Special
Sweeper
534High
100Fast
BTier

Charizard's Fire/Flying typing gives it an immunity to Ground. Only 3 weaknesses on top of that — it has plenty of safe switch-in opportunities. A competitive option since Gen 1. It clears the crowded base-100 Speed benchmark.

Charizard's built around special offense. Sp. Atk leads the charge, HP pays for it. Tough to catch, worth 3 Sp. Atk EVs. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
534High
HP78
C
Attack84
C
Defense78
C
Sp. Atk109
B
Sp. Def85
C
Speed100
B
Total534
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Charizard yields +3 SpA
HPAtkDefSpA+3SpDSpe
Details
Catch45Challenging•Medium Slow1.06M XP•1.7m / 5'07"•90.5kg / 199.5 lbs•267Base XP
Pokedex Entries

CHARIZARD flies around the sky in search of powerful opponents. It breathes fire of such great heat that it melts anything. However, it never turns its fiery breath on any opponent weaker than itself.

Ruby / Sapphire

Charizard Weakness

Good

Type-wise, Charizard takes extra damage from Rock, Water, and Electric. Watch out for Rock attacks, those deal 4x damage. Ground moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. It resists 5 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. With 78 HP and balanced defenses, Charizard can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
Rock
2xWeaki
WaterElectric
½xResisti
FireFightingSteel
¼xResisti
GrassBug
0xImmunei
Ground
STAB (5)i
GrassIceBugSteelFighting
3Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Scorei+2
Stealth Rock50% on switch
4x Rock — Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Stealth Rock
Abilities
BlazeStrengthens fire moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
Solar PowerHAIncreases Special Attack to 1.5× but costs 1/8 max HP after each turn during strong sunlight.

Charizard is the final form in a three-stage chain from Charmander through Charmeleon. Breeding this form produces Charmander eggs (average hatch time). Evolving from Charmander gave Charizard the biggest boost in Sp.Atk (+49), bringing the total to 534 stats.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Charmander
#004Charmander
16
Level 16
Charmeleon
#005Charmeleon
36
Level 36
Charizard
#006Charizard
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Charmander
Fire
Charmeleon
Fire
Charizard
FireFlying
HP
39
58+19
78+20
ATK
52
64+12
84+20
DEF
43
58+15
78+20
SP.ATK
60
80+20
109+29
SP.DEF
50
65+15
85+20
SPE
65
80+15
100+20
BST
309D-Tier
405D-Tier+96
534B-Tier+129
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Utility
Special
Special
Breeding
Easy

Breed with Charizard to get Charmander eggs easily using 27 partners from the Dragon and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Ancient Power, Beat Up, Belly Drum and 5 more.

Egg Groups
DragonMonster
Gender
♂87.5%♀12.5%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
8moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradoscharizardkingdrasceptileflygonmiloticvenusaurblastoisenidokingmeganiumferaligatrampharos
12 of 27·

This build takes hits and hits back. Leftovers provides passive recovery each turn, Blaze supports the gameplan, and max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs mean Charizard doesn't crumble to chip damage. Plus utility options backing it up.

Best Build

Special Sweeper
Ability
Blaze
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Hasty+SPE
EVs

Best Charizard Moveset

  • Fire BlastSTAB
  • Hidden Power Grass
  • SubstituteUtility
  • Focus Punch

Recommended Teammates

Tyranitar
TyranitarDecent
Metagross
MetagrossDecent
Swampert
SwampertDecent

Breeding's the move. Ancient Power and Beat Up give Charizard options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 7 types already covers a decent range on top of Overheat and Fire Blast. The egg moves push it further.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 1
Growl
—10040Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Smokescreen
—10020Normal
Lv 7
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 13
Smokescreen
—10020Normal
Lv 20
Rage
2010020Normal
Lv 27
Scary Face
—9010Normal
Lv 34
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
Lv 36
Wing Attack
6010035Flying
Lv 44
Slash
7010020Normal
Lv 54
Dragon Rage
—10010Dragon
Lv 64
Fire Spin
357015Fire

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
60—20Flying
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM02
Dragon Claw
8010015Dragon
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
HM02
Fly
709515Flying
TM01
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM50
Overheat
140905Fire
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
TM05
Roar-6
——20Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM47
Steel Wing
709025Steel
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
——5Fire
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Ancient Power
601005Rock
Egg
Beat Up
—10010Dark
Egg
Belly Drum
——10Normal
Egg
Bite
6010025Dark
Egg
Dragon Dance
——20Dragon
Egg
Outrage
12010010Dragon
Egg
Rock Slide
759010Rock
Egg
Swords Dance
——30Normal

Tutor Moves

Charizard can't learn any Tutor moves

Charizard can't be caught in Ruby & Sapphire. Transfer Charmander from Red, Yellow, or Brilliant Diamond and evolve through the 3-stage chain to get it. The step cards below map the full chain.

How to Obtain Charizard in Ruby & Sapphire

  1. Charmander
    Step 1Obtain Charmander

    Receive as a gift in:

    FireRedGift · Pallet Town · Starter Pokémon

    Then trade to Ruby & Sapphire to continue the evolution chain.

    Also found in:

    RedYellowHeartGoldXUltra SunLet's Go Pikachu
  2. Charmeleon
    Step 2Evolve into Charmeleon

    Receive as a gift in:

    FireRedGift · Pallet Town · Starter Pokémon

    Also found in:

    RedYellowHeartGoldXUltra SunLet's Go Pikachu
  3. Charizard
    Step 3Charizard ✓

  • Charizard has a 534 base stat total and ranks as B-Tier — a solid choice for the right team. It works best as a sweeper. Base 109 Sp. Atk is where it shines.

  • Charizard's biggest threats include Golem (Rock), Gyarados (Water), and Raikou (Electric), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Golem is the most dangerous since Rock moves deal 4x damage.

  • Charmeleon evolves into Charizard at level 36. Charizard is the final evolution in a 3-stage line starting from Charmander. At 534 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • Blaze is the go-to ability for Charizard. It strengthens fire moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less. Its hidden ability Solar Power can work in specific setups.

  • Charizard fills the sweeper role. It's a special attacker with base 109 Sp. Atk. Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.

  • Charizard appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Charizard first appeared in Red & Blue and spans 21 games across 9 generations. It later gained Mega X and Mega Y forms in Generation 6, a Mega form in Generation 7, and a Gigantamax form in Generation 8, adding new dimensions to its competitive identity.