You can encounter Raikou, Entei or Suicune by using Max Repels on the tall grass. Have your lead Pokémon be lower than Level 50, but higher than the wild Pokémon in the area to filter the legendary encounter. Beat the Elite Four first, then acquire the National Pokédex and finish Celio’s Sevii Island quest for the legendary dogs to roam in the Kanto map.
Raikou, Entei and Suicune
Raikou, Entei and Suicune make up the three legendary dogs in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. Each of the legendary dogs has an elemental affinity, with Raikou being an Electric-type Pokémon, Entei a Fire-type and Suicune a Water-type Pokémon.
You will only encounter one of the three legendary dogs in your playthrough, unless you collect the remaining two via trading or cheats. The legendary dog you will encounter will depend on the starter Pokémon you have chosen at the beginning of the game.
For those who have chosen Squirtle as their starter, Raikou will appear as the legendary dog in-game.
If you have chosen Bulbasaur as your first Pokémon, you will encounter the legendary dog Entei.
Lastly, your legendary dog will be Suicune if you have Charmander as your starting Pokémon. This is because the legendary dogs’ elemental affinity will always be the weakness of your chosen starters.
Raikou, Entei and Suicune as Legendary Rare Pokémon can be very difficult to catch. However, contrary to other regular Legendaries that can be found in specific locations, the three are roaming Pokémon that do not stay in one place. Searching for them and encountering them will be a challenge on its own.
But before you can set out in trying to encounter them, here is a list of prerequisite events that you should have achieved before attempting your search:
- Beat the Elite Four – Beating the Elite Four and getting into the Hall of Fame is the prerequisite for acquiring the National Pokédex, which in turn is also a requirement to unlock Celio’s quests
- Acquire the National Pokédex – Raikou, Entei and Suicune’s Pokédex entries cannot be found in the regular Kanto Region Pokédex, so an upgraded one is required. You can get the National Pokédex from Prof. Oak by registering and capturing at least 60 different species of Pokémon. Fly back to Pallet Town and talk to him to receive the National Pokédex.
Finish Celio’s quest in Sevii Islands – The three legendary dogs will only start to roam the Kanto region after helping Celio recover the Ruby and Sapphire gems. Finish this quest first to ensure you can find the Legendaries when you start your attempt to search for them
Once you have met the story requirements, it is important to also prep the items and the Pokémon you will use to face Raikou, Entei or Suicune.
In terms of inventory, be prepared to ready the following items:
- Max Repels – This is an integral part of increasing your chances of encountering the legendary dogs. Max Repels help keep weaker Pokémon at bay so that your only wild encounter in the tall grass will be either Raikou, Entei or Suicune. Buy as much as you can afford, while making sure you also have enough money to purchase the rest of the recommended items.
- LOTS of Ultra Balls – If you don’t have a Master Ball, or have already used it, bring lots of Ultra Balls with you. Although you can also stock up on other available Pokéballs, Ultra Balls have a 2x catch rate modifier which is double the standard of a red Poké Ball, and is 33% more than a Great Ball.
- Revives, Hyper Potions, Ethers – If you want to make sure you have the time to weaken the Legendaries before you can catch them, bring health items for your Pokémon. Revive and Potions help make sure your chosen Pokémon can continue to battle, while Ethers help to keep the battle going as long as you can still use your moves.
Now that you have prepared the needed items, make sure you are also ready with your Pokémon line-up. Take note of the suggestions on the type of Pokémon you should bring:
- Pokémon with the ability to prevent fleeing – As roaming Legendaries, Raikou, Entei and Suicune will be very flighty or prone to fleeing. Some even go as far as to flee on the very first turn. Your first Pokémon in the line-up should have the ability to prevent escape. Abilities such as Shadow Tag and Arena Trap can do this for you. Pokémon such as Gengar (Shadow Tag) and Diglett or Dugtrio (Arena Trap) can be used.
Pokémon with trapping moves that prevent escape – Aside from abilities, there are moves that can help you trap the roaming Pokémon, preventing them from running away. Mean Look is a non-damaging move that prevents the foe from escaping in 2-3 turns. Catch a Zubat, Golbat or Gastly with the Mean Look as your back-up if your first Pokémon faints. Make sure you use Mean Look liberally after a couple of turns to prevent escape.
- Pokémon with status-inflicting moves – Moves such as Sing that puts the enemy to sleep, or even Paralysis and Freeze can help in weakening the legendary dogs to make catching them easier. Bringing Pokémon with these abilities and inflicting them on the Legendaries can be a good idea.
It is also noted to bring Pokémon that are lower than Level 50, but weaker than the wild Pokémon in the grassy areas you will search in so that the Max Repels won’t affect Raiku, Entei and Suicune in the random encounters.
Once done with your preparations, make sure to SAVE and you are now ready to search for them!
Encountering Raikou, Entei and Suicune
Since Raikou, Entei and Suicune are roaming Pokémon, it can be difficult to know where they are currently located. To encounter them in the wild, we need a set of tall grass in the area, ideally next to or near a building.
The reasoning behind this is that the Legendaries change locations and jump from route to route. Going into the grass with Max Repel on, and then entering the building and heading back out will reset their location, until eventually they land on the route where you are at.
Some of the recommended areas with tall grass and buildings next to each other is Route 2, near Viridian City. The building to the north is the entrance to Viridian Forest.
The guardhouse building east of Celadon City also has some tall grass on Route 7.
Lastly, Route 15 near Fuchsia City is the perfect example of tall grass next to a building. You can use this area to try to search for the legendary dog, but make sure to SAVE before doing so!
Whichever route you choose to start, save your game after finalizing your Pokémon line-up. Make sure the head of the party is lower than Level 50, but higher than the wild Pokémon in the grass. Start your search by using the Max Repel.
Keep going through the tall grass to find an encounter. You don’t need to go through each tile but try to at least comb through the area.
After going back and forth in the grass with no encounters, go into the building to reset the dog’s location.
Head on out again to go back into the grass and continue your search. Repeat the process of going back into the building and again into the grass, using your Max Repels if they expire as you go along.
Eventually after a couple of tries, you will hear a different sound from the regular background music playing. Once the Legendary Music starts playing and the encounter happens, get ready to be face-to-face with your Legendary Dog!
Battling Raikou
Depending on your starter Pokémon, the Legendary Dog in front of you may either be Raikou, Entei or Suicune. If your chosen Pokémon at the beginning of the game was Squirtle, Raikou will appear in front of you.
Raikou will have the following stats at base and at Level 50. Note that he has a high Speed stat and the move Roar.
| RAIKOU | ||
| STATS | AT BASE | RANGE AT LVL. 50 |
| HP | 90 | 150-197 |
| Attack | 85 | 81-150 |
| Defense | 75 | 72-139 |
| Special Attack | 115 | 108-183 |
| Special Defense | 100 | 94-167 |
| Speed | 115 | 108-183 |
| RAIKOU | |
| MOVES | PP |
| Thundershock | 30/30 |
| Roar | 20/20 |
| Leer | 20/20 |
| Bite | 30/30 |
Roar forces the Pokémon to switch out to the next one in your party, but in wild battles, the encounter will end. Reload save file otherwise you will never encounter the legendary Pokémon again
With this in mind, start attacking Raikou to weaken him for capture. Grass and Rock Pokémon are strong against Electric-type Pokémon like Raikou, but you might be limited with the Pokémon you have in your party. Prioritize Pokémon with the abilities Shadow Tag or Arena trap to prevent Raikou from fleeing.
Battling Entei
If you have chosen Bulbasaur as your starter Pokémon way back in Pallet Town, Entei, the Fire-type dog will appear in front of you.
Entei’s stats and move sets are listed below. He has a high attack stat, along with the move Roar. Make sure your lead Pokémon can trap him to prevent his escape.
| ENTEI | |||
| STATS | AT BASE | RANGE AT LVL. 50 | |
| HP | 115 | 175-222 | |
| Attack | 115 | 108-183 | |
| Defense | 85 | 81-150 | |
| Special Attack | 90 | 85-156 | |
| Special Defense | 75 | 72-139 | |
| Speed | 100 | 94-167 |
| ENTEI | |
| MOVES | PP |
| Ember | 25/25 |
| Roar | 20/20 |
| Fire Spin | 15/15 |
| Stomp | 20/20 |
As mentioned before Roar forces the Pokémon to switch out to the next one in your party, but in wild battles, the encounter will end. Reload save file otherwise you will never encounter the legendary Pokémon again.
You can try to counteract Roar by ensuring your Pokémon is faster than Entei to get the first turn. Using Mean Look also prevents the legendary from fleeing.
With Entei in place, attack him with your moves until he is weakened. Water Pokémon are best to use against Entei, but be careful in switching out your Pokémon line-up as he might flee.
Battling Suicune
Lastly, if your starter Pokémon was Charmander, your Legendary Dog encounter will be with Suicune.
Suicune’s move sets and stats at base and at Level 50 are as follows.
| SUICUNE | |||
| STATS | AT BASE | RANGE AT LVL. 50 | |
| HP | 100 | 160-207 | |
| Attack | 75 | 72-139 | |
| Defense | 115 | 108-183 | |
| Special Attack | 90 | 58-156 | |
| Special Defense | 115 | 108-183 | |
| Speed | 85 | 81-150 |
| SUICUNE | |
| MOVES | PP |
| Leer | 20/20 |
| Rain Dance | 5/5 |
| Bubble Beam | 20/20 |
| Bite | 20/20 |
Unlike Raikou and Entei, Suicune does not have the move Roar, so you have less worry about him switching you out of battle and losing him forever.
He can still flee though, so make sure your lead Pokémon in battle has the ability or the move to trap them.
Suicune has a high defense stat, so it might take some time to wear him down. Get his HP to the red level and inflict a status effect on him to make catching him easier. Avoid using status effects like Poison and Burn that can cause him to faint as he won’t respawn once defeated.
Recapturing an Escaped Legendary Dogs
If you failed in capturing Suicune and he flees, find him again through your Pokédex. Like the other dogs, his location will reset and vary each time you enter an area.
Try going in and out of buildings again until eventually you find yourself near the route where Suicune is roaming.
Using Master Ball
Alternatively, along with Raikou and Entei, a Master Ball can also be used to make catching the legendary dogs easier. With a 100% catch rate, this is the perfect time to use the Master Ball to catch the highly elusive beasts.
Raikou, Entei and Suicune are great entries to be added to your Pokédex. Aside from the achievement of encountering and capturing these legendary beasts, they are also strong Pokémon who will be great additions to your party’s line-up.
Hopefully through this guide you are able to increase your chances of encountering them to eventually catch one of your own!
