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.

What is Growlithe weak to?

In Ruby & Sapphire, Growlithe's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Golem (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

What is the best ability for Growlithe?

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.

What role does Growlithe play in battle?

At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Growlithe is a special attacker with base 70 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Fragile, can't afford to take many hits.

Should I use Growlithe?

For Ruby & Sapphire, you can run Growlithe through the first few routes without issues. 350 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Arcanine as fast as you can.

Growlithe - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Special

Balanced

DTier

60Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

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

Avg

HP55

Attack70

Defense45

Sp. Atk70

Sp. Def50

Speed60

Total350

Details

Catch Rate

Easy190 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height0.7 m

Weight19.0 kg

Base XP70

Abilities

Intimidate

Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.

Flash Fire

Protects against fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.

JustifiedHANot in game

Raises Attack one stage upon taking damage from a dark move.

Flash Fire grants Fire immunity

EV Yield

HPAtk+1DefSpASpDSpe

Attack training source

Pokedex Entries

GROWLITHE has a superb sense of smell. Once it smells anything, this POKéMON won’t forget the scent, no matter what. It uses its advanced olfactory sense to determine the emotions of other living things.

Growlithe Weakness

Type-wise, Growlithe takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.

Growlithe Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Water, Ground, Rock
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel

Type ChartAvg

3Weak

5Resist

1Immune

Score-1

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

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Water Ground Rock

½xResist

Fire Grass Ice Bug Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Fire

STAB (4)

Grass Ice Bug Steel

How to Beat Growlithe in Ruby & Sapphire (Best Counters)

In Ruby & Sapphire, Gyarados can KO Growlithe with Earthquake (174-205%). Flygon threatens a KO with Earthquake (161-190%). Regirock's Explosion also KOs at 185-218%.

Gyarados WaterFlying	B
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves Earthquake Dragon Dance Hidden Power Flying TauntUtility Damage vs Growlithe Earthquake 2x 174-205%KO View Gyarados builds →
Flygon GroundDragon	B
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves EarthquakeSTAB Rock Slide ToxicUtility ProtectPriority Damage vs Growlithe Earthquake 2x 161-190%KO Rock Slide 2x 81-96% View Flygon builds →
Regirock Rock	B
Recommended Build AbilityClearbody ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves Explosion Rock Slide Thunder Wave Superpower Damage vs Growlithe Explosion 185-218%KO Rock Slide 2x 169-198%KO Superpower 89-105%KO View Regirock builds →

Ruby & Sapphire Evolution

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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#058Growlithe

Fire Stone

#059Arcanine

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Growlithe

Fire

Arcanine

Fire

90+35

ATK

110+40

DEF

80+35

SP.ATK

100+30

SP.DEF

80+30

SPE

95+35

BST

350D-Tier

555A-Tier+205

ROLE

Balanced

Attacker

TYPE

Mixed

Breeding

Easy

Breed Growlithe easily with 102 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Body Slam, Crunch, Fire Spin and 4 more to offspring.

Egg Groups

Ground

Gender

♂75.0%♀25.0%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

7moves

Breed With (best first)

Ruby & Sapphire Growlithe Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

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

Moves

The egg pool carries weight here. Body Slam and Crunch aren't available any other way for Growlithe, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Overheat and Fire Blast for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Bite

D6010025Dark

Lv 1

Roar-6

C——20Normal

Lv 7

Ember

—4010025Fire

Lv 13

Leer

——10030Normal

Lv 19

Odor Sleuth

——10040Normal

Lv 25

Take Down

D908520Normal

Lv 31

Flame Wheel

—6010025Fire

Lv 37

Helping Hand+5

———20Normal

Lv 43

Agility

D——30Psychic

Lv 49

Flamethrower

C9510015Fire

TM Moves

TM40

Aerial Ace

D60—20Flying

TM45

Attract

——10015Normal

TM28

Dig

—6010010Ground

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM42

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM38

Fire Blast

C120855Fire

TM35

Flamethrower

C9510015Fire

TM21

Frustration

——10020Normal

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM23

Iron Tail

D1007515Steel

TM50

Overheat

B140905Fire

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM05

Roar-6

C——20Normal

HM06

Rock Smash

—2010015Fighting

TM43

Secret Power

—7010020Normal

HM04

Strength

—8010015Normal

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM46

Thief

D6010025Dark

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Egg

Body Slam

D8510015Normal

Egg

Crunch

D8010015Dark

Egg

Fire Spin

—357015Fire

Egg

Heat Wave

—1009010Fire

Egg

Howl

D——40Normal

Egg

Safeguard

D——25Normal

Egg

Thrash

—12010020Normal

Tutor Moves

Growlithe can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Growlithe in Ruby & Sapphire

Growlithe doesn't appear in Ruby & Sapphire. Transfer it from Red, Yellow, or Sun to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.

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

Catch in the wild in:

FireRedWalking · Pokémon Mansion

Then trade to Ruby & Sapphire.

Also found in:

Red Yellow Gold Crystal Diamond Platinum

Growlithe Guide

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.
In Ruby & Sapphire, Growlithe's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Golem (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.
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 a special attacker with base 70 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Fragile, can't afford to take many hits.
For Ruby & Sapphire, you can run Growlithe through the first few routes without issues. 350 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Arcanine as fast as you can.

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

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