The Best Team For Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen

Released in 2004, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are best known as the first set of remakes within the Pokémon gaming franchise. An updated version of the original Pokémon Red and Green, FireRed, and LeafGreen stick quite faithfully to their precursors while including a few updates for Generation III.

Having played these games for the better part of 18 years, this is what I believe to be the best team for FireRed and LeafGreen. This team will take into consideration type coverage, availability, ability to win key battles, and a bit of personal preference.

To be fair, this list will not include legendaries, trade evolutions, or version exclusives. So, regardless of whether you’re playing FireRed or LeafGreen and are doing so alone, this list will work for you.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

Charizard

Beginning this list the same way we would any Pokémon game, we have our starter. As a Charmander, Kanto’s resident fire-type starter is said to be the most difficult among the original three to train. This is mainly due to it having a type disadvantage to your rival’s starter and the first two gyms.

However, as the game progresses, you will soon find out that the more difficult start will pave the way for an amazing addition to your team. With an impressive array of fire-type moves at its disposal, your starter will also gain an additional type upon reaching its final form. Aside from its natural advantages against grass, bug, and fighting types, Charizard can also learn a number of moves from the dragon and steel types among others to boost its coverage.

With its high attack and the best speed among the three starters, Charizard is perfect for the fourth gym, Lorelei’s Jynx during the first Elite 4 battle, a good chunk of the second Elite 4 battle, and your rival’s Exeggcutor. Take advantage of its ability to learn Dragon Claw to give you a slight edge over Lance as well.

A true labor of love, Charmander may not be the easiest Pokémon to handle at the start but by the time it grows into a beastly Charizard, you’ll be glad to have chosen it as your starter.

Raichu

The first catchable encounter for this list, you can find the Pokémon franchise’s mascot, Pikachu in both FireRed and LeafGreen very early on in the game. In Viridian Forest, there is a 5% chance of encountering a wild Pikachu, and trust me, it’s worth the search. Based on personal experience, it shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to get a Pikachu and more often than not, it is quite easy to catch once found.

An electric-type Pokémon, Pikachu is great against water and flying types while only having one weakness in-ground types. Also, most Pikachus tend to have the Static ability which gives a 30% chance of paralysis to an opponent’s Pokémon whenever it hits Pikachu.

Unlike most Pokémon, Pikachu evolves into a Raichu with a Thunderstone which can be easily obtained from the Celadon City department store. Personally, I would recommend doing this at level 41 after learning Thunder, one of the most devastating electric-type moves in the game.

Pikachu/Raichu is perfect for the second gym, almost the entire first Elite 4 battle, Agatha’s Golbat, Lance’s Gyarados, and your rival’s Pidgeot and Blastoise. Its diverse move-set and ability to paralyze opponents are also great assets to have in a pinch. In a way, it’s very fitting for the Pokémon franchise’s most popular mascot to also be a capable ally in the game.

Nidoking

Possessing an especially unique typing of ground and poison, Nidoking is both an offensive powerhouse and a bulky defender. You can catch a male Nidoran in both games on Route 3 just outside Mt. Moon. However, it should be noted that in LeafGreen, there is only a 1% chance of encountering a wild male Nidoran. In FireRed, the 1% chance applies to the female version.

However, regardless of what version you play, the patience to search for a male Nidoran that early in the game will make a world of difference. The wild Nidorans are usually found at around levels 6–7. By level 16, they can already evolve into Nidorino and can be evolved into a Nidoking anytime after with a Moonstone which is conveniently located in Mt.Moon itself, just a short distance away from where you can encounter the Nidoran.

This means that before the second gym, you can already have this fully evolved beast at your disposal. Personally, I would recommend giving Nidorino the Moonstone at level 23 where it will learn Thrash upon evolving. Nidorina only learns this when evolving into a Nidoqueen hence my emphasis on catching the male version only.

