Is Poliwag Good in FireRed & LeafGreen Playthrough?
Water moves heal instead of hurting. AbilityWater Absorb gives Poliwag free recovery whenever a Water attack connects. Poliwrath at Water Stone adds Fighting, which handles Giovanni and Lorelei. The early Water immunity gives Poliwag more team utility than most early Water catches in FRLG.
Poliwag resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Misty's typing presses Poliwag's defenses.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Erika's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Koga:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Sabrina:
Poliwrath resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Poliwhirl resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blaine:
Poliwrath resists most of Giovanni's coverage and hits back hard.
Poliwhirl resists most of Giovanni's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Giovanni:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Lorelei's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Lorelei's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lorelei:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bruno:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Agatha's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Agatha's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Agatha:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lance:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Terry's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Terry's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Terry:
Catch Poliwag on Viridian City (Super Rod fishing, Lv 15-25, common).
- After Misty
- TM03WaterWater Pulse90100%20
- After Erika
- TM13IceIce Beam90100%10
- LV 37NormalBelly Drum—100%10
- LV 43WaterHydro Pump16580%5
- After Koga
- HM03WaterSurf135100%15
- After Sabrina
- TM29PsychicPsychic90100%10
- After Giovanni
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- Post-Game
- HM07WaterWaterfall120100%15
- TM42NormalFacade70100%20
You can buy the Water Stone at the Celadon Department Store on the 4th floor (₽2,100). 1 other location is also available.
- STARTING (Lv 29)
- LV 29FightingSubmission12080%20
- After Lt. Surge
- TM31FightingBrick Break113100%15
- After Erika
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- After Koga
- TM01FightingFocus Punch225100%20
- HM03WaterSurf135100%15
- After Giovanni
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- TM26GroundEarthquake100100%10
- Post-Game
- HM07WaterWaterfall120100%15
- TUTORNormalBody Slam85100%15
- TM42NormalFacade70100%20
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Koga.
- STARTING (Lv 29)
- LV 29PsychicHypnosis—60%20
- After Erika
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- TM13IceIce Beam90100%10
- After Koga
- HM03WaterSurf135100%15
- TM01FightingFocus Punch150100%20
- After Giovanni
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- TM26GroundEarthquake100100%10
- Post-Game
- HM07WaterWaterfall120100%15
- TUTORNormalBody Slam85100%15
- TM42NormalFacade70100%20
How to Get Poliwag in FireRed & LeafGreen
Poliwag fills the fishing grid with 56 encounters across both versions. Good Rod and Super Rod both work, and rates stay high at most water spots.
13 locations to catch Poliwag
Encountered via fishing with a Rod
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Poliwhirl in FRLG
The path to Poliwhirl starts with Poliwag at Lv. 5-25 via fishing encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch PoliwagBREEDINGAvailableLeave Poliwhirl with a compatible partner at the Four Island Pokemon Day Care to receive a Poliwag egg. Requires the Rainbow Pass to access Four Island.HOME TRANSFERNot TradeablePokemon HOME on Switch FireRed & LeafGreen is permanently deposit-only — once it launches, Poliwag can be sent from this game into HOME, but never transferred in.
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓Cerulean Cave - 1FLv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Cerulean Cave - B1FLv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Route 22Lv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Route 23Lv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Route 25Lv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Route 6Lv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Viridian CityLv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Cape BrinkLv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Four IslandLv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Ruin ValleyLv.5-15Good RodRate 60%Cerulean Cave - 1FLv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Cerulean Cave - B1FLv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Route 22Lv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Route 23Lv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Route 25Lv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Route 6Lv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Viridian CityLv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Cape BrinkLv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Four IslandLv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Ruin ValleyLv.15-25Super RodRate 40%Icefall Cave - 1F Room 1Lv.5-15Good RodIcefall Cave - 1F Room 1Lv.15-25Super RodFuchsia CityLv.5-15Good RodRate 20%Safari Zone - CenterLv.5-15Good RodRate 20%Safari Zone - EastLv.5-15Good RodRate 20%Safari Zone - NorthLv.5-15Good RodRate 20%Safari Zone - WestLv.5-15Good RodRate 20%Berry ForestLv.5-15Good RodRate 20%or evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)Available in-game· 2 pathsPick one
PolitoedTrade holding Kings RockGetFound at Sevault Canyon: Behind the three big rocks (requires Strength and Rock Smash)
Poliwag Weakness
Poliwag is weak to Electric and Grass. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Poliwag Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Poliwag
In FireRed & LeafGreen, Jolteon can KO Poliwag with Thunderbolt (241-284%). Porygon's Psychic hits Poliwag for 52-62%. Doduo's Double-Edge also KOs at 151-177%.
 Jolteon Electric | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityVoltabsorb ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Jolteon builds →Thunderbolt 2x241-284%KO | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityTrace ItemLeftovers NatureBrave Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Porygon builds →Psychic52-62% Facade52-62% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityEarlybird ItemChoice Band NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Doduo builds →Drill Peck100-119%KO Double Edge151-177%KO | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityStatic ItemLum Berry NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Elekid builds →Thunderbolt 2x116-137%KO | ||
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityOvergrow ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Venusaur builds →Giga Drain 2x180-212%KO Sludge Bomb76-90% | ||
Poliwag Evolutions
Poliwag's evolution chain splits 2 ways into Poliwrath and Politoed. The method you choose determines which form you get. Evolving adds up to 210 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
FRLG Poliwag Best Moveset
90 Speed on a first-stage Water that absorbs Water hits through AbilityWater Absorb. Everything else is 40-50. Poliwrath or Politoed two evolutions from here.
Best Build
Poliwag best EVs are Attack and Speed
Utility Moveset
- Belly Drum
- Surf
- Endure
- Hidden Power Flying
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Poliwag gets Bubble Beam and Haze exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Normal and Ice coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Hydro Pump and Surf.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Its slick black skin is thin and damp. A part of its internal organs can be seen through the skin as a spiral pattern.
Its newly grown legs prevent it from walking well. It appears to prefer swimming over walking.
Poliwag FireRed & LeafGreen Guide
- How do I catch Poliwag in the FireRed & LeafGreen Safari Zone?
See the Locations section above for where to find Poliwag in FireRed & LeafGreen.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
Action Catch chance per ball Flee rate per turn Default 50% 15% Bait 25% 5% Rock 50% (ceiling) 30% Effects last 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other. Catch chance assumes full HP and a Safari Ball (the only ball allowed). (ceiling) = doubling was clamped at the catch-factor ceiling of 20, so catch chance does not change.
Game Availability
Poliwag has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves