How the Pokemon Fire Red team builder works
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are the 2004 Game Boy Advance remakes of the original Kanto adventure, with the Sevii Islands added on top. A planner that shows all thousand-plus Pokémon is noise for these games, so this Pokemon Fire Red team builder starts from what you can actually catch: the Kanto Pokédex tab has 150 Pokémon and the National Pokédex tab adds 65 post-game species from Johto. Mew and the other Pokémon you can only transfer in are left out.
It works the same way as a Leaf Green team builder. Version exclusives carry a small FR or LG badge on their sprite, so you can see at a glance that Growlithe is FireRed only and Vulpix is LeafGreen only. Types are the Gen 3 types and the weakness panel uses the Gen 3 chart. When the team is ready, the Fire Red team builder opens it in our full planner, which keeps the team in the URL so you can share it.
Sample teams in the Fire Red team builder
The three sample teams are built around each starter and only use Pokémon you can get during the main story. Load one into the Pokemon Fire Red team builder above, then swap in your favourites and watch the weakness panel update.
Charmander team
- CharizardFireFlyingFire/Flying. The hardest starter for Brock and Misty, but it flies through Erika's Grass Gym and resists Bruno's Fighting moves.
- LaprasWaterIceA gift on Silph Co. 7F. Water/Ice handles Lance's Dragons and Giovanni's Ground-types, and it learns Surf.
- JolteonElectricTake the Eevee gift in the Celadon Mansion and use a Thunder Stone from the Celadon Department Store. Fast Electric damage for Misty-style Water teams and Lorelei's Cloyster and Dewgong.
- NidokingPoisonGroundNidoran♂ is on Route 3; a Moon Stone evolves Nidorino. Poison/Ground is immune to Electric and learns a huge range of TMs.
- AlakazamPsychicAbra appears on Routes 24 and 25. Kadabra only evolves by trading; if you cannot trade, Kadabra still hits as hard as almost anything in Kanto.
- SnorlaxNormalTwo sleeping Snorlax block Routes 12 and 16, and you need the Poké Flute to wake them. A Normal-type wall with real Attack.
Bulbasaur team
- VenusaurGrassPoisonGrass/Poison makes the first two Gyms easy and resists Erika's whole team.
- GyaradosWaterFlyingBuy a Magikarp at the Route 4 Pokémon Center near Mt. Moon or fish one up. In Gen 3 its Water moves use its weaker Special stat, so teach it Normal and Ground moves.
- ArcanineFire(FireRed only)Growlithe is a FireRed exclusive; in LeafGreen swap in Ninetales (Vulpix). Use a Fire Stone to evolve it.
- JolteonElectricTake the Eevee gift in the Celadon Mansion and use a Thunder Stone from the Celadon Department Store. Fast Electric damage for Misty-style Water teams and Lorelei's Cloyster and Dewgong.
- AlakazamPsychicAbra appears on Routes 24 and 25. Kadabra only evolves by trading; if you cannot trade, Kadabra still hits as hard as almost anything in Kanto.
- SnorlaxNormalTwo sleeping Snorlax block Routes 12 and 16, and you need the Poké Flute to wake them. A Normal-type wall with real Attack.
Squirtle team
- BlastoiseWaterPure Water and the easiest start: Brock and Giovanni are both weak to it.
- ExeggutorGrassPsychicExeggcute lives in the Safari Zone; a Leaf Stone evolves it. Grass/Psychic covers Giovanni and Bruno.
- JolteonElectricTake the Eevee gift in the Celadon Mansion and use a Thunder Stone from the Celadon Department Store. Fast Electric damage for Misty-style Water teams and Lorelei's Cloyster and Dewgong.
- NidokingPoisonGroundNidoran♂ is on Route 3; a Moon Stone evolves Nidorino. Poison/Ground is immune to Electric and learns a huge range of TMs.
- SnorlaxNormalTwo sleeping Snorlax block Routes 12 and 16, and you need the Poké Flute to wake them. A Normal-type wall with real Attack.
- AerodactylRockFlyingRevive the Old Amber from the back of the Pewter Museum on Cinnabar Island. Rock/Flying is fast and immune to Ground.
FireRed vs LeafGreen exclusives
The two versions share almost everything. These are the Pokémon only one of them can catch, taken from the same data the Fire Red team builder and Leaf Green team builder use:
- FireRed only: Ekans, Arbok, Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Psyduck, Golduck, Growlithe, Arcanine, Shellder, Cloyster, Scyther, Electabuzz, Bellossom, Wooper, Quagsire, Murkrow, Qwilfish, Scizor, Delibird, Skarmory, Elekid, Deoxys (Attack Forme).
- LeafGreen only: Sandshrew, Sandslash, Vulpix, Ninetales, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebel, Slowpoke, Slowbro, Staryu, Starmie, Magmar, Pinsir, Marill, Azumarill, Slowking, Misdreavus, Sneasel, Remoraid, Octillery, Mantine, Magby, Deoxys (Defense Forme).
