical hit. This can be a deadly counter for moves that guarantee a critical hit.
While Mankey has its benefits, it should be noted you can also catch wild Primeape should you not feel the need to raise Mankey.
Like Mankey, the Pokedex claims it lives in the trees, but it will instead be wandering around on the ground like most other wild Pokemon. Primeape is the same typing as Mankey, meaning all the same strengths and weaknesses are present, plus a boost in overall stats thanks to the evolution.
Primeape will likely be a bit more difficult to catch than Mankey. They do not share habitats, so do not expect similar levels if you decide to rush directly to a Primeape location. Either wait until you are better equipped for the area, or bring all the potions and Pokeballs you can.
Whichever way you gain a Primeape, pay attention to when it reaches level 35.
Rage Fist Into Annihilape
Starting at level 35, Primeape can now learn a move called Rage Fist. This is a Ghost-type move, so remember: it will do no damage to any Pokemon with Normal typing. This move is the secret to evolution, but it’s not quite as simple as that. Rage Fist will not instantly unlock an evolution at the next level up, such as Twin Beam does for Girafarig or Hyper Drill does for Dunsparce. Rage Fist works as a move-based evolution similar to how the mechanic was used for Hisuian Pokemon. When Rage Fist has been used a total of at least twenty times, then Primeape will be able to evolve.
Unlike in Legends: Arceus, you cannot just go into the party menu and tell your Primeape to evolve. After you use Rage Fist twenty times, you will then have to level Primeape at least once using a battle or candy. That of course leaves the question of how to keep track of the move’s uses, but there is a simple way of doing this. Rage Fist has a max PP of 10, so if you deplete the PP for this move twice, then you will know you’ve done it enough times to evolve. This may get tricky if you end up being Taunted, which lowers your PP more than you actually used the move.
If you’ve done all the steps correctly, the ball of anger known as Annihilape will now be yours. Annihilape is a dual Ghost/Fighting type, meaning that Rage Fist will now gain a boost thanks to the STAB (same type attack bonus). Annihilape will instantly learn another ghost move named Shadow Punch, but be warned: this Pokemon will still be weak to Psychic attacks, so it’s not a perfect counter to them. The full immunity to Normal and Fighting attacks will be a nice plus, and the learnable moveset has tons of benefits for its high Attack stat.
There is, however, a drawback for those who were using Mankey and Primeape and loved Anger Point. If your Primeape had Anger Point as its ability, it will sadly lose it as it evolves to be swapped out with an ability such as Inner Focus. Inner Focus also has great use, but if Anger Point was a vital part of your strategy, consider that before using Rage Fist the required twenty times.