How to Find Raikou on Pokemon Fire Red

Choose Squirtle as your starter Pokemon. Only one legendary beast appears in the game, and which one appears depends on the starter Pokemon you&'ve chosen. You must pick Squirtle, or Raikou won&'t appear anywhere in the game.

Defeat the Elite Four and get access to the Sevii Island Ferry. The Elite Four are your final challenge, and are the strongest trainers in the game. Once they have been defeated, Raikou can now be tracked down and caught.

Prepare to capture Raikou. Before attempting to find him, stock up on Ultra balls. Buy as many as you can afford, because Raikou is likely to break out of most of the ones you throw. If you want to use your Master ball, which catches a Pokemon without fail, then you won&'t need to buy anything else.

Prepare your Pokemon team for battle. Choose your best Pokemon, preferably ones with high defense that can withstand being attacked for a long time. Having to constantly heal your Pokemon gives Raikou a chance to escape. Speed is also very important. Raikou is fast, so if your Pokemon can&'t attack first, he will probably flee the battle. Pick Pokemon that know moves that can cause paralysis, freezing or sleep. Have at least one Pokemon that knows a blocking move like Mean Look, Wrap or Fire Spin. These moves prevent Raikou from running away for a period of time.

Find Raikou by getting into wild Pokemon battles anywhere on the world map. Search in the sea, grassy areas or mountain routes. Raikou doesn&'t have a set location as to where he appears. Get into a few battles in one area, and if you haven&'t found him yet, move on to a new area. When you do find him, Raikou is likely to run away on the first turn before you can even attack or attempt to capture him. But once you have encountered him, his location is permanently added to your Pokedex. This means that, although he continues to move around the map, you now know where he is at all times. Keep in mind that his location changes if you enter or exit a building, or fly to a new area.

Capture Raikou. Start the battle with the Pokemon that knows a blocking move. Use that blocking move as soon as possible. If it works, inflict Raikou with another status effect, or just start attacking him. If you manage to put him to sleep or freeze him, there is a much better chance of catching him. When Raikou&'s HP is flashing red, stop attacking and focus on throwing Ultra balls at him. If the blocking move or status effect wears off, inflict it upon him again, then keep trying to catch him. He will probably break out of a lot of the balls, but eventually he won&'t be able to escape from one of them. When that happens, Raikou finally belongs to you.