Pokémon Red

Region: Kanto
Main story: 26-30 hours
Completionist: 55-70 hours

Version siblings: Pokémon Blue, Pokémon Yellow

Overview

The game that started a global phenomenon. You pick one of three starters, Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle, set out across Kanto, beat eight Gym Leaders and the Elite Four, and try to fill a Pokédex of 151.

Red is the version with exclusives like Ekans and Arbok, Oddish and Gloom, and Growlithe and Arcanine. Its counterpart, Blue, carries Sandshrew, Vulpix, Meowth and Bellsprout instead.

To register all 151 you have to trade, both to collect the other version's exclusives and to finish the trade evolutions (Alakazam, Machamp, Golem and Gengar). It is a short, punchy adventure that still holds up as the purest form of the series.

Gyms & Elite Four

Gym Leaders

Gym Leaders with types and tips
Leader	Type	Tip
Brock	Rock	Water or Grass moves make this trivial. If you chose Charmander, catch a Mankey on Route 22 for Low Kick, or grind a Nidoran to chip his Onix down.
Misty	Water	Her Starmie hits hard. Bring an Electric type (a Pikachu from Viridian Forest) or a Grass type with Vine Whip, and keep something sturdy in reserve.
Lt. Surge	Electric	Ground types are completely immune to Electric. A Diglett from Diglett's Cave walks right over him.
Erika	Grass	Fire, Flying, Bug or Psychic moves shred her team. A Charmeleon or any flyer makes this quick.
Koga	Poison	Psychic is king in Gen 1. An Abra line, or Nidoking's Earthquake, clears the room.
Sabrina	Psychic	Gen 1 has almost no good Psychic counters. Out-level her, or bring a strong Bug move and plenty of healing.
Blaine	Fire	Water and Rock crush Fire. Lapras, a Golem or any strong Surfer sweep him comfortably.
Giovanni	Ground	Grass and Water hit his Ground team for double. Keep anything Electric on the bench.

Elite Four & Champion

Elite Four & Champion with types and tips
Leader	Type	Tip
Lorelei	Ice	Electric and Fighting work well; her Ice types fear strong physical hits.
Bruno	Fighting	Psychic and Flying moves dominate. His Onix pair are weak to Water and Grass.
Agatha	Ghost / Poison	Psychic handles the Poison side; pack status healing for Confusion.
Lance	Dragon	Ice is the answer. Lapras's Blizzard one-shots most of his team, Gyarados included.
Rival (Champion)	Mixed	His team shifts to counter your starter. Keep a balanced squad and a revive or two in your bag.

Recommended team

Your starter
Blastoise gives the smoothest ride through Gen 1; Charizard is the hardest early game.
Nidoking
Catch a Nidoran early. Earthquake plus Thunderbolt or Ice Beam covers almost everything.
Lapras
A free gift inside Silph Co. in Saffron City. Ice Beam and Surf make it an MVP against Lance.
Alakazam
Trade-evolved from Kadabra and borderline broken in Gen 1; Psychic sweeps most of the game.
An Electric type
Jolteon or Raichu. Thunderbolt answers the Water and Flying threats your Ground types fear.
A flyer (Pidgeot / Fearow)
Carries the Fly HM so you don't waste a team slot on an HM mule.

Capture tips

Status first: putting a Pokémon to sleep or paralysing it hugely raises catch rate and stops it fleeing.
Whittle HP down into the red before throwing a ball; in Gen 1 current HP matters a lot.
Carry Great Balls early and Ultra Balls once you can afford them; the humble Poké Ball struggles on tough catches.
The legendary birds live at fixed spots: Articuno in the Seafoam Islands, Zapdos at the Power Plant, Moltres on Victory Road. Mewtwo waits in Cerulean Cave after you become Champion.
There is no shiny mechanic in Gen 1, so don't waste time hunting one.

Save & hardware notes

Red saves to an internal battery inside the cartridge, a soldered coin cell. When it dies, saves won't hold.
To check a cartridge: start a new game, save, power off for a minute, then power back on. If the save is gone, the battery needs replacing.
Back up your save with a GBxCart RW before attempting any battery swap.

Tips

Pick Squirtle for the smoothest first two gyms; Charmander is the hardest early start.
Catch a Nidoran early, as Nidoking is one of the best Pokémon in the game.
Version exclusives and trade evolutions both need a link cable, so line up a friend with a second cartridge.

Trivia

In Japan the original pair was Red and Green; Blue came later as a premium release.
The famous MissingNo. glitch lives here. It is harmless to the hardware but can scramble your Hall of Fame data.