
Is Noctowl Good in FireRed & LeafGreen Playthrough?
Normal/Flying arriving postgame with AbilityInsomnia for sleep immunity. By the time Noctowl is available, Pidgeot and Fearow have been on the team for the entire game. The sleep immunity is the only niche, and Hypno already fills it.
Brock's team hits Hoothoot's weaknesses hard.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Lt. Surge's team hits Hoothoot's weaknesses hard.
Hoothoot has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Giovanni's team.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Lorelei's team.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Agatha's team.
Lance's team hits Hoothoot's weaknesses hard.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Terry's team.
Noctowl cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. On GBA, cross-region trading unlocks post-game after Celio's Sevii Islands Ruby & Sapphire quest. The Switch re-release supports only one-way transfers out to Pokemon HOME. Alternatively, transfer the pre-evolution and level it up to Lv 20.
- After Lt. Surge
- HM02FlyingFly13595%15
- After Erika
- TM15NormalHyper Beam22590%5
- TM43NormalSecret Power105100%20
- TM40FlyingAerial Ace90100%20
- LV 33NormalTake Down13585%20
- After Giovanni
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge180100%15
- LV 57PsychicDream Eater100100%15
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacade105100%20
How to Get Noctowl in FireRed & LeafGreen
Noctowl is two steps removed from a FireRed or LeafGreen catch. Trade a Hoothoot in from another Gen 3 game, then evolve it at level 20. The owl never appears wild here.
How to Obtain Noctowl in FRLG
Step 1Obtain HoothootLATER APPEARANCELATER APPEARANCEHOME TRANSFERNot TradeablePokemon HOME on Switch FireRed & LeafGreen is permanently deposit-only — once it launches, Hoothoot can be sent from this game into HOME, but never transferred in.
Step 2Noctowl ✓
Noctowl Weakness
Noctowl is weak to Electric, Ice, and Rock. On the flip side, it's immune to Ground and Ghost-type moves entirely. Noctowl's special bulk (base 96 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Ice, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground, Ghost |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Noctowl Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Noctowl
Pikachu Electric | C | |
Jolteon Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x57-68% Thunderbolt 2x38-45% | ||
Pikachu Electric | C | |
Electrode Electric | B | |
Rhyhorn GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Rhyhorn builds →Rock Tomb 2x51-61% Thunderbolt 2x19-24% Ice Beam 2x19-24% | ||
Jolteon Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x55-65% Thunderbolt 2x37-44% | ||
Aerodactyl Rock | A | |
Obtain MethodCinnabar Island Gift Available Move Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Aerodactyl builds →Ancient Power 2x68-80% | ||
Pikachu Electric | C | |
Electrode Electric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Electrode builds →Thunderbolt 2x52-62% Rollout 2x14-17% | ||
Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
Magneton ElectricSteel | A | |
Jolteon Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) | ||
Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Rhydon builds →Rock Tomb 2x71-84% Ice Beam 2x24-29% Thunderbolt 2x24-29% | ||
Articuno Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodSeafoam Islands Interact Encounter | ||
Raikou Electric | B | |
Obtain MethodRoaming Interact Encounter | ||
Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Tyranitar builds →Rock Slide 2x108-127%KO Thunderbolt 2x41-48% Ice Beam 2x41-48% | ||
Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
Magneton ElectricSteel | A | |
Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Rhydon builds →Rock Tomb 2x71-83% Ice Beam 2x23-27% Thunderbolt 2x23-27% | ||
In FireRed & LeafGreen, Jolteon's Thunderbolt hits Noctowl for 49-57%. Lapras's Ice Beam hits Noctowl for 45-53%.
Jolteon Electric | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityVoltabsorb ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Jolteon builds →Thunderbolt 2x49-57% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemLeftovers NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x45-53% Thunderbolt 2x30-35% Thunder 2x36-43% | ||
Noctowl Evolutions
Noctowl is what Hoothoot becomes. Breed it for Hoothoot eggs (quick to hatch). A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are quick to hatch. The evolution from Hoothoot pushed Noctowl to 452 total stats. Sp.Atk saw the largest single gain at +50. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Noctowl to get Hoothoot eggs easily using 25 partners from the Flying egg group. Notable egg moves include Feather Dance, Feint Attack, Mirror Move and 4 more.
FRLG Noctowl Best Moveset
100 HP and 96 Sp. Def with AbilityInsomnia making Noctowl immune to sleep. 86 Sp. Atk is modest. The moveset plays bulky special tank with sleep immunity, but 70 Speed and Normal/Flying typing leave it outclassed by Blissey and other dedicated blocks.
Best Build
Noctowl best EVs are HP and Sp. Def
Wall Moveset
- Hypnosis
- Nightmare
- Hidden Power Flying
- Thief
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Noctowl gets Feather Dance and Feint Attack exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Psychic and Ghost coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Hyper Beam and Sky Attack.
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
When it needs to think, it rotates its head 180 degrees to sharpen its intellectual power.
Its eyes are specially adapted. They concentrate even faint light and enable it to see in the dark.
Noctowl FireRed & LeafGreen Guide
No. Noctowl isn't catchable in FireRed & LeafGreen. Obtain one in Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald, then trade it over.
Game Availability
Debuting in Gold & Silver, Noctowl appears in 17 games across 9 generations. A reliable presence in most mainline games, typically found through wild encounters.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB

Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut

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