If you want to keep your sanity, you shouldn't use this Pokemon in FireRed and LeafGreen

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen return to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 is a big surprise for fans of the series and a great celebration of 30 years of the franchise. Whether this decision will develop into a more classic one Pokemon games on Switch and Switch 2 remains to be seen, but so far it seems unlikely based on the company's history. Still, if you plan to get Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch before Pokemon Day 2026 or later, you should know a few things about why the 2004 games were so iconic, but also very frustrating at times.

to begin with Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch are not remakes, meaning they retain all or most of the original experience with the ups and downs that came with the GBA cartridges. This means that you should not expect any revolutions in games, for better or for worse. When it comes down to it, some features of the original games will inevitably carry over to the Switch version, such as the RNG on the slots, how hard some trainer battles can be compared to others, and so on. Still, one of the most frustrating issues is with Golbat, and you shouldn't put this mon on your team if you care about your sanity.

Pokemon Leaker confirms main giveaway for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on February 27th

According to leaks, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are reportedly going to get a massive giveaway or event for players to get the two rare Pokemon.

The main problem with Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenThe Pokedex is that it is tied to Kanto throughout the base game, with the National Dex only becoming available after defeating the Elite Four and the Champion. This limits the types of critters you can find in the wild, which can be obtained at all, and which are limited in time. This is the case with Golbat, as you can get Zubat and evolve it into Golbat pretty easily, but you can't get Crobat until after the game.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

Say goodbye to Crobat in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (for now)

This isn't too much of a problem for those who don't love Crobat anyway, but there is a bigger underlying problem. If you have a Golbat with a high enough friendship, it will replay the evolution animation every time it levels up, making the experience confusing at best and very frustrating at worst for new players. From Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenThe exclusive release list includes some good early Poison-type mons FireRed and decent flying types in general for both games, Crobat isn't exactly mandatory for the best team composition.

However, it's frustrating to have a Golbat that can't physically evolve until the end of the game because of how the games are structured, and it's even more jarring to see the evolution animation fail every time a Golbat with a big friendship levels up. Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenThe eShop listing change in recent days even highlights this Home of Pokemon compatibility may not be active at startup as it usually is, which means you can't transfer Crobat to your save file to avoid this issue entirely. And even then, Crobat is still part of the National Dex, so it wouldn't be usable until the end of the game anyway.

The best Crobat alternatives in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

Bulbasaur (Venusaur): Grass/Poison, starter option
Charizard: Fire/Flying, Charmander as a starting option
Pidgey (Pidgeot): Normal/Flying, already found in Route 1
Spearow (Farow): Normal/Flying, already found in Route 3
Ekans (Arbok): Poison, already found on route 4, FireRed exclusive
Nidoran (Nidoqueen/Nidoking): Poison (evolves in Poison/Ground), already found in Path 3
Gyarados: Water/Flying, Magikarp can already be found on route 4 for 500 poke dollars

It follows that Crobat is not necessary to complete a good game Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch, as it was not in the original. But since the Switch version is essentially a paid port, if you use Golbat and keep him on your team long enough, you'll get to the point where you have to witness the evolution animation over and over again, and honestly, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.