# Incineroar

Incineroar (ガオガエン, Gaogaen) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Known as the Heel Pokémon, Incineroar is a dual-type Fire/Dark-type Pokémon. It was first introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon. It was first revealed in official confidential artwork that was leaked onto the internet on June 4, 2016, in which its code name was "Tiger 3." Incineroar was officially revealed on October 27, 2016. Incineroar has received mixed reviews from critics and fans.

## Design and characteristics

Incineroar resembles a muscular humanoid tiger as well as heel fighters and wrestlers. It has a grey torso resembling a tank top with red coloration, black stripes, and black coloration on its upper jaw and head. Its waist has flames in the shape of a championship belt that spews fire. Incineroar's tiger-like appearance, wrestler motif, and it being called the Heel Pokémon bear similarities to the titular character from the manga Tiger Mask. The design of Incineroar also drew some inspiration from Hawaiian wildlife. The Shiny Pokémon version of Incineroar changes his color scheme to orange fur with white stripes. It is ruthless in battle, but also has a softer side as it is said to love praise from young Pokémon and children.

## Appearances
### In the video games

Incineroar debuted in Pokémon Sun and Moon for the Nintendo 3DS. as the final evolution of Litten, the Fire-type starter Pokémon of the game. Its signature move is Darkest Lariat, a damage-dealing Dark-type move. It also appears in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series, appearing as the last newcomer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Masahiro Sakurai, the game's director, said he chose Incineroar because he wanted a wrestling character for the game. In the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Incineroar is voiced by Unshō Ishizuka, who also voiced Professor Oak in the Pokémon anime. It marked one of his final voice acting appearances before his 2018 death a few months before the release of the game. Tyler Bunch provides the character voice in the English version.

#### In competitive play

In official competitive Pokémon tournaments, Incineroar is considered to be one of the best Pokémon of all time. This is attributed to its ability "Intimidate" which reduces the amount of damage both opponents deal with physical moves whenever Incineroar is switched into battle, combined with moves that allow it to easily switch out and back in to repeatedly activate Intimidate. Since receiving access to Intimidate, Incineroar was on the team that won the Pokémon World Championships every year in which it was legal until 2024, totaling three world championship wins. It has reached extremely high levels of usage, being on 84.58% of teams at a major tournament in 2022.

## Reception

Incineroar initially received criticism from fans before it was officially revealed as it was assumed to be a dual Fire/Fighting-type Pokémon, a strongly disliked trend among Fire-type starters. Dustin Kemp of The Inquisitr called Incineroar's eventual reveal a "brilliant trolling maneuver by GameFreak." Matthew Guida of TheGamer has complimented Incineroar, calling it a "fearsome Pokémon" and particularly praised its Shiny Pokémon form, which he said "adds a majestic and regal appearance to its regular design." Allegra Frank of Polygon critiqued Incineroar's design of a "gigantic fighting feline monster," compared to its pre-evolution Litten, to be "upsetting" and leaving fans "extremely disheartened", but nonetheless praised its Fire/Dark typing as "some good to be found in Incineroar's official reveal." Oliver Cragg of International Business Times was critical of Incineroar in Pokémon Sun and Moon because "its stats are spread so broadly that it fails to excel at anything," and that its attacks are "a tad underpowered." Jordan Minor of Geek.com praised the addition of Incineroar to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate because its professional wrestling-inspired grapple moves are so different than those of other playable characters. He wrote: "We're excited to try out up close and personal grabs and lariats or even bouncing foes against the ropes."
Incineroar's strength and ubiquity in the competitive Pokémon scene has led to polarized opinions, with it being described as "dominant" and "too good."