Is Arcanine Good in Ruby & Sapphire Playthrough?
AbilityIntimidate is the Gen 3 game-changer for Arcanine. Lowering Attack on switch-in turns it into a defensive pivot as well as an offensive Fire-type. Trade-only in RS, but if imported, Arcanine handles Sidney, Glacia, and Steven's Skarmory. One of the best abilities on a Pokemon that was already good.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Roxanne's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Brawly's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Wattson's team.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Flannery's team.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Norman's team.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Winona's team.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Tate & Liza's team.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Wallace's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Sidney's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Phoebe's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Glacia's team.
Drake's team hits Arcanine's weaknesses hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Steven's team.
Trade
Arcanine cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four.
Recommended Moves
- After Brawly
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Mauville Game Corner
- After Wattson
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Rusturf Tunnel
- After Flannery
- TM50FireOverheatPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5Prize for defeating Flannery
- After Norman
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5Lilycove Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Lilycove Department Store
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Norman
- After Wallace
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Meteor Falls
- LV 49NormalExtreme SpeedPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 5
How to Get Arcanine in Ruby & Sapphire
No wild Arcanine in Hoenn. Trade a Growlithe in and use a Fire Stone, since the stone is the only thing that triggers this evolution.
How to Obtain Arcanine in RS
- Step 1Obtain GrowlitheCARTRIDGE TRADEfrom FireRed & LeafGreenAvailableCatch in FireRed & LeafGreen via Walking · Route 8, then trade to the current game via link cable.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Red & BlueNot TradeableAppears in Red & Blue via Walking · Pokémon Mansion. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom YellowNot TradeableAppears in Yellow via Walking · Pokémon Mansion. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Gold & SilverNot TradeableAppears in Gold & Silver via Walking · Route 7. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom CrystalNot TradeableAppears in Crystal via Walking · Route 37. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Diamond & PearlNot TradeableAppears in Diamond & Pearl via Walking · Route 202 · Dual-slot: FireRed. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom PlatinumNot TradeableAppears in Platinum via Walking · Route 201 · Dual-slot: FireRed. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
- Step 2Arcanine ✓
How to Get Shiny Arcanine in Ruby & Sapphire
Arcanine claims no spot in Hoenn, so evolve a shiny Growlithe with a Fire Stone over in FireRed or LeafGreen, then trade the result back. See every game where Shiny Arcanine can be hunted
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 |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Arcanine Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Arcanine
 Swampert WaterGround | S | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Mudkip (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Swampert builds →Earthquake 2x90-106%KO Surf 2x68-81% Rock Tomb 2x30-36% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 2x103-122%KO Rock Tomb 2x52-62% Surf 2x28-33% | ||
 Flygon GroundDragon | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Flygon builds →Earthquake 2x83-98% Rock Tomb 2x28-33% | ||
 Walrein IceWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Spheal (Shoal Cave Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Walrein builds →Surf 2x75-89% Earthquake 2x46-55% Rock Tomb 2x24-28% | ||
 Donphan Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Donphan builds →Earthquake 2x96-114%KO Rock Tomb 2x33-39% | ||
 Camerupt FireGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Camerupt builds →Earthquake 2x83-98% Rock Slide 2x42-49% | ||
 Azumarill Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Petalburg City Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Azumarill builds →Hydro Pump 2x66-78% Dig 2x20-24% Rollout 2x10-12% | ||
 Sandslash Ground | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Sandslash builds →Earthquake 2x83-98% Rock Tomb 2x28-33% | ||
 Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Graveler builds →Earthquake 2x80-94% Rock Tomb 2x40-48% | ||
 Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodDewford Town Surfing | ||
 Regirock Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 111 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Regirock builds →Earthquake 2x55-65% Ancient Power 2x50-59% | ||
 Armaldo RockBug | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Rustboro City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Armaldo builds →Earthquake 2x67-78% Ancient Power 2x60-71% Water Pulse 2x25-30% | ||
 Claydol GroundPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Arcanine View Claydol builds →Earthquake 2x62-73% Ancient Power 2x25-30% | ||
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 102 partners from the Field egg group. Notable egg moves include Body Slam, Crunch, Fire Spin and 4 more.
RS Arcanine Best Moveset
Physical defense on arrival through AbilityIntimidate cutting opponent Attack on every switch-in, combined with offensive versatility from both attacking stats. MoveFire Blast from 100 Sp. Atk and MoveExtreme Speed for priority physical damage. Held ItemLeftovers sustains.
Best Build
Arcanine best EVs are Attack and Sp. Atk
Physical Attacker Moveset
- Extreme Speed
- Overheat
- Hidden Power Fighting
- Toxic
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 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 22 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
ARCANINE is known for its high speed. It is said to be capable of running over 6,200 miles in a single day and night. The fire that blazes wildly within this POKéMON’s body is its source of power.
Arcanine Ruby & Sapphire Guide
Arcanine isn't catchable in Ruby & Sapphire. Obtain one in FireRed, then trade it to Ruby & Sapphire.
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 · Ruby & SapphireRuby & Sapphire Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Ruby & Sapphire Tier List