How to Get Lugia in Pokémon Fire Red

Last Updated: November 19, 2022 References

The powerful Pokémon Lugia is impossible to get naturally without codes or special trades in Pokémon Fire Red, but that does not mean that all hope is lost. Nintendo originally made the Pokémon only catchable with a special, event only "ticket," however these tickets are no longer given out. Your only two options now include cheat codes and trades.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Trading For Lugia

1
Know which games contain an catchable Lugia. There are not a whole lot of places to find Lugia once you've missed the event needed to catch it in Fire Red. However, you can get Lugia in Gold, Silver, and Pokémon XD, though a little work is required to transfer it to Fire Red.
- If you know someone who has caught Lugia in Gold or Silver, this is the easiest way to get the Pokémon and trade it over. Simply use a Gameboy transfer code and move it to your Fire Red game.
- If you own a GameCube and Pokémon XD, you can trade for a special Lugia with a unique move.^{[1]
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2
Round up your supplies to capture and transfer Lugia from Pokémon XD. Unless you've beaten Pokémon Silver, your only other chance to get Lugia is through Pokémon XD. To do so, you'll need some supplies, and must meet a few conditions:
- GameCube with Pokémon XD
- Gameboy Advance with Pokémon FireRed.
- Gameboy to Gamecube transfer cord.
- Your must beat the Elite 4 and get the National Pokedex on your Fire Red game to trade from XD.^{[2]
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- You must beat Greevil in Pokémon XD.
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3
Beat Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, catching Shadow Lugia on the way. Lugia is much easier to catch here than in Fire Red, so make sure you nab it on your way to beating the game. Luckily, even if you knock him out, you can always come replay the level and try to catch him again.^{[3]
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- You can find Lugia during your battle with DeathGold.
- You should strongly consider using your MasterBall on Shadow Lugia, as it is extremely difficult to catch without it.^{[4]
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4
Purify your Shadow Lugia using the purification chamber. FireRed doesn't have information for Shadow-type moves, so you can only trade Lugia if you purge it. TO purge it, you need all nine chambers of the purification chamber to be at "max tempo," meaning that each chamber has a perfect cycle of types. But there is an easy way to do this without catching a ton of different Pokemon:^{[5]
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- Go to Oasis Pokestop.
- Catch 36 Hoppips at any level.
- Fill all nine chambers with Hoppips
- Purify Shadow Lugia in one of the tanks.^{[6]
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5
Transfer it to Fire Red using a Gameboy to GameCube transfer cord. To transfer, turn on both games and connect the cable. Head to the "Basement" in XD and to a Pokecenter in Fire Red, clicking on the computer in the right corner. You should see a "Network" option that allows you to trade Pokemon. Send you Lugia over and you're good to go!

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Unlocking Lugia with Cheat Codes

1
Purchase an Action Replay (AR) device for your Gameboy. Action Replays, sometimes sold as "Game Shark," allow you to put cheat codes into your games to unlock new levels, colors, and Pokemon. If you missed the Nintendo promotional event for Lugia and you do not own a GameCube, this is your only option to get the Pokemon.
- Lugia is a level 70 Pokemon. Make sure your team is strong enough to handle this.
- Action Replay and Game Shark are actually the same company, they just rebranded. AR is the most modern name.^{[7]
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2
Place the AR in your Gameboy, then place Fire Red in the AR. The AR acts as a port between your Gameboy and the Game, changing the code as it flows from the game and allowing you to access your cheat codes.
3
Turn on the Gameboy. The title screen will appear, and then you'll be offered the chance to import your code.
4
Input the code needed to unlock Lugia. The following codes are for Lugia and two other Legendary Pokémon that can be found right next to the white bird. You might as well input them all while you're working. You can only go to the island where the birds live once all game, so if you only input Lugia's code you will never be able to get the other two.^{[8]
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- Lugia & Ho-Oh 82031CF0 0002.
- Deoxys: 82031CF0 3A02 ^{[9]
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5
Open up Pokemon, walk inside a building, then walk back out. Now check your inventory -- you should have an item called the "Mystic Ticket." Save your game and head off to the Seagallop Ferries.
- If you turn the game off, turn the cheat code off when you turn it back on. You should still have your ticket.^{[10]
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6
Take the ferry at Seagallop to Naval Island. Once you give the ferryman your ticket, you'll have a chance to go catch your Pokemon. However, you will only have one chance at this -- once you leave Naval Island you cannot return, even with cheats. Make sure you are well prepared for the fight ahead:
- Many, many Ultra Balls (30-50)
- Full health.
- Several Pokémon at or above level 70.
7
Head to the end of the long tunnel in the Naval Island Cave. Enter the cave and head down the tunnel. At the far end of it, on the first floor, are two staircases. The one on the right goes to Lugia, the one on the left goes to Ho-Oh.^{[11]
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8
Catch Lugia. This strong Pokémon will put up a good fight, so be ready to chip away at it for a while. You catch it just like any other Pokemon, but because of its level it is especially difficult to nab. Some good hints include:
- Use something to put it to sleep or paralysis the bird -- they are much easier to catch this way.
- Get its health down as low as possible with moves like tackle and false swipe -- anything that doesn't do a ton of damage and might kill it before you catch it.
- Even if your Ultra Ball fails, throwing one ball makes the next one even more effective, so keep chucking them.^{[12]
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Community Q&A

Question

What if I don't have Gales of Darkness, or Gameshark?

Bun bun

Top Answerer

You can't get Lugia then.
Question

How do I make my mew obey?

Bun bun

Top Answerer

Obtain more gym badges.
Question

How do I get it back after failing?

Community Answer

I don’t think there is a way to fight Lugia again after it faints; you'd have to have saved your game right before the fight so you can reset and fight it again.