Pokémon Ranking The Charmander Line & Every Form Of Charizard
TheGamer
Something New
Pokémon Ranking The Charmander Line & Every Form Of Charizard
The Charmander line is one of Pokémon's most iconic, especially Charizard and its many forms. How do the different evolutions rank? Pikachu might be the mascot but if there was a runner-up, it would be . Between his cool design and his placement on the Pokémon Red box, he quickly became an icon for the series. Since then, Charizard has long been a fan favorite, earning him repeated appearances across the anime, other games, and a variety of . Charizard's popularity has endured for as long as Pokémon has been around and will probably endure until the franchise comes to an end -- if that ever happens. Charizard is a mainstay of the series, uniting casual and competitive players alike. Every Pokémon player has their favorite version of Charizard or stage in the evolutionary line. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Charmeleon
Charmeleon is the weakest of the Charizard line. As a transitional step -- an in-between -- Charmeleon has little going on. It's both Charmander and Charizard and ends up with no identity of its own. The original sprites in Red and Blue didn't help much either. While Charmeleon looks somewhat intimidating and fierce when faced from the front, the sprite of the player's Charmeleon out was goofy and drawn too close. Not exactly something to rally behind. Overall, Charmeleon suffers from the plague that affects many first evolutions for starter Pokémon: It's not as adorable as the first stage and not as cool as the final stage. Compared to Ivysaur and Wartortle, it's definitely the weakest. Gigantamax Charizard
Introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield, is the latest alternate form of Charizard. Gigantamax is an alternate form of Dynamax, and doing so with Charizard changes his appearance as well as the usual stat boosts. Gigantamax Charizard is also the only known Pokémon capable of using the move G-Max Wildfire, which deals powerful damage as well as a damage-over-time effect to non-Fire Pokémon. Gigantamax Charizard feels uninspired. The flames from its mouth were already done with Mega Charizard X and the enlarged size puts too much focus on a Snorlax-esque belly. Size can be intimidating but there's not much else going on here except for the volcano ring of smoke around its tail. That's a nice touch. After the stellar designs of the Mega Evolutions, Gigantamax Charizard is underwhelming. Charmander
A precious Pokémon. A soft creature. Charmander deserves to be protected. Not that they need it. The little salamander can breathe fire, after all. Its initial popularity was secured by its cute design and an early appearance in the Pokémon anime. That poor Charmander, abandoned by its trainer, earned its place in every viewer's heart. Charmander's design was carefully based on and adjusted from Charizard so that it would be a surprise when it evolved into a dragon in its final stage. It taught trainers everywhere that even unassuming Pokémon can . Treat a Charmander well and they'll kick serious tail when they're all grown up. Charizard
The classic version and the one many players remember fondly. Charizard, similar to the rest of the starters, is likely one of the first very cool Pokémon that the player gets. The little lizard evolves into a dragon. There is not much better than that. No wonder Charizard got box art billing for the first generation. Charizard lacked a Dragon-type for years but it's what everyone thinks of when they think of a Dragon Pokémon. Still, struggled for years to find a place in the rosters of serious, competitive trainers, even among its most devoted fans. Luckily, change was on the horizon in Generation VI and the introduction of Mega Evolution. Mega Charizard X
Also known as "Charizard Finally Becomes A Dragon." Out of the two Mega Evolutions for Charizard, this one was the surprise. Its new non-shiny color scheme and adjusted design create a striking version of an old favorite. Its X form opened up new strategies for Charizard from its , giving him paths into many alternate team configurations between its better defensive options and powerful Dragon typing. Its speed and good STAB options allowed it to break past tough walls and outpace some fast threats. Mega Charizard Y
If there was ever a fourth evolutionary step in the Charizard line, Mega Charizard Y might be it. It's the natural evolution of Charizard. Built sleek and streamlined for flight with accentuation to focus on the draconic elements of its design. The latter resulted in more horns, stabilizing wings at its wrists, and ridges along its tail. Much like its X version, Mega Charizard Y also became a competitive powerhouse. Its high Special Attack and Drought ability made it into a powerful wallbreaker. Mega Charizard Y's access to Solar Beam also allowed it to destroy Water-type counters while Fighting moves took down other defensive Rock and Steel types. Mega Charizard Y combines an incredible design and a series of changes that focused on improving base Charizard's competitive . It's one of the best examples of what Mega Evolution could be: An opportunity to revisit and revitalize old Pokémon. If only Charizard could look like this all the time.