Is Arcanine Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Fire Stone on Growlithe. AbilityIntimidate drops Attack on switch-in, and the physical/special split gives Arcanine proper physical Fire moves matching its strong Attack. Handles Jasmine, Pryce, and the Steel trainers across Kanto. A team anchor.
Growlithe has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Growlithe has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Growlithe trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Arcanine resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Clair's team hits Arcanine's weaknesses hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Arcanine resists most of Lt. Surge's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Arcanine resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catch Growlithe
Catch Growlithe on Route 36 (walking, Lv 13, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- LV 20FireFlame WheelPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 25
- LV 28FireFire FangPower 98Accuracy 95%PP 15
- LV 34FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 42DarkCrunchPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 45FireHeat WavePower 150Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 48FireFlare BlitzPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 15
Evolve Growlithe to Arcanine
Growlithe evolves into Arcanine with a Fire Stone. You can receive the Fire Stone from an NPC in Route 36. 1 other location is also available.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 19)
- LV 19FireFire FangPower 98Accuracy 95%PP 15
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- LV 39NormalExtreme SpeedPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Clair
- TM59DragonDragon PulsePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Given by Clair in the Dragon's Den after the Dragon Shrine test
How to Get Arcanine in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Arcanine has no wild presence. A Fire Stone on the HeartGold Growlithe brings it out, the same scarce stone a couple of Kanto lines compete for, so spend it where you want the payoff. SoulSilver needs a traded Growlithe first.
Wild Arcanine may be holding when caught:
Rawst Berry (always) It may be used or held by a Pokemon to recover from a burn.Catch Growlithe at any of these 5 spots to eventually evolve into Arcanine.
Encountered via tall grass encounters
- 1Catch Growlithe
- 2Evolve ArcanineUse Fire Stone
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8How to Obtain Arcanine in HGSS
Growlithe is your first catch on the way to Arcanine. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 13-25 across 10 total spots in the chain.
How to Get Shiny Arcanine in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Arcanine needs a Fire Stone, so breed a Growlithe Masuda-style and evolve it once it shines. Compare Shiny Arcanine odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Arcanine Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
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 | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
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 HeartGold & SoulSilver 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
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 2x189-223%KO Earthquake 2x85-100%KO Surf 2x37-44% | ||
 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% | ||
 Omastar RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Omanyte (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Omastar builds →Hydro Pump 2x111-131%KO Ancient Power 2x56-66% Mud Shot 2x34-41% | ||
 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 (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Kabutops builds →Waterfall 2x75-89% Stone Edge 2x93-110%KO Dig 2x50-59% | ||
 Suicune Water | A | |
Obtain MethodBurned Tower Interact Encounter | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Slowbro builds →Surf 2x78-93% Earthquake 2x43-51% | ||
 Kingler Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Kingler builds →Crabhammer 2x103-122%KO Dig 2x55-65% Rock Slide 2x52-61% | ||
 Gyarados Water | S | |
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Good Rod Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Gyarados builds →Aqua Tail 2x90-106%KO Earthquake 2x67-78% Stone Edge 2x67-78% | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Golduck builds →Hydro Pump 2x94-111%KO Dig 2x38-45% | ||
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Tyranitar builds →Stone Edge 2x107-126%KO Earthquake 2x71-84% Surf 2x50-59% | ||
 Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Feraligatr builds →Aqua Tail 2x77-91% Earthquake 2x57-68% Rock Slide 2x43-51% | ||
 Swampert WaterGround | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Mudkip (Silph Co Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Swampert builds →Earthquake 2x90-106%KO Waterfall 2x72-85% Stone Edge 2x60-70% | ||
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 7 more.
HGSS Arcanine Best Moveset
Mixed offensive power at 110 Attack and 100 Sp. Atk combined with AbilityIntimidate softening physical attacks on the switch. The moveset fires from both sides and switches defensively, making Arcanine harder to plan against than most Fire types. 95 Speed is fast enough.
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 Flare Blitz and Fire Blast, 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
All 24 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
This legendary Chinese Pokémon is considered magnificent. Many people are enchanted by its grand mane.
Its magnificent bark conveys a sense of majesty. Anyone hearing it can’t help but grovel before it.
Arcanine HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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 HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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