Most Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players use the wrong flight type

Choosing a team that can handle any challenge Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen cast on the player is critical to success. An unspoken rule of just about anyone Pokémon The game is to diversify a team's type composition to ensure it has a wide variety of both offensive and defensive types. The flying type is often useful for Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen teams, especially in the early game when players will face many types of Bug and Grass, but most players lock onto the wrong flying type early on and miss out on a much better option.

The other big reason why a flying type is essential for the best Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen team depends on the presence of HMs in Gen 3, specifically HM02 Fly. Having flight allows players to quickly travel back to any city they've previously visited, which is useful for some of the Kanto region's required backtracking segments. But adding a flyer to the team requires more consideration than simply capturing the first available flyer type, which is a trap many Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players accidentally fall into.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen's intro screen showing Nidorino fighting Gengar, and Lorelei and Lance from the Elite Four

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Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen rare exclusives are not the same (and one version is much better than the other)

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have two rare exclusives that should be balanced, but one is more accessible and powerful.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen's Fearow are the superior flying type to Pidgeot

Arguably the most iconic flying type in the Kanto Pokedex is Pidgeot, with its early availability as a Pidgey that can be found starting on Route 1, and its evolution progression mirroring the player's starting Pokemon. The Pidgeot is also used by the player's rival i Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenso they are bound to face it in battle on more than one occasion. Despite the presence of Pidgeot in the Kanto region and its use by the Elite Four Champion, Fearow is the much better flying type for a Fire red and leaf green playthrough, but is often overlooked due to the early availability of Pidgey.

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Pidgeot's stats vs. Fearow's statistics

Pidgeot — Normal/Flying

HP	83
Attack	80
Defense	75
Special attack	70
Special defense	70
Speed	91
Total	469

HP	65
Attack	90
Defense	65
Special attack	61
Special defense	61
Speed	100
Total	442

At a glance, Pidgeot's stats make it look like the superior Flying-Type Pokémon compared to Fearow. Pidgeot has a higher Base Stat Total of 469 compared to Fearow's 442, and it also has a more balanced stat spread, giving it higher HP, Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense than Fearow as well. However, this statistical comparison doesn't reveal the whole picture, painting Fearow in a much more positive light when considering factors beyond pure stat analysis.

What makes Fearow the best choice for a flying type in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

Although Fearow is weaker than Pidgeot overall, it has a lot more to do than Pidgey's final evolution, making it worth waiting to catch a Spearow before locking in a Flying-type team member. Looking at Fearow's stat spread and movement pool reveals that it has more weapons available than Pidgeot. Players must also consider the point at which Fearow becomes available, evolving from Spearow at level 20 and reaching its fully developed stat spread well before Pidgeot, which evolved from Pidgeotto at level 36.

Spearow can be captured Fire red and leaf green already on Route 22, just west of Viridian City.

Fearow has the optimal stat spread for a flying type in Gen 3

Spearow to Fearow Evolution Chain in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen.

What Fearow lacks in defensive stats it makes up for in both Speed and Attack stats, both of which are higher than Pidgeot's. Realistically, these are the only two stats that matter on Fearow, as a Pokemon that is fast enough and can deal enough damage can KO its opponent before defense even becomes an issue. In Gen 3, which comes before the physical/special damage split, all flying and normal type attacks are physical, meaning Pidgeot's higher special attack is irrelevant and actually makes it worse offensively as a suboptimal attacker.

pokemon fired and leaf green what to use master ball on

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Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen: What you should use the Master Ball on depends entirely on the starter you chose

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Fearow has a better Move Pool than Pidgeot

The other big advantage Fearow has over Pidgeot is the moves it has access to through its pools to level up and TM/HM. Pidgeot's best STAB Flying-Type move is Fly, with a base power of only 70. The second best Flying-Type attack available to Pidgeot in Fire red and leaf green is tied between Wing Attack and Aerial Ace, both with base powers of 60. Pidgeot learns Wing Attack as a level 27 Pidgeotto and can then learn Fly when players get HM02 from the house near the bike path.

Comparatively, Fearow's moving pool looks a little shallower at first glance, but is much better with a little patience. Unless players wait to evolve their Spearow to level 25 when it learns Aerial Ace, the strongest move Fearow will have access to for a while is Peck, with a paltry 35 base power. However, players can learn Fearow TM for Aerial Ace if they find it while exploring Route 9. The big advantage that Fearow's move pool gets over Pidgeot's is Drill Peck, an 80 base power Flying-Type move that it learns at level 40. Drill Peck is more powerful than any Flying-Type move can do with a Pidge-Type move, and it's a strong move. higher attack stat.

pokemon let's go gym leader erika grass — pokemon-lets-go-erika

Fearow often feels like Pidgeot's forgotten sibling, who usually gets all the attention from Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen player. However, from a team optimization standpoint, Fearow is a much stronger Pokémon and can go toe-to-toe with many of the mid-game challenges players will face, such as Erika's Grass-Type Gym, Saffron City's Fighting-Type Dojo, and Elite Four Bruno's Fighting Types. As such, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players should do themselves a favor and catch a Fearow instead of sleeping on it.