Mixed
Balanced
350Low
60Moderate
DTier

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.

Base Stats
350Avg
HP55
D
Attack70
C
Defense45
D
Sp. Atk70
C
Sp. Def50
D
Speed60
C
Total350
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Growlithe yields +1 Atk
HPAtk+1DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch190Easy•Slow1.25M XP•0.7m / 2'04"•19kg / 41.9 lbs•70Base XP
Pokedex Entries

Very protective of its territory. It will bark and bite to repel intruders from its space.

Red / Blue

Growlithe Weakness

Avg

Type-wise, Growlithe takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Standard number of weaknesses for the Fire typing.

Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
WaterGroundRock
½xResisti
FireGrassIceBug
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (3)i
GrassIceBug
3Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei-2
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
IntimidateLowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.
Flash FireProtects against fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.
JustifiedHARaises Attack one stage upon taking damage from a dark move.
Flash Fire grants Fire immunity

Growlithe starts a line toward Arcanine. Can't breed this Fire type (350 stats), so keep the evolution path going. Evolving adds up to 205 stat points total.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Growlithe
#058Growlithe
Fire Stone
Arcanine
#059Arcanine
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Growlithe
Fire
Arcanine
Fire
HP
55
90+35
ATK
70
110+40
DEF
45
80+35
SP.ATK
70
100+30
SP.DEF
50
80+30
SPE
60
95+35
BST
350D-Tier
555A-Tier+205
ROLE
Balanced
Attacker
TYPE
Mixed
Mixed
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Best Build

Gen 1 build content has limited support (no abilities, held items, or natures).

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

TMs carry this one. Growlithe learns Fire Blast and Flamethrower naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Dark and Normal and beyond give it real matchup play.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bite
6010025Normal
Lv 1
Roar-6
——20Normal
Lv 18
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 23
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 30
Take Down
908520Normal
Lv 39
Agility
——30Psychic
Lv 50
Flamethrower
9510015Fire

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM08
Body Slam
8510015Normal
TM28
Dig
10010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
TM23
Dragon Rage
—10010Dragon
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM40
Skull Bash
10010010Normal
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Growlithe doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Growlithe can't learn any Tutor moves

Growlithe's scattered across 6 spots in early-game routes with high spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.

Best Locations

6 walking spots from Lv. 15-35 for Growlithe. Sorted by game progression with rates on each row, so you can compare without scrolling through everything.

Route 8
GrassLv.15-18UncommonEarlyRoute
EASY
Route 7
GrassLv.18-20UncommonMidRoute
EASY
Pokémon Mansion - 2F
GrassLv.32CommonLateBuilding
EFFORTLESS
Pokémon Mansion - 3F
GrassLv.33UncommonLateBuilding
EASY
Pokémon Mansion - 1F
GrassLv.34UncommonLateBuilding
EASY
Pokémon Mansion - B1F
GrassLv.35UncommonLateBuilding
EASY

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

  • Growlithe can evolve into Arcanine and Hisuian Arcanine depending on the method. Growlithe is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Growlithe is a mixed attacker — base 70 Attack and 70 Sp. Atk. 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.