Ash's Charizard
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Ash's Charizard (Japanese: サトシのリザードン Satoshi's Lizardon) was the fourth Pokémon that Ash caught in the Kanto region, and his fifth overall.
In the anime
Main series
History
Original series
Kanto
- With Damian
Charizard originally belonged to a boastful Trainer named Damian when it was a Charmander. However, in Charmander - The Stray Pokémon, Damian grew tired of Charmander being weak, and so he abandoned him, leaving him on a rocky outcrop and telling him that he would come back later. Charmander's health deteriorated, but he was able to resist capture by Ash twice before explaining to Pikachu that he was waiting for Damian. Later, Ash met Damian and learned he never planned to return for Charmander. Outraged but mostly concerned for Charmander, who was now stuck out in the rain loyally awaiting Damian, Brock, Ash, and Misty rushed to his rescue, with Brock carrying him to the Pokémon Center while Ash sheltered the little remaining tail flame with his coat.
Despite the care shown to him, Charmander was unwilling to remain at the Pokémon Center and returned to the rock where he had been staying. However, he came across Team Rocket, who had stolen Pikachu. Charmander ordered them to return Pikachu, and when they ignored him, he blasted them with a Flamethrower to send them running away, leaving behind Pikachu. Ash invited Charmander to join them, but Damian turned up with many Poké Balls and said that he had intentionally abandoned Charmander to toughen him up. Damian threw a Poké Ball at him, but Charmander deflected the Ball in defiance. Having seen Damian's character, Charmander staunchly refused to return, and when Damian threatened to crush him with all of his other Pokémon, he attacked Damian with a Flamethrower attack alongside Pikachu, who used Thunder Shock. Damian fled, and Charmander happily joined Ash's team instead.
- With Ash
Charmander immediately became one of Ash's main Pokémon, being used in the very next episode as a torch to help Ash through the caves. He also joined a group of other Charmander on the St. Anne in Battle Aboard the St. Anne to repel Team Rocket Grunts. Later, Charmander used Flamethrower to torch a hole in the capsized St. Anne's hull, allowing the group and Team Rocket to escape the ship.
Charmander was separated from Ash in Island of the Giant Pokémon—along with Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle—after a group of Gyarados sent them flying with Dragon Rage. During the separation, Charmander tried to remain optimistic about their Trainer's whereabouts, despite Bulbasaur's belief that they were abandoned and Squirtle's jokes that he'd been eaten. When Ash's Pokémon came across Team Rocket's Pokémon, who were also separated from their Trainers, the two groups of Pokémon joined forces to look for them. The next day, the group came across a group of giant Pokémon and ended up being chased by them straight to Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket, allowing them to reunite.
In Primeape Goes Bananas, Charmander battled a berserk Primeape. He finally subdued his opponent using Rage and Flamethrower. Charmander made his Gym Battle debut in the next episode, where he defeated Erika's Weepinbell after burning Razor Leaf and then striking a powerful Skull Bash. However, in the next round, the pure stench emitting from her Gloom caused Charmander to choke and faint. Ash called on Charmander's assistance against Koga in The Ninja Poké-Showdown. He went up against Koga's Venomoth briefly before their match was interrupted by Team Rocket. For the official Gym battle, Charmander went up against Koga's Golbat and defeated it with Ember and Fire Spin, earning Ash the Soul Badge.
The rise in Charmander's battle experience reached its peak in The March of the Exeggutor Squad, where he helped stop a large number of rampaging Exeggutor. Subsequently, Charmander evolved into Charmeleon. However, in The Problem with Paras, it was revealed that Charmeleon was no longer obedient to Ash, attacking a Paras when Ash was deliberately trying to lose to help Paras evolve. Cassandra's grandmother explained that Charmeleon's skill level had exceeded Ash's, and therefore he did not respect him. Ironically, a rampaging Charmeleon was stopped when Paras, desperately trying to avoid punishment, jabbed at him with a claw. After evolving into Parasect, it put Charmeleon to sleep with Spore and allowed Ash to recall him. Cassandra's grandmother warned Ash that he needed to learn to control Charmeleon.
Ash stopped using his disobedient Charmeleon but tried again in Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon to repel wild Fossil Pokémon, which he refused to do. When an Aerodactyl swooped past, knocking Charmeleon over, Charmeleon attempted to fight back. He then jumped up, grabbed the escaping Aerodactyl's tail, and followed it into the open air, but was soon shaken off. Upset, Charmeleon evolved into Charizard and flew after Aerodactyl to avenge his injured pride. When Jigglypuff began singing at Misty's request in a desperate attempt to save Ash, Charizard attempted to block out the sleep-bound effects of the song, to no avail. Nonetheless, he managed to catch Ash and put him on the ground before going to sleep, but unfortunately, retained his disobedience afterward.
Charizard's disobedience towards his Trainer began to cause Ash some serious problems during his journey, losing the Cinnabar Gym battle against Blaine in Riddle Me This, as he simply loafed off and allowed Rhydon an easy win after Charizard left the ring, causing Blaine to disqualify him from the match. In the next episode, Charizard refused to help dam the volcano but changed his mind after seeing Blaine's powerful Magmar contributing. After working together, the duo were left with a burning desire to test each other's strength. Blaine allowed Ash to rematch him at the volcano's peak, and the two Pokémon seemed evenly matched. Magmar dropped Charizard into the lava, but Charizard regained the upper hand by dazing Magmar with an aerial Submission attack and then knocking it out with his powerful Seismic Toss, earning Ash the Volcano Badge.
The costliest incidence of Charizard's disobedience was in the battle against Ritchie during the Indigo League in Friend and Foe Alike. Down to one Pokémon, Ash called Charizard into battle against Zippo. Surprisingly, he decided to battle and force Zippo to flee from a far superior Flamethrower, causing Ritchie to recall it and concede the round. However, when Sparky came out, Charizard condescendingly stomped the ground and flapped his wings against the little Pikachu before going to sleep, refusing to battle. Due to this, Charizard was disqualified and Ash lost the round, eliminating him from the tournament.
While confronting Mewtwo's original clones of the three Kanto first partner Pokémon in their final evolutions during Mewtwo Strikes Back, Ash summoned Charizard to fight alongside Corey's Venusaur, Bruteroot, and Neesha's Blastoise, Shellshocker, against the clones, although not before Charizard, to Ash's surprise, attempted to attack Mewtwo preemptively. After Bruteroot and Shellshocker were quickly overpowered by their clones, Ash attempted to turn the tables by having Charizard focus on speed and evasion over raw power in his confrontation with the clone Charizard, but this strategy failed. Once Ash released the captured originals to confront the clones, Charizard battled the cloned Charizard once again but ended the battle to cry for Ash after his sacrifice to try and stop the battle between Mew and Mewtwo. After Mewtwo departed with Mew and the clones upon witnessing Ash's resurrection, it erased these actions from the memories of all people and Pokémon present, returning Charizard to his familiar disobedience. In the movie's remake, Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution, he had the same role as in the original, although his disobedience to Ash was largely downplayed.
Orange Islands
Ash took Charizard with him to the Orange Islands despite his refusal to obey him. Ash had noticeably stopped trying to use him in battles, although in Navel Maneuvers, Charizard, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur were used in the second round of the Navel Gym match between Ash and Danny. Charizard was initially unwilling to participate, and Danny nearly won. However, Charizard inadvertently helped when he tried to use Flamethrower on Ash but missed and carved an ice pillar into a sled. This meant Ash won the round and was able to continue the match.
In A Way Off Day Off, although he did not obey Ash, Charizard recognized the wisdom and formidable experience that Tracey's Scyther had, and the two teamed up to defeat Team Rocket. Scyther was the only Pokémon in the group whom Charizard respected.
Charizard continued to ignore Ash during battles, such as in The Mandarin Island Miss Match. Charizard took down a boy's Tauros with a single attack before flying away and rampaging the city. Ash was unable to recall him, and only the intervention of Prima and her Slowbro using Disable allowed Ash to stop Charizard.
In Charizard Chills, Charizard battled Tad's Poliwrath. He blatantly refused to listen to Ash's commands, continuing to use Flamethrower despite having no effect on Poliwrath. Tad and Poliwrath resisted them until Poliwrath responded with a Water Gun that nearly doused the flame on Charizard's tail. He was then frozen over by Poliwrath's Ice Beam, much to Ash's horror. Ash managed to smash the ice encasing Charizard's head, and Tad walked away scornfully, telling Ash that they would have a rematch when he could control Charizard. Ash lit a fire and thawed Charizard out before rubbing Charizard all over to help him regain his body heat. Pikachu pointed out that Ash's hands were rubbed raw, but Ash replied that he didn't mind and redoubled his efforts upon seeing that Charizard's tail flame was so small. Charizard woke up in a panic and tried to attack, but he was so cold that he could not produce a flame and passed out again. Misty provided a blanket, and Tracey kept the fires up while Pikachu watched the flame, but Ash worked throughout the night to help Charizard recover.
The selfless act reminded Charizard of everything Ash had done for him since he was a Charmander. By morning, Charizard's respect and loyalty to Ash had returned, and he helped Ash rescue Pikachu from Team Rocket. Ash and Pikachu were briefly knocked out during the rescue, and Charizard became so incensed he learned Dragon Rage. In a rematch with Tad and Poliwrath, Charizard learned to dodge Ice Beam and knocked Poliwrath into the air before defeating it with Seismic Toss.
During the events of The Power of One, Charizard aided Ash alongside Pikachu and Squirtle in freeing Moltres from Lawrence III's clutches and also proceeded to encourage Ash with his task as the Chosen One alongside the rest of his Pokémon. He later aided Ash alongside Squirtle by pulling a discarded metal part. He also countered Moltres's flame blasts alongside Squirtle and Pikachu when the titans tried to attack them. However, he was ultimately forced to return to his Poké Ball after the titans simultaneously created a rift and a wall of ice barring Ash from continuing onward to Ice Island.
