Is Caterpie Good in Red & Blue Playthrough?
Exists to become Butterfree. Caterpie can't contribute to any fight on its own. Get it to level 10 as fast as you can and move on.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Brock's team.
Misty's typing presses Butterfree's defenses.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Butterfree resists most of Giovanni's coverage and hits back hard.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Lorelei's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Agatha's team.
Lance's typing presses Butterfree's defenses.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Catch Caterpie on Route 2 (walking, Lv 3-5, uncommon).
- STARTING (Lv 3)
- LV 3NormalTackle40100%35
How to Get Caterpie in Red & Blue
Caterpie is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 6 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.
Where To Catch Caterpie in RB
To get Caterpie, start by catching Caterpie through walking encounters at Lv. 3-9. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Caterpie ✓Viridian ForestLv.3-5GrassBlueRate 40%Route 2Lv.3-5GrassBlueRate 20%Route 24Lv.7GrassBlueRate 20%Route 25Lv.8GrassBlueRate 20%Viridian ForestLv.3GrassRedRate 5%Route 25Lv.8GrassRedRate 5%
Step 2Catch or Evolve into MetapodViridian ForestLv.4-6GrassBlueRate 40%Route 24Lv.8GrassBlueRate 20%Route 25Lv.9GrassBlueRate 20%Viridian ForestLv.4GrassRedRate 5%Route 25Lv.7GrassRedRate 5%or evolve from Caterpie (Step 1)
Step 3Evolve into Butterfree
Caterpie Weakness
Type-wise, Caterpie takes extra damage from Fire, Poison, Flying, and Rock. Standard number of weaknesses for the Bug typing.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Poison, Flying, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Ground |
- Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
- Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
- Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
What is Caterpie Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Caterpie
 Pidgey Normal | D | |
 Charmander Fire | D | |
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift | ||
 Weedle BugPoison | D | |
 Charmeleon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
 Spearow Normal | C | |
Pidgey Normal | D | |
 Ekans Poison | D | |
Charmeleon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Spearow Normal | C | |
Pidgey Normal | D | |
Ekans Poison | D | |
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
 Flareon Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) | ||
 Moltres Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodVictory Road Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Caterpie View Moltres builds →Fire Blast 2x410-483%KO Sky Attack 2x288-340%KO | ||
 Charizard Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
 Dodrio Normal | B | |
 Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodCinnabar Island Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Caterpie View Aerodactyl builds →Sky Attack 2x302-355%KO Fire Blast 2x151-178%KO | ||
 Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
Moltres Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodVictory Road Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Caterpie View Moltres builds →Fire Blast 2x420-494%KO Sky Attack 2x290-342%KO | ||
Charizard Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
Dodrio Normal | B | |
Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodCinnabar Island Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Caterpie View Aerodactyl builds →Sky Attack 2x303-357%KO Fire Blast 2x153-180%KO | ||
Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
In Red & Blue, Charizard can KO Caterpie with Fire Blast (342-403%). Nidoking threatens a KO with Rock Slide (106-125%).
Charizard Fire | B | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Caterpie View Charizard builds →Earthquake30-35% Fire Blast 2x342-403%KO Hyper Beam90-106%KO | ||
 Nidoking PoisonGround | C | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Caterpie View Nidoking builds →Earthquake53-62% Rock Slide 2x106-125%KO Thunderbolt76-89% Ice Beam76-89% | ||
Caterpie Evolutions
Caterpie starts a line toward Butterfree. Can't breed this Bug type (195 stats), so keep the evolution path going. Evolving adds up to 200 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
RB Caterpie Best Moveset
Base stats near single digits, no competitive moves, no role. Tackle is the best option. Evolve immediately.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Tackle
- String Shot
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Not a lot to pick from. Caterpie gets Bug STAB for same-type damage, and Normal coverage rounds things out. You're building around what's available rather than choosing from a deep bench.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls.
Caterpie Red & Blue Guide
For Red & Blue, you can run Caterpie through the first few routes without issues. 195 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Metapod as fast as you can.
Game Availability
One of the original 151, Caterpie has appeared in 19 games — most mainline games. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves