Pokémon Just Fixed a 22-Year-Old FireRed & LeafGreen Bug That Deleted Legendaries

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen’s biggest bug has been fixed over 22 years later. According to players, Game Freak has removed the infamous Pokémon Fire Red “roaming roar bug” that would delete Legendary Pokémon from your game.

Game Freak Fixes Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green’s Biggest Bug Decades Later

Screenshot: The Pokémon Company

When Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were released last week, many assumed they were just simple ports with no extra features. However, players recently discovered that Game Freak has silently fixed the Kanto remake’s biggest bug on the Switch 2. This is, of course, surprising, given that the major exploit has been plaguing FRLG players since 2004.

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In the original Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green, the “roaming roar bug” would result in players essentially deleting Legendary Pokémon Raikou and Entei from their games. Yes, you read that right. The bug would actually make the Johto Legendaries despawn from your save file permanently. So if you wanted to catch Raikou and Entei, you would have to start a new game all over again.

Screenshot: X @OmegaJarrodX

However, according to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen players, Game Freak has fixed the bug on the Switch 2 ports. The discovery was first reported by OmegaJarrodX in a post on X. The user posted gameplay footage of Raikou using “roar” but still being available to catch after the battle ended. This is a huge deal, as previously the Legendary would be gone forever.

What Is the Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green Roaming Roar Bug?

Screenshot: The Pokémon Company

First off, there has been debate over the years about whether this is truly a bug or intended game design. However, in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Raikou and Entei would permanently despawn from the game’s Pokédex if they used “roar” after you encountered them.

Here is how the bug worked:

• In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, if you chose Bulbasaur or Squirtle as a Starter, you would encounter Raikou and Entei first in the post-game.

• The two Legendaries would be “roaming” the map, and you would have to track them down.

• However, if Raikou or Entei used “roar,” the game would treat it as if you knocked them out instead of them just fleeing the battle.

• As a result, Raikou and Entei would no longer show up on your map. In fact, they would be removed altogether from your Pokédex and could no longer be caught.

Screenshot: The Pokémon Company

So, as you can imagine, this has led to many problems over the years. Some players would get around this by choosing Charmander as a Starter. Others would use their Master Ball on Raikou or Entei the second they encountered them. Although it was possible to block the “roar” bug using Suction Cups or Soundproof Ability Pokémon.

You could also use trap attacks such as “Ingrain” to keep them from fleeing. Whether it was a bug or not it was still incredibly irritating. However, it looks like the Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Switch 2 ports have finally fixed the issue over 22 years later. Now you can go into the Pokémon Fire Red post-game without having to worry about the Legendaries fleeing permanently!

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