Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Players Softlocked Thanks to Easily-Done Glitch

Update: It looks like this glitch has been patched! Great news for completionists.

Two decades later, the "spaghetti code" legacy of early generation Pokémon returns with Nintendo’s latest ports of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen’s for the Nintendo Switch.

Since the upcoming Nintendo Switch releases (dropping 27 February at 2:30pm) are direct ports of the GBA classics Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, one of the franchise's most infamous game-breaking glitches is still knocking around.

Here’s how you can avoid disaster and complete your FireRed and LeafGreen Pokédex without running into it.

Despite being remakes of Generation 1 Kanto, FireRed and LeafGreen are technically Gen 3 titles, released between Ruby/Sapphire and Emerald. While still maintaining the original story, these games added the shrug-inducing post-game - the Sevii Islands. Now, I remember absolutely loving the Sevii Islands as a kid, but apparently that’s an unpopular opinion.

I wonder if I’ll feel any different when I pick them up this week?

Anyway - this is where you can get the National Dex and add Generation 2 Pokémon to your party. Best of all, you can can Johto favorites like the Legendary Beasts - Suicune, Raikou, and Entei - to fill your National Dex. The bad news - 2 of these 3 legendary encounters can completely softlock you out of 100% completion.

How to Get Suicune, Raikou, and Entei in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

To unlock Suicune, Raikou, and Entei in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, you’ll need to defeat the Champion, catch at least 60 Pokémon, and get the National Dex from Professor Oak in Pallet Town. Head on over to the Sevii Islands and its post-game quest to help Celio obtain the Ruby and the Sapphire to upgrade his Network Machine.

Your starter choice determines which Beast roams Kanto - you can only get 1. Bulbasaur unlocks Entei, Charmander unlocks Suicune and Squirtle unlocks Raikou.

Annoyingly, it’s not as easy as throwing a Pokeball and calling it a day. Once you rid the Sevii Islands of Team Rocket, a Level 50 Suicune, Raikou, and Entei are set loose in the streets of Kanto. It’s not as easy as hunting them down in the tall grass though - they move routes every time you change locations, making them notoriously difficult to pin down. Even more annoyingly, they’ll try to flee on their first turn. The best strategy to catch them, 20 years later, is still the classic.

Pokemon

Set a level 49 Pokémon that knows Mean Look as your lead - Crobat is my go to here. Next, use a Max Repel in the patch of grass directly north of Pallet Town on Route 1, or near the gate to Route 2 north of Viridian City, running in and out of the adjacent building/town to quickly reset your Legendary Beast’s location.

How Can You Fail a Roaming Legendary Encounter?

This is where the 20-year-old bug becomes a disaster.

There is a glitch in FireRed and LeafGreen’s code that causes Entei and Raikou to disappear permanently if they use Roar - a move that immediately ends any wild encounter.

Because the code incorrectly treats the "Roar" exit as a faint/capture event, the Legendary is deleted from the roaming pool.

This effectively softlocks your game if you’re going for 100% completion - you’ll need to trade with a very kind friend if you want to add them to your collection.

Yet another reason why Suicune is the best Legendary Beast - it doesn’t know Roar. So if you picked Charmander, you’re safe to hunt to your heart’s content.

Or, you know, save your Master Ball for these Beasts.

Your choice - I used my first Master Ball in Seafoam Island on Articuno, so at least using it here would make more sense.