Charmander Evolution Guide: Stats, Moves, Type, And Location

Updated: October 2, 2023 by Amber Frost | Leave a comment

Charmander (National Pokédex entry #0004) is a 1st Generation fire-type Pokémon and one of the original starters. Back in the days of Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Red, trainers got to choose between Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Out of the three classic choices, Charmander was a common pick thanks to its fire abilities. Along with the other original starters and Pikachu, Charmander is one of the most recognizable Pokémon in the world thanks to its adorable lizard design and its evolution line.

The starter Pokémon are meant to be powerful units that the trainer can use throughout the duration of the game. Charmander is not an exception to this rule. As a fire-type Pokémon, Charmander is an effective unit against bug, steel, grass, and ice-type Pokémon. Bug, grass, and ice-type Pokémon are relatively common foes, so having a fire-type to burn through them is helpful, especially in early-level gameplay. Although steel isn’t as common, it’s a powerful Pokémon class, so having a starter that can stand against it isn’t anything to sneeze at.

Like every Pokémon, Charmander has a number of weaknesses. Every starter has advantages and weaknesses that the trainer will want to build the rest of their team around. Needless to say, being a fire-type Pokémon, Charmander is weak against water. Water puts out fire, creating a disadvantage for any fire-type Pokémon. Charmander is especially vulnerable due to the lit fire burning at the end of its tail. This Pokémon is also weak against rock and ground-type Pokémon.

Charmander possesses two abilities, the Blaze ability and the Solar Power hidden ability. Both of Charmander’s evolutions have these abilities as well. Charmander’s first evolution is Charmeleon (National Pokédex entry #0005) and its final evolution is Charizard (National Pokédex entry #0006). This evolution line is one of the most sought-after Pokémon chains in the franchise thanks to its awesome firepower and Charizard’s dragon-like design.

Charmander’s Stats and Where to Find Them

Charmander in Pokémon Scarlet — ©ConCon / The Pokémon Company

Charmander is a popular pick among trainers for many reasons. While the “Lizard Pokémon” is adorable, it also contains a lot of potential to be one of the strongest starters out there. Charizard, Charmander’s final evolution, is the only original starter that can learn how to fly, giving it a lot of advantages over other Pokémon.

Many generations have been released since the original games, but fans continue to seek out Charmander. Out of the original starters, it’s the one that often shows up in newer games. For example, Squirtle, the 1st generation water-type starter, isn’t actually obtainable in Pokémon Violet and Pokémon Scarlet, the most current Pokémon games on the market. Players can’t put Squirtle in either of these games, even by trading or migrating, but Charmander is available.

Charmander is a small, orange “Lizard Pokémon” that stands bipedal on its two back feet. Charmander has a flame that never extinguishes at the end of its tail. Despite this open flame, the Pokémon looks adorable and friendly, but it’s best not to get on its bad side. The average Charmander weighs about 18 lbs. Most Charmanders are male, with only 12.5% being female.

Charmander’s Base Stats:

STAT TYPE:	STARTING STAT:	MIN STAT (for higher levels):	MAX STAT (for higher levels):
HP	39	188	282
Attack	52	98	223
Defense	43	81	203
Sp. Atk	60	112	240
Sp. Def	50	94	218
Speed	65	121	251

When tallied, Charmander’s starting stats will always equal 309. This Pokémon has relatively high speed, special attack, and attack, but it suffers in HP and defense. It’s important to keep in mind that Charmander is a starter Pokémon, meaning it will only be helpful in early portions of the game. In order for Charmander to grow stronger, the trainer will need to play and battle with Charmander to help it evolve.

Charmander is capable of learning many different moves throughout the Pokémon games. It will learn moves by leveling up, its breeding conditions, and Technical Machines (TMs). Since the most current games Charmander can be used in are Pokémon Violet and Pokémon Scarlet, we’ll be looking at Charmander’s abilities in these games.

