7 FireRed Mistakes That RUIN Your Save – Don't Make Them

Quick context

The narrator is playing a Charmander run of Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen (Generation 3) and is roughly at Celadon City. The video lists seven common mistakes that can waste time or ruin a save, plus practical fixes.

Seven common mistakes (what they are and how to avoid them)

1. Forgetting Gen 3 physical vs special rules

In Generation 3, whether a move uses Attack or Special Attack is determined by the move’s type — not the move itself.

• Special types: Fire, Grass, Water, Electric, Ice, Psychic, Dark, Dragon
• Physical types: Normal, Fighting, Rock, Ground, Steel, Flying, Bug, Poison, Ghost

Tip: Match moves to a Pokémon’s higher offensive stat — don’t teach physical moves to special attackers or vice versa.

2. Wasting one-use TMs on the wrong Pokémon

TMs are single-use in FireRed/LeafGreen and many cannot be re-obtained later.

Tip: Hold TMs until you’ve committed to a core team (around mid-game) so you don’t waste them on Pokémon you end up boxing or discarding.

3. Overleveling your starter and neglecting the rest of the team

Only active battlers gain XP. Overlevelling one or two Pokémon can leave the rest underleveled and vulnerable — one KO can collapse your run.

Tip: Set a soft level cap (e.g., no more than ~3–4 levels above teammates). Rotate weak Pokémon into battles early, then swap them out so they gain XP and catch up.

4. Skipping early-route catches

Each route offers unique Pokémon that can fill gaps later in the game.

Tip: Catch at least one useful Pokémon per new route (even if you box it). Examples: Nidoran, Mankey, Spearow — future you will appreciate the extra coverage.

5. The “trash HM” syndrome

HMs often become effectively permanent move slots if you don’t want to delete them. Putting an HM on a main attacker can waste a valuable slot.

Tip: Plan HM distribution. Use a disposable “HM mule” (example: Oddish) for Cut/Flash; keep Surf on a legitimate water attacker (it’s a strong move); place Fly on a flyer you intend to keep.

6. Ignoring the Celadon Game Corner

The prize list contains useful TMs and even Pokémon obtainable via coins — it’s not just fluff.

Tip: Check the prize list and consider building around a prize if it fits your plan instead of skipping the Game Corner entirely.

7. Sleepwalking through Celadon City’s power spike

Celadon is a decision point with evolution stones, useful TMs, and a free Eevee.

Tip: Use Celadon to lock in your core 4–5 Pokémon, decide which Eeveelution you want (Jolteon / Vaporeon / Flareon), spend evolution stones and TMs strategically, and invest items where they’ll matter.

Quick practical rules & micro-tips

• Don’t teach moves without checking whether they use Attack or Special Attack in Gen 3.
• Save TMs until you have your team chosen.
• Rotate and swap to train weak team members instead of grinding only your starter.
• Keep at least one HM mule to avoid crippling main team members.
• Visit the Game Corner prize list and Celadon shops/locations before leaving town.

Sources / things mentioned

• Video narrator / creator (self-reported player; running a Charmander playthrough)
• Games: Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (Gen 3 — Nintendo Switch release mentioned)
• NPCs / locations: Misty (Gym Leader), Celadon City (appears as “Seladon” in subtitles)
• Example Pokémon referenced: Charmander, Nidoran, Mankey, Spearow, Oddish, Eevee (Jolteon, Vaporeon, Flareon)