We've officially been trying to catch them all in Pokemon games for 30 years now, as the franchise passes its third decade of games in February 2026, and we've caught plenty of remakes and ports in that time too! One of the latest is the port of Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen for GameBoy Advance to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.
But what's really different about FireRed & LeafGreen that warranted Gen One remakes as early as Gen Three, and which versions of the games should you buy? Compare and contrast, and see which Pokémon game is right for you!
A second main character
Leaf, the female spirit
While the male character of the first generation Pokemon games, Red, has long been synonymous with Ash Ketchum from the Pokemon anime, Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen brought a new female sprite to the game as well as it brought us back to Kanto for the first time.
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The female trainer's canon name is Leaf for this generation, and ties in nicely with Red taking his name from FireRed and going nature themed. It was the first time we met Leaf, but it wouldn't be the last we saw of her, with the female Pokemon trainer sprite appearing in plenty of side-games and spin-offs since her introduction.
The Sevi Islands
Lots of Johto-based fun
If you've gone through the trouble of clearing out the Indigo League, defeating every member of the Elite Four, and eventually stealing the title of Pokemon Champion for yourself, then you've no doubt put tons of hours into Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen. But if you're looking for more post-game content, check out the Sevii Islands south of Kanto.
Here you'll find seven individual islands that offer plenty of opportunities to catch Pokemon from the Johto region that have become beloved parts of the Pokemon franchise since our first adventure to Kanto. This includes Baby Pokemon, more Legendary Pokemon, Generation Three Mythical Pokemon, and more!
Modernize Pokemon Stats Updates
Type changes, updated move lists and more
While there's no doubt that Pokemon Red & Blue laid the foundation for what we know and love today in Pokemon games as the very first entries in a long-running series, there was room for improvement over time, and plenty of changes came to the second generation of Pokemon after Game Freak worked out some kinks with the first game's mechanics.
In Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen, you'll see your favorite Pokemon from Generation 1 have updated information based on what became of them in subsequent titles. Moves introduced in generations two and three were added into appropriate movesets, types added in Johto were included in writing for gen a Pokémon, and lots of extra stat boosts or nature changes.
The introduction of auxiliary functions
Newcomers no longer need to worry!
While it's easy to snicker at how in-depth the introduction in the first generation Pokemon games can be at times, it's important to remember that Pokemon Red & Blue and the adventure we took through Kanto within them was the very first time anyone played a Pokemon video game!
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We've come a long way since then, but Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen introduced many ways to help newcomers and returning fans master the mechanics of Pokemon. You can access a help channel on any TV, use the in-game help menu with the Switch's bumper, and many more ways to make sure your adventure is the best it can be.
The VS Finder
Rematch tons of trainers around Kanto
Whether you're looking to continue helping your Pokemon level up throughout the game or trying to earn some extra cash to fuel up before your next gym battle, VS Seeker was added to Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen to let you intermittently seek challenges in the form of rematches with trainers you've already battled.
When you're outdoors after taking a certain number of steps or a certain amount of time has passed, you'll be able to ping nearby trainers and see who wants a rematch. They might have a different team than they did the first time you fought, but a more challenging fight just means even better rewards at the end.
Professor Oak is the one tasked with filling your Pokedex as you venture through the Indigo League of Kanto through Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen, but he's an elderly man based in Pallet Town who can't be everywhere at once to check on your progress.
Enter Oak's sidekick, six people around Kanto in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen who offer rewards for milestones achieved in your Pokemon journey. As you log in more and more Pokémon, be sure to stop and check in with them at the gates between major routes and towns, as they offer a variety of useful items and tools as rewards.
Changes to Exclusive version
Some are exclusive now, while others are no longer exclusive at all
Pokemon has put out game pairs in the same generations that feature a handful of Pokemon in one version that aren't in the other, and we're seeing it again with Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen. While most of the exclusives are the same as they were in Pokemon Red & Blue, there have been some changes.
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Mankey and Meowth were version exclusives in the first generation of the games, but were stripped of this status and given universal availability in both Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. To replace them, four Pokemon were changed to be exclusive versions: FireRed players will find Psyduck and Shellder at regular intervals throughout the game, while LeafGreen players will see Slowpoke and Staryu in these locations instead.
Give Gen One Pokemon their Gen Two Evolutions
Let your original Pokemon be strong in a way never before possible!
Not all Pokemon get an evolutionary form, and there were a lot more of them in the first generation games than there are now, with time giving The Pokemon Company and Game Freak the opportunity to introduce evolutions for these Pokemon at a later point in time.
Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen have incorporated these changes, and any Pokemon from the first gen games that later received an evolutionary form can now evolve into those in the gen three remakes, provided you've unlocked the National Dex first.
The Pokemon that received evolutions in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen are:
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Slowbro can evolve into Slowking.
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Onix can evolve into Steelix.
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Chansey can evolve into Blissey.
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Seadra can evolve into Kingdra.
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Scyther can evolve into Scizor.
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Porygon can evolve into Porygon2.
Due to the lack of an in-game clock in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen, Espeon and Umbreon cannot be obtained. Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Flareon are currently the only Eeveelutions available in the game, despite their debut in gen two as well.
Battle the Elite Four
It's a great way to grind after the game
The battles you work on to get through your journey in Kanto in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen are the fights with the members of the Elite Four – X – and eventually the reigning champion X. It will take a lot of blood, sweat and tears to grind your Pokemon to be high enough to fight these endgame trainers, but you will make the endgame to the endgame. by Pokemon Champion.
However, if you want a new challenge, you will be able to request a rematch with any of the five characters above. However, they may have a different, noticeably stronger roster the second time around, so don't come back expecting the same fight a second time!
The introduction of important statistics
Abilities, natures, and more
Although they have come to be considered base stats in Pokemon games these days, there were tons of stat additions for your Pokemon that were added to Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen, providing more insight than ever possible in Pokemon Red & Blue.
A Pokemon's nature will determine how their stats grow as they evolve, with some natures gaining different stats than other Pokemon of the same species, allowing you to really get into what kind of stats you want to improve for your next battles. Abilities, meanwhile, are passive effects that let your Pokemon do things like ignore a certain type of damage, deal more offensive damage of their own, and more. Finally, Held Items were made possible in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen to give your team items to help further boost their battle capabilities.
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