Man, Red and Blue were weird. If you grew up in the 90s, you probably remember the sheer frustration of finding a Technical Machine, teaching it to your Charizard, and then realizing—too late—that you just wasted the only copy of Earthquake in the entire game. Back then, TMs were single-use. One and done. Gone forever. It’s a far cry from the infinite-use or craftable TMs we have in the modern era of the Switch.
But here’s the thing about the pokemon tm list gen 1. It wasn't balanced. Not even close. You had legendary, game-breaking moves sitting right next to absolute garbage like Whirlwind or Rage. If you're going back to play on a Virtual Console or a dusty old Game Boy, you need to know which of these 50 discs are worth the inventory space and which are just bait for a hungry Magikarp.
The Absolute Powerhouses of the Pokémon TM List Gen 1
Let’s get real. Most of the 50 TMs in Kanto are filler. But the ones that hit? They hit like a truck.
Take TM06 (Toxic). In Gen 1, Toxic was actually glitched in a way that benefited the player. If you used Toxic and then used Leech Seed, the damage from Leech Seed would scale along with the Toxic damage. It was a death sentence. Then you’ve got TM13 (Ice Beam) and TM14 (Blizzard). In the original games, Blizzard had a 90% accuracy rate. 90%! It was basically a better Ice Beam with zero drawbacks. In Every. Single. Competitive. Match. You saw Blizzard. It was the meta-defining move because freezing a Pokémon in Gen 1 meant they were basically dead; they didn't thaw out naturally like they do now.
Then there’s the big one: TM26 (Earthquake). It’s arguably the best move in the game. 100 Power. 100 Accuracy. It hits almost everything. You only get one. Usually, you find it in the Silph Co. building or deep in Victory Road, depending on which version or remake logic you're following, but in the original 151 era, it was the ultimate prize.
Honestly, if you aren't planning your team around who gets Earthquake and who gets TM24 (Thunderbolt), you're gonna have a rough time against the Elite Four. Thunderbolt was the reliable cousin to the shaky TM25 (Thunder). While Thunder had that sexy 120 power, the 70% accuracy in a game where RNG hates you was a massive gamble.
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The Weird Stuff Nobody Uses
On the flip side, the pokemon tm list gen 1 is littered with traps. TM04 (Whirlwind)? Completely useless in trainer battles. It literally did nothing. It only worked in wild encounters to make the Pokémon run away. Why would you waste a TM slot on that? TM37 (Egg Bomb) was basically exclusive to Chansey and Exeggutor, and even then, why would you use it over Psychic or Soft-Boiled?
And don’t even get me started on TM34 (Bide). Brock gives this to you after you beat him. It takes two turns to "store" energy and then deals damage. It sounds cool in theory. In practice, the AI just pummels you while you sit there like a sitting duck. It’s a waste of a turn and a waste of a move slot.
Why the TM List Layout Matters for Your Playthrough
If you’re looking at the full list, you’ll notice a pattern. The early TMs are mostly "flavor" moves.
- TM01 (Mega Punch) and TM05 (Mega Kick): Found in Mt. Moon. They're okay for the early game, but the accuracy on Mega Kick (75%) will make you want to throw your Game Boy across the room.
- TM28 (Dig): This was actually a 100-power move in the original Japanese Red/Green and the early Western releases before being nerfed later. In Gen 1, Dig was essentially a Ground-type Earthquake that also let you escape dungeons. It was broken.
- TM29 (Psychic): Found in Saffron City. Since the Psychic type had essentially no weaknesses in Gen 1 (Bug moves were weak and Ghost was bugged to be ineffective), this TM turned any compatible Pokémon into a god.
You have to be tactical. You can't just slap TM11 (BubbleBeam) on your Squirtle because he's going to learn better moves later. You save that for a Nidoking or something that needs the coverage.
The "One-Time Only" Anxiety
Because these items disappeared after use, the pokemon tm list gen 1 created a weird kind of "hoarder" psychology in gamers. You’d finish the game with a bag full of TMs because you were "saving them for the right moment."
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Pro tip: Don't do that.
Use TM43 (Sky Attack) on your Moltres. Put TM48 (Rock Slide) on your Golem immediately. The game is short enough that holding onto them until the Level 80 grind is pointless. The only ones you should truly be careful with are the "Big Three": Earthquake, Psychic, and Ice Beam. Almost everything else can be bought at the Celadon Department Store if you have enough PokéDollars.
The Celadon Shopping Spree
Speaking of Celadon, that’s where the list actually becomes manageable. You can buy:
- TM32 (Double Team): If you want to be that person who ruins friendships by making your Pokémon unhittable.
- TM15 (Hyper Beam): In Gen 1, if Hyper Beam knocked out the opponent, you didn't have to recharge. Read that again. It was the most broken mechanic for fast physical attackers like Tauros.
- TM07 (Horn Drill) and TM01 (Mega Punch).
Shopping for TMs changed the game. It meant you weren't limited to just what you found on the ground. You could actually build a cohesive team.
Navigating the Full 1-50 List
To really understand the pokemon tm list gen 1, you have to see the variety. It wasn't just attacks; it was utility.
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TM41 (Soft-Boiled) is a weird one. Only Chansey can learn it via TM in this generation. If you’re playing Yellow, you get it from a man across a pond in Celadon. It’s essential for a tanky Chansey build. Then you have TM17 (Submission), which was the only decent Fighting-type move for a long time, even though the recoil damage was a total pain.
The list flows from basic physical hits (TM01-TM10) into heavy elemental attacks (TM11-TM25) and then falls into a mix of status moves and niche physical attacks for the remainder. TM50 (Substitute) is the final one on the list, found in the Celadon Game Corner. It’s still one of the best moves in the entire franchise, even 30 years later.
Making the Most of the Kanto TMs
If you're staring at your inventory wondering what to do, follow this logic. First, check if the move is a "HM" equivalent. If it’s something like TM39 (Swift), it’s never going to miss. That’s great for dealing with those annoying Double Team spammers.
Second, look at your Pokémon’s typing. In Gen 1, there was no "Special Attack" or "Special Defense." It was just "Special." This meant Pokémon like Amnesia Snorlax (using TM20 (Rage)—wait, no, Rage was bad—using TM44 (Rest) and Amnesia) were nearly invincible because their Special stat covered both offense and defense.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Run
- Don't teach TMs to Pokémon that learn the move naturally. Check a move list. Don't waste the Thunderbolt TM on a Jolteon. It’s redundant.
- Prioritize Nidoking/Nidoqueen. These two are the "TM Kings." They can learn almost everything on the pokemon tm list gen 1. They are the perfect garbage cans for all those elemental TMs you aren't sure what to do with.
- Abuse the Hyper Beam glitch. If you're playing the original Game Boy versions, put TM15 on your strongest physical attacker. It is your "get out of jail free" card for the Elite Four.
- The Mimic Trick. TM31 (Mimic) is found by giving a Poké Doll to the Copycat in Saffron. It’s niche, but in Gen 1, it can lead to some hilarious move combinations that were never intended.
The Kanto TM list is a snapshot of a time when game balance was the Wild West. Some moves were king, others were literally broken (and not in a good way), and most were just there to fill up space. But knowing which is which is the difference between struggling against Blue at the end of the game and steamrolling him with a perfectly kitted-out team.
Go to Celadon, hit the prize corner, and don't be afraid to use those discs. Just... maybe think twice before teaching your only copy of Mega Kick to a Geodude. Trust me on that one.