He participated in Ash's Kumquat Gym battle against Luana in Pokémon Double Trouble. He fought Luana's Alakazam and Marowak alongside Pikachu in the series' first official Double Battle. The two Pokémon initially had trouble collaborating but eventually managed to work together: Pikachu helped to free Charizard from Alakazam's Psychic, and Charizard caught Pikachu after he was hit by Marowak's Body Slam. Charizard's skillful flying caused Marowak and Alakazam to knock each other out, earning Ash the Jade Star Badge.
Charizard was also used in Ash's Orange League battle against Drake in Enter the Dragonite. Charizard defeated Drake's Electabuzz by blocking its electricity with Fire Spin and knocking it out with Seismic Toss. He also fought Dragonite, but was hit by a powerful Water Gun and then Slammed into the ground. After a clash of Dragon Rages, Charizard fainted, but his attacks had begun to wear Dragonite down, paving the way for Pikachu to finish it off and give Ash the victory. Charizard was inducted into the Orange League Hall of Fame with Ash's other Pokémon.
Johto
Charizard also accompanied Ash on his journey to the Johto region, although it became apparent that he was unfairly superior to most of Ash's early competition. This was shown especially in The Double Trouble Header, where Charizard easily defeated all three of Casey's Pokémon, despite the disapproval of Misty and Brock. Team Rocket later capitalized on Casey's frustration, calling Charizard an illegal choice by Ash.
Charizard was used to weaken and help Ash capture a Chikorita in The Chikorita Rescue. His massive size compared to her came into effect when Chikorita ran towards him and tried to attack; Charizard responded by placing his foot out and blowing a small puff of fire after being instructed by Ash to only weaken her. Charizard's puff of fire ended up on Chikorita's leaf and caused her to run around for a short amount of time before using Vine Whip to attack Charizard. Ash recalled Charizard after he and Chikorita fell into a large canvas of rocks.
In Fighting Flyer with Fire, he participated in Ash's first Johto Gym battle against Falkner at the Violet Gym, where he battled Falkner's Pidgeot. Due to the latter's impressive Speed, Charizard started at a disadvantage, with Pidgeot's Whirlwind reflecting his Flamethrower onto him. He was then knocked back down by a combination of Wing Attack and Quick Attack. Falkner told Ash to surrender, but Ash refused, and Charizard gained the strength to fight back and fly above Quick Attack. Charizard then baited Pidgeot, spinning around in midair when Pidgeot flew behind him and hitting it with Fire Spin before seizing it and hurling it into the ground with Seismic Toss. Pidgeot was knocked out, and Ash won the Zephyr Badge.
In Charizard's Burning Ambitions, Misty criticized Ash for using Charizard too often against fresh young Trainers, making him unbeatable but in an unfair way. Ash then met Liza, who taught Ash and Charizard how to fly together. After arriving in the Charicific Valley, Charizard was humiliated by Liza's insults and proudly tried to show off his power. However, he was shown to be smaller and weaker than the wild Charizard who lived there. Charizard continued to pick fights and kept getting himself beaten until Liza locked them out of the Valley, having Charla throw Charizard into the lake and telling him and Ash to stay away until they had trained and reflected. Team Rocket sympathized with Charizard and helped him to stay awake in the lake, as well as making a false attempt to break into the Valley, allowing Charizard to defeat them and win acclaim from Liza, Charla, and the wild Charizard. Facing an emotional battle, Ash told Charizard that he did not want a weakling on his team and he would be fine without him, forcing Charizard to stay at the Valley to train and become more powerful. He then ran away from the Valley, knowing that if he stopped, he would not be able to say goodbye. Pikachu wished Charizard well and followed Ash, leaving his teammate and friend behind.
In Spell of the Unown: Entei, Charizard saw news footage of Entei abducting Delia Ketchum and Ash futilely pursuing them, so Charizard decided to leave the Charicific Valley briefly and flew to Greenfield in an attempt to help. Later that night, Charizard arrived just in time to catch Ash and Pikachu when Entei knocked them out of a tower. Charizard then battled Entei with Ash riding on its back, but though it was briefly able to send Entei flying with Fire Spin, Molly Hale's reality-warping powers granted by the Unown tipped the scales too much in Entei's favor, like when crystal spikes would emerge to impede Charizard's flight. Entei eventually pinned Charizard and prepared to break its neck, but Molly came to her senses and convinced Entei to stop. Charizard, Pikachu, and Entei worked together to defeat the Unown when their powers went berserk and threatened to destroy everything, but this came at the cost of Entei's existence. With the crisis over, Charizard returned to the Charicific Valley.
During his time in the Charicific Valley, Charizard took the role of Charla's bodyguard, and the two seem to have a sort of romantic relationship with each other. Liza occasionally visited the Dragon Holy Land in Blackthorn City with the two Charizard. One such visit was in Great Bowls of Fire!, which coincidentally occurred when Ash was there for his final Johto Gym battle. Charizard helped Ash, Clair, Pikachu, and Dragonair calm the wild Dragonite that was rampaging in the Dragon Holy Land.
In Better Eight Than Never, Charizard battled against Clair's Dragonair in Ash's Blackthorn Gym rematch. He caused the water in the Gym's pool to evaporate with his Flamethrower and Fire Spin, thus depriving Dragonair of its protection. He then caught Dragonair with Seismic Toss and used Fire Spin to create a flaming twister to wear down Dragonair's defenses before it hit the ground and was knocked out, winning Ash the match and earning him the Rising Badge. Ash surprised Liza by sending him back for training afterwards, knowing that Charizard still had a lot to learn.
Ash later used Charizard in the Silver Conference during his fight against Gary in Can't Beat the Heat!, as Brock had made a late-night call to Liza requesting Charizard for the battle. Gary's Blastoise and Scizor cut Ash's team down to only Charizard, who had to fight three opponents single-handedly. He managed to match Scizor's speed and took advantage of his significant type advantage, defeating Scizor with a single Flamethrower. Despite Golem's weight preventing Charizard from using his Seismic Toss, Charizard overcame it with a powerful Dragon Rage attack. Charizard struggled against Gary's Blastoise, as it had supreme defensive capabilities and could keep Charizard at bay with Hydro Pump. Thinking outside the box, Ash told Charizard to superheat the field, which forced Blastoise to spend time cooling the molten rock. This created a huge steam cloud and allowed Charizard to seize Blastoise at close range. Blastoise could still use Withdraw to dodge Dragon Rage, so Charizard hurled Blastoise into the ground with Seismic Toss, defeating it and leaving Ash as the winner.
Charizard was next used in Ash's fight against Harrison in Playing with Fire!, where he went up against Harrison's Blaziken. Blaziken's powerful legs and ability to maneuver in midair negated Charizard's aerial advantage. Each Pokémon hit hard blows on the other, and their Flamethrowers were shown to be equal in power. Blaziken even managed to get up after a devastating Seismic Toss, while Charizard took a Blaze Kick to the neck and continued on. A final clash between Flamethrower and Dragon Rage knocked both Pokémon down, but only Blaziken could get up, eliminating Ash from the tournament. Charizard once again returned to Charicific Valley. Later, it was revealed that he had injured Blaziken so badly that Harrison had to rest his primary battler in the next round, contributing to his later loss against Jon Dickson.
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
Hoenn
Charizard appeared in a flashback to Ash's battle against Harrison in There's no Place Like Hoenn.
Kanto Battle Frontier
In The Symbol Life, he returned for Ash's first Battle Frontier battle, where he took on Noland's Articuno at the Battle Factory. Ash and Charizard flew together, where Charizard demonstrated a far improved Flamethrower and that he had learned Dragon Breath. In battle, he showed he was a match even for the Legendary Pokémon, using Flamethrower to burn through Ice Beam and strike Articuno. However, Articuno did not take much damage from Flamethrower or Dragon Breath, blinding Charizard with Mist and then knocking him to the ground with Steel Wing. Articuno then inflicted serious damage with Water Pulse and froze Charizard's wing tip, crippling his movements. Finally, Charizard used Overheat, which he had just learned, to melt the ice. He then caught Articuno as it tried to use Steel Wing and struck with a Seismic Toss. Charizard collapsed but managed to get up just as Articuno passed out, giving Ash and Charizard the victory and earning Ash the Knowledge Symbol.
Charizard also battled alongside Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle in a four-on-four battle against Brandon at the Battle Pyramid in Gathering the Gang of Four!, where he went up against Dusclops. Charizard had been training since his battle with Articuno and learned Steel Wing, but was put at a disadvantage when Dusclops used Confuse Ray and Mean Look, forcing Charizard to keep battling in his baffled state, all the while taking damage from Will-O-Wisp. Finally, Charizard snapped out of his confusion and attacked with Dragon Breath, wearing both Pokémon down. However, an attempt to use Seismic Toss to finish the match cost Ash dearly, as the Ghost-type Pokémon simply dissipated and re-emerged safely at a distance, where a Shadow Punch took Charizard out and put Ash at a supreme disadvantage. However, Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle managed to win the battle and the Brave Symbol. After the match against Brandon, Charizard returned to Charicific Valley.
Pokémon the Series: Black & White
Unova
In The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!, Ash and his friends attended a Kanto Fair, where one of the presentations featured the local first partner Pokémon, involving a live-action show with a Charmander. This made Ash remember his own Charmander, prompting him to tell Iris, Cilan, and N about his Charizard. Filled with a desire to see his old friend again, Ash called Professor Oak, who, in exchange for Ash's Unfezant, arranged to have Charizard sent over to him. While being introduced to everyone, Charizard immediately started a fiery rivalry with Iris's Dragonite, which encouraged Ash and Iris to have a battle with their two stubborn Pokémon. During the battle, Charizard was shown to have learned Wing Attack, Slash, and Dragon Tail. He quickly gained the upper hand as not even Dragonite's Dragon Rush was able to hurt him, while Dragonite was taking serious damage from Charizard's Dragon Tail. Before it could be settled, the battle was called off by N. Ash then corrected Iris's misconception that Charizard was a Dragon type, upsetting her since she'd wanted to train one as well, and invited Charizard to rejoin his active team, which he happily agreed to.