Charmander’s Moves Learned Through Leveling Up (Pokémon Violet and Scarlet)

Level	Move	Type	Category	Power	Accuracy
1	Growl	NORMAL	Status	—	100
1	Scratch	NORMAL	Physical	40	100
4	Ember	FIRE	Special	40	100
8	Smokescreen	NORMAL	Status	—	100
12	Dragon Breath	DRAGON	Special	60	100
17	Fire Fang	FIRE	Physical	65	95
20	Slash	NORMAL	Physical	70	100
24	Flamethrower	FIRE	Special	90	100
28	Scary Face	NORMAL	Status	—	100
32	Fire Spin	FIRE	Special	35	85
36	Inferno	FIRE	Special	100	50
40	Flare Blitz	FIRE	Physical	120	100

Charmander’s Moves Learned Through TM (Pokémon Violet and Scarlet)

TM	Move	Type	Category	Power	Accuracy
01	Take Down	NORMAL	Physical	90	85
06	Scary Face	NORMAL	Status	—	100
07	Protect	NORMAL	Status	—	—
08	Fire Fang	FIRE	Physical	65	95
24	Fire Spin	FIRE	Special	35	85
25	Facade	NORMAL	Physical	70	100
31	Metal Claw	STEEL	Physical	50	95
32	Swift	NORMAL	Special	60	∞
36	Rock Tomb	ROCK	Physical	60	95
38	Flame Charge	FIRE	Physical	50	100
43	Fling	DARK	Physical	—	100
44	Dragon Tail	DRAGON	Physical	60	90
47	Endure	NORMAL	Status	—	—
49	Sunny Day	FIRE	Status	—	—
55	Dig	GROUND	Physical	80	100
57	False Swipe	NORMAL	Physical	40	100
58	Brick Break	FIGHTING	Physical	75	100
61	Shadow Claw	GHOST	Physical	70	100
66	Body Slam	NORMAL	Physical	85	100
67	Fire Punch	FIRE	Physical	75	100
68	Thunder Punch	ELECTRIC	Physical	75	100
70	Sleep Talk	NORMAL	Status	—	—
78	Dragon Claw	DRAGON	Physical	80	100
85	Rest	PSYCHIC	Status	—	—
86	Rock Slide	ROCK	Physical	75	90
88	Swords Dance	NORMAL	Status	—	—
100	Dragon Dance	DRAGON	Status	—	—
103	Substitute	NORMAL	Status	—	—
107	Will-O-Wisp	FIRE	Status	—	85
108	Crunch	DARK	Physical	80	100
115	Dragon Pulse	DRAGON	Special	85	100
118	Heat Wave	FIRE	Special	95	90
125	Flamethrower	FIRE	Special	90	100
130	Helping Hand	NORMAL	Status	—	—
141	Fire Blast	FIRE	Special	110	85
144	Fire Pledge	FIRE	Special	80	100
156	Outrage	DRAGON	Physical	120	100
157	Overheat	FIRE	Special	130	90
158	Focus Blast	FIGHTING	Special	120	70
165	Flare Blitz	FIRE	Physical	120	100
171	Tera Blast	NORMAL	Special	80	100

Charmander’s Moves Learned Through Breeding AKA Egg Moves (Pokémon Violet and Scarlet)

These moves are specific to the way the Charmander is bred. This means that these moves will be the same for the entire evolution line. Charmeleon and Charizard’s Egg Moves will be identical to this list.

