If you’re stuck with an HM move you can’t remove, or your Pokémon is locked into useless field moves right before a big fight, you need one specific NPC. He’s easy to miss if you’re searching in the wrong city — and some online guides will absolutely send you to the wrong place.
This article covers exactly where to find the Move Deleter (what fans call the Move Forgetter) in HeartGold, how to get there, what he does, and how he’s different from the Move Reminder in the same building.
The Move Forgetter Is in Blackthorn City — Not Goldenrod
The short answer: Blackthorn City, in the house directly west of the Poké Mart. That’s it. No post-game unlock, no special requirement. You can walk in as soon as you reach Blackthorn during the normal story.
The NPC fans call the “Move Forgetter” is officially named the Move Deleter in HeartGold. He removes any move from a Pokémon’s moveset — including HM moves — for free. Bulbapedia and PokémonDB both confirm this location clearly.
You may have seen a guide claiming the Move Forgetter only shows up in Goldenrod City’s Pokémon Center after you defeat the Champion twice and complete some elaborate post-game checklist. That information is wrong. It contradicts every authoritative source on HeartGold mechanics. Ignore it completely.
How to Get to the Move Deleter’s House
Blackthorn City is the 8th Gym city in Johto. It’s Clair’s city — the one with Dragon-type Pokémon everywhere. If you’ve beaten Clair or you’re heading toward her, you’re already in the right place.
Here’s how to find the house:
- Fly or walk to Blackthorn City.
- Find the Poké Mart — it’s the blue-roofed building near the center of town.
- Walk directly west from the Poké Mart.
- Enter the small house immediately to the west. That’s the right building.
Inside, you’ll find two NPCs. One is the Move Deleter. The other is the Move Reminder. Both are in the same house, which confuses a lot of players who assume they’re in separate locations.
According to PokémonDB: “The Move Reminder is in Blackthorn City, in the house west of the Poké Mart. The Move Deleter is in the same house.” One building, two very useful services.
What the Move Deleter Actually Does
The Move Deleter removes any move from a Pokémon’s moveset. That includes normal moves, TM moves, and — most importantly — HM moves like Surf, Cut, Fly, Strength, and Rock Smash.
His service is completely free. No items, no currency, nothing.
Here’s why this matters: HM moves cannot be deleted through the normal summary screen. The game locks them in place. The Move Deleter is the only way to remove them in HeartGold. As one source puts it directly: “You can only delete HM moves at the Move Deleter in Blackthorn — it’s impossible to do it any other way in-game.”
When You’d Actually Use Him
The most common situation is wanting to rebuild a Pokémon’s moveset after using it as an HM carrier through the story. A few real examples:
Example 1 — Rebuilding your main Water-type: Say your Feraligatr has been running Surf, Waterfall, Ice Fang, and Cut to get through Johto. You’ve just beaten Clair and want a proper battling set — something like Waterfall, Ice Punch, Dragon Dance, and Earthquake for taking on Red later. Visit the Move Deleter, remove Cut and Surf, then slot in better moves via TM or the Move Reminder next door.
Example 2 — Clearing an HM slave: You used a Bibarel with Cut, Surf, Rock Smash, and Strength to handle field tasks. Now you want Bibarel to actually fight. The Move Deleter clears all four HM moves so you can start fresh with TMs and level-up moves.
These are exactly the kinds of situations players hit in the late Johto or early Kanto stretch, when HM field moves that helped during the story start getting in the way of building a real competitive team.
The Move Reminder Is Also in That House — Here’s the Difference
The two NPCs in this house do very different things. It’s worth knowing which one you need before you walk in.
The Move Reminder (sometimes called the Move Relearner) lets a Pokémon relearn moves it could have learned by leveling up — moves it skipped over or had replaced by something else. This costs one Heart Scale per move.
The Move Deleter removes moves. Free, no cost at all.
A few things the Move Reminder cannot do:
- Restore TM moves a Pokémon once knew
- Restore HM moves through relearning
- Reteach most tutor moves (like Headbutt — that one requires going back to the Headbutt tutor in Ilex Forest)
Example 3 — Fixing a missed evolution move: Your Dragonair evolved into Dragonite before you grabbed a specific level-up move. You go to Blackthorn, talk to the Move Reminder, hand over a Heart Scale, and get the move back. If Dragonite’s slots are full of HM moves, talk to the Move Deleter first, then the Move Reminder.
Getting Heart Scales
Since the Move Reminder charges Heart Scales, it’s worth knowing where to find them. In HeartGold, you can get Heart Scales by smashing rocks in certain areas, or from the Pokéthlon shop, where one Heart Scale is available to purchase once per week. Stock up before you plan a big moveset overhaul.
Don’t Confuse This House With Other Move Tutors in HeartGold
Blackthorn City’s house is not the only place in the game where Pokémon can learn or relearn moves. There are other move tutors, but they’re completely separate:
- The Headbutt tutor in Ilex Forest teaches Headbutt specifically. If your Pokémon knew Headbutt from that tutor and forgot it, the Move Reminder won’t help — you go back to that tutor.
- The Battle Frontier tutors at Frontier Access teach powerful moves in exchange for Battle Points. These are separate services entirely and have nothing to do with deleting moves.
None of these tutors delete moves. That’s only the Move Deleter’s job, and he’s only in Blackthorn.
A Quick Note on Cross-Game Confusion
If you’ve searched around and found guides pointing to Fuchsia City, Pastoria City, or Canalave City, those guides are accurate — just for different games. The Move Deleter moves around in each generation:
- FireRed/LeafGreen → Fuchsia City
- Diamond/Pearl/Platinum → Canalave City
- HeartGold/SoulSilver → Blackthorn City
If you’re playing HeartGold, Blackthorn is your answer. Any guide pointing somewhere else is either covering a different game or is just wrong.
For anyone digging into other gaming questions or looking for straightforward guides across different topics, Bizblinks is worth bookmarking as a resource.
Final Summary
The Move Forgetter in HeartGold is the Move Deleter, found in Blackthorn City in the house west of the Poké Mart. He’s available as soon as you reach the city. His service is free, and he’s the only way to remove HM moves in the game.
The Move Reminder is in the exact same house and handles relearning level-up moves for one Heart Scale each. Both NPCs together make Blackthorn’s small house one of the most useful stops in the entire game — especially when you’re ready to build a team that’s actually meant to fight, not just navigate the overworld.
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