In Team Plasma's Pokémon Manipulation!, Charizard was called out by Ash to once again fight Iris's Dragonite, who was this time being controlled by Colress.
In Meowth, Colress and Team Rivalry!, Charizard was called out to help Ash's Pignite, who had difficulty breathing through his nostrils because something was blocking it. Charizard lifted him up and tossed him to help, but it did not work. Eventually, the blockage was removed, much to everyone's delight.
Later, in Team Plasma and the Awakening Ceremony!, Charizard was sent out alongside the rest of Ash's team to help Ash and N dig up to the surface of the White Ruins after they had fallen into a pit. Charizard cleverly improvised a spinning Dragon Tail to help Krookodile dig through the earth that Oshawott had softened with Hydro Pump. While battling Team Plasma again, Charizard withstood many of Team Plasma's attacks before Pignite came to his aid. The two then launched an incredibly powerful double Flamethrower at Team Plasma's Pokémon. However, when Colress turned his mind control machine on them, Charizard was quickly recalled to his Poké Ball, along with Ash's other Pokémon.
Decolore Islands
In Mystery on a Deserted Island!, Ash used Charizard to battle a wild Ninetales on Frond Island.
In A Pokémon of a Different Color!, Charizard and Iris's Dragonite set off to search for Clair's Dragonite, who had been separated from Clair on an island in the Decolore Archipelago. After Iris's Dragonite found Clair's, Charizard brought the group to them, only to find the pair squabbling. Although Charizard attempted to stop the fighting, the two Dragonite knocked him away. Later on, Charizard continued to act as a peacemaker unsuccessfully; Ash eventually thanked him for trying and returned Charizard to his Poké Ball.
In Best Wishes Until We Meet Again!, Charizard, along with all of Ash's Pokémon, was stolen by Team Rocket. Later, after recovering all of their Pokémon, Ash used Charizard to attack Jessie's Frillish, who was using Bubble Beam on Ash and company. Charizard easily defeated Frillish with Wing Attack and scorched James's Amoonguss with a super-effective Flamethrower. Charizard, alongside Pikachu, Axew, and Pansage, subsequently sent Team Rocket blasting off.
Charizard was reunited with all of Ash's Unova Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory in The Dream Continues!. He joined the others in a group attack on Team Rocket with his Flamethrower to send them blasting off for the last time in Pokémon the Series: Black & White. Charizard was left at the lab before Ash set off for the Kalos region. He later posed with the rest of Ash's Pokémon in a group photo with him.
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon
Charizard reappeared in a flashback in Alola, Kanto!.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
In Advice to Goh!, Charizard reunited with Ash during his visit to Professor Oak's Laboratory with Goh. Sometime before, Charizard had battled against Ash's Infernape before he had left the lab to battle Moltres.
Charizard, along with the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab, reunited with Ash in Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!. During the visit, he helped train Ash's Gengar to learn Will-O-Wisp, and later watched the battle between Ash and Paul. Before Ash left, he posed with the rest of Ash's Pokémon in a group photo with him.
From Battling as Hard as Stone! onwards, Charizard watched Ash's Masters Eight Tournament matches against Steven, Cynthia, and Leon. In Partners in Time!, Charizard appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle against Leon's Charizard. After Ash won the battle, Charizard joined the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab in celebrating their Trainer's victory.
In Heroes Unite!, Charizard, along with the rest of the Pokémon at the lab, welcomed Ash back to Pallet Town after his victory over Leon.
In A Squad's Worth of Passion!, Ash and his friends discovered Squirtle had become a performer, and Charizard and Bulbasaur were sent out to enjoy the show. They tried to meet up with Squirtle directly after the performance but were misled by Team Rocket and left. They were later able to meet up with Squirtle at their hotel, but Squirtle, upset over the idea that its friends no longer cared for it, attacked them. Charizard didn't hesitate to fight back, with Bulbasaur trying and failing to stop it. Ash broke it up, and Charizard and Bulbasaur left feeling upset. Later, a fire broke out at a warehouse, and the group found the Squirtle Squad giving their all to stop it. Deciding their feud wasn't worth it, Charizard and Bulbasaur joined the Tiny Turtle Pokémon in putting it out and rescuing the Pokémon trapped by the flames. Afterward, Officer Jenny arrived to take the Squirtle Squad to their next assignment, but not before sharing a heartfelt goodbye with the group.
In The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!, Charizard assisted Ash in looking for a missing Charmander around Oak's lab, but to no avail.
Personality and characteristics
The emotional turmoil of being abandoned by Damian defined Charizard when he was a Charmander. Despite the scorn he received from Damian, he loyally waited outside for his return, convinced that he had a good relationship when, in fact, none had existed. Only a violent confrontation revealed the unhealthy nature of his relationship with Damian. Charmander struggled with this abandonment-in Island of the Giant Pokémon, he became discouraged when Bulbasaur suggested that Ash had abandoned them all. Charmander was markedly shy and shown to be anxious, though his confidence quickly grew under Ash's guidance.
