5 Best Electric Pokemon: Fire Red/Leaf Green (with movesets)

Jolteon is the best Electric Pokemon in Fire Red/Leaf Green. If you really don’t want to use Jolteon for some reason, other good Electric type options include Zapdos, Raichu, Electabuzz and Magneton

Fire Red/Leaf Green Best Electric Pokemon

I’ve played with and assessed the stats, movesets, usability, and coverage of all of the Electric types in Fire Red/Leaf Green and Jolteon is definitely the best.

Jolteon

Jolteon the best Electric Pokemon in Fire Red Leaf Green sprite with box art background

Jolteon is one of my favorite Pokemon and is almost always in my team on FireRed/LeafGreen playthroughs. 

Jolteon is the ‘Lightning Pokemon’ and it has a truly electric speed stat and very handy special attack and defense numbers

Jolteon base stats (Fire Red/Leaf Green)

Jolteon’s base stat total is 525:

  • HP: 65
  • Attack: 65
  • Defense: 60
  • Sp. Attack: 110
  • Sp. Defense: 95
  • Speed: 130

With beneficial nature plus EVs and IVs, Jolteon’s max base stat total at level 100 is 1886.

Best Jolteon moveset in Fire Red/Leaf Green

With a speed stat of 130 and a special defense of 110, Jolteon is an impressively effective sweeper. It also has access to a fairly broad movepool.

There are plenty of decent movesets you could use with Jolteon in Fire Red/Leaf Green but my preference is to include the Rain Dance and Thunder combination. 

Thunder has 110 power and Jolteon gets a same type attack bonus (STAB) when using it. Using Rain Dance will mean Jolteon potentially takes a hit, but it also means Thunder ignores its 70 accuracy. 

Jolteon’s HP is just about good enough for taking that hit to be worth the risk and, when you consider Jolteon’s three-figure special attack stat, this combo becomes very attractive indeed.

Thunderbolt is another go-to for Jolteon – a 100 power special Electric type move with 95 accuracy.

You could round off the set with another Electric move like Thunder Wave, which can be taught by the move tutor in Silph Co. and causes paralysis.  

Physical moves like Bite or Quick Attack are good alternatives to Thunder Wave for slightly broader coverage.

What is Jolteon strong against?

Jolteon’s special attack stat makes STAB boosted Thunderbolt a difficult move for even the strongest Water or Flying Pokemon to survive against. 

Excluding the types resistant or immune to Electric moves, Pokemon who don’t boast a stellar special defense stat are going to have a bad time against Jolteon. 

With a 130 speed stat, Jolteon regularly moves first. If you want more coverage than is offered by the moveset above, then Jolteon can also learn plenty of different moves via Move Tutors, TMs and HMs

What is Jolteon weak against?

Like all Electric type Pokemon, Jolteon has a pretty average HP. However, only one other type – Ground Pokemon – is super effective against Electric, so that low HP is not so much of a hindrance. 

Other than Ground, which Electric moves have no effect against, Jolteon might also struggle against Grass Pokemon in Fire Red/Leaf Green as they can absorb more Electric damage than other types.

Where to catch Jolteon in Fire Red/Leaf Green

In order to get a Jolteon, you need to evolve an Eevee using a Thunder Stone

You can buy a Thunder Stone in the Celadon City Department Store on the 4th floor.  

For Eevee, head to the Celadon Mansion and enter via the back door. Keep climbing the stairs until you enter a room with a bandana-clad man standing in it. 

There’s a Pokeball on the table behind his left shoulder. Simply walk up and grab it – it has an Eevee inside it!

Other strong Electric Pokemon in Fire Red/Leaf Green

There aren’t that many Electric Pokemon, but there are still some good options in the game for all you Jolteon haters

Zapdos

Screenshot of player encountering Zapdos in Pokemon Fire Red Leaf Green

Zapdos is one of the three legendary bird Pokemon and is known as the ‘Electric Pokemon’. Its standout characteristic is its monstrous special attack

Zapdos base stats (Fire Red)

Zapdos’ base stat total is 580:

  • HP: 90
  • Attack: 90
  • Defense: 85
  • Sp. Attack: 125
  • Sp. Defense: 90
  • Speed: 100

With beneficial nature plus EVs and IVs, Zapdos’ max base stat total at level 100 is 2002.

Best Zapdos Fire Red moveset

Like with Jolteon, the best strategy for building a crushing Zapdos moveset is to include special type moves to take full advantage of Zapdos’ crazy special attack stat

One special type move to definitely include in your moveset is Thunder (the high damage and STAB makes up for the low accuracy). Add Rain Dance to your moveset so that Thunder ignores accuracy.

Drill Peck is worth considering as one of your four for the STAB and for countering Grass and Ground types and we’d finish off the moveset with Thunder Wave, which paralyzes with 100% accuracy. 

What is Zapdos strong against?

With its huge special attack and decent speed stat, Zapdos makes for a very useful special sweeper option

It’s super effective against Water Pokemon and, of the Water types, only Starmie and Tentacruel have better speed stats so it’s easy pickings for Zapdos. 

Electric type moves are also effective against Flying type Pokemon so even though Zapdos is also a Flying type, it can be effective against them.

With STAB, Flying type moves like Drill Peck make Zapdos a formidable opponent to any Grass, Fighting, or Bug Pokemon

What is Zapdos weak against?

If you can get in first using a special attack with Zapdos, most Pokemon other than Grass, Dragon and Ground are going to have a bad time.

Ground, in particular, is the Achilles heel of any Electric type. Ice and Rock types will deal damage to Zapdos, with Rock also soaking up Flying type moves easily. Golem – a Rock/Ground Pokemon with a good special defense stat – would likely make short work of Zapdos.

How to catch Zapdos (Fire Red)

You can get hold of a Zapdos fairly early in the game. You’ll need to be able to access Rock Tunnel and have a Pokemon that knows Surf.

  1. Use surf to reach the Power Plant on Route 10.
  2. Enter the Power Plant. It’s worth using a Max Repel and making sure you have strong Pokemon to avoid random encounters. 
  3. Follow the path through the Power Plant first until the wall on the far right, then up to the top of the building and back round to the left.
  4. You’ll find a level 50 Zapdos in the small room with a turbine-like feature. 
  5. Weaken Zapdos and use an Ultra Ball to catch it. 
  6. You don’t need to walk back through the Power Plant to exit – you can simply leave via the door in the room that you found Zapdos in.

I also included Zapdos in a run down of the best Flying type Pokemon in Fire Red/Leaf Green.

Raichu

Screenshot of Pikachu evolving into Raichu in Pokemon Fire Red Leaf Green

Raichu is the evolved form of almost certainly the most famous Pokemon there is – Pikachu. They are the ‘Mouse’ Pokemon but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security: 

Raichu packs a worthy punch and its Static ability means foes can become paralyzed if they hit Raichu with moves that make contact.

Raichu base stats (Fire Red/Leaf Green)

Raichu’s base stat total is 485:

  • HP: 60
  • Attack: 90
  • Defense: 55
  • Sp. Attack: 90
  • Sp. Defense: 80
  • Speed: 110

With beneficial nature plus EVs and IVs, Raichu’s max base stat total at level 100 is 1799.

Best Raichu moveset in Fire Red/Leaf Green

In comparison with Jolteon, Raichu’s offensive capabilities are much more balanced between physical and special (both rated 90), which means it can use a wide range of moves with good results. 

For STAB bonus, it’s sensible to arm Raichu with a couple of powerful Electric moves – Thunderbolt and Thunderwave should do the trick nicely (and both have 100 accuracy).

Although only accessible via the Move Tutor on Four Island after beating the Elite Four, Body Slam is the most effective physical move that you can teach Raichu in Fire Red/Leaf Green.

Something like Iron Tail is a good pick for the final spot to provide a crumb of extra coverage.

What is Raichu strong against?

Raichu has good speed so will be able to move first most of the time. Slow Pokemon, beware.

Water and Flying Pokemon are like shooting fish in a barrel for a Raichu and its access to a relatively wide variety of moves via TM means Raichu is quite easy to level up. 

What is Raichu weak against?

Electric types are inherently weak against Ground Pokemon (Electric moves have no effective on Ground types). 

Something like a Dugtrio, which even beats Raichu for Speed, will absolutely decimate this friendly little Mouse Pokemon.

Its also worth swapping Raichu out against Grass Pokemon, given that Electric moves aren’t very effective against this type.

Where to catch Raichu in Fire Red/Leaf Green

Raichu evolves from Pikachu using a Thunder Stone (you can buy one of these in the Celadon City Department Store on the 4th floor).

To get a Pikachu, you can either evolve a Pichu via high happiness, or you can capture a Pikachu in the Viridian Forest quite early on in the game

Electabuzz

Screenshot of player encountering wild Electabuzz in Pokemon Fire Red

It’s a little bit controversial to include Electabuzz in this article because it is exclusive to the Fire Red version

However, it’s a very handy Electric Pokemon so, attention all Leaf Greeners: it’s worth trading for one if you can.

Electabuzz base stats (Fire Red/Leaf Green)

Electabuzz’s base stat total is 485:

  • HP: 65
  • Attack: 83
  • Defense: 57
  • Sp. Attack: 95
  • Sp. Defense: 85
  • Speed: 105

With beneficial nature plus EVs and IVs, Electabuzz’s max base stat total at level 100 is 1799.

