You’re standing in front of the Celadon Department Store, clutching a handful of hard-earned Poké Dollars. You want your Blastoise to be a monster. Or maybe you're tired of your Jolteon only having Thundershock. We've all been there. Back in 1998, the Pokemon Blue TM list was basically our version of a survival manual. If you messed up and taught "Whirlwind" to a Pidgeot thinking it was a powerful attack, that was it. No move reminder. No infinite TMs. One shot.
Honestly, the Gen 1 TM system is brutal. Most of these Technical Machines are one-time-use items, meaning if you waste your TM 13 (Ice Beam) on a Pokémon you end up boxing two towns later, you’re just out of luck unless you’re willing to gamble at the Game Corner for hours. It’s a high-stakes game of resource management that modern players, spoiled by TMs that never break, will never truly understand.
The Absolute Essentials on the Pokemon Blue TM List
When you look at the full Pokemon Blue TM list, there are fifty of them. Fifty. But let’s be real—about forty of them are complete garbage. Do you really need TM 05 (Mega Kick) with its shaky 75% accuracy? Probably not. You want the heavy hitters.
The "Big Three" of the Kanto TMs are undoubtedly Thunderbolt (TM 24), Ice Beam (TM 13), and Flamethrower. Wait—actually, Flamethrower isn't even a TM in Blue. You have to learn it via leveling up or go for Fire Blast (TM 38). That’s the kind of nuance that catches people off guard.
TM 13: Ice Beam
You find this one on the roof of the Celadon Mansion. You have to give the thirsty girl a Fresh Water. It’s arguably the most important move in the game because it makes the late-game Dragonites manageable. Without it, Lance will absolutely wreck your day.
TM 24: Thunderbolt
This is your reward for beating Lt. Surge. It’s a 95-power move (in Gen 1) with perfect accuracy. If you're running a Nidoking—which you should be, because Nidoking is a beast in Kanto—this is a mandatory install.
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TM 06: Toxic
Koga hands this over. In Pokemon Blue, Toxic has a weird, broken interaction with Leech Seed. If you use both on an opponent, the Leech Seed damage scales with the Toxic damage. It's a glitch, sure, but in the wild west of 8-bit Kanto, it's a legitimate strategy for taking down high-HP tanks.
Where Everyone Gets Stuck: Finding the Missable TMs
A lot of the Pokemon Blue TM list is hidden behind NPCs who just want to chat. You can walk right past TM 42 (Dream Eater) in Viridian City because you didn't realize that sleepy guy behind the cut-tree was actually holding a top-tier Psychic move. You have to Cut your way to him. Most players just beat the gym and leave, missing out on a move that can carry a Haunter through the Elite Four.
Then there’s the Safari Zone. It’s a nightmare. Navigating that place with a step counter is stressful enough, but if you don’t find TM 32 (Double Team), you’re missing out on the most "broken" mechanic in the game. In Gen 1, evasion is king. If you stack Double Team, the AI literally cannot hit you. It's cheap. It's frustrating. It works.
The Full Pokemon Blue TM List (The Prose Edition)
Instead of a boring table, let's just talk through the distribution. The early game is littered with "Mega" moves. TM 01 is Mega Punch, found in Mt. Moon. TM 05 is Mega Kick, tucked away in a corner of the same cave. They're okay for a Geodude, but they fall off fast.
As you hit the mid-game, things get technical. In the Rocket Hideout, you’ll stumble upon TM 07 (Horn Drill) and TM 10 (Double-Edge). Horn Drill is a meme move—one-hit KO if it hits, but it rarely does. Double-Edge is great until you realize the recoil damage in Blue is calculated differently than in later games, often leading to your own Pokémon knocking themselves out.
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The Game Corner is where the "pro" moves live.
- TM 23 (Dragon Rage): Costs 3300 coins. Fixed 40 damage. Early game? Godly. Late game? Useless.