Move	Type	Category	Power	Accuracy
Ancient Power	ROCK	Special	60	100
Belly Drum	NORMAL	Status	—	—
Bite	DARK	Physical	60	100
Counter	FIGHTING	Physical	—	100
Dragon Rush	DRAGON	Physical	100	75
Dragon Tail	DRAGON	Physical	60	90
Iron Tail	STEEL	Physical	100	75
Metal Claw	STEEL	Physical	50	95

Where to find Charmander In Every Game Compatible with Pokémon: Home

GAME:	LOCATION:
Let’s Go Pikachu	Route 3, Route 4, Route 24, and Rock Tunnel
Let’s Go Eevee	Route 3, Route 4, Route 24, and Rock Tunnel
Sword	Trade or migrate from another game
Shield	Trade or migrate from another game
Brilliant Diamond	Volcanic Cave, Sandsear Cave, and Typhlo Cavern
Shining Pearl	Volcanic Cave, Sandsear Cave, and Typhlo Cavern
Legends: Arceus	Not available in this game
Scarlet	Trade or migrate from another game
Violet	Trade or migrate from another game

Charmeleon’s Stats and How to Evolve Them

A Charmander evolves into Charmeleon — ©AverageSiege / The Pokémon Company

Charmeleon is considered a “Flame Pokémon” and it is over twice the size of Charmander. The average Charmeleon weighs about 50 lbs, which is more than double its predecessor. Charmeleon will stand at about 3 feet tall and it looks significantly more menacing than Charmander. This second evolution gains sharp claws on its hands and feet, a pointed horn on the back of its head, and a larger tail flame. Charmeleon is also more red-orange in color, whereas Charmander is just orange.

As expected when evolving a Pokémon, Charmeleon receives a significant boost to its base stats. Charmander starts at a total of 309, but Charmeleon’s base stats are 405. Trainers must play with Charmander long enough to level it up to 16. Upon reaching level 16, Charmander will immediately evolve into Charmeleon. This Pokémon does not require a special item to evolve. Simply leveling up will do just fine.

Charmeleon’s Base Stats:

STAT TYPE:	STARTING STAT:	MIN STAT (at higher levels):	MAX STAT (at higher levels):
HP	58	226	320
Attack	64	119	249
Defense	58	108	236
Sp. Atk	80	148	284
Sp. Def	65	121	251
Speed	80	148	284

Charmeleon’s Moves Learned Through Leveling Up (Pokémon Violet and Scarlet)

Level	Move	Type	Category	Power	Accuracy
1	Ember	FIRE	Special	40	100
1	Growl	NORMAL	Status	—	100
1	Scratch	NORMAL	Physical	40	100
1	Smokescreen	NORMAL	Status	—	100
12	Dragon Breath	DRAGON	Special	60	100
19	Fire Fang	FIRE	Physical	65	95
24	Slash	NORMAL	Physical	70	100
30	Flamethrower	FIRE	Special	90	100
37	Scary Face	NORMAL	Status	—	100
48	Inferno	FIRE	Special	100	50
54	Flare Blitz	FIRE	Physical	120	100

Charmeleon’s Moves Learned Through TM (Pokémon Violet and Scarlet)

TM	Move	Type	Category	Power	Accuracy
01	Take Down	NORMAL	Physical	90	85
06	Scary Face	NORMAL	Status	—	100
07	Protect	NORMAL	Status	—	—
08	Fire Fang	FIRE	Physical	65	95
24	Fire Spin	FIRE	Special	35	85
25	Facade	NORMAL	Physical	70	100
32	Swift	NORMAL	Special	60	∞
36	Rock Tomb	ROCK	Physical	60	95
38	Flame Charge	FIRE	Physical	50	100
43	Fling	DARK	Physical	—	100
44	Dragon Tail	DRAGON	Physical	60	90
47	Endure	NORMAL	Status	—	—
49	Sunny Day	FIRE	Status	—	—
55	Dig	GROUND	Physical	80	100
57	False Swipe	NORMAL	Physical	40	100
58	Brick Break	FIGHTING	Physical	75	100
61	Shadow Claw	GHOST	Physical	70	100
66	Body Slam	NORMAL	Physical	85	100
67	Fire Punch	FIRE	Physical	75	100
68	Thunder Punch	ELECTRIC	Physical	75	100
70	Sleep Talk	NORMAL	Status	—	—
78	Dragon Claw	DRAGON	Physical	80	100
85	Rest	PSYCHIC	Status	—	—
86	Rock Slide	ROCK	Physical	75	90
88	Swords Dance	NORMAL	Status	—	—
100	Dragon Dance	DRAGON	Status	—	—
103	Substitute	NORMAL	Status	—	—
107	Will-O-Wisp	FIRE	Status	—	85
108	Crunch	DARK	Physical	80	100
115	Dragon Pulse	DRAGON	Special	85	100
118	Heat Wave	FIRE	Special	95	90
125	Flamethrower	FIRE	Special	90	100
130	Helping Hand	NORMAL	Status	—	—
141	Fire Blast	FIRE	Special	110	85
144	Fire Pledge	FIRE	Special	80	100
156	Outrage	DRAGON	Physical	120	100
157	Overheat	FIRE	Special	130	90
165	Flare Blitz	FIRE	Physical	120	100
171	Tera Blast	NORMAL	Special	80	100

How to get Charmeleon In Every Game Compatible with Pokémon: Home

GAME:	HOW TO GET CHARMELEON:
Let’s Go Pikachu	Evolve Charmander
Let’s Go Eevee	Evolve Charmander
Sword	Trade or migrate Charmander/Charmeleon from another game
Shield	Trade or migrate Charmander/Charmeleon from another game
Brilliant Diamond	Evolve Charmander
Shining Pearl	Evolve Charmander
Legends: Arceus	Not available in this game
Scarlet	Trade or migrate Charmander/Charmeleon from another game
Violet	Trade or migrate Charmander/Charmeleon from another game

Charizard’s Stats and How to Evolve Them

A gifted Charizard in Pokémon Violet — ©JayShockblast / The Pokémon Company

According to the Pokédex, Charizard is a fire and flying-type “Flame Pokémon.” Trainers often seek Charizard out due to how powerful the Pokémon is and its dragon-like design. Charizard noticeably resembles a European dragon in design, with massive wings and a long, powerful tail. Like the earlier evolutions, flames engulf the tip of Charizard’s tail. Charizards feature strong claws on their hands and feet, as well as sharp fangs. The average Charizard is about four times the size of Charmeleon, weighing in at nearly 200 lbs, and standing over 5 feet tall.

For years, Pokémon fans have argued over Charizard’s type. Charizard should be considered a dragon-type Pokémon due to its appearance, or so many trainers claim. The Pokémon Company has never updated Charizard’s category to dragon-type, however.

Charizard’s base stats bump all the way up to 534 upon evolution. In order to evolve Charmeleon, players need to play with their Charmeleon long enough to get it to level 36. Once Charmeleon reaches level 36, it will automatically evolve into Charizard without a special item. To this day, Charizard is a fan favorite Pokémon that new and old trainers alike continue to fall back on.

Charizard’s Base Stats:

STAT TYPE:	STARTING STAT:	MIN STAT (at level 100):	MAX STAT (at level 100):
HP	78	266	360
Attack	84	155	293
Defense	78	144	280
Sp. Atk	109	200	348
Sp. Def	85	157	295
Speed	100	184	328

Charizard’s Moves Learned Through Leveling Up (Pokémon Violet and Scarlet)

Level	Move	Type	Category	Power	Accuracy
1	Dragon Claw	DRAGON	Physical	80	100
1	Ember	FIRE	Special	40	100
1	Growl	NORMAL	Status	—	100
1	Heat Wave	FIRE	Special	95	90
1	Scratch	NORMAL	Physical	40	100
1	Smokescreen	NORMAL	Status	—	100
12	Dragon Breath	DRAGON	Special	60	100
19	Fire Fang	FIRE	Physical	65	95
24	Slash	NORMAL	Physical	70	100
30	Flamethrower	FIRE	Special	90	100
39	Scary Face	NORMAL	Status	—	100
46	Fire Spin	FIRE	Special	35	85
54	Inferno	FIRE	Special	100	50
62	Flare Blitz	FIRE	Physical	120	100

