How to Get the Legendary Dogs on Pokémon FireRed

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Reviewed by Ishrak

Last Updated: May 23, 2025 References

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Meeting the Prerequisites

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Finding the Legendary Beasts

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Catching the Legendary Beasts

In Pokémon FireRed, the 2004 remake of Pokémon Red, you can catch one of the three Legendary Beasts of Johto per game. They can be tricky to track down, and once you find them it can be hard to stop them from running away. Armed with a little knowledge, though, you’ll be able to add a Legendary Beast to your team in no time.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Meeting the Prerequisites

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The Legendary Beasts only appear in the later stages of the game. You will need to defeat the Elite Four before you can find them.^{[1]
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You will need to do this in order to get the National Pokédex. Keep in mind that they need to be 60 unique Pokémon.

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Catching 60 unique Pokémon will trigger an event at Professor Oak’s house. Go speak to him, and he will give you the National Pokédex.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Finding the Legendary Beasts

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The Legendary Beasts roam the Kanto region at random, so finding them requires a lot of wandering through the grass with your fingers crossed. Using Max Repel will help you avoid endless encounters with low-level Pokémon while you do so. Make sure the first Pokémon in your party is level 49 or below, or this won’t work.^{[2]
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This is pretty straightforward. Riding your bike rather than walking will help you find Pokémon more quickly, as you will encounter more Pokémon in a smaller amount of time. With any luck, one of them will be a Legendary Beast.
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Track it on your Pokédex. If you finally track down a Legendary Beast and it gets away from you, don’t despair. It will now show up in the map in your Pokédex, which will make the process of finding it much quicker.^{[3]
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- The Legendary Beast’s location will change every time you fly, battle, go into a building, or change routes. This may seem like a hindrance, but you can use it to your advantage. Hop on your bike, pop a Max Repel, and start trekking through the grass. If you haven't had a hit after about 30 seconds, head into the house. When you come back out, the Legendary Beast’s area of roaming will have changed. Rinse and repeat until it appears before you.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Catching the Legendary Beasts

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Know what you’re up against. Only one of the three Legendary Beasts will appear in each game, and which one it is will depend on the player's choice of a starter Pokémon. The Legendary Beast in your game will always be the type that is super effective against your starter, so if you chose Squirtle it will be Raikou, if you chose Bulbasaur it will be Entei, and if you chose Charmander it will be Suicune. Plan your party accordingly.^{[4]
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- Raikou is an electric Pokémon, so ground types will be strongest against it, while water and flying types will be weak.
- Entei is a fire Pokémon, so water, ground, and rock types will be strongest against it, while grass, ice, bug, and steel types will be weak.
- Suicune is a water Pokémon, so grass and electric types will be strong against it, while fire, ground, and rock will be weak.
You will need these to successfully catch a Legendary Beast. It will be difficult to catch, so pick up around 15 to be safe.^{[5]
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Keep it from fleeing. The Legendary Beasts are skittish, and they will always attempt to flee rather than engaging in battle. The best strategy is to use a move like Curse, Mean Look, or Block.^{[6]
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- Sleep or Freeze will also work, but since status effect moves like those are temporary, they’re not the best strategy.
- Alternatively, you can simply throw an Ultra Ball at it. Your chances are very small here, though, as the Legendary Beast will just probably escape the Poké Ball and flee.
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Battle it. Once you’ve found a way to keep the Legendary Beast from fleeing, the process of capturing it is the same as with any other Pokémon. Reduce its HP as much as you can without knocking it out, throw an Ultra Ball at it, and cross your fingers.
- Save frequently as you go, because if you accidentally knock out the Legendary Beast, you will not have another opportunity to catch it.