Is Tangela Good in Red & Blue Playthrough?
Tangela is a Grass-type alternative if you somehow don't have one yet. High Defense and decent special output, but arrives too late to matter in most playthroughs. The competition from Venusaur, Vileplume, and Exeggutor makes it hard to justify.
Brock's typing presses Tangela's defenses.
Misty's typing presses Tangela's defenses.
Tangela trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Tangela trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Koga's team hits Tangela's weaknesses hard.
Tangela trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Blaine's team hits Tangela's weaknesses hard.
Tangela resists most of Giovanni's coverage and hits back hard.
Tangela has the type edge here and should clean up Lorelei's team.
Tangela resists most of Bruno's coverage and hits back hard.
Agatha's team hits Tangela's weaknesses hard.
Tangela trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Tangela trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
In-Game Trade
Tangela can be received through an in-game trade on Cinnabar Island. Trade Venonat. Trade a Venonat to the NPC on Cinnabar Island to receive Tangela.
Recommended Moves
- After Misty
- TM08NormalBody SlamPower 85Accuracy 100%PP 15S.S. Anne
- After Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Rocket Game Corner
- TM10NormalDouble-EdgePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Rocket Hideout
- After Erika
- TM40NormalSkull BashPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- LV 36GrassStun SporePower —Accuracy 75%PP 30
- LV 39GrassSleep PowderPower —Accuracy 75%PP 15
- After Sabrina
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Pokémon Mansion
- LV 49NormalGrowthPower —Accuracy 100%PP 40
Red & Blue Tangela Locations
Two uncommon wild spots near Cinnabar are all Tangela gets, plus a Cinnabar trainer who will swap one for a Venonat. The trade is a fair shortcut if you skipped Route 21.
2 locations to catch Tangela
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 7Best Locations to Catch Tangela in Red & Blue
Tangela Weakness
Type-wise, Tangela takes extra damage from Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, and Bug. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Tangela's overall bulk (65/115/100) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground |
- Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
- Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
- Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
What is Tangela Weak Against
FragileBest Pokemon Against Tangela
 Charizard Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
 Flareon Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) | ||
 Rapidash Fire | C | |
 Dodrio Normal | B | |
 Lapras WaterIce | B | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift | ||
 Dewgong WaterIce | C | |
 Muk Poison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Muk builds →Sludge 2x50-59% Fire Blast 2x45-53% | ||
 Fearow Normal | C | |
 Gyarados Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Magikarp (Pallet Town Old Rod) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Gyarados builds →Fire Blast 2x42-50% Blizzard 2x39-47% | ||
 Cloyster WaterIce | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Shellder (Route 6 Super Rod) | ||
 Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodCinnabar Island Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Aerodactyl builds →Fly 2x54-64% Fire Blast 2x42-50% | ||
 Pidgeot Normal | C | |
 Golbat Poison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Golbat builds →Wing Attack 2x23-27% Leech Life 2x8-11% | ||
 Weezing Poison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Weezing builds →Sludge 2x44-52% Fire Blast 2x56-67% | ||
Tangela Evolutions
No evolution, no breeding. Tangela is a Grass type with 495 base stats that exists outside the normal chain system. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
RB Tangela Best Moveset
115 Defense blocks physical attackers, and 100 Special powers decent Grass TermStab from MoveMega Drain. MoveSleep Powder is the real draw, and the defensive bulk keeps Tangela alive to use it repeatedly. A physical tank with sleep support.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Mega Drain
- Sleep Powder
- Bind
- Growth
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
TMs define Tangela's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Solar Beam and Mega Drain, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Normal coverage. That's where the options open up.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- 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.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM 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 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
All 16 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
The whole body is swathed with wide vines that are similar to seaweed. Its vines shake as it walks.
Tangela Red & Blue Guide
Trade a Venonat to the NPC on Cinnabar Island to receive Tangela.. This is an NPC trade, so the Tangela you receive is yours immediately, no transfer cable needed.
In Red & Blue, Tangela has 495 BST, so weigh it against what your team already covers.
In Red & Blue, Tangela plays as a setup sweeper. Not the fastest, so pick your spots carefully. Set up with Growth when you get a free turn.
Game Availability
Tangela has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 9 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 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Tangela.
Keep playing · Red & BlueRed & Blue Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Red & Blue Tier List