Pokémon FireRed HM Planner

Can your team handle every field move?

Build your six-Pokémon party and instantly check Cut, Fly, Surf, Strength, Flash, Rock Smash and Waterfall coverage.

  • Six field slots
  • Coverage answer first
  • Helpers for the gaps

7 FireRed HMs

  • HM01 Cut
  • HM02 Fly
  • HM03 Surf
  • HM04 Strength
  • HM05 Flash
  • HM06 Rock Smash
  • HM07 Waterfall

Your Field Team

0/6 picked

Add Pokémon to see which FireRed HMs your team can learn.

You do not need all six. Coverage updates as you add or remove Pokémon.

How HM compatibility works in FireRed

Pokémon FireRed hands out seven HMs, and each one can only be taught to Pokémon whose compatibility flag allows it. The HM Planner reads those flags from the same generated learnset data the Move Compatibility Checker uses, so a Pokémon is only ever shown as able to learn an HM when the game files say it can.

Coverage is about compatibility, not about strategy. A Pokémon that can learn Cut is not necessarily a good place to spend a move slot, and the planner never claims otherwise: it answers which field moves your party can carry, and which Pokémon you could add if something is missing.

  • HM08 Dive exists in the Generation III data but FireRed never gives it to you, so it is not counted.
  • Suggested helpers are limited to Pokémon FireRed can actually give you, and to what your progression and trading choices allow.
  • Pokémon you pick yourself are never removed or replaced, whatever the settings say.
  • An HM move is not permanent: the Move Deleter in Fuchsia City removes it later, as long as it is not the only move the Pokémon knows.

Choose a Pokémon

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    How the FireRed HM Planner works

    Pick up to six Pokémon and the planner reads each one’s HM compatibility straight out of the FireRed learnset data, then adds the seven field moves together into a single answer: how many of them your party can carry, and which ones nobody on it can learn. You do not need a full team of six — the count updates with every Pokémon you add or remove, so you can test a party you already have or sketch one you are thinking about. Each HM card names the Pokémon on your team that covers it, and each slot shows how many HMs that Pokémon brings, so the connection reads in both directions. If something is missing, the planner lists Pokémon that would fill the gap, narrowed to what you can actually catch or raise at the point you have reached in the game.

    All HMs in Pokémon FireRed

    FireRed gives you seven Hidden Machines. Unlike TMs they are reusable, and each one doubles as a field move that opens up part of the map.

    • HM01 Cut — from the Captain aboard the S.S. Anne. Clears the small trees that block side paths and parts of several routes.
    • HM02 Fly — from a house on Route 16, west of Celadon City. Warps you to any town you have already visited.
    • HM03 Surf — in the Secret House deep inside the Safari Zone. The single most useful HM in the game: most of Kanto’s water is closed without it.
    • HM04 Strength — from the Warden in Fuchsia City, once you bring him the Gold Teeth from the Safari Zone. Pushes the boulders in Seafoam Islands and Victory Road.
    • HM05 Flash — in the Route 2 East Building, from Professor Oak’s Aide, once your Pokédex has seen 10 species. Lights Rock Tunnel.
    • HM06 Rock Smash — at the Ember Spa on One Island. Breaks the cracked rocks that appear from the Sevii Islands onward.
    • HM07 Waterfall — in Icefall Cave on Four Island. Needed to climb waterfalls while surfing, and to finish the Sevii Islands.

    There is an eighth Hidden Machine in the Generation III data — HM08 Dive — but FireRed never hands it out and its field effect does not exist in Kanto, so the planner leaves it out of the count.

    Do you need an HM slave in FireRed?

    Players often use the term “HM slave” for a Pokémon carried purely to hold field moves, so the rest of the team keeps four battle moves each. It is a common habit rather than a requirement, and whether you need one depends entirely on the party you already have. Plenty of ordinary FireRed teams already cover five or six HMs between them without anyone noticing.

    That is the question this tool answers first. Put your real party in, and if the count comes back at seven of seven you do not need a separate field helper at all. If it comes back short, the planner shows you exactly which field moves are missing before suggesting anyone new — so you are adding a Pokémon for a reason you can see, not out of habit.

    Can one Pokémon cover several HMs?

    Yes, and that is usually the cheapest way to close a gap. The planner counts how many of your missing HMs each candidate covers and leads with the one that covers the most, so a single addition can often solve three or four gaps at once instead of three separate ones. Water Pokémon tend to be the strongest multi-HM options in Kanto because Surf, Waterfall and Strength cluster on the same species, while Flash and Cut sit more often on Grass and Normal types.

    The suggestions stay honest about effort: each card says when you can first raise that Pokémon, whether it needs a trade, and whether it is a first form you simply catch or the end of an evolution line.

    HM coverage vs battle moves

    Being able to learn an HM is not the same as wanting to. Cut is a 50-power Normal move, Flash does no damage at all, and a slot spent on either is a slot not spent on something that wins battles. The planner only ever answers the compatibility question — it does not rank HMs as battle moves and does not suggest that a compatible Pokémon should actually carry one.

    It is also worth knowing that the decision is reversible. FireRed will not let you swap an HM move out from the summary screen the way you would any other move, but the Move Deleter in Fuchsia City will remove it completely, provided it is not the Pokémon’s only move. Teaching an HM to clear one obstacle and deleting it afterwards is a perfectly normal way to play.

    Frequently asked questions

    What HMs are in Pokémon FireRed?

    Seven: HM01 Cut, HM02 Fly, HM03 Surf, HM04 Strength, HM05 Flash, HM06 Rock Smash and HM07 Waterfall. HM08 Dive exists in the Generation III machine list but FireRed never gives it to the player.

    Which Pokémon can learn the most HMs in FireRed?

    Dragonite, with six of the seven — everything except Flash. It is the only Pokémon you can obtain in normal play that reaches six, though getting there means raising a Dratini all the way to level 55. Mew learns all seven but was only ever distributed at events. Psyduck, Golduck and Quagsire come next with five each, and Psyduck in particular is an ordinary wild catch.

    Do I need an HM slave in FireRed?

    Not necessarily. Many teams already cover most of the seven without a dedicated carrier. Check your actual party in the planner above: it will tell you whether anything is missing before you commit a slot to a field helper.

    Can my current team learn Surf and Fly?

    Add your six Pokémon to the planner and the HM03 and HM02 cards will name exactly which members can take each one, or say plainly that nobody can. Surf is widely compatible across Water types; Fly is much narrower and is mostly limited to Flying types such as Pidgeot, Fearow and Charizard.

    Can I remove HM moves later in FireRed?

    Yes. You cannot overwrite an HM move the usual way — the summary screen refuses to let you pick it when a new move is being learned — but the Move Deleter in Fuchsia City will delete it for you, as long as it is not the Pokémon’s only remaining move. Nothing you teach for a single obstacle has to stay on the moveset.

    Where is the HM compatibility data from?

    From the FireRed game files themselves, by way of the same generated learnset data that powers our Move Compatibility Checker. No community list is used, so the planner and the Move Checker can never disagree with each other.

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