Is Poliwhirl Good in FireRed & LeafGreen Playthrough?
Poliwhirl with AbilityWater Absorb keeps healing off incoming Water moves. Evolves into Poliwrath with a Water Stone whenever you're ready. Handles Water trainers by absorbing their attacks instead of fighting through them. The mid-stage is functional. The Water Stone evolution is the goal.
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 Poliwhirl on Viridian City (Super Rod fishing, Lv 20-30, common).
- After Brock
- TUTORNormalMega Kick12075%5
- After Erika
- TM13IceIce Beam90100%10
- After Koga
- HM03WaterSurf135100%15
- TM01FightingFocus Punch150100%20
- After Giovanni
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- TM26GroundEarthquake100100%10
- LV 51WaterHydro Pump16580%5
- Post-Game
- HM07WaterWaterfall120100%15
- TM42NormalFacade70100%20
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 Poliwhirl in FireRed & LeafGreen
Every Poliwhirl encounter is Super Rod only, but the rates are generous. 22 locations across both versions, common at all of them.
10 locations to catch Poliwhirl13 locations to catch Poliwag
Encountered via fishing with a Rod
Encountered via fishing with a Rod
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Catch Poliwag at any of the 13 locations below, then level it up to 25 — it evolves into Poliwhirl.
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. 5-30 via fishing encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch PoliwagCerulean 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%
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓Cerulean Cave - 1FLv.20-30Super RodRate 40%Cerulean Cave - B1FLv.20-30Super RodRate 40%Route 22Lv.20-30Super RodRate 40%Route 23Lv.20-30Super RodRate 40%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)
Poliwhirl Weakness
Electric and Grass moves hit Poliwhirl for super-effective damage. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. 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 Poliwhirl Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Poliwhirl
In FireRed & LeafGreen, Raikou can KO Poliwhirl with Thunderbolt (172-203%). Breloom's Mach Punch hits Poliwhirl for 35-41%.
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x172-203%KO | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityEffect Spore ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Breloom builds →Mach Punch35-41% | ||
Poliwhirl Evolutions
From here, Poliwhirl's line branches into Poliwrath and Politoed. That's 2 possible evolutions, each with its own method. So far, HP got the biggest boost (+25 from Poliwag). The final form adds another 125 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Poliwhirl to get Poliwag eggs easily using 58 partners from the Water1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Bubble Beam, Haze, Ice Ball and 4 more.
FRLG Poliwhirl Best Moveset
Middle stage heading toward Poliwrath. AbilityWater Absorb absorbs Water hits for healing. Stats improving but not competitive. One evolution from Fighting coverage and moveset depth.
Best Build
Poliwhirl best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Belly Drum
- Hidden Power Flying
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Poliwhirl misses out on Bubble Beam and Haze. That's 7 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Hydro Pump and Surf, with Normal and Ice coverage and more rounding things out.
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 two legs are well developed. Even though it can live on the ground, it prefers living in water.
It can live in or out of water. When out of water, it constantly sweats to keep its body slimy.
Poliwhirl FireRed & LeafGreen Guide
- When should I use the Water Stone on Poliwhirl?
Wait until Poliwhirl reaches Lv. 51 before using the Water Stone. Evolving earlier permanently locks Poliwhirl out of Belly Drum and Hydro Pump, moves Poliwrath cannot relearn.
- Lv. 43learns Belly Drum
- Lv. 51learns Hydro Pump
- Lv. 51+Use the Water Stone
- Where do I get the Water Stone in FireRed & LeafGreen?
No. Poliwhirl only evolves into Politoed through a real trade. There is no in-game alternative in FireRed & LeafGreen. Trade needs a Game Boy Advance link cable and a second GBA running another Gen 3 game (FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald). Trade Poliwhirl to a friend, then have them trade it back. The 2026 Switch re-release supports the same trade through local wireless on the Pokemon Center 2F Wireless Club, with no cables required. The Kings Rock must be held during the trade. In FireRed and LeafGreen, Kings Rock is post-game only. Pick it up at Sevault Canyon on Seven Island or win it as a prize for clearing Mixed Mode in Trainer Tower. Both spots unlock after entering the Hall of Fame and getting the Rainbow Pass from Celio on One Island. You can also bring one over from Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald.
Game Availability
One of the original 151, Poliwhirl has appeared in 20 games — most mainline games. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.
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