Is Arcanine Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
Fire Stone evolution from the Dual Slot Growlithe. AbilityIntimidate drops Attack on switch-in. Arcanine handles Gardenia, Aaron, Byron, and Candice. The physical/special split lets Arcanine choose between physical MoveFlare Blitz and special MoveFlamethrower. One of the best imports for Sinnoh's Fire drought.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
Arcanine resists most of Gardenia's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine resists most of Maylene's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Arcanine resists most of Byron's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine resists most of Candice's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Volkner's team.
Arcanine resists most of Aaron's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Bertha's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Arcanine resists most of Mars's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine resists most of Saturn's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Cynthia's team.
Catch Growlithe
Catch Growlithe on Route 201 (walking, Lv 2, rare). Pokémon FireRed in GBA slot.
Recommended Moves
- LV 20FireFlame WheelPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 25
- After Gardenia
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5Lake Verity
- LV 28FireFire FangPower 98Accuracy 95%PP 15
- LV 34FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 45FireHeat WavePower 150Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 48FireFlare BlitzPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 15
- Post-Game
- TM50FireOverheatPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5Stark Mountain
- TM61FireWill-O-WispPower —Accuracy 75%PP 15Exchange Service Corner building in the Battle Park, entered through the Fight Area gatehouse
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Arcanine in Diamond & Pearl
Arcanine has no wild spot in Diamond or Pearl. Apply a Fire Stone to a dual-slot Growlithe, which means the line only exists if you keep a FireRed cart linked in the first place.
Wild Arcanine may be holding when caught:
Rawst Berry (always) Held: Consumed when burned to cure a burn.Catch Growlithe at any of these 2 spots to eventually evolve into Arcanine.
Encountered via tall grass encounters
- 1Catch Growlithe
- 2Evolve ArcanineUse Fire Stone
How to Obtain Arcanine in DP
Growlithe is your first catch on the way to Arcanine. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 2 across 4 total spots in the chain.
- Step 2Arcanine ✓BREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Growlithe egg.
How to Get Shiny Arcanine in Diamond & Pearl
Arcanine needs a Fire Stone, so chain a shiny Growlithe on Route 201 or Route 202 before you evolve it. Compare Shiny Arcanine odds across every game
Diamond & Pearl Shiny Arcanine Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is PokeRadar Chain at full boosts, about 1 in 200 on each try. Tune it below.
PokeRadar Chain: Chain shaking-grass patches without breaking the combo. The rate peaks at a chain of 40.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 22-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 58-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 139-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 460-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
For time estimates and charm math, open the Diamond & Pearl shiny odds calculator with Arcanine already selected.
Arcanine Weakness
Arcanine's Fire typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Ground, and Rock. The Fire typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. With 90 HP and balanced defenses, Arcanine can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Ground, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Arcanine Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Arcanine
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 2x103-122%KO Stone Edge 2x103-122%KO Surf 2x28-33% | ||
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x103-122%KO Stone Edge 2x69-81% Surf 2x44-52% | ||
 Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x70-82% Stone Edge 2x46-55% | ||
 Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Oreburgh City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Kabutops builds →Waterfall 2x75-89% Stone Edge 2x93-110%KO Dig 2x50-59% | ||
 Omastar RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Omanyte (Oreburgh City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Omastar builds →Hydro Pump 2x111-131%KO Ancient Power 2x56-66% Mud Shot 2x34-41% | ||
 Kingler Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Kingler builds →Crabhammer 2x103-122%KO Dig 2x55-65% Rock Slide 2x52-61% | ||
 Empoleon WaterSteel | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Piplup (Lake Verity Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Empoleon builds →Hydro Pump 2x107-127%KO Earthquake 2x48-57% Rock Slide 2x37-43% | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Golduck builds →Hydro Pump 2x94-111%KO Dig 2x38-45% | ||
 Gliscor Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Gliscor builds →Earthquake 2x80-94% Stone Edge 2x53-63% | ||
 Torterra GrassGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Torterra builds →Earthquake 2x89-104%KO Stone Edge 2x59-70% | ||
 Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x70-82% Dig 2x46-55% Rock Tomb 2x29-34% | ||
 Sandslash Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Sandslash builds →Earthquake 2x83-98% Stone Edge 2x55-65% | ||
 Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Oreburgh City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Armaldo builds →Stone Edge 2x100-118%KO Earthquake 2x67-78% Water Pulse 2x25-30% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Sudowoodo builds →Stone Edge 2x83-98% Earthquake 2x55-65% | ||
Arcanine Evolutions
Arcanine evolved from Growlithe's chain using an evolution item. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Growlithe eggs (average hatch time). The evolution from Growlithe pushed Arcanine to 555 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +40. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Arcanine to get Growlithe eggs easily using 131 partners from the Field egg group. Notable egg moves include Body Slam, Crunch, Double-Edge and 6 more.
DP Arcanine Best Moveset
Both 110 Attack and 100 Sp. Atk work independently now that the split exists, so the moveset can go physical with MoveFlare Blitz or special with MoveFire Blast. AbilityIntimidate adds defensive value on the switch, and MoveExtreme Speed picks off targets before they move. 25% from MoveStealth Rock per switch is the main cost.
Best Build
Arcanine best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Extreme Speed
- Flare Blitz
- Crunch
- Thunder Fang
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
You'll want to breed for Body Slam and Crunch on Arcanine. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Overheat and Flare Blitz, they expand what Arcanine can actually threaten in practice.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
30 of 33 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
Its proud and regal appearance has captured the hearts of people since long ago.
Arcanine Event Distributions
In Diamond & Pearl, Arcanine has had only a single Mystery Gift event distribution to its name.
Battle Series 2009 Commemoration Gift ArcanineDiamondPearlNot shiny
Arcanine Diamond & Pearl Guide
In Diamond & Pearl, use Arcanine as an attacker. Physical side carries the damage. Speed is middling,
Arcanine has a Hisuian form that swaps the typing and reshuffles the stats. Introduced in Gen 8. Worth checking if the original version doesn't fit your team.
For Diamond & Pearl, run Jolly on Arcanine. +Speed is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the attacker role.
Game Availability
Available since Red & Blue, Arcanine appears in 21 games spanning 9 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained a Hisuian form in Generation 8.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLAHisuian
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Arcanine.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List