While Ash Ketchum is the face of the Pokémon anime, Red is considered the strongest Trainer in the games and later appears as the legendary final boss atop Mt. Silver.

His most iconic team consists of Pikachu, Snorlax, Lapras, and the fully evolved Kanto starters: Blastoise, Charizard, and Venusaur, with Espeon also appearing in several versions of his roster.

We chose this core because Red uses these Pokémon in his iconic Mt. Silver battle, with the team featuring the fully evolved forms of many players' first Pokémon choices.

But how do Red's Pokémon rank within his core? GCML takes a closer look at them today.

1. Pikachu

Red's signature Pokémon, Pikachu, is also the highest-leveled Pokémon in his arsenal. The parallel drawn between Red and Ash Ketchum also makes Pikachu an iconic choice in the gaming world.

Since Pikachu is also Red's final choice in battle, even Red seems to consider Pikachu his best Pokémon and his final stand in battles.

2. Snorlax

Strength-wise, Snorlax easily eclipses all the other core Pokémon at Red's disposal. Not only does Snorlax hit harder than the rest, but its massive HP and ability to defend against most attack types make it Red's mainstay in battle.

Consider Snorlax the biggest and baddest member of Red's core team, as it is arguably the hardest Pokémon to knock out in battle.

3. Charizard

If there is one Pokémon that perhaps matches Red's theme and character the best, it is Charizard. Charizard resembles the color red and is a Fire-type Pokémon, with the initial theme of the Pokémon games being the representation of characters through colors. Red is the protagonist, whereas his main adversary is Blue, also known as Green in the original Japanese version of the games.

As such, Charizard embodies Red better than any other Pokémon. Its Mega Evolution is arguably even stronger than Snorlax. However, in its normal form, Charizard remains a valuable offensive option and is perhaps the most aggressive member of Red's core team.

4. Blastoise

While Blastoise is a reliable option, the Pokémon rarely dominates battles, and players often have options to knock it out without much effort by targeting its weakness to Electric-type attacks.

While Blastoise is generally vulnerable to Electric-type Pokémon, Red's Blastoise has a wide range of moves in its arsenal, allowing it to compete on equal footing against most opponents in battle.

5. Venusaur

Red's Venusaur is arguably the weakest option in his core team. While it is a Grass/Poison-type Pokémon, allowing it to resist many attack types and giving it broad coverage, Psychic and Fire-type Pokémon can whittle it down rather easily.

Offensively, Venusaur is also far from Red's strongest option and is mostly seen as a defensive Pokémon in his arsenal. However, Venusaur's status as a starter Pokémon keeps it from ranking any lower.

6. Lapras

Red's Lapras is well equipped, especially with its Ice-type attacks having the potential to deal considerable damage in battle. Lapras also has high HP, preventing it from being an easy target.

However, this is not a pure strength-based ranking. The other Pokémon are simply a more central part of the Pokémon universe, both in the games and the anime, which pushes Lapras to the bottom of this ranking.

Another point to keep in mind is that Red's Pokémon choices vary across different games, and Lapras is often replaced by Espeon, which is largely considered a silent seventh member of Red's core team.

Sometimes, such as in Pokémon Masters EX, Articuno is Red's choice instead of Lapras. Likewise, Espeon is often used in place of Lapras in other appearances due to its strength as a Psychic-type Pokémon.

Articuno's combination of Flying and Ice typing also gives it a versatile movepool, making both Pokémon strong alternatives to Lapras.

Red also uses other Pokémon such as Machamp, Poliwrath, and Gyarados, which further showcase the range of Pokémon he has managed to capture during his adventure and training arc.

This period is generally assumed to take place between Red's time as the player character and his appearance as the game's ultimate boss.

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Written by

Abhisek Bajaj

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav