Stats & Training
An unusually even spread gives Growlithe flexibility. Attack barely edges ahead. But Defense isn't far off. Common in the wild and follows a slow 1.25M XP grind. Yields 1 Attack stat exp.
Very protective of its territory. It will bark and bite to repel intruders from its space.
Very protective of its territory. It will bark and bite to repel intruders from its space.
Growlithe Weakness
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Ground, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug |
- 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
 Squirtle Water | D | |
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift | ||
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Geodude builds →Dig 2x106-125%KO Rock Throw 2x69-81% | ||
 Sandshrew Ground | C | |
Squirtle Water | D | |
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Squirtle builds →Dig 2x52-63% Bubble Beam 2x63-75% Bubble 2x42-50% Water Gun 2x42-50% | ||
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Geodude builds →Dig 2x106-125%KO Rock Throw 2x69-81% | ||
Sandshrew Ground | C | |
Squirtle Water | D | |
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Squirtle builds →Dig 2x52-63% Bubble Beam 2x63-75% Bubble 2x42-50% Water Gun 2x42-50% | ||
 Onix RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Onix builds →Dig 2x71-84% Rock Slide 2x67-80% Rock Throw 2x48-57% | ||
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Geodude builds →Dig 2x106-125%KO Rock Slide 2x100-118%KO Rock Throw 2x67-80% | ||
 Dugtrio Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Dugtrio builds →Dig 2x122-144%KO Rock Slide 2x77-91% | ||
 Cubone Ground | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Cubone builds →Dig 2x73-87% Bone Club 2x61-72% Bubble Beam 2x34-41% Water Gun 2x23-28% | ||
Squirtle Water | D | |
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Squirtle builds →Dig 2x49-58% Bubble Beam 2x57-68% Bubble 2x38-46% Water Gun 2x38-46% | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | B | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Lapras builds →Bubble Beam 2x87-104%KO Water Gun 2x54-64% | ||
Onix RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Onix builds →Earthquake 2x90-107%KO Dig 2x73-86% Rock Slide 2x69-82% Rock Throw 2x48-57% | ||
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Geodude builds →Earthquake 2x133-157%KO Dig 2x108-129%KO Rock Slide 2x102-121%KO Rock Throw 2x69-82% | ||
Dugtrio Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Dugtrio builds →Earthquake 2x157-186%KO Dig 2x127-150%KO Rock Slide 2x81-95% | ||
Cubone Ground | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Cubone builds →Earthquake 2x96-114%KO Dig 2x79-93% Bone Club 2x63-75% Bubble Beam 2x33-40% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | B | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Lapras builds →Surf 2x117-138%KO Bubble Beam 2x85-101%KO Water Gun 2x54-64% | ||
Onix RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Onix builds →Earthquake 2x91-108%KO Dig 2x74-88% Rock Slide 2x69-81% Rock Throw 2x48-57% | ||
 Rhyhorn GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Rhyhorn builds →Earthquake 2x143-169%KO Dig 2x115-135%KO Rock Slide 2x108-128%KO | ||
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Geodude builds →Earthquake 2x137-162%KO Dig 2x111-131%KO Rock Slide 2x102-121%KO Rock Throw 2x71-84% | ||
Squirtle Water | D | |
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Squirtle builds →Surf 2x82-98% Dig 2x51-61% Bubble Beam 2x60-71% Bubble 2x39-47% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | B | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Lapras builds →Hydro Pump 2x141-166%KO Surf 2x115-137%KO Bubble Beam 2x85-100%KO Water Gun 2x54-63% | ||
 Kingler Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Kingler builds →Crabhammer 2x87-102%KO Surf 2x78-93% Bubble Beam 2x58-68% Bubble 2x37-44% | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Golduck builds →Surf 2x124-146%KO Dig 2x72-85% Bubble Beam 2x91-107%KO Water Gun 2x58-68% | ||
 Dewgong WaterIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Dewgong builds →Surf 2x99-117%KO Bubble Beam 2x72-85% Water Gun 2x46-54% | ||
 Seadra Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Seadra builds →Surf 2x124-146%KO Bubble Beam 2x91-107%KO Bubble 2x58-68% Water Gun 2x58-68% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | B | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Lapras builds →Hydro Pump 2x145-171%KO Surf 2x119-141%KO Bubble Beam 2x86-102%KO Water Gun 2x55-65% | ||
Kingler Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Kingler builds →Crabhammer 2x90-106%KO Surf 2x80-95% Bubble Beam 2x58-69% Bubble 2x37-44% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Golduck builds →Surf 2x131-155%KO Dig 2x74-88% Bubble Beam 2x94-111%KO Water Gun 2x58-69% | ||
Dewgong WaterIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Dewgong builds →Surf 2x102-120%KO Bubble Beam 2x74-88% Water Gun 2x47-55% | ||
Seadra Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Seadra builds →Surf 2x131-155%KO Bubble Beam 2x94-111%KO Bubble 2x58-69% Water Gun 2x58-69% | ||
In Red & Blue, Slowbro can KO Growlithe with Surf (135-159%). Golem threatens a KO with Earthquake (189-222%). Nidoking's Earthquake also KOs at 165-194%.
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | B | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Slowbro builds →Surf 2x135-159%KO | ||
 Golem RockGround | B | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Golem builds →Earthquake 2x189-222%KO Explosion156-184%KO Rock Slide 2x142-167%KO Body Slam53-63% | ||
 Nidoking PoisonGround | C | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Nidoking builds →Earthquake 2x165-194%KO Rock Slide 2x82-97% Thunderbolt39-46% Ice Beam20-23% | ||
Red & Blue Evolution
Growlithe starts a line toward Arcanine. Can't breed this Fire type (330 stats), so keep the evolution path going. Evolving adds up to 225 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Red & Blue Growlithe Best Moveset
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.
Moves
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
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Red & Blue Growlithe Locations
Growlithe's scattered across 6 spots in early-game routes with decent spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.
Best Locations to Catch Growlithe in Red & Blue
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.
Growlithe Guide
Growlithe has 2 evolution paths: Arcanine using a Fire Stone and Hisuian Arcanine using a Fire Stone. Different conditions, different results.
For Red & Blue, you can run Growlithe through the first few routes without issues. 330 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Arcanine as fast as you can.
Growlithe is catchable in Red & Blue. Check the Locations section above for specific routes, encounter rates, and methods. It also appears in 20 other games across the series.
Yes. Hisuian Growlithe is a regional variant with different typing and a reworked stat spread. Introduced in Gen 8. Plays completely differently from the original.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Growlithe has appeared in 21 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received a Hisuian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLAHisuian
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves