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Just like in their original Game Boy Advance versions, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen include many special evolutions from the original 151 Generation One Pocket Monsters and beyond. What some players might not realize is that these special evolutions are also locked until reaching a certain point in the game.
To quickly fill your Pokédex or to build a team with favorites like Gengar and Raichu, this guide covers all the available special evolutions in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
Evolution Stone Evolutions
Using evolution stones is the simplest way to evolve certain Pokémon in FireRed and LeafGreen—enabling you to instantly evolve Pokémon like Eevee into Jolteon or Poliwhirl into Poliwrath, with no level restrictions.
Here’s a list of all Pokémon available in these games that can evolve with an evolution stone:
| Pokémon | Stone | Evolves Into |
|---|---|---|
| Nidorina | Moon Stone | Nidoqueen |
| Nidorino | Moon Stone | Nidoking |
| Clefairy | Moon Stone | Clefable |
| Jigglypuff | Moon Stone | Wigglytuff |
| Vulpix | Fire Stone | Ninetales |
| Growlithe | Fire Stone | Arcanine |
| Eevee | Fire Stone | Flareon |
| Poliwhirl | Water Stone | Poliwrath |
| Shellder | Water Stone | Cloyster |
| Staryu | Water Stone | Starmie |
| Eevee | Water Stone | Vaporeon |
| Pikachu | Thunder Stone | Raichu |
| Eevee | Thunder Stone | Jolteon |
| Gloom | Leaf Stone | Vileplume |
| Weepinbell | Leaf Stone | Victreebel |
| Exeggcute | Leaf Stone | Exeggutor |
| Gloom | Sun Stone | Bellossom |
Note: Gloom can evolve into Bellossom only after obtaining the National Dex, which requires defeating the Elite Four.
Some stones can be purchased in the Celadon City Department Store (4th Floor), including Fire, Water, Thunder, and Leaf Stones. Others can be found in wild locations like Mt. Moon (Moon Stones), Seafoam Islands (Water Stones), or in post-game areas such as Sevii Islands (Sun Stones).
Trade Evolutions
Certain Pokémon only evolve through trading. For example, trading Machoke will turn it into Machamp, and Kadabra into Alakazam.
All trade-evolving Pokémon in FRLG are:
| Pokémon | Evolves Into | Trade It |
|---|---|---|
| Kadabra | Alakazam | Yes |
| Machoke | Machamp | Yes |
| Graveler | Golem | Yes |
| Haunter | Gengar | Yes |
In the Switch version, trade features remain, but you no longer need a physical link cable or wireless adapter as in the Game Boy Advance versions. However, note that trading and battling are limited to local connections; online multiplayer is not supported in these versions.
Trade Evolutions Requiring Held Items
In FireRed and LeafGreen, some Pokémon need to be traded holding specific items to evolve. Examples include:
| Pokémon | Item Needed | Evolves Into |
|---|---|---|
| Onix | Metal Coat | Steelix |
| Scyther | Metal Coat | Scizor |
| Seadra | Dragon Scale | Kingdra |
| Poliwhirl | King’s Rock | Politoed |
| Slowpoke | King’s Rock | Slowking |
| Porygon | Up-Grade | Porygon2 |
Important: Since some of these Pokémon (Steelix, Scizor, Kingdra, Politoed, Slowking, Porygon2) are not from Generation One, you need to have obtained the National Dex after defeating the Elite Four to evolve them in FRLG. Before unlocking the National Dex, trading such Pokémon (even holding the required items) will not result in evolution.
Friendship Evolutions
Seven Pokémon in FireRed and LeafGreen evolve once their friendship level is high enough. This requires bonding through various actions such as giving items, traveling, or battling. The Pokémon include:
| Pokémon | Evolves Into | How To Evolve |
|---|---|---|
| Golbat | Crobat | High friendship, level up |
| Chansey | Blissey | High friendship, level up |
| Pichu | Pikachu | High friendship, level up |
| Cleffa | Clefairy | High friendship, level up |
| Igglybuff | Jigglypuff | High friendship, level up |
| Togepi | Togetic | High friendship, level up |
| Marill | Azurill | High friendship, level up |
To speed up friendship, keep Pokémon in your party, avoid letting them faint, and steer clear of items that lower friendship. Once friendship is high enough, you can level up the Pokémon (even with Rare Candies) to trigger evolution. Before obtaining the National Dex, Pokémon like Golbat or Chansey may be blocked from evolving even with high friendship.
Why Eevee Can’t Evolve into Umbreon or Espeon
Unlike some other Pokémon, Eevee in FireRed and LeafGreen cannot evolve into Umbreon or Espeon because these forms require a real-time clock to determine day or night, which these games do not have. Therefore, you cannot trigger these evolutions within these games.
In the original versions, players could evolve Eevee into Umbreon or Espeon by trading it to Ruby or Sapphire, which used real-time clocks, then trading back. Unfortunately, in the Switch versions, such options are unavailable because Pokémon Home only supports importing Pokémon in one direction from FireRed/LeafGreen—into the cloud, but not back into the games.
Tyrogue’s Unique Evolution Conditions
Tyrogue, obtained through breeding Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan by putting them with Ditto at the Pokémon Day Care on Four Island, has an unusual evolution mechanic. Its evolution depends on its stats and the level:
| Pokémon | Evolves Into | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Tyrogue | Hitmonlee | At level 20: Attack > Defense |
| Tyrogue | Hitmonchan | At level 20: Defense > Attack |
| Tyrogue | Hitmontop | At level 20: Attack = Defense (must be exactly equal) |
Achieving an evolution into Hitmontop requires carefully matching Attack and Defense stats at level 20, which can take some planning and luck depending on Tyrogue’s nature and growth.
To influence Tyrogue’s stats, consider using vitamins like Protein or Iron purchased at the Celadon City Department Store, which can help steer its development toward the desired evolution.
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