Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green is waiting to be explored again after a re-release on Nintendo Switch platforms, and while there aren’t as many available Pokémon as modern games, finding particular ones, like Nidoran, can be difficult.
Fire Red and Leaf Green feature the original 151 Kanto Pokémon, alongside additions from the later games available in the post-game once the Elite Four has been beaten, and tracking down specifics to complete your Pokédex can be a challenge.
If you’re on the hunt for Nidoran and want to know where to look, Insider Gaming has all the details.
Where to Get Nidoran in Pokémon Fire Red & Leaf Green
Nidoran is available in Pokémon Fire Red & Leaf Green relatively early, first appearing in Route 3 west of Pewter City.
This location is locked until you beat Brock, however, so you won’t be able to add Nidoran to your team before you earn your first gym badge. The grass is located just after you get the Running Shoes.
Both forms of Nidoran are available on Route 3, although the encounter rates vary based on your version. In Fire Red, Nidoran♂ has a 14% chance of appearing, while Nidoran♀ only has a 1% spawn chance. The odds are switched in Leaf Green, with the female form more common.
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However, there’s an easier way to get the rarer form of Nidoran in your version later on in your progression via an in-game trade. In the Underground Path, found south of Cerulean City, a pink-haired girl is ready to trade. She offers you the rarer version of Nidoran from your game for the more common version.
Much later on, when you reach Fuchsia City, both forms of Nidoran are available to encounter in the Safari Zone, along with their evolved forms, Nidorino and Nidorina. By this stage, however, you should already have one in your party.
How to Evolve Nidoran in Pokémon Fire Red & Leaf Green
Both forms of Nidoran in Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green evolve into Nidorina and Nidorino, respectively, once you reach level 16.
If you catch a Nidoran that’s higher than that level, from the Safari Zone, for example, increasing the level by one will trigger the evolution.
To obtain Nidoking and Nidoqueen, a Moon Stone is required. Unlike other stones, they cannot be purchased in Fire Red and Leaf Green, but there are several available through exploration as hidden items.
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There are two Moon Stones in Mt. Moon, one in the Celadon City Game Corner, one in the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island, and, finally, one in the Sevii Islands.
Make sure you collect every Moon Stone you possibly can, as they are also required to evolve Jigglypuff and Clefairy.
What is your ideal party composition in Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green? Share your party in the Insider Gaming Discord.
For more Pokémon, check out everything announced on Pokémon Day 2026, and take a look at what we learned from the first Winds and Waves trailer.
