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Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG)

Should You Pick Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan?

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★ Best Teams to Beat the Story
☆ Celadon Game Corner Guide
★ Mail Glitch Guide: How to Duplicate Items
☆ Learn How to Get All TMs and HMs
★ Farming Guides for EXP and Money
☆ Shiny Hunting Guide and Shiny Odds

Hitmonlee is the better choice for its high Attack and Speed, ideal for clearing the story of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG). See the differences between Hitmonlee vs Hitmonchan, what their pros and cons are, and how to get them here!

List of Contents

Should You Pick Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan?

Hitmonlee Is the Better and Faster Attacker

Pokemon FRLG - Hitmonlee Hitmonlee
Pros Cons
+ High Atk. and Spd.
+ Strong Physical Moves
- Poor Type Coverage
- Lacks Special Moves

Hitmonlee is considered to be the better option for most players, as its base Atk. and Spd. stats are higher than its counterpart, Hitmonchan. Hitmonlee is a good sweeper in the early to mid-game, as it benefits from its natural moves having STAB .

In the later stages of the game, it suffers quite a bit with its poor moveset pool. It is primarily a Physical DMG attacker, making it challenging to use against gym leaders like Sabrina with her Psychic-type Pokemon.

Hitmonchan Has Better Moves and Defenses

Pokemon FRLG - Hitmonchan Hitmonchan
Pros Cons
+ High Def.
+ Bigger Moveset Pool
+ Decent Type Coverage
- Lower Spd. and Atk.
- Low Sp. Atk. for its Special Moves

Hitmonchan is the tankier Pokemon of the two options with better type coverage. Its natural moveset covers Dark, Fire, Ice, and Electric, making it the more versatile choice.

Hitmonchan, however, suffers from its stats, as it has lower Atk. and Spd. than its counterpart. Furthermore, its very low Sp. Atk. makes Special Moves not as effective, compared to Hitmonlee being more optimized to strictly Physical attacks.

How to Get Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan

Received From the Fighting Gym

Free Pokemon from Fighting Gym
Pokemon FRLG - Hitmonlee Hitmonlee Pokemon FRLG - Hitmonchan Hitmonchan

Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are the two free Pokemon options you can get after defeating Koichi in Saffron City's Fighting Gym. You can only choose one, received at Lvl. 25 for either option.

All Gift Pokemon - How to Get

Earned Through Breeding

Evolution Line
Pokemon FRLG - Tyrogue Tyrogue Lvl. 20
(Atk > Def)
→		 Pokemon FRLG - Hitmonlee Hitmonlee
Lvl. 20
(Atk < Def)
→		 Pokemon FRLG - Hitmonchan Hitmonchan
Lvl. 20
(Atk = Def)
→		 Pokemon FRLG - Hitmontop Hitmontop

After defeating the Elite Four, you can get the National Dex and breed your chosen Hitmon Pokemon with a Ditto to get Tyrogue. Once you have Tyrogue, it evolves into Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, or Hitmontop depending on its stats at Lvl. 20.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Related Guides

Pokemon FRLG - TnT Slim

Beginner's Guides

List of Tips and Guides

General Guides
Shiny Hunting Guide and Shiny Odds All Gift Pokemon
Rival's Canon Name Protagonist's Canon Name
Lt. Surge Puzzle Guide -
How-To Guides
How to Get Shiny Starters How to Soft Reset
How to Trade How to Open the Main Menu
How to Find Hidden Items How to Use Key Items
How to Get the Bike How to Get Old Rod
How to Get Good Rod How to Get Super Rod
How to Get the Old Man Out of Route 2 How to Get to Three Island
Location Guides
Move Deleter Location Move Relearner Location
Where to Get The Running Shoes All Incense Locations
Amulet Coin Location -
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Get Mew? Which Fossil Should You Choose?
Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan? Mega Punch or Mega Kick?
Is There a Physical and Special Attack Split? Are There Fairy Types?
Can You Complete the Kanto Dex? -

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