10 Best Pokémon To Beat Generation 1
6. Growlithe/Arcanine
Type(s): Fire.
Location(s): Routes 7 and 8, Pokémon Mansion (Growlithe).
Growlithe and Aracnine are exclusive to Pokémon Red version, while Pokémon Blue players have access to Vulpix and Ninetails. While both of these version exclusive Fire type Pokémon are formidable in their own right, Growltihe and Arcanine have access to TM23 ‘Dragon Rage’. This move consistently does 40 points of damage which can give Growlithe an edge in the earlier stages of the game.
Growlithe is encountered on both Route 7 and 8, which are the two Routes the player traverses before Celadon City. Celadon City’s Gym uses the Grass type, meaning Growlithe’s fire typing will be a great asset to the upcoming battle.
It is recommended not to evolve your Growlithe, achieved with a Fire Stone, until it reaches level 50 as this is the level Growlithe learns ‘Flamethrower’. While Vulpix does learn this move earlier, at level 35, Growlithe learns an assortment of strong Normal type attacks like ‘Bite’ and ‘Take Down’. These moves make use of Arcanine’s high Attack stat of 110. Arcanine also has access to the moves ‘Dig’, ‘Double-Edge’ and ‘Hyper Beam’ from TMs. Dig is especially useful for Arcanine, giving it a powerful move to take down the Rock type Pokémon it is weak to.