Despite being one of Ash's most often used Pokémon, Charmander's evolution saw Charmeleon grow distant from Ash, scorning all of his former friends and seeking power alone. Charmeleon had become like Damian, obsessed with power and reputation while ignoring the value of friendship, loyalty, and kindness. Charmeleon's battle with Aerodactyl in Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon was purely based on a bruised ego, and Charizard's later battles with Magmar and Zippo were solely out of grudging respect for their battling ability, and in the case of the post-league celebration, the destruction of the food. Nevertheless, he did retain some degree of loyalty to his master and his fellow Pokémon, as the aforementioned incident with Aerodactyl had Charizard barely swooping in to save Ash before completely falling asleep while being affected by Jigglypuff's singing and also saving Pikachu after Team Rocket blasted off before resuming his rampage, with Mewtwo Strikes Back even having Charizard crying for Ash when he ended up petrified.
Once Ash made the selfless act to save Charizard from freezing in Charizard Chills, Charizard finally shook off the poisonous personality traits left by Damian and regained full loyalty to Ash. His ability to work as part of a team was still hampered, but when working together with Pikachu to defeat Luana, he finally managed to overcome that difficulty. Since this point, Charizard has been willing to assist Ash in any battle, ranging from Casey's Chikorita to Falkner's Pidgeot with no complaint. However, Charizard maintained the rebellious Flamethrower attacks as a sign of affection for Ash, and while Charizard was loyal, his love of power and reputation remained. This was shown significantly in his departure in Charizard's Burning Ambitions, where he brashly challenged each of the wild Charizard at Charicific Valley even though he was defeated every time.
Despite retaining his fiery nature and fierce battling spirit, Charizard's return to Ash's regular command in Pokémon the Series: Black & White showed that he had significantly matured throughout Liza's training regime. This was displayed in A Pokémon of a Different Color!, where he attempted to act as a peacemaker between Clair and Iris's two squabbling Dragonite. During his time at Professor Oak's lab, Charizard became very good friends with Ash's Fire types and is usually seen hanging out with them, as shown in Advice to Goh! and Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!. Charizard also befriended Gengar when it visited the lab.
Appearance
| As a Charmander | As a Charmeleon |
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Moves used
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| An × shows that the move cannot be legitimately known by this Pokémon in the games. | |||||||
| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||
- In the English dub of Fighting Flyer with Fire, Ash told Charizard to use Fly. In the original Japanese version, he just told Charizard to take flight. In either case, Charizard was unable to execute the command.
Moves improvised
| Picture | First Used In | Moves Involved | Partnered With |
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Don't Touch That 'dile | Flamethrower, Razor Leaf, Water Gun, and Thunderbolt | Ash's Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu |
| Description: Charizard combines his Flamethrower with Pikachu's Thunderbolt, Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf attack, and Squirtle's Water Gun to create a tornado of fire, electricity, leaves, and water. This was used to defeat Jessie's Arbok and Lickitung, along with James's Weezing and Victreebel. | |||
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Better Eight Than Never | Fire Spin, Seismic Toss and Dragon Rage | Clair's Dragonair |
| Description: "Flaming Seismic Toss" is a combination of Seismic Toss, Dragon Rage, and Fire Spin. During Ash's Gym battle against Clair, Ash's Charizard used Seismic Toss, but Clair had Dragonair respond with Dragon Rage. Ash countered by having Charizard use Fire Spin, surrounding both Pokémon in a cyclone of fire. With the flames providing extra damage for his Seismic Toss, Charizard was able to defeat Dragonair and win Ash the battle. | |||
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The Dream Continues! | Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Leaf Storm, Hydro Pump, Air Cutter, Focus Blast, Energy Ball, Flash Cannon, Mud Shot, and Stone Edge | Ash's rotation for Pokémon the Series: Black & White |
| Description: Charizard combines his Flamethrower with another one from Pignite, Krookodile's Stone Edge, Snivy's Leaf Storm, Oshawott's Hydro Pump, Unfezant's Air Cutter, Scraggy's Focus Blast, Leavanny's Energy Ball, Boldore's Flash Cannon, Palpitoad's Mud Shot, and Pikachu's Thunderbolt to create a gigantic blast of energy. This was used to defend Professor Oak's Laboratory from Team Rocket. | |||
Artwork
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| Poster for Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master |
Artwork from "After the story" [2] | Ash and Charizard in a Banpresto artwork |
I Choose You!
Charizard appeared in I Choose You!, which is set in a different continuity from the main series. In this continuity, it was the second Pokémon Ash caught on his journey.
As a Charmander, it originally belonged to a Pokémon Trainer named Cross. Cross deemed Charmander too weak however, and abandoned it and told it to stop following him. Charmander was eventually found in the rain by Ash and Verity. After arguing briefly with Cross over his decision to abandon Charmander, they took it and went inside a cave to seek shelter from the rain. There, they found Sorrel, who brought Charmander back to good health.
The following day, Charmander had fully recovered and Ash offered it to join his team. Charmander accepted, despite still feeling loyalty towards Cross. Charmander joined Ash, Verity, and Sorrel on their journey towards the Raizen Mountains to meet Ho-Oh. After a battle against a Trainer's Jigglypuff, Charmander evolved into Charmeleon. Soon after, Ash encountered Cross again and started a battle with him. Ash used Charmeleon against its former Trainer and his Incineroar. Charmeleon proved to be no match for Incineroar however and was defeated. Ash started to question himself and faulted the loss on Charmeleon, but later apologized when he realized his errors.
