Pokémon: Magikarp Jump Beginner's Guide to JP and Leagues

Pokémon: Magikarp Jump is a casual training game built around raising Magikarp with the highest possible Jump Power, or JP. You feed and train one Magikarp, enter jump contests, then raise a new generation with better growth bonuses. The objective is league progress—not evolving every Magikarp into Gyarados.

The interface may vary slightly by app version, but the feeding, training and league systems shown in this guide explain the main progression loop.

Start a new game

Install the official version for your device, open the game and select a supported language. Review the game's terms and prompts, choose Start, then select New Start if you do not have existing save data.

Follow the opening tutorial to meet the mayor, fish for your first Magikarp and begin at Rank 1. The game introduces each control gradually, so there is no need to purchase upgrades immediately.

What JP means

JP (Jump Power) determines how high your Magikarp can jump in league matches. Most early progress comes from three activities:

• Feeding: tap food that appears in the pond for quick, repeatable JP gains.
• Training: spend a Training Point to complete an exercise with a larger JP reward.
• League battles: challenge another Magikarp; the one with the stronger jump wins.

Feed Magikarp regularly

After choosing your Magikarp, tap food floating in the pond. Food reappears over time, so checking the pond between other activities provides steady JP without using a Training Point.

Food has different base values. Upgrading food in Town increases the JP it grants, while raising the player rank unlocks additional food types. A useful early strategy is to improve the inexpensive food you already see frequently instead of spreading coins across every option.

Use Training Points efficiently

Open Training to send Magikarp to one of the exercises you have unlocked. The exercise is normally selected by the game, and its result adds JP. Training Points recover over time, so spend them before a long break rather than leaving the meter full.

New training methods unlock as your rank rises. Training upgrades increase their JP rewards. Coins are limited at the beginning, so compare the next upgrade cost with the improvement it provides before buying several levels at once.

Compete in league battles

Select League to open the league map. Each match compares the jump achieved by your Magikarp with the opponent's jump. You do not steer during the jump, so preparation matters more than reaction speed.

If an opponent's displayed JP is above yours, return to feeding and training before trying again. Support Pokémon, decorations and random bonuses can affect a result, but a clear JP advantage is the most dependable way to progress.

League rewards can include coins, diamonds, experience and other progression items. A league's final opponent is usually its largest difficulty jump, so do not assume that winning the previous match means the current Magikarp is ready for the final.

Retirement and new generations

Each Magikarp has a maximum level. When it reaches that limit, or when its run otherwise ends, it retires and you fish for a new one. This is expected progression, not a lost save.

A new generation benefits from the trainer's higher rank and accumulated bonuses, allowing later Magikarp to gain JP faster and reach higher levels. Continue improving the trainer rank, then repeat the feed–train–league cycle with the next fish.

Spend coins and diamonds carefully

Open Town to find the upgrade shops. Coins are primarily used to improve food and training. Rank requirements determine when additional choices become available.

Diamonds are harder to replace than coins. They can be used for Friendship Items, decorations and consumable items. Friendship Items add support Pokémon, while decorations provide ongoing bonuses such as improved JP or coin gains. Read the exact effect shown in the shop before purchasing; the best choice depends on whether your current bottleneck is JP, coins or training recovery.

Beginner priorities

1. Collect pond food whenever it appears.
2. Use Training Points before they sit at the maximum.
3. Upgrade a small number of common food and training options first.
4. Check an opponent's strength before repeating a league loss.
5. Save diamonds until you understand which permanent bonus will help most.
6. Treat retirement as progress: every generation contributes to stronger future Magikarp.

For more games from the series, see TipsMake's overview of the best-known Pokémon games and its guide to the Pokémon GO Pokédex.