Ash's Charizard

Ash's Charizard was the fifth pokemon Ash caught and his fifth overall.

## **Personality:**

Despite being one of Ash's most often used Pokemon,Charmander's evolution saw Charmeleon grow distant from Ash,scorning all of his former friends and seeking power alone. Charmeleon had grown to become like Damian,obsessed with power and reputation while ignoring the value of friendship,loyalty and kindness. He grew an ego with other fire types. Nevertheless,he did retain some degree of loyalty to his master and fellow Pokemon. 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. 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 his master and while Charizard was loyal,his love of power and reputation remained. 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.

## **History:**

### **Prior to the original series:**

Charizard was caught by Ash as a Charmander,after he was abandoned by his old trainer,Damian. Charmander was used in the 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. Charmander was separated from Ash in **Island of the Giant Pokemon** 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 Trainers whereabouts,despite Bulbasaur's belief that they were abandoned and Squirtle's jokes that he'd been eaten. When Ash's Pokemon came across Team Rocket's Pokemon,who were also separated from their trainers,the two groups of Pokemon joined forces to look for them. The next day,the group came across a group of giant Pokemon 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 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 Pokemon,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 Pokemon,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 Pokemon present,returning Charizard to his familiar disobedience.

#### **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 Pokemon 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 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 later aided Ash alongside Squirtle by pulling a discarded metal part and even countered Moltres' 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 **Pokemon Double Trouble**. He fought Luana's Alakazam and Marowak alongside Ash's Pikachu. The two Pokemon initially had trouble collaborating,but eventually managed to work together. 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 Pokemon.

#### **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 Pokemon,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 **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**,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. 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, harizard 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 Pokemon 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 Pokemon 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.

### **Advanced Saga:**

#### **Hoenn:**

Charizard appeared in a flashback to Ash's battle against Harrison in **There's no Place Like Hoenn**.

#### **Battle Frontier:**

In **Numero Uno Articuno**,Noland asks Ash if he's decided which Pokemon he wants to battle,and he says yes. Max thinks he'll go for Venusaur and May thinks Rhyhorn,but Ash says neither. He wants to go one-on-one against Articuno. This surprises everyone,except possibly Noland. He just turns to Articuno,asks if it agrees to this,and when its reply is affirmative,asks what Pokemon Ash will be using. Ash looks up towards the moon,and says "that one." Everyone looks up,and they see something large and winged silhouetted against the moon; it’s Ash's Charizard. The phone call he'd made earlier was to Liza at the valley where Charizard was training. Charizard greets Ash with the usual Flamethrower. Noland says he's looking forward to tomorrow and both Articuno and Charizard eye off the competition. The morning sun rises up as Ash alongside Pikachu soar into the sky to test Charizard's strengths in preparation for his upcoming Battle Factory clash. Charizard showcases his incredible flight control and an impressive Flamethrower,a testament to his time training under Liza in the Charicific Valley. Ash orders a Dragon Breath attack. A dazzling burst of yellow-green flame erupts from Charizard's mouth,neatly blasting a hole through a cloud. He calls for some high-altitude flying and Charizard shoots straight up,stunning May and Max with his speed. Team Rocket watches the practice session through their binoculars and they are also impressed by Charizard’s performance. Later in **The Symbol Of Life**,he showed that he was a match even for the Legendary Pokemon,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 Pokemon 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 Pokemon down. However,an attempt to use Seismic Toss to finish the match cost Ash dearly,as the Ghost-type Pokemon 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 Oak's lab.

### **Black And White:**

In *The* **Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion**,Ash and his friends attended a Kanto Fair,where one of the presentations featured the local starter Pokemon,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,sent Charizard over to him. While being introduced to everyone,Charizard immediately started a fiery rivalry with Iris' Dragonite,which encouraged Ash and Iris to have a battle with their two stubborn Pokemon. 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' misconception that Charizard was a Dragon-type,upsetting her since she had wanted to train one as well. In **Team Plasma's Pokemon** **Manipulation***!*,he was called out by Ash in order to once again fight Iris' Dragonite,who was this time being controlled by Colress. In **Meowth,Colress and Team Rivalry**,Charizard was called out to help Ash's Pignite,which had difficulty breathing through his nostrils because something was blocking it. Charizard lifted him up into the air 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 Pokemon. However,when Colress turned his mind control machine on them,Charizard was quickly recalled to his Pokeball along with Ash's other Pokemon.

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' Dragonite set off to search for Clair's Dragonite,who had been separated from Clair on an island in the Decolore Archipelago. After Iris' Dragonite found Clair's,Charizard brought the group over 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 unsuccessfully act as a peacemaker; Ash eventually thanked him for trying and returned Charizard to his Pokeball. 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 Pokemon 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 *Pokemon 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 Pokemon in a group photo with him.

#### **Sun And Moon:**

Charizard reappeared in a flashback in **Alola,Kanto**.

### **Journeys:**

Charizard reunited with Ash alongside the other pokemon when Ash and Goh decided to visit Professor Oak's lab. He helped train Ash's team for the World Championship and helped Gengar learn Wil-O-Wisp. He grew a friendship with Gengar ever since alongside the other fire types. From **Battling as Hard as** ***Stone** and* onwards,Charizard watched Ash's Masters Eight Tournament matches against Steven,Cynthia and Leon. In **Partners in Time**,Charizard appeared as a vision to Raichu during his battle against Leon's Charizard. After Ash won the battle,Charizard joined the rest of Ash's Pokemon at the lab in celebrating their Trainer's victory. In **Heroes Unite**,Charizard,along with the rest of the Pokemon at the lab,welcomed Ash back to Pallet Town after his victory over Leon. In **A Squad's Worth Of Passion**,Charizard came with Ash alongside Ivysaur to reunite with Squirtle and helped out to stop the fire and eventually saved the pokemon that were trapped,causing Squirtle to evolve into Wartortle. Afterwards Officer Jenny arrived to take the Squirtle Squad to their next assignment,but not before sharing a heartfelt goodbye with the group. Later,Charizard assisted Ash in looking for a missing Charmander around Oak's lab,but to no avail.

### **Scarlet And Violet:**

#### **Horizons:**

Charizard was brought in to greet Friede's Charizard. Friede gave Ash his Tera Orb so he can Teracrystallize his Charizard. Charizard was also used to battle Amethio and his Ceruledge before the top of the tower collapsed.

## **Moveset:**

* Flamethrower
* Leer
* Scratch
* Smokescreen
* Rage
* Skull Bash
* Ember
* Fire Spin
* Submission
* Seismic Toss
* Mega Punch
* Dragon Rage
* Take Down
* Tackle
* Dragon Breath
* Overheat
* Steel Wing
* Wing Attack
* Slash
* Dragon Tail
* Aerobatics
* Ancient Power
* Dragon Rush
* False Swipe
* Atomic Blazer

## **Gallery:**

### **Moves Gallery:**

As a Charmander using FlamethrowerAs a Charmander using LeerAs a Charmander using ScratchAs a Charmander using RageAs a Charmander using Fire SpinAs a Charmander using Skull BashAs a Charmeleon using FlamethrowerCharizard using FlamethrowerCharizard using Seismic TossCharizard using Mega PunchCharizard using Dragon RageCharizard using TackleCharizard using Dragon BreathCharizard using OverheatCharizard using Wing AttackCharizard using SlashCharizard using Dragon Tail