- TM 15 (Hyper Beam): Costs 5500 coins. In Blue, if Hyper Beam knocks out the opponent, you don't have to recharge. This makes it the best move in the game for a fast physical attacker like Tauros.
- TM 50 (Substitute): 7700 coins. Essential for competitive play, even back then.
Why Some TMs are Traps
I need to warn you about TM 04 (Whirlwind) and TM 43 (Sky Attack). Whirlwind in Gen 1 does nothing in trainer battles. It only works in the wild. Imagine wasting a TM slot on a move that literally fails against the Elite Four. Sky Attack sounds cool, but it requires a charge turn, and in the fast-paced world of Blue, that’s just an opening for your opponent to freeze you with Blizzard.
Speaking of Blizzard (TM 14), it’s found in the Cinnabar Mansion. In the Japanese version of the game, it had a 30% chance to freeze. In the Western releases of Blue, they kept that high effectiveness. It is arguably better than Ice Beam because of the raw power, despite the slightly lower accuracy (which was still a whopping 90% in Gen 1).
Handling the HMs
You can't talk about TMs without mentioning their permanent cousins, the HMs. There are five. Flash (HM 05) is the one everyone forgets until they’re stuck in the dark in Rock Tunnel. You need 10 Pokémon registered in your Pokédex to get it from Professor Oak’s aide on Route 2. Honestly, just use a map online and skip Flash. It’s a wasted move slot on any decent Pokémon.
The Strategy of Resource Allocation
Since you only get one copy of most TMs, you have to plan your team ahead of time. Don't give TM 28 (Dig) to a Rattata. Save it for someone who can actually use the invulnerability turn to dodge a big attack. Dig actually had 100 power in Blue, making it stronger than Earthquake (TM 26) in some scenarios, which is wild to think about now.
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If you’re playing on original hardware or the Virtual Console, you might be tempted to use the Cinnabar Island "MissingNo" glitch to multiply your TMs. While I can’t officially tell you to break the game, I will say that having 128 copies of TM 11 (Bubblebeam) makes the game a lot more experimental.
Making the Most of Your TMs
To really master the Pokemon Blue TM list, you need to stop thinking about your favorite moves and start thinking about coverage.
- Check Compatibility: Use a reference to see if your Pokémon can even learn the move before you trek across the map.
- Prioritize the "Big Five": Earthquake, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Psychic, and Blizzard. These should be reserved for your "forever" team members.
- The Department Store Hack: Remember that you can buy certain TMs in Celadon. TM 32 (Double Team) and TM 15 (Hyper Beam) are infinitely purchasable if you have the cash. Use the Amulet Coin—wait, that doesn't exist yet. Just grind the Elite Four for money.
- Don't Forget the Move Deleter (He Doesn't Exist): I can't stress this enough. In Blue, once a move is there, it’s there unless it’s an HM and you use a specific work-around, or it's a regular move and you just learn something over it. If your move list is full and you want to teach a TM, you have to lose something forever.
The Pokemon Blue TM list is a snapshot of a time when games didn't hold your hand. Every choice mattered. Every TM found in a trash can or given by a Gym Leader felt like a significant upgrade to your power. Whether you're trying to speedrun the game or just reliving your childhood, knowing exactly which TMs to grab—and which ones to leave in the dirt—is the difference between becoming the Champion and getting embarrassed by Blue's Exeggutor.
Go check your bag. If you've still got that TM 26 (Earthquake) sitting there, it's time to stop hoarding it. Put it on a Nidoking or a Golem and go win that badge.
Next Steps for Your Kanto Journey
- Audit your current movesets: Look for "filler" moves like Growl or Leer that can be immediately replaced by mid-tier TMs like Bide or Swift.
- Visit the Celadon Roof: Ensure you've grabbed all three TMs (Ice Beam, Tri Attack, and Thunderbolt) by trading drinks to the girl. This is the single highest-value location for TMs in the game.
- Save your Earthquake: Do not use TM 26 until you have your final team decided; it is arguably the most valuable single-use item in the Kanto region.