Finally reaching the Raizen Mountains, Ash tried to place his Rainbow Wing atop Rainbow Rock. He was stopped by Cross however, who wanted to take the Rainbow Wing for himself. Ash battled Cross again, once again using his Charmeleon against Cross and his Incineroar. In the midst of a fierce battle, Charmeleon evolved into Charizard, and this time, it managed to defeat it. Distraught of losing against his former Pokémon, Cross started to realize the error in his ways.
Personality and characteristics
Unlike his main anime counterpart, Charizard has always been obedient to Ash, as well as retaining loyalty to his former Trainer Cross so that even after being assaulted by him, Charmander wanted to return to travel alongside him.
Charizard over time ended up becoming a powerhouse on Ash's team, being able to beat Cross's Incineroar and thus show all his power to his former Trainer.
Appearance
| As a Charmander | As a Charmeleon |
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In the games
Core series games
A Charmander is given to the player in Pokémon Yellow, Let's Go, Pikachu!, and Let's Go, Eevee! — games which contain several references to the original series — from a boy on Route 24. In Yellow, the boy will give the player the Charmander with no extra prerequisites, but in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the player can only obtain Charmander if they have caught 50 or more individual Pokémon.
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I Choose You! Ash's Charizard
A Japanese event distributed an in-game representation of Ash's Charizard from Pokémon the Movie 20: I Choose You!, along with Sorrel's Lucario and Verity's Piplup via serial code and local wireless.
The serial codes could be obtained by collecting two different virtual stamps via 7-SPOT at 7-Eleven stores in Japan. The serial codes were available from August 1 to 20, 2017 at 7 am to 7 pm, and can be redeemed from August 1 to 28, 2017. The local wireless were available at Pokémon Center stores and Pokémon Stores in Japan from August 22 to September 3, 2017.
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| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is picked up from the deliveryman. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution Ash's Charizard
This Charizard was distributed in South Korea as a bonus for attendants of the Korean dub screening of Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution on September 30, 2020. The serial code will be redeemable until November 30, 2020.
This Charizard bears many similarities to the Charizard listed above, with the unusable Dragon Rage being replaced by Dragon Tail.
| Wonder Card 1007 | 지우's Charizard Gift | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is redeemed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is Korean in origin, regardless of the language of the game. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spin-off games
Pokémon Masters EX
Charizard, in all three of his stages, appears in a flashback during the special event The Classic Thunderbolt in Pokémon Masters EX.
In the manga
Ash & Pikachu
Ash's Charizard appeared in Off To The Battle Frontier!!. It was excited to see Ash when he called it over as it was sent for training earlier. After arrival, Ash sent it out to battle Noland's Articuno. During the battle, it struggled to keep up with Articuno despite the type advantage due to the fact that Articuno's speed was quicker than Charizard's in terms of reflexes. However, Charizard focused in on where Articuno was going to strike next and defeated it, earning Ash the Knowledge Symbol.
Moves used
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The Electric Tale of Pikachu
Ash's Charizard made a few appearances in The Electric Tale of Pikachu; however, the circumstances of its capture seem to differ in the manga. While Damian appeared in Pikachu's Excellent Adventure, he was separated from his Charmander because he was injured, not because he abandoned it. At the end of the chapter, the two reunited in the Hidden Village.
Despite this difference, Ash is still seen owning a Charmander, which first appeared in You Gotta Have Friends. Charmander's capture was not shown in the manga, instead, it was explained that "Ash has been busy since the last comic!" when Charmander first appeared from its Poké Ball. Charmander was first seen when a lonely Ash decided to play with his other Pokémon while Pikachu was off playing with a group of Pikachu. Charmander simply set Ash on fire while his Oddish paralyzed him with Stun Spore.
In Welcome to the Big Leagues, at the 88th Pokémon League, Ash presented his Charmander, now fully evolved into a Charizard, to Brock and Misty. Despite the fact that Ash wanted to use Charizard as a secret weapon, Charizard refused to listen to him unless he held a special flare that burned with the fire of a Moltres. Due to the fact that the flare burns out quickly and Ash could lose points for using a prop, he decided to not use it and rely on his other Pokémon instead.
In The Indigo Finals, during the fifth round of the Pokémon League, Ash sent out Charizard as his third and last Pokémon in his match against Ritchie. Ritchie countered with his own Charizard, named Charley. Though evenly matched at first, Charizard went into a violent frenzy and mercilessly started scratching, biting, and burning Charley. Ash attempted to stop this mauling with his flare, but Charizard ignored it and continued to attack Charley, heavily injuring it and splattering its blood everywhere. Refusing to keep the fight going on this way, Ash made the choice to recall Charizard. Since Charizard had left the battle and Charley was still standing despite its injuries, Ritchie was declared the winner, ending Ash's run in the Pokémon League.
