The first Pokémon games, like Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, don’t have the convenience features found in newer titles. In these older games, you need to teach your Pokémon HM moves like Cut, Rock Smash, and Surf to explore secret areas across Kanto.
Though HMs aren’t very useful in battles, they’re crucial for your journey. Using fewer Pokémon to carry multiple HMs gives you more options to build a balanced team for battles.
What Are HMs?
HMs, or Hidden Machines, are moves you can teach your Pokémon that have uses outside of fights. They help you navigate the environment by clearing paths, crossing water, and solving puzzles during your adventure in Kanto. The seven HMs in FireRed and LeafGreen are:
- HM01 – Cut
- HM02 – Fly
- HM03 – Surf
- HM04 – Strength
- HM05 – Flash
- HM06 – Rock Smash
- HM07 – Waterfall
You’ll need at least two Pokémon to cover all these HMs, which leaves only four team slots for other Pokémon.
Note: You don’t have to have access to every HM throughout the game. Flash, Waterfall, and Cut are less frequently needed, and you can find powerful Pokémon with these moves later in the game.
The most useful HMs to focus on are:
- HM03 – Surf
- HM02 – Fly
- HM04 – Strength
- HM06 – Rock Smash
Since few Pokémon learn most or all of these key moves, here are some top choices for HM users in FireRed and LeafGreen.
Which Pokémon Make the Best HM Pokémon?
The best Pokémon to assign HMs to are usually not battle-focused, as their primary job is to help you carve a path through the game world. Still, some strong Pokémon can serve as HM slaves, and if you want, you can keep separate Pokémon for battling and for HMs.
Here are some of the top Pokémon for teaching HMs and the moves they learn:
| Pokémon | HMs Learned |
|---|---|
| Dragonite | Cut, Fly, Surf, Strength, Rock Smash, Waterfall |
| Nidoqueen/Nidoking | Cut, Surf, Strength, Rock Smash |
| Gyarados | Surf, Strength, Rock Smash, Waterfall |
| Charizard | Cut, Fly, Strength, Rock Smash |
| Lapras | Surf, Strength, Rock Smash, Waterfall |
| Aerodactyl | (Learnable HMs vary; not all standard moves listed here) |
| Vileplume | (Limited HM options) |
| Sandslash | (Limited HM options) |
| Snorlax | (Limited HM options) |
For overall usefulness, Dragonite is considered the best HM user because it can learn Surf, Fly, Strength, and Waterfall. Other strong HM candidates include Nidoqueen/Nidoking, Charizard, Lapras, and Gyarados—all of which can learn four important HMs.
Most of these Pokémon can learn four key HMs, making them versatile choices for navigating the game world efficiently.