How to Find and Catch Dratini in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

Download Article

A guide to finding the elusive Dragon-type Pokémon in Kanto

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Ishrak

Last Updated: October 13, 2025 Fact Checked

Download Article

Catching Dratini in the Safari Zone

|

Buying Dratini in Celadon City

|

Video

|

Q&A

|

Tips

Dratini is a rare Dragon-type Pokémon that, if raised right, can be a great addition to your team. You can find this elusive Pokémon in the Safari Zone, or you can cough up a pocketful of coins at the Rocket Game Center to purchase one. Keep reading to learn more!

Catching Dratini: Quick Steps

Get the Super Rod from the Fisherman in the house on Route #
Go to the Safari Zone just north of Fuchsia City.
Fish in any of the water in the Safari Zone with your Super Rod until you reel in a Dratini.
Throw a Rock at the Dratini to increase its catch rate.
Throw a Safari Ball. If you fail and the Dratini doesn't run away, you can try again.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Catching Dratini in the Safari Zone

Download Article

You will need the best rod in the game in order to catch Dratini. You can get the Super Rod on Route 12 in the house with a Fisherman inside. Talk to him and you will receive the Super Rod.
Dratini can only be caught in the Safari Zone. You don't need to worry about which Pokémon you will use to fight, as there are no actual Pokémon battles in the Safari Zone. You can get to the Safari Zone from Fuchsia City.^{[1]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Start fishing. Dratini can be caught in any of the four areas of the Safari Zone. Throw your line out into any body of water you see to start fishing. There is a 15% chance that the Pokémon you catch will be a Dratini.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- When you hook a Pokémon, you will need to press the A button to set the hook; otherwise, the Pokémon will get away.
- There is a 1% chance that you will catch a Dragonair, Dratini's evolution.
4
Throw a Rock. You have four options when you start a Safari Zone battle: you can throw Bait, a Rock, or a Safari Ball, or you can Run. Throwing Bait will make the Pokémon less likely to run away, but decreases the chance of catching it. Throwing a Rock will make it easier to capture, but increases the chance it will run away.
- Throwing Bait followed by a Rock will cancel the effects of each. If you want to improve the catch chance, either throw one Rock or a Bait followed by two rocks.
If the ball doesn't capture the Dratini, it will have a chance to run away. If it runs, you will need to fish again to catch another one. If it stays, you can try another Safari Ball on your next turn.
Once you've caught your Dratini, you can start training it to eventually evolve it into a Dragonite. Dratini can be used in a variety of party builds, thanks to its speed and Dragon-type attacks. To get the most out of your training, make sure to check out this guide on managing EVs, which can greatly affect the way your Dratini grows and battles.^{[3]
X
Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Buying Dratini in Celadon City

Download Article

You can win a Dratini from here any time after you reach Celadon City for the first time.^{[4]
X
Research source} Dratini costs 2,800 coins.
2
Gamble or buy the coins. You can use the slot machines to earn the credits you need, or if you don't have the time and have plenty of cash, you can buy the credits. If you want to gamble for them, one of the machines has better odds than the others, but it changes every time you enter the room.
- One strat is to farm the trainers on Nugget Bridge to be able to purchase the Dratini from the Game Corner. You can then put an EXP share on the Dratini and rematch some trainers to quickly level up your new Pokémon.^{[5]
  X
  Research source}

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

What level will it be when I buy it?

Community Answer

In FireRed, it will be level 18. In LeafGreen, it will be level 24.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 12 Helpful 63
Question

On which level with it evolve?

Community Answer

Level 30 to Dragonair and Level 55 to Dragonite, a semi legendary.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 9 Helpful 38
Question

Where is the coin case in Fire Red?

Community Answer

Go to the house under the Celadon Center in a bar type interior. Go north, west of the building, and a man will give you the case.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 9 Helpful 26

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

Dratini evolves at Level 30 to Dragonair and Level 55 to Dragonite.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Dratini will usually be higher level and less pricey if you catch it rather than paying coins for it.
The best moves for this are thunder fire and ice punch with dragon tail.
Don't evolve the Dratini until level 75 to get the best move.

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!