Q&A for How to Capture the Legendary Dogs in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

Yes, you can use this method; it's known as soft resetting and is an effective strategy for capturing legendary Pokémon.

To appear in your National Dex, you must encounter each of the legendary dogs at least once in the game. After your initial encounter, their entry, including their last known location, will be recorded.

First, you must defeat the Elite Four. After watching the credits and reloading your save file, Professor Oak will approach you with a new quest. Accept this quest, and both you and your rival will receive the National Pokédex upgrade.

No, you cannot. The specific Legendary Dog that appears in FireRed is determined solely by the starter Pokémon you chose at the very beginning of your game. Acquiring the other starter Pokémon later, through trading or other methods, will not cause the remaining Legendary Dogs to appear.

Yes, but you also need to have seen 60 different Pokémon species in your Pokédex. After meeting this requirement, Professor Oak will upgrade your Pokédex to the National Pokédex, which allows the legendary dogs to appear in the game.

To catch the legendary dog, you must first defeat the Elite Four and obtain the National Pokédex. This typically requires having caught at least 60 unique Pokémon. Capturing Unown is not a prerequisite.

Yes, you can. To revisit these islands, travel to the Vermilion City port (where the S.S. Anne was docked) and select your desired destination. Additionally, on Island 2, a Move Tutor can teach a powerful elemental attack to your chosen starter Pokémon, depending on its type.

You should aim to have your starter Pokémon around level 60 and your other team members above level 40. Catching the Legendary Birds can significantly strengthen your team, and remember to stock up on Max Potions and Max Revives.

The legendary dog that appears depends on the starter Pokémon you chose at the beginning of the game. Your initial choice from Professor Oak determines this, regardless of whether you later acquire other starters through cheats.

Legendary Pokémon locations are completely randomized, so while they can revisit areas, they are no more likely to appear in one spot than another. You may find it more effective to choose a single route or location and repeatedly enter and exit until one appears.

Maybe, if you get lucky.

Yes, several other legendary Pokémon are available in fixed locations. You can catch Zapdos at the Power Plant, Moltres on Mt. Ember, and Articuno in Icefall Cave. Ho-Oh and Lugia can be found on Navel Rock, and Deoxys on Birth Island, both accessible after specific post-game quests. Mewtwo awaits in Cerulean Cave once you have become the Champion and completed the Sevii Islands storyline.

To increase your chances of encountering Suicune, lead your party with a Pokémon around Level 50 and use a Max Repel. Then, repeatedly enter and exit routes, such as Route 1 or those near Vermilion City, until Suicune appears.

No, if you accidentally knock out a legendary Pokémon, you cannot re-encounter it. To avoid this, always save your game before battling a legendary. If you defeat it unintentionally, simply restart your game without saving and try again.

No, you can only capture one Legendary Pokémon per game save file. To acquire more, you would need to start a new game and trade them to your primary save file.

No. You can only encounter one of the three legendary beasts (Suicune, Raikou, or Entei) per save file; Suicune appears if you chose Charmander, and Raikou if you chose Squirtle. To obtain both, you must trade with another player who selected a different starter.

First, check your Pokédex to see if the legendary dog is currently on your route. If it is, save your game before you begin searching for it. You don't need to save immediately before the encounter, as these battles are unpredictable; simply save before you start actively looking.

You might try restarting your game.

No, you cannot save your game during the transition animation or slides that occur just before a Pokémon encounter.

No. If you accidentally knock out a legendary Pokémon, it will not reappear, even if you defeat the Elite Four again.

The National Dex is an upgrade to your regular Pokedex. To acquire it, you must first defeat the Elite Four. Afterward, access your Pokedex, and the upgrade should automatically be applied.

The legendary dogs appear in random locations throughout the game world; there is no specific place where you can consistently find them.

Yes, using Fly will cause the legendary dog to change its location. Each time you use Fly, it will move to a different route.

No, your starter Pokémon's location does not affect legendary dog encounters. The specific legendary dog you encounter is determined solely by the starter Pokémon you originally chose.

The legendary dogs' locations are completely randomized, so you are not more likely to find them in any particular area. To increase your chances, repeatedly enter and exit an area to trigger new encounters, and keep trying if they don't appear immediately.

No, you cannot directly trade items between Pokémon games from different console generations. Games are typically only compatible for trading with titles released within the same generation.

If you saved the game after you knocked the Pokémon out, then no. But if you didn't save the game after the battle, then restart your device and it will go back to where you started before the battle.

Once you beat the Elite Four and the Champion for the first time and catch 60 different species of Pokémon, one Legendary Dog (depending on your starter pokemon - Raikou shows up if you picked Squirtle, Entei shows up if you picked Bulbasaur, and Suicune shows up if you picked Charmander) will become a potential wild encounter. The route/area that the Legendary Dog shows up in is randomized, however, every time you change areas (enter a building, a cave, a new route, etc.).

If the first Pokémon in your party is level 78 and you intend on using max repels to find Raikou/Entei/Suicune, then you will not encounter them. However, if you mean your actual starter Pokémon (Squirtle/Bulbasaur/Charmander) being over level 78, then you should have a Pokémon under level 50 as the first in your team lineup when you use max repels to find your respective Legendary Dog. You can still have your over-level 78 starter in your party, just not first in line.

No, they will not. Repels prevent Pokémon that are a lower level than your lead Pokémon from appearing. You should instead use a Pokémon between levels 40-49 as your lead to encounter them.