Charizard’s Moves Learned Through TM (Pokémon Violet and Scarlet)

TM	Move	Type	Category	Power	Accuracy
01	Take Down	NORMAL	Physical	90	85
06	Scary Face	NORMAL	Status	—	100
07	Protect	NORMAL	Status	—	—
08	Fire Fang	FIRE	Physical	65	95
14	Acrobatics	FLYING	Physical	55	100
24	Fire Spin	FIRE	Special	35	85
25	Facade	NORMAL	Physical	70	100
27	Aerial Ace	FLYING	Physical	60	∞
28	Bulldoze	GROUND	Physical	60	100
32	Swift	NORMAL	Special	60	∞
36	Rock Tomb	ROCK	Physical	60	95
38	Flame Charge	FIRE	Physical	50	100
40	Air Cutter	FLYING	Special	60	95
43	Fling	DARK	Physical	—	100
44	Dragon Tail	DRAGON	Physical	60	90
47	Endure	NORMAL	Status	—	—
49	Sunny Day	FIRE	Status	—	—
51	Sandstorm	ROCK	Status	—	—
55	Dig	GROUND	Physical	80	100
58	Brick Break	FIGHTING	Physical	75	100
61	Shadow Claw	GHOST	Physical	70	100
65	Air Slash	FLYING	Special	75	95
66	Body Slam	NORMAL	Physical	85	100
67	Fire Punch	FIRE	Physical	75	100
68	Thunder Punch	ELECTRIC	Physical	75	100
70	Sleep Talk	NORMAL	Status	—	—
78	Dragon Claw	DRAGON	Physical	80	100
85	Rest	PSYCHIC	Status	—	—
86	Rock Slide	ROCK	Physical	75	90
88	Swords Dance	NORMAL	Status	—	—
97	Fly	FLYING	Physical	90	95
100	Dragon Dance	DRAGON	Status	—	—
103	Substitute	NORMAL	Status	—	—
107	Will-O-Wisp	FIRE	Status	—	85
108	Crunch	DARK	Physical	80	100
115	Dragon Pulse	DRAGON	Special	85	100
118	Heat Wave	FIRE	Special	95	90
125	Flamethrower	FIRE	Special	90	100
130	Helping Hand	NORMAL	Status	—	—
141	Fire Blast	FIRE	Special	110	85
144	Fire Pledge	FIRE	Special	80	100
149	Earthquake	GROUND	Physical	100	100
152	Giga Impact	NORMAL	Physical	150	90
153	Blast Burn	FIRE	Special	150	90
156	Outrage	DRAGON	Physical	120	100
157	Overheat	FIRE	Special	130	90
158	Focus Blast	FIGHTING	Special	120	70
160	Hurricane	FLYING	Special	110	70
163	Hyper Beam	NORMAL	Special	150	90
165	Flare Blitz	FIRE	Physical	120	100
168	Solar Beam	GRASS	Special	120	100
171	Tera Blast	NORMAL	Special	80	100

Charizard’s Moves Learned Upon Evolution (Pokémon Violet and Scarlet)

Move	Type	Category	Power	Accuracy
Air Slash	FLYING	Special	75	95

How to get Charizard In Every Game Compatible with Pokémon: Home

GAME:	HOW TO GET CHARIZARD:
Let’s Go Pikachu	Route 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25
Let’s Go Eevee	Route 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25
Sword	Trade or migrate Charmander, Charmeleon, or Charizard from another game
Shield	Trade or migrate Charmander, Charmeleon, or Charizard from another game
Brilliant Diamond	Evolve Charmander and/or Charmeleon
Shining Pearl	Evolve Charmander and/or Charmeleon
Legends: Arceus	Not available in this game
Scarlet	Trade or migrate Charmander, Charmeleon, or Charizard from another game
Violet	Trade or migrate Charmander, Charmeleon, or Charizard from another game