Where is the Name Rater in Pokémon FRLG?

Sitting with the Name Rater in Lavender Town (Pokémon FireRed)

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, the Name Rater is located in Lavender Town. He is on the south side of Lavender Town where you’ll find two purple houses – the Name Rater’s house is on the right.

But to reach Lavender Town, you’ll first need to take Rock Tunnel after defeating Misty in Cerulean City and after helping Bill on Route 25 (north of Cerulean City).

The Name Rater NPC can be used to nickname or change the nickname of any Pokémon in your Party.

Prerequisites

The Name Rater is one of the earliest “special” NPCs you can find in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

So there are some prerequisites but not too many. You basically need to be able to make it to Lavender Town, which means you need to:

  • Help Bill on Route 25
  • Defeat Misty
  • Get HM01 Cut
  • Be able to make it through Rock Tunnel and reach Lavender Town

If you can get to Lavender Town then you can talk to the Name Rater.

Reaching Lavender Town

If you haven’t made it to Lavender Town yet, then you may have some work to do.

In Cerulean City there is a house in the northeast corner that is usually guarded by a Police Officer.

Police Officer blocking the way to Rock Tunnel in Cerulean City / Pokémon FRLG
Police Officer blocking the way to Rock Tunnel in Cerulean City

Once you defeat Misty and help Bill out at the end of Route 25 (north of Cerulean City), the Police Officer will move out of the way and you’ll be able to enter this building and exit through the back.

Tip: We have a complete walkthrough for Cerulean City and Route 25, so check that out if you need some help.

Police Officer moving out of the way after defeating Misty and helping Bill / Pokémon FRLG
Police Officer moving out of the way after defeating Misty and helping Bill

From there, you’ll be able to follow the path east all the way to Rock Tunnel (you will need HM01 Cut to remove a tree here).

Outside of Rock Tunnel / Pokémon FRLG
Outside of Rock Tunnel

I recommend bringing HM05 Flash as well, since it makes getting through Rock Tunnel Much easier.

After exiting Rock Tunnel just head south until you reach Lavender Town, where the Name Rater is located.

Reaching Lavender Town after Rock Tunnel / Pokémon FRLG
Reaching Lavender Town after Rock Tunnel

Finding the Name Rater

Once you’re in Lavender Town, head to the south side of town. There are two identical houses here that both have a purple roof.

The Name Rater’s house is the one on the right.

Outside of the Name Rater’s house in Lavender Town / Pokémon FRLG
Outside of the Name Rater’s house in Lavender Town

Simply walk inside and talk to the man sitting at the table (the Name Rater) to change the name of any Pokémon you want.

The Name Rater introducing himself / Pokémon FRLG
The Name Rater introducing himself

Why Would You Use the Name Rater?

The Name Rater is in FireRed & LeafGreen in case you want to change the name of one of your Pokémon. This could be because you forgot to nickname a Pokémon when you caught it, or just want to spice things up a bit.

Note: The Name Rater cannot change the nickname of traded Pokémon, so keep that in mind!

But the Name Rater’s service is 100% free, and you can work with him an unlimited number of times.

Just talk to the Name Rater and answer “Yes” when he asks if you want to rate the name of one of your Pokémon.

Name Rater asking to rate the nickname of my Pokémon / Pokémon FRLG
Name Rater asking to rate the nickname of my Pokémon

Then he’ll ask if you want him to change their name, which you’ll say “Yes” to again.

This will let you give your Pokémon a brand new nickname.

Nicknaming my Bulbasaur with the Name Rater / Pokémon FRLG
Nicknaming my Bulbasaur with the Name Rater

You can use the Name Rater as often as you’d like, and there are no limits to how many times you can change a Pokémon’s nickname. So have fun with it!

ReOcelot

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A jack of all trades when it comes to gaming. I can sit down for hours in a casual playthrough of Pokémon, or I can spend months trying to hit Diamond in League of Legends. I love and appreciate everything about games, and love sharing that passion with my readers.

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