Let me tell you, in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen, building a well-rounded team isn’t just a good idea, it’s how you survive. Seriously, everyone from the first trainers you face to the Elite Four will absolutely crush you if your team isn’t solid. That’s why I always try to snag a few Pokemon early on that have great potential – the ones that really evolve into powerhouses later in the game. It makes all the difference!
This guide helps players discover the best Pokémon to catch at the beginning of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. It provides details on where to find them, how to train them effectively, recommended moves, and advice on which Pokémon are worth catching and which aren’t.
Best Pokemon to Catch on Route 2
Despite its common reputation, Pidgey is actually a great Pokémon to include on your team. It evolves into Pidgeotto at level 18, becoming stronger in every area. Then, at level 36, it becomes Pidgeot, one of the fastest Pokémon in its generation.
 HP 40 Attack 45 Defense 40 Sp. Atk 35 Sp. Def 35 Speed 56 |
 HP 63 Attack 60 Defense 55 Sp. Atk 50 Sp. Def 50 Speed 71 |
 HP 83 Attack 80 Defense 75 Sp. Atk 70 Sp. Def 70 Speed 101 |
Pidgeot is a reasonably fast attacker thanks to its well-rounded stats and high speed. It can learn a variety of useful moves, including Steel Wing, Facade, and Aerial Ace. Notably, it also knows Mirror Move, a powerful ability that lets it copy the opponent’s last attack.
Best Pokemon to Catch in Viridian Forest
Viridian Forest is a great place to level up your Pokémon team. Plus, you have a chance to catch one of the rarest and strongest Pokémon in the game: Pikachu, the iconic Electric Mouse Pokémon and the face of the franchise!
HP 35
Attack 55
Defense 40
Sp. Atk 50
Sp. Def 50
Speed 90
HP 60
Attack 90
Defense 55
Sp. Atk 90
Sp. Def 80
Speed 110
Pikachu is incredibly fast, allowing players to build it as either a powerful special attacker or a strong physical attacker. What really makes Pikachu stand out, though, is its electric-type attacks, which are super effective against flying-type Pokémon – even tough opponents like Charizard.
Okay, so I finally evolved my Pikachu into a Raichu using a Thunder Stone, and seriously, it was totally worth it! Raichu gets a huge boost to its stats. Plus, it can learn some awesome moves like Protect, Hyper Beam, and Iron Tail. It’s a really powerful upgrade!
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Best Pokemon to Catch in Route 22/3
When you reach Route 3, focus on catching Mankey and Nidoran – you can also find them on Route 22 near Viridian City. While Mankey doesn’t evolve into Primeape until level 28, it’s worth the wait! Primeape becomes a very powerful physical attacker, making it one of the best in the game.
HP 40
Attack 80
Defense 35
Sp. Atk 35
Sp. Def 45
Speed 70
HP 65
Attack 105
Defense 60
Sp. Atk 60
Sp. Def 70
Speed 95
Mankey may not appear very strong initially, but its Fighting-type moves, such as Low Kick, can really help you beat the first Gym Leader in Pewter City. And its evolution, Primeape, is a powerful physical attacker in the original Pokémon games. It can learn a variety of helpful moves, including Dig, Earthquake, Counter, and Seismic Toss.
Nidoran Male transforms into Nidorino at level 16. Players can then use a Moon Stone to evolve Nidorino into Nidoking, a very powerful Pokémon. While players can choose to evolve Nidoran Female into Nidoqueen instead, Nidoking generally has stronger attacks because it can learn some moves that Nidoqueen can’t. Nidoqueen, on the other hand, is built more for defense.
 HP 46 Attack 57 Defense 40 Sp. Atk 40 Sp. Def 40 Speed 50 |
 HP 61 Attack 72 Defense 57 Sp. Atk 55 Sp. Def 55 Speed 65 |
 HP 81 Attack 102 Defense 77 Sp. Atk 85 Sp. Def 75 Speed 85 |
The Nidoran family of Pokémon is unique because it allows a second-stage Pokémon to evolve directly into its final form at level 16 with a special Stone – something not possible with many other Pokémon. Fans have repeatedly asked for the Nidoran line to be included in the main series games, but their requests haven’t been granted.
Nidoking is a fantastic Pokémon to get early in the game because it’s strong, durable, and can learn a wide variety of powerful moves through Tutors, HMs, and TMs. By level 22, it learns Thrash, a powerful physical attack that hits multiple times, potentially turning the battle in your favor—though it does come with the risk of confusing Nidoking afterward. It’s a risky but potentially game-changing move.
Best Pokemon to Catch in Mount Moon
You’ll find the entrance to Mt. Moon just east of Pewter City, along Route 3. Inside, you can catch four powerful Pokémon. Let’s talk about Magikarp first. You can buy one early on for 500 PokeDollars, and it might seem like a waste of money at first. However, with enough training, Magikarp evolves into the incredibly strong Gyarados!
HP 20
Attack 10
Defense 55
Sp. Atk 15
Sp. Def 20
Speed 80
HP 95
Attack 125
Defense 79
Sp. Atk 60
Sp. Def 100
Speed 81
Training Magikarp to level 20 is notoriously difficult, taking a long time and likely requiring frequent trips to the Pokémon Center. However, the effort is worth it because evolving Magikarp into Gyarados results in a powerful and loyal Pokémon. In the first generation of games, Gyarados is the strongest Water-type, capable of defeating entire teams on its own. Starting at level 20, it can learn powerful moves like Thrash, Dragon Rage (at level 25), and Twister (at level 35), plus it can learn Surf, Waterfall, and a variety of other moves through TMs, giving it excellent coverage and adaptability.
Even though Clefairy isn’t classified as a Fairy-type Pokémon in FireRed and LeafGreen, it’s still a valuable team member. It’s tough, can provide good support, and has strong special attacks, making it useful later in the game.
HP 70
Attack 45
Defense 48
Sp. Atk 60
Sp. Def 65
Speed 35
HP 95
Attack 70
Defense 73
Sp. Atk 95
Sp. Def 90
Speed 60
Clefairy, if trained well from the start, can evolve into Clefable with a Moon Stone, which you can find in Mt. Moon. Deciding between evolving a Clefairy or a Jigglypuff is often a difficult choice for trainers.
Clefable becomes a powerful Pokémon as it levels up, learning a wide range of strong moves like Metronome, Cosmic Power, and Meteor Mash. It can also support its team by creating defensive barriers with moves like Light Screen and Reflect.
Jigglypuff, like Clefairy, evolves with a Moon Stone, but it becomes a more durable Pokémon focused on balanced attacks. Wigglytuff has lower defense but a lot of hit points, making it good at absorbing damage. It can also learn a wide range of moves, including powerful attacks like Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Psychic.
HP 115
Attack 45
Defense 20
Sp. Atk 45
Sp. Def 25
Speed 20
HP 140
Attack 70
Defense 45
Sp. Atk 85
Sp. Def 50
Speed 45
This Pokémon’s usefulness will become clear as players face tougher opponents. Being a Normal-type, it’s only weak against Fighting-type attacks. This makes Bruno, a member of the Elite Four, a particularly difficult opponent. However, Pokémon like Clefable and Chansey, which are also known for being durable and supportive, have the same weakness.
Best Pokemon to Catch in Rock Tunnel
Onix is a remarkably strong Pokémon, possessing the second-highest defense among all Pokémon from Generation 1 (second only to Cloyster’s impressive 180 Defense stat). It’s a difficult Pokémon to find and train, as it’s quite rare in the wild, appearing only 10% of the time. While it has great potential, Onix isn’t particularly powerful until it reaches higher levels.
HP 35
Attack 45
Defense 160
Sp. Atk 30
Sp. Def 45
Speed 70
Once this large Pokémon reaches level 20, it becomes incredibly durable. Learning Harden at level 19 and Rage at level 23 turns it into a powerful defensive wall. The best strategy is to maximize Onix’s defense and then use Rage to build up damage, which will significantly increase its attack power and deal massive damage to opponents.
Onix is a flexible Pokémon that can fill different roles in battle. It learns the Dragon-type move Dragon Breath at level 30, and can also learn powerful moves like Toxic, Dig, Earthquake, and Explosion through a Move Tutor.
Explosion is a risky move used when a Pokémon is low on health, but if used at full health, it can deal a massive 250 Normal-type damage. This can be incredibly effective against opponents with little HP, such as the Pokémon used by Elite Four member Lorelei.
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2026-02-24 21:41