Capturing Celebi in Pokémon Crystal has been a subject of controversy ever since Japan made a promotional quest in capturing it, which involves receiving a GS Ball item from a Nintendo representative online. Nintendo removed the online adapter later that made Celebi's quest completely hidden from Pokémon players in the US. However, since they only hid the quest, the code remained in the game and can be unlocked using GameShark and other code breakers.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Capturing Celebi with a GS Ball

  1. 1
    Use GameShark or any other similar device. The only way to obtain Celebi in Pokémon Crystal is by unlocking the Celebi Quest, which is hidden within the game. GameShark can be purchased online.
    • If GameShark isn't available, you can use Code Breaker or Game Genie. These devices are already proven and used by many console gamers.
    • If you plan on using another method aside from using GameShark, keep in mind that there are risks of messing up your Pokedex. The safest way to obtain Celebi is by using this method.
  2. 2
    Put in the code. Before anything else, start your game with your GameShark or other similar device and then inject this code into your game: 0173F2D0.
    • After inserting the code, head to any Pokemart and buy one GS Ball.
    • After purchasing GS Ball, save your game and then shut it off.
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  3. 3
    Insert the second code. Switch your game back on with GameShark (or other device) and then insert this code to unlock the quest: 914089DA.
    • After inserting the code, make your way to Kurt, who lives in a house in the northwest corner of Azalea Town.
    • Talk to him and he will then take the GS Ball from you.
    • Kurt will then tell you that he will give it back the next day. Do so and retrieve the GS Ball from him.
  4. 4
    Catch Celebi. Now that you have the GS Ball, head straight to Ilex Forest as Kurt suggested. The forest is located in southern Johto, directly west of Azalea Town. Find the shrine, a small structure located within the Ilex Forest, and once you find it, approach the structure and put the GS Ball in the shrine. Celebi will then appear.
    • Catch Celebi like you would other Pokémon: decrease its HP or throw a Pokeball that has higher rate of capturing Pokémon without the need of halving its health.
    • The Celebi that appears will be level 30 and has the chance of capturing a Psychic or Grass-type.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Capturing Celebi with Resets

  1. 1
    Insert this code: 91C089DA. You can use GameShark or other similar devices. Then talk to Kurt.
    • Before you insert the code, make sure that Kurt is not checking any Pokeball already.
    • Kurt will automatically give you a GS Ball, which you can use right away in the Ilex Shrine to capture Celebi.
    • Note: You can use this code as much as you want, but keep in mind that there will be a few resets whenever you do this.
  2. 2
    Fix the resets. There will always be a reset whenever you use the codes for Celebi. In the Dragon Shrine, the master will give you another Dratini for unknown reasons but can easily be fixed by talking to him again. Just accept the Dratini, and he will be back to normal.
    • Another one is the girl in front of Sudowoodo. She will be standing there like before, and you have to talk to her to make the girl go away.
    • The man you encountered before who explained that there was something odd in the Underground Chamber that made him flee will say the exact thing again, as if it's the first time talking to you. To fix this, just talk to him once more, and he will be back to normal.
    • Aside from those resets, nothing majorly changed in the game.
    • After you obtained Celebi, make sure to save your progress.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I get Celebi in Pokemon Gold? No Gameshark or Glitch Devices.
    Atomix21
    Atomix21
    Community Answer
    Doing it legitimately is impossible now, but you are supposed to get a Japanese phone, go on a website, connect the phone to your GameBoy, give the cartridge to the people, get it back, and boom you've gotten yourself a Celebi.
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About This Article

Madeleine Flamiano
Co-authored by:
Role-playing Game Enthusiast
This article was co-authored by Madeleine Flamiano. Madeleine Flamiano is a Role-playing Game Enthusiast based in Berkeley, California. She has over 20 years of gaming experience and is an avid gamer in all parts of her life—she's especially fond of tabletop board games and the world of Pokémon. Pokémon Crystal Version is her favorite game in the franchise. Some of her greatest feats were evolving Eevee to a Level 99 Umbreon and collecting every legendary bird Pokémon. Her professional path started at NaNoWriMo, where she scripted a summer-long world-building series and hosted its Virtual Write-Ins. She has written seven books for DDCO Publishing, which specializes in LitRPG and is operated by New York Times Bestseller JA Cipriano. She has ranked in the Top 100 list for Dark Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, and Fantasy Romance. She was voted by her peers as "The Perfectionist" on Roleplay Adventures, a SERP for forum roleplaying. Madeleine graduated from Mills College with a B.A. in English with a concentration in Literature and a Minor in Philosophy. This article has been viewed 128,798 times.
44 votes - 52%
Co-authors: 7
Updated: September 3, 2020
Views: 128,798
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