Ash's Charizard

**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.

### Moves

Flamethrower
 Wing Attack
 Slash
 Dragon Tail

### Evolves in

March of the Exeggutor Squad
 Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon

#### History

##### Original series

###### With Damian

Charmander originally belonged to a boastful Trainer named Damian. 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 that 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 Flamethrower to send them running away, leaving behind Pikachu. Ash invited Charmander to join them, but Damian turned up with a bunch of Poké Balls and said that he had abandoned Charmander on purpose 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 with 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.

In *Primeape Goes Bananas*, Charmander battled a berserk Primeape. He finally subdued his opponent by 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 *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 loyal to Ash, attacking a Paras when Ash was trying to deliberately lose in order 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 and 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.

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 and 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 permitted a battle at the peak of the volcano, and the two 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.

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, and surprisingly 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, Ash lost the round and Ritchie advanced to the next round.

While confronting Mewtwo's original clones of the three Kanto starters in their final evolutions during *Mewtwo Strikes Back*, Ash summoned Charizard to fight alongside Corey's Bruteroot and Neesha's Shellshocker against the clones, although not before Charizard, to Ash's surprise, attempted to preemptively attack Mewtwo. 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*, it largely had the same role as in the original, although its 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 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 it having no effect on Poliwrath. Tad and Poliwrath resisted all of them until Poliwrath responded with a Water Gun that nearly doused the flame on Charizard's tail. He was then encased in ice 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 himself worked throughout the entire 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 also 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 Pokemon. He also proceeded to aid Ash alongside Squirtle by pulling a discarded metal part and even countered Moltres's flame blasts alongside Squirtle and Pikachu when the titans tried to attack them, although he was ultimately forced to return to his Pokeball 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 Gym battle against Luana in *Pokémon Double Trouble*. He fought Luana's Alakazam and Marowak alongside Ash's 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 attack and Charizard caught Pikachu after he was hit by Marowak's Body Slam attack. 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 Islands 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 responding 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 single leaf and caused her to run around for a short amount of time before using Vine Whip to attack Charizard. Charizard was recalled by Ash 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, 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 back 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, but 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 on Liza's TV news footage of Entei abducting Delia Ketchum and Ash futilely pursuing them, so Charizard decided to briefly leave the Charicific Valley 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 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. Ash surprised Liza by sending him back for training, knowing that Charizard still had a lot to learn.

Ash later used Charizard in the Silver Conference during his fight against Gary Oak 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 then used in Ash's fight against Harrison in *Playing with Fire!*, where he went up against Harrison's Blaziken. Charizard's aerial advantage was negated by Blaziken's powerful legs and ability to maneuver in midair. 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, and it was later revealed that he had injured Blaziken so badly that Harrison had to rest his primary battler in the next round, which contributed to his later loss.

##### *Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire*

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 that 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.

Charizard also battled alongside Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle in a four-on-four battle against Brandon's Pokémon in *Gathering the Gang of Four!*. 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 simply dissipated and re-emerged safely at a distance, where a single 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.