Go to the tall grass on Route 22, west of Viridian City. It is the earliest practical place to catch Mankey in both Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and the Pokémon appears there at low levels. Later options include Routes 3, 4, and 23, plus Rock Tunnel.
Where to catch Mankey in FireRed and LeafGreen
Mankey is available in both versions; it is not exclusive to FireRed or LeafGreen. The shared location list is Routes 3, 4, 22, and 23, as well as Rock Tunnel’s first floor and basement floor (B1F). These are grass encounters.
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Route 22 is the useful early-game choice: it is west of Viridian City and accessible before the Pewter City Gym challenge. That can make Mankey a helpful early Fighting-type option, especially if you started with Charmander.
FireRed encounter levels and slot odds
The following figures are from the FireRed encounter table. “Slot odds” describe how often Mankey occupies an encounter-table slot; they are not a guarantee for each individual encounter or every patch of grass. These percentages are not independently established here for LeafGreen.
#1 Best Overall
| Location | Encounter method | Levels | FireRed slot odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route 22 | Grass | 2–5 | 45% |
| Route 3 | Grass | 7 | 10% |
| Route 4 | Grass | 10–12 | 5% |
| Rock Tunnel 1F | Grass | 16–17 | 15% |
| Rock Tunnel B1F | Grass | 16–17 | 15% |
| Route 23 | Grass | 32–34 | 30% |
Which location should you choose?
- For an early catch: Search Route 22. Its listed FireRed levels are 2–5, and it is reachable before the Pewter City Gym.
- If you missed Route 22: Routes 3 and 4 and Rock Tunnel provide later chances, with higher listed levels than Route 22.
- For a much later encounter: Route 23 has Mankey at levels 32–34 in the FireRed table.
What Mankey evolves into
Mankey evolves into Primeape at level 28. A Route 22 Mankey therefore needs to gain levels before evolving.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why version availability can be confusing
Older Pokémon games did not all place Mankey in the same locations. In FireRed and LeafGreen, however, it is available in both versions, and the broad location list is shared. The FireRed encounter levels and slot percentages above should not be treated as independently verified LeafGreen figures.
Sources: Serebii’s Mankey location listing; Dexfully’s FireRed encounter table; Bulbapedia’s Mankey overview.
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