Nidoking’s unique typing and bulky stats allow it to sweep through the third and seventh gyms, handle Agatha’s Arbok, and can serve as a strong contender against Giovanni as the ground type is one of the few Pokémon types to be super effective against itself. Take advantage of your ability to obtain Nidoking very early into the game and make use of moves like Earthquake, Strength, and Sludge Bomb to decimate your opponents.

Hitmonchan

A fighting-type Pokémon, Hitmonchan is another mono-type entry in this list. The fighting type alone is strong against normal, dark, ice, rock, and steel types while only having weaknesses to flying and psychic types in the game.

However, what sets Hitmonchan apart from other fighting types is its ability to learn the elemental punches. At level 26, Hitmonchan automatically learns Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and Thunder Punch while also learning the fighting-type Mach Punch at level 32. This means, that in total, Hitmonchan can handle dark, ice, rock, steel, grass, bug, water, dragon, and even guard against its weakness to flying types.

Unlike most of the other Pokémon in this list, Hitmonchan does not need to be caught but is given as a gift after defeating the Karate King in the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City. Thanks to the elemental punches, Hitmonchan is certainly a better Pokémon than Hitmonlee. You also get it at level 25, so the elemental punches will be yours almost instantly.

Overall, Hitmonchan is great against Giovanni’s two Rhyhorn, in most of the first Elite 4 battle, Bruno’s two Onix in the second Elite 4 battle, and if necessary, serves as a secondary contender against Lance’s Dragonair and your rival’s Blastoise and Rhydon. All in all, Hitmonchan is the ideal backup Pokémon to be used in a pinch thanks to its ability to adapt to any situation thanks to its especially diverse move pool.

Exeggutor

A grass-psychic type Pokémon, Exeggutor is both a special attacking powerhouse and a staller all packed into one. Exeggcute can be found in the Safari Zone and can be quickly evolved with a Leaf Stone. Personally, the best time to evolve an Exeggcute would be at level 31 where it learns PoisonPowder and the powerful Egg Bomb upon evolution.

Aside from its great stats and typing that makes it effective against water, fighting, ground, and poison types, what makes Exeggutor stand out is the availability of powerful moves that you can give it shortly after catching it. By the time you catch an Exeggucte, you should have the TMs for Giga Drain and Psychic already. These are extremely powerful moves that are perfect for a beast like Exeggutor.

Exeggutor is a perfect counter for all the Giovanni battles, the many Team Rocket battles, the second Elite 4 battle, and your rival’s Blastoise and Rhydon. In addition to its powerful attack, Exeggutor is also great for inflicting status conditions like poison and sleep to make it all the more difficult for your opponents.

Lapras

Closing off this list, we have Lapras. A bulky water and ice-type Pokémon, Lapras is an amazing Pokémon to have in the late game. Like Hitmonchan, you don’t have to go through the trouble of searching for and catching Lapras. Instead, you get it from an employee at the Silph building.

With moves like Surf and Ice Beam at its disposal, Lapras is perfect against fire, rock, ground, flying, and fearsome dragon types. Having Lapras in your team will allow you to breeze past the seventh and eighth gym while giving you a far easier time during the Elite 4. Lapras’ ice-type will also be absolutely life-saving during your battle with Lance as it will be four times more effective against his Dragonite.

Aside from its good selection of water and ice-type moves, Lapras is also able to learn Perish Song. This move automatically causes any Pokémon in the battle to faint within three turns unless they are switched out. With Lapras’ natural bulk, Perish Song is the perfect way to stall out for a win against a tough Pokémon or to force out a switch for something else.

The water type is an essential aspect of any Pokémon run and Lapras remains to this day, one of the best water types there are. Its natural bulk, devastating move pool, and its ability to take on dragon types make Lapras an excellent addition to your team no matter what game you’re playing.

That does it for this list! If you made it this far, let me thank you for taking the time to read this! Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen will always maintain a special in my heart and is something I try to get back to whenever I have the time.

Whether you’re coming for a nostalgic re-run or just starting out on your Pokémon journey, it is the ideal game. I hope this list has been helpful in picking out your next team and until I come back with another similar list, happy playing!