Best Electabuzz moveset in Fire Red/Leaf Green

Electabuzz’s main advantage when compared to other Electric Pokemon is probably its coverage. 

You can prioritize special attack types moves as Electabuzz’s Special Attack is quite a bit better than its standard attack.

Thunderbolt with STAB and Thunder Wave are the two Electric type moves that should be in your Raichu arsenal. 

Electabuzz’s access to Psychic type moves gives it a pretty unique coverage among the Electric Pokemon, so I like to include Psychic (a 100% accuracy special type move with 90 power). 

Add a strong physical type move with additional coverage like Cross Chop or Swift for some extra variety.

What is Electabuzz strong against?

As usual for Electric type Pokemon, Electabuzz is strong against Water and Flying type foes.

Pokemon that rely heavily on physical type moves might run into trouble against Electabuzz as it has the Static ability which can paralyze opponents who use moves that make contact.

What is Electabuzz weak against?

Electabuzz’s speed stat is a little disappointing for an Electric Pokemon, so it may not get to move first as often as you’d like. 

Ground Pokemon will have no trouble dispatching even a very strong Electabuzz. 

Where to catch Electabuzz in Fire Red/Leaf Green

Head into the Power Plant on Route 10 (the same place you find Zapdos). In Fire Red, you have a 1 in 20 chance of a random encounter with an Electabuzz inside the Power Plant

Leaf Green players get Magmar (a very decent Fire type Pokemon) instead of Electabuzz.

Magneton

Screenshot of Magneton Pokedex entry in Pokemon Fire Red.

Magneton is by far the slowest Pokemon in this list and one of the slowest Electric Pokemon in Fire Red/Leaf Green full stop. 

However, it has the best defense of the five Electric types featured here and only Zapdos has a better Special Attack stat, so don’t give up on Magneton just yet.  

Magneton base stats (Fire Red/Leaf Green)

Magneton’s base stat total is 485:

  • HP: 50
  • Attack: 60
  • Defense: 95
  • Sp. Attack: 120
  • Sp. Defense: 70
  • Speed: 70

With beneficial nature plus EVs and IVs, Magneton’s max base stat total at level 100 is 1757.

Best Magneton moveset in Fire Red/Leaf Green

It is best to main a strong special category move when using Magneton, so Thunderbolt with STAB (learned by TM and picked over the more powerful Thunder for accuracy) is nailed on.

Supersonic can be a useful card to play as it causes confusion, but only with 55% accuracy.

Use Thunder Wave to paralyze your opponent, or use Spark to deal some STAB damage and have a 30% chance of inflicting paralysis.

For raw power, Hyper Beam is hard to beat. Even with Magneton’s relatively poor Attack stat, this move is going to cause some serious damage. 

What is Magneton strong against?

Magneton is more resilient than most Electric Pokemon, thanks to its creditable Defense stat and Sturdy ability which means it cannot be KO’d in one hit. 

Its STAB Electric type moves will cut through Water and Flying type Pokemon. 

What is Magneton weak against?

Magneton’s bulky Defense comes at the expense of speed. Magneton is very slow for an Electric Pokemon and that can be problematic when combined with an HP of 50. 

Ground Pokemon will tear Magneton to shreds and faster Pokemon in general will have some success against it, especially if they have decent special defense.

Where to catch Magneton in Fire Red/Leaf Green

The earliest opportunity to find a Magneton is in the Power Plant (where you also find Zapdos and Electabuzz). 

Another way to get a Magneton is by catching and evolving a Magnemite.

Bonus (sort of): Raikou

Screenshot of player encountering wild Raikou in Pokemon Fire Red

There’s one other Pokemon that I thought about including here at the expense of Magneton, but I didn’t because of how difficult it is to obtain: Raikou.

Raikou is one of the legendary dog Pokemon and it’s only available to players who select Squirtle as their starter Pokemon

You also need the Rainbow Pass and you need to get the Sapphire from the Team Rocket Warehouse. 

Even after all that, Raikou is still tricky to catch as it is a roaming Pokemon – that means it doesn’t appear in the same place. It also has a low catch rate as it runs away after just one turn. 

To give yourself the best chance of catching Raikou once you have all the necessary prerequisites, use a Repel with a Pokemon in slot 1 that is at a higher level than the general area you’re in, but lower than the level 50 Raikou you hope to encounter.

Fire Red best Electric Pokemon – conclusion

Jolteon is the best Electric Pokemon to use in Fire Red/Leaf Green (if you can’t get hold of Raikou). Other good Electric type options include:

  • Zapdos
  • Raichu
  • Electabuzz
  • Magneton

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