Charizard appeared again in You Bet Your Wife, where Ash decided to use it in a dance competition in his Gym battle against Rudy. After flying around in circles, Charizard set Ash aflame as it did in its first appearance.
Charizard appeared one last time in Pikachu's Plan, where it was used to battle Drake in the Orange League finals. Charizard, now listening to Ash perfectly, battled against Drake's Dragonite. Despite being much larger and putting up a good fight, Charizard was eventually defeated, leaving Ash with only Pikachu left to use.
Appearance
| As a Charmander |
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Moves used
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| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||||||||||||||
Movie adaptations
Mirage Pokémon Lugia's Explosive Birth
Ash's Charizard first appeared in Mirage Pokémon Lugia's Explosive Birth. Ash sent it out along with Squirtle and Bulbasaur to free the legendary birds from their prisons.
Genesect and the Legend Awakened
Charizard reappeared in Genesect and the Legend Awakened, where Ash sent it out along with his other Pokémon while he was in Pokémon Hills.
I Choose You!
Charizard appeared in I Choose You!. It was first shown as a Charmander where Cross got it from Professor Oak. Later, Cross was revealed to have abandoned Charmander when Ash encountered it out in the rain. After Ash and Verity took Charmander in a cave to recover, Sorrel helped it back to good health.
The next day, Ash offered Charmander to join his team and Charmander accepted. It then battled a Jigglypuff and defeated it, which resulted in it evolving into a Charmeleon. Charmeleon battled Cross's Incineroar. During the battle, it kept on damaging Incineroar, something that Cross allowed. However, it turned out to be part of Cross's plan as Incineroar's strength increased by every attack Charmeleon threw at it. Because of that, Incineroar was able to defeat Charmeleon with Cross Chop.
After Ash and his friends reached the Raizen Mountains and encountered Cross again, Charmeleon was used in the rematch against Cross's Incineroar. During the battle, Charmeleon evolved into Charizard and defeated Incineroar. When Marshadow became corrupted by the evil tainting it because of Cross placing the Rainbow Wing on top of the rock instead of Ash, Charizard protected Cross from an attack coming from Lycanroc when Marshadow possessed it and took part in the battle against the other Pokémon possessed by Marshadow. After Ash disappeared from existence because of a combined attack coming from Marshadow's army, Charizard and the others were saddened to see that happen. Charizard became happy when Ash was revived.
Appearance
| As a Charmander | As a Charmeleon |
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Moves used
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| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||||||||
Pocket Monsters the Movie: I Choose You! Remix
Charizard, as a Charmander, belonged to a Trainer named Cross. Cross released Charmander as he deemed it weak and then Ash eventually caught Charmander. Later, Charmander evolved into a Charmeleon.
In ICYR3, Charmeleon was sent out to take on three Nidoking at Mount Tensei. Charmeleon's Flamethrower caused the Nidoking to go running. Later, it was used to battle Cross's Incineroar. During the battle, Cross's Incineroar got the upper hand but Charmeleon evolved into Charizard when it was about to lose. Using its newfound power, Charizard defeated Incineroar with Seismic Toss. Charizard then faced off against Cross's Lycanroc but the outcome was unknown.
Moves used
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Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Charizard appeared in a fantasy in Legend? Check! Friends? Check!. Charizard later appeared in Advice to Goh! at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Trivia
- Charizard is Ash's first:
- Fire-type Pokémon.
- Non-gender-specific Pokémon to have its gender confirmed.
- First partner Pokémon to evolve, as well as the first one to fully evolve.
- Pokémon to use a Dragon-type move.
- First partner Pokémon to have its gender confirmed.
- Non-temporary Pokémon to use a move it cannot legally learn in the games.
- Charizard became the first Pokémon in the anime to defeat a Legendary Pokémon when he beat Noland's Articuno in The Symbol Life.
- Charizard is the only one of Ash's Pokémon to start refusing to obey him only after evolving.
- Prior to Charizard Chills, Charizard only seemed to obey Ash when fighting another Fire-type Pokémon: he was obedient when battling against Blaine's Magmar, Mewtwo's cloned Charizard, and Zippo.
- Prior to Advice to Goh!, it was a running gag in the anime that, whenever Charizard reunited with Ash, he would greet him by scorching him with a Flamethrower.
- Out of all of Ash's Pokémon, Charizard holds the record for having the most amount of episodes between his capture and being left in Professor Oak's care while remaining under Ash's ownership the entire time, at 788 episodes.
- Out of all of Ash's first partner Pokémon, Charizard took the shortest amount of episodes to reach its final form, at 35.
- Charizard has used the most regular moves out of any individual Pokémon featured in the anime, with a total of 17. The record of most moves used overall, however, is held by Leon's Charizard, at 20, followed closely by Ash's Pikachu, at 19.
References
See also
- For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard.
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
- Ash's Pokémon
- Oak's Pokémon
- Male characters (Pokémon)
- Released Pokémon
- Animated series running gags
- Pokémon with animated series move errors
- Red, Blue and Yellow characters
- Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! characters
- Electric Tale of Pikachu characters
- Ash & Pikachu characters
- Pokémon Newspaper Strip characters
