Celebi is the True Definition of "Mythical Pokemon" in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

While most Pokemon fans likely understand the differences between Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, chances are they are unaware of how long the terminology has been relevant to the West. After all, Gen 1 introduced Mew, Gen 2 introduced Celebi, and Gen 3 introduced Deoxys/Jirachi. However, the terminology was not established in the West until Gen 5 of Pokemon—but Celebi truly embodied the idea in Pokemon Gen 3 with Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen.

In Japan, the distinction between Legendary and Mythical Pokemon has always existed, so it is fair to say that the aforementioned Pokemon have always been Mythical. However, the exact term “Mythical Pokemon” was not used until Generation 5 of Pokemon in the West. It wasn’t until the Pokemon spin-off game Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs that Mythical Pokemon were made separate from Legendary Pokémon in Western media use and terminology. And while this is a particularly fun aspect of media, it’s very important to understand this to grasp Celebi’s role in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen.

How Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Treated Mythical Pokemon Back in the Day

Mew, Celebi, and Deoxys were not “Mythical Pokemon” when Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen were released in the West. Generally speaking, they were more commonly referred to as Event-Specific Pokemon due to how players could obtain them. And while each is incredibly hard to get in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen due to these limited distributions, Celebi is easily one of the rarest Pokemon as of Gen 3—even compared to the other Mythical Pokemon.

The Game Boy Advance had a lot of limitations for Event-Specific Pokemon distribution compared to modern Pokemon games :

In-Person Only
Region-Locked Distributions
Hardware Dependence
Limited Advertisements (compared to modern Standards)
No standard in-game encounters

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Getting a legitimate Celebi in the West was as mythical as a unicorn, even more so than Mew and Deoxys. Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen‘s Deoxys had multiple worldwide events, while Mew also held several official events, typically requiring people to attend brick-and-mortar stores in person. Children, this was before the time of “Mystery Gifts.” But Celebi was a Japan-only event, impossible to obtain in the West without importing, locking it up more than any other Mythical Pokemon to this point.

It remains to be seen how Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch handled these Event-Specific Mythical Pokemon, if they do at all.

Celebi Was Probably the Rarest Gen 3 Pokemon When FR/LG Came Out

Because there were no retro re-releases at the time, no Nintendo eShop, no online codes, and no Mystery Gifts, the only ways to obtain Celebi in Gen 3 were very small Japanese in-person events or the Japanese Bonus Disc of Pokemon Colosseum. The North American Bonus Disc distributed the Mythical Pokemon Jirachi instead of Celebi, meaning Western players never had a reliable home or console method of obtaining Celebi in Gen 3. You literally had to be there.

Celebi was not a catchable Pokemon in FireRed and LeafGreen, was not distributed in any Western events, and was not on the North American Colosseum Bonus Disc. The only realistic source for obtaining Celebi in the West was the Japanese Pokemon Colosseum Bonus Disc, which required players to buy, ship, and/or complete the following:

Own Japanese Hardware
Own a Japanese copy of Pokemon Colosseum
Own a Japanese Copy of Pokemon FireRed or LeafGreen, with the National Dex unlocked and other tasks completed

Western players in the 2004-2008 window had to import new copies of games and hardware. Setting aside the time waiting and money invested, Western players likely had to spend upwards of $500 to get a version of Celebi in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. For comparison, a Western MysticTicket Lugia/Ho-Oh only required a copy of the game and physical attendance to a US event, which could be hard-pressed for some, but ultimately, Celebi was orders of magnitude more expensive and complicated to get in the original releases.

Realistically, the pool of legitimate Celebi owners in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen was microscopic, likely significantly under 1%. That was the definition of a then-undefined Mythical Pokemon.

Illegitimate Distributions of Celebi

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen did have a few options to get illegitimate versions of Celebi via common cheats:

Ultimately, Celebi was one of the rarest (if not THE rarest) legitimately obtainable Mythical Pokemon of the earliest generations, specifically in the West. A legitimate Celebi was likely unseen by many Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players back in the original release, likely being the rarest to see in any gameplay and outside Japan at the time. Mew’s early 1996-1999 distribution likely gives Celebi a run for its money out of pure scarcity, but still, Celebi stood at the top of the mountain—pretty much alone.

Can You Catch Celebi in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch?

It can be said with a high degree of certainty that Celebi will not be obtainable in the base game of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. This release might be to celebrate the 30th anniversary, but still, Mythical Pokemon are treated with the utmost care. However, that does not mean Celebi will be as rare this time around. Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen‘s Home capabilities are currently undefined, but unlike the initial distribution window, worldwide events are much easier today. Because of the internet.

It would not be surprising to see Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen launch with these events, if not add them down the road, and it would not be surprising to see these Mythical Pokemon distributed via Mystery Gifts. That’s only speculation at this time, however, and Game Freak has said nothing official about Mythical Pokemon in FR/LG. At the very least, fans can have their fingers crossed that truly completing the National Pokedex in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen is not as expensive or as time-consuming as it used to be.