If a team needs a Pokémon from the other version, you have to trade for it. Our version exclusives tool builds a trade list for exactly that.
Kanto Gym Leaders your team has to beat
| Trainer | Location | Type | Ace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brock | Pewter City | Rock | Onix Lv. 14 |
| Misty | Cerulean City | Water | Starmie Lv. 21 |
| Lt. Surge | Vermilion City | Electric | Raichu Lv. 24 |
| Erika | Celadon City | Grass | Vileplume Lv. 29 |
| Koga | Fuchsia City | Poison | Weezing Lv. 43 |
| Sabrina | Saffron City | Psychic | Alakazam Lv. 43 |
| Blaine | Cinnabar Island | Fire | Arcanine Lv. 47 |
| Giovanni | Viridian City | Ground | Rhyhorn Lv. 50 |
Brock and Misty are the classic starter test. Bulbasaur and Squirtle handle both, while a Charmander team should catch help early: Mankey on Route 22 or a Nidoran♂ both learn Fighting moves for Brock. Lt. Surge's Electric team is the reason so many Kanto teams carry a Ground-type like Nidoking or Dugtrio. Koga's Poison-types fall to Ground and Psychic moves, Sabrina's Psychic-types to Bug, Ghost and Dark (in short supply in Kanto), and Giovanni's Ground team to Water, Grass and Ice. Use the Pokemon Fire Red team builder to check that each Gym type has at least one green row before you head out.
Elite Four and Champion in FireRed and LeafGreen
| Trainer | Role | Type | Ace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorelei | Elite Four | Ice | Lapras Lv. 54 |
| Bruno | Elite Four | Fighting | Machamp Lv. 56 |
| Agatha | Elite Four | Ghost | Gengar Lv. 58 |
| Lance | Elite Four | Dragon | Dragonite Lv. 60 |
| Your rival | Champion | Mixed | Final starter Lv. 63 |
Lorelei's Ice team is mostly Water/Ice, so Electric and Fighting moves do the most work. Bruno brings two Onix along with his Fighting-types, which makes Water and Psychic both valuable. Agatha leads with Gengar, a Ghost/Poison that only takes super-effective damage from Ground, Psychic, Ghost and Dark. Lance closes with Gyarados, Aerodactyl and Dragonite: between Ice and Electric attacks, every one of them takes super-effective damage. Your rival's final team always ends with the starter that beats yours, so the Fire Red team builder's weakness panel should show a resist to that type too.
Gen 3 rules the Fire Red team builder accounts for
- Physical or special depends on the type. Normal, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ground, Rock, Bug, Ghost and Steel moves are physical; Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic, Ice, Dragon and Dark moves are special. That is why Gyarados prefers Normal and Ground attacks here.
- No Fairy type. Clefairy, Jigglypuff and Mr. Mime show their original types, and Dragon is only resisted by Steel.
- Seven HMs. Cut, Fly, Surf, Strength, Flash, Rock Smash and Waterfall. Give them to one or two Pokémon you do not mind carrying them; Lapras and Nidoking learn several each.
The Pokemon Fire Red team builder already applies these rules, so the types and weaknesses you see match the game.
Tips for building a FireRed or LeafGreen team
- Kanto has few Dark, Steel and Dragon options before the post-game, so Psychic-types are strong. One Bug, Ghost or Dark answer for Sabrina is worth planning.
- Gift Pokémon are a shortcut: Eevee in Celadon, Lapras in Silph Co. and the fossil from Mt. Moon or the Pewter Museum.
- Check any single matchup with the type calculator and compare other generations in the full team builder.
Fire Red team builder FAQ
Is this a Fire Red team builder or a Leaf Green team builder?
Both. FireRed and LeafGreen share the same Pokédex apart from their version exclusives, so this Pokemon Fire Red team builder lists 150 Kanto Pokédex entries plus the National Dex Pokémon of both versions and marks which ones are FireRed only or LeafGreen only.
What is the best team in Pokemon FireRed?
A reliable all-round team is Charizard, Lapras, Jolteon, Nidoking, Alakazam and Snorlax: every one of them is available in both versions during the main story. Load it as the Charmander sample team and swap in your own favourites.
Which starter is easiest in FireRed and LeafGreen?
Bulbasaur and Squirtle. Both beat Brock and Misty, the first two Gyms. Charmander struggles there and needs help from a Pokémon like Mankey, Nidoran♂ or Butterfree.
Does the Fire Red team builder use the Gen 3 type chart?
Yes. There is no Fairy type, Clefairy and friends are pure Normal, and Steel resists Ghost and Dark. Physical or special also depends on the move's type, not on the move.
Can I use Pokémon from other regions in FireRed and LeafGreen?
After the Elite Four, Professor Oak upgrades your Pokédex to the National Dex and Johto Pokémon start to appear on the Sevii Islands. Those post-game Pokémon are in the National Pokédex tab of the team builder.
Can I share a team from the Pokemon Fire Red team builder?
Yes. Open the team in the full builder and copy the address bar: the game and all six Pokémon are stored in the link.