Growlithe sits at the start of its evolution line — not yet at full power, but that changes fast. Most trainers push through to Arcanine as fast as possible. Only weak to Water, Ground, and Rock. Known as the Puppy Pokemon.
The stat budget goes to damage. Attack and Sp. Atk carry the offense, Defense doesn't even come close. A Puppy Pokemon on a slow 1.25M XP grind, worth 1 Attack EV per KO.
A Pokémon with a friendly nature. However, it will bark fiercely at anything invading its territory.
Growlithe Weakness
AvgType-wise, Growlithe takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. With 6 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
Growlithe doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need an evolution item to push it forward to Arcanine. Evolving adds up to 205 stat points total.
How to Evolve
Breed Growlithe easily from the Ground egg group.
Best Build
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee uses different battle mechanics.
Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.
Leveling does the heavy lifting. Growlithe picks up Take Down and Flamethrower along the way, building toward a complete offensive set. TMs add Dark and Normal coverage and more, but the foundation's already strong by then.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
A handful of locations for Growlithe with decent spawn rates across early-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.
Best Locations
You can find Growlithe through 4 walking encounters at Lv. 11-27. The list is sorted by game progression, so the earliest accessible spots show up first.
Growlithe is meant to evolve into Arcanine. At 350 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
Growlithe can evolve into Arcanine and Hisuian Arcanine depending on the method. Growlithe is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.
Intimidate is what you want on Growlithe. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Flash Fire, Justified) work on paper but Intimidate is what makes Growlithe worth using.
At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Growlithe is leaning toward the physical side (base 70 Attack). Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits.
Growlithe appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Growlithe has appeared in 21 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Hisuian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLAHisuian
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A