Mixed
Balanced
309Low
65Moderate
DTier

Charmander sits at the start of its evolution line — not yet at full power, but that changes fast. Most trainers push through to Charizard as fast as possible. Known as the Lizard Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

Speed and Sp. Atk carry most of Charmander's stat budget. HP's the obvious dump stat. Tough to catch and yields 1 Speed EV. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
309Avg
HP39
F
Attack52
D
Defense43
D
Sp. Atk60
C
Sp. Def50
D
Speed65
C
Total309
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Charmander yields +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Details
Catch45ChallengingMedium Slow1.06M XP0.6m / 2'00"8.5kg / 18.7 lbs62Base XP
Pokedex Entries

The flame on its tail shows the strength of its life force. If it is weak, the flame also burns weakly.

Gold

The flame on its tail indicates CHARMANDER’s life force. If it is healthy, the flame burns brightly.

Silver

Charmander Weakness

Avg

Charmander is weak to Water, Ground, and Rock-type moves. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Standard number of weaknesses for the Fire typing.

Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCriticali
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
3Weak
5Resist
0Immune
Scorei-1
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
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.

Three stages ahead. Charmander grows into Charmeleon, then pushes on to Charizard. Check the evolution methods below. For breeding, average hatch time with a small partner pool via two egg groups. Evolving adds up to 225 stat points total.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Charmander
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 Charmander easily with 13 breeding partners from the Dragon and Monster egg groups. Pass egg moves like Ancient Power, Beat Up, Belly Drum and 3 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
DragonMonster
Gender
87.5%12.5%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradoscharizardkingdravenusaurblastoisenidokingmeganiumferaligatrampharosslowbrorhydonslowking

For an attacker, Charmander wants flexible EVs EVs and Leftovers. The a nature nature tilts toward balanced duty, and an ability contributes without taking a move slot.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 2
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Not in Gen 2

Best Charmander Moveset

  • Fire BlastSTAB
  • Belly Drum
  • Rock Slide
  • ReturnCoverage

Egg moves make a real difference. Charmander gets Ancient Power and Beat Up exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 8 types rounds out the picture alongside Fire Blast and Flamethrower.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 7
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 13
Smokescreen
10020Normal
Lv 19
Rage
2010020Normal
Lv 25
Scary Face
9010Normal
Lv 31
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
Lv 37
Slash
7010020Normal
Lv 43
Dragon Rage
10010Dragon
Lv 49
Fire Spin
357015Fire

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM03
Curse
10Ghost
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM40
Defense Curl
40Normal
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM24
Dragon Breath
6010020Dragon
TM01
Dynamic Punch
100505Fighting
TM20
Endure+4
10Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM48
Fire Punch
7510015Fire
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM49
Fury Cutter
109520Bug
TM02
Headbutt
7010015Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM31
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM08
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM35
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM13
Snore
4010015Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM34
Swagger
8515Normal
TM39
Swift
6020Normal
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

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

Tutor Moves

Charmander can't learn any Tutor moves

No wild encounters for Charmander in Gold & Silver. It's available in Red, Yellow, or Brilliant Diamond and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.

Charmander is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

  • Charmander is meant to evolve into Charmeleon. At 309 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Charmander's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Golem (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

  • Charmander evolves into Charmeleon at level 16. Charmander is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Charmander is a mixed attacker — base 52 Attack and 60 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

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

One of the original 151, Charmander has appeared in 21 games — nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.