How to Defeat Red in Heartgold/Soulsilver

Reviewed by Ishrak

Last Updated: January 27, 2024

Red is undoubtedly the strongest Pokémon trainer in Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver, possessing Pokémon well into the high 80s. He presents the ultimate challenge to a player in these games. As such trying to wing it against Red is an invite to devastation. With the right strategy however, his team will be torn to mere shreds. Read on to find out how.

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Red's Pokémon are extremely high leveled, with his pikachu topping the numbers at a whopping Lv.88. It is best advised that your Pokémon are at least Lv75. The higher the better. If your Pokémon are lower than this level, it is highly uncertain that you will succeed against Red.
You will need a ton of powerful healing items and boosting items. It is highly recommended that you carry enough Revives, Full Restores and Full heals. 30 of each should do the job.

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Navigating through Mt. Silver is a good choice before actually meeting with Red for the battle. If you can easily traverse through the mountain without any hiccups or without any Pokémon fainting, you're almost ready to battle Red. If your Pokémon are not quite up to the mark, then consider training at Mt. Silver itself, as the wild Pokémon are pretty high leveled there as well.
4
Build your team of Pokémon. Your average team to battle trainers and elite four might not cut it in front of Red. As such a specialized Pokémon is needed to beat all his six Pokémon. Consider choosing six Pokémon from the recommended list below.
- Recommended list:
  - Steelix, Best against Red's Pikachu
  - Electric Pokémon, Ampharos/Electabuzz recommended, against his Lapras/Blastoise
  - Rock Pokémon, Tyranitar recommended.
  - Your Starter Pokémon
  - Fighting Pokémon/Mewtwo. Given Mewtwo's incredible power and versatile moveset, it's recommended to use him instead.
  - A HM slave Pokémon/Filler Pokémon. This Pokémon may not have much use in the battle. Use it to revive a much more powerful Pokémon, or to heal other Pokémon. Alternatively, Use a powerful legendary Pokémon in this slot, such as Ho-Oh.
5
Get to know Red's Pokémon. Red's Pokémon have some unique moves to help them counter their weaknesses.His Pokémon are:
- Pikachu. His highest level Pokémon and the one he leads with. It is Level 88 and holds a Light Ball, an item that doubles Pikachu's Attack and Special Attack, making it all the more dangerous. Fortunately, it succumbs easily to Ground type Pokémon, especially Steelix, since none of it's attacks can put a scratch on it. Red's Pikachu knows Volt Tackle, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, all of which simply fail against Steelix. The Pokémon he calls out next depends on which Pokémon you lead with.
- Snorlax. This might as well be his hardest Pokémon to defeat, given is colossal HP stat. It knows crunch, so it might be well advised to keep your Mewtwo away from him. Snorlax knows Giga Impact, Crunch, Shadow Ball and Blizzard. Blizzard is especially deadly since it has perfect accuracy and an increased chance of sustaining a freeze condition. A Strong fighting Pokémon should bring him down to its knees fairly quickly. Have a Pokémon with High HP and resistance to Ice moves, such as lapras can also work.
- Lapras. Being the only member in Red's team to be immune from hail damage, it may take a hit or two to bring Lapras down, given its massive HP stat. It knows Brine, Blizzard, Psychic and Body Slam. The best counter to Red's lapras is to have a Lapras of your own which knows Thunderbolt and preferably has the water absorb ability.Beware of body slam however, since it may easily render your Pokémon paralyzed.
- Venusaur. First of Red's three Kanto starters, Red's Venusaur is not a particular pain to battle and bring down. However it can be extremely annoying since it knows Sludge bomb, a move that can easily poison your Pokémon, and Sleep Powder, rendering your Pokémon useless for at least a few turns. It also knows Giga Drain and Frenzy Plant, which may very well take your Pokémon out, or two.
- Charizard. Second of Red's three Kanto starters, and one of his strongest Pokémon. Charizard has an especially high Attack and Special Attack stat, it also knows moves to abuse its ridiculous attack stats such as Flare Blitz, Blast Burn, Dragon Pulse and Air Slash. It is by no means a slouch either, being fairly quick. Rock Pokémon shut Charizard down instantly, especially Tyranitar with its sand stream ability.
- Blastoise.The last of his Kanto starter Pokémon. Not a particularly difficult Pokémon to defeat. Beware, however, of his Blizzard attack since it has perfect accuracy in hail. It knows Blizzard, Flash Cannon, Focus Blast and Hydro Cannon, but can be easily shut down with a strong electric Pokémon.
Silver again. This time however, go forward with your elite team of Pokémon. Keep in mind that you need to use some HMs to climb to the very top, where Red resides.
Save beforehand to be on the safe side!
Beat the ultimate trainer and watch the credits roll for the second time. Congratulations, you've beat all of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver!

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Can I use Pokemon that are level 57, 86, 50, 40, 35 and 37?

Lugia2453

Top Answerer

That depends on the Pokemon you're using. It's not just the levels that matter.

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Which Pokemon can defeat red Venusaur easily?

Shadow_wolf_52

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Ho-oh would be awesome, as he is Fire-Flying, both of which can crush Venusaur. Try Typhlosion, too, if you can. Moltres is another option.

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What would be an alternative to Steelix?

Shadow_wolf_52

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Try a good Ground type, like Donphan, who is pretty awesome, or Dugtrio, with Magnitude and Dig.

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Tips

Apart from Venusaur's Sleep Powder, Red's moves are all offensive, so bring Hyper Potions, Full Restores and Revives.

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As you would probably do before any major battle, save your game before you speak to Red.

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Try to change the Hailstorm weather to a one that benefits you, such as Rain or Sunny day.

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

I beat Red with a level 82 Mewtwo only! The trick is that all his Pokemon, except his Snorlax and Lapras, succumb to Mewtwo's moves. You have to go all-out to beat them. By the way, Lapras is the hardest besides having the lowest level.
Flying-type Pokemon will be nearly useless here. His Pikachu has volt tackle and thunderbolt and many of his other Pokemon know blizzard.
Red's Snorlax can take a lot of damage, so use powerful moves like Hyper Beam and Superpower.
A fast ground-type Pokemon can tear most of Red's team apart after using a sword dance.

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Warnings

Don't get too frustrated if you lose. It is meant to be the ultimate challenge

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Before you battle Red, save the game. That way, you can battle him again if you lose.

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If you lose, don't save. You will have lost all of the items that you used in battle.

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