Charmander

Template:Short description Template:Short description Charmander is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise, and the first form of its respective evolutionary line, including Charmeleon and its final form Charizard. First introduced in the 1996 video games Pokémon Red and Blue, it has appeared in multiple games including Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, as well as various merchandise.

Classified as a Fire-type Pokémon, Charmander is one of the three first Pokémon available in the first games, alongside the Grass-type Pokémon Bulbasaur and Water-type Squirtle, which it is strong to and weak to respectively.

Concept and design

Charmander is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for the Pokémon media franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video games Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy, which were later released in North America as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998. In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items. Each Pokémon has one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon. A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.

Most Pokémon games have a trio of Pokémon called "Starter Pokémon". This trio always consist of a Fire, Grass, and Water-type Pokémon, with Fire beating Grass, Grass beating Water, and Water beating Fire. Charmander is the Fire-type member of the original Starter trio, alongside t he Grass-type Bulbasaur and Water-type Squirtle. Charmander evolves into Charmeleon after battling and reaching a high enough level, which eventually evolves into Charizard. Upon evolving into Charizard, it gains a Flying type in addition to its Fire type. Charmander was designed by Atsuko Nishida and is a bipedal lizard with an orange body and cream-colored belly. On its tail is a small flame. It is said to be based on multiple different types of giant salamander, including the Chinese giant salamander and Japanese giant salamander.

Appearances

Charmander first appears in Pokémon Red and Green (Red and Blue outside of Japan), and is one of the three first Pokémon the player can choose from when offered by Professor Oak, alongside Bulbasaur and Squirtle. If the player instead chooses Bulbasaur, the protagonist's rival will choose Charmander; if Squirtle is chosen, Charmander will remain in Oak's lab. In Pokémon Yellow, the player receives a Pikachu instead of any of the three Starter Pokémon. A Charmander can be received from a trainer in this game as a gift. They appeared in the remakes Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, where it is a Starter Pokémon like Red and Blue. A Charmander was given away in February 2006 as part of a two-week-long event. The remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver, HeartGold and SoulSilver, the player is given the choice between Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle by Oak after defeating Red near the end of the game. Charmander can be obtained in Pokémon Black and White through the website Pokémon Dream World. In Pokémon X and Y, in addition to this game's trio of Starter Pokémon, the Red and Blue trio is included, with the character Professor Sycamore offering one of the three to the player. Charmander could be found in the wild in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and the remakes Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the latter also including it as a gift Pokémon like in Yellow. It is given as a gift in Pokémon Sword and Shield by the Champion Leon after beating him, and can be found in an area called the Grand Underground in the remakes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. While not featured in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet at launch, Charmander was included in the second part of Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass, The Indigo Disk. In Pokémon Legends Z-A, the player can receive a Charmander as an option between the Red and Blue Starter trio.

Charmander appears in various spin-offs, including Pokémon Masters EX, Pokémon Go, Pokémon Snap, and the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. It appears in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, including with a card based on Pokémon Snap that sold, combined with Bulbasaur and Squirtle's respective Snap cards, for $230,000. Outside of the Pokémon series, Charmander appears in the Super Smash Bros. series and Super Mario Maker as a costume that protagonist Mario could wear.

Charmander has been depicted in multiple pieces of merchandise, including plushes, figures, model kits, food items, jewelry, apparel, and McDonald's Happy Meal toys. In Las Vegas, certain streets were renamed after Pokémon species, including Charmander.

Critical reception

Charmander has received positive reception. Game Informer writer Kyle Hilliard considered Charmander among the greatest of the Pokémon in Red and Blue, stating that it was a "great, lovable fire beast" and was popular due to "fire [being fun", adding that it evolving into Charizard made it even better. Polygon writer Allega Frank considered Charmander the best Pokémon, stating that it was the very first Pokémon she ever had and that all other Pokémon in her team was there to support her and her Charmander. When Charmander evolved into Charmeleon, she felt disappointed, stating that it was not her "beautiful bestie", though she still felt attachment to it. She stated that it being an "adorable lizard guy [with a] shy smile and burning little flame" is what made her pick it originally, and what made her continue to favor it over other Pokémon. In a discussion between Polygon staff about who the best Starter Pokémon in Pokémon Red and Blue was, multiple editors stated their preferences for Charmander. in addition to Frank, who stated that she has an "enshrined collection" of Charmander merchandise, Samit Sarkar, Ashley Oh, Jake Lear, Griffin McElroy, and Susana Polo favored it over the others, making it the most popular among the website's staff. Polo, Oh, and Sarkar cited its evolution into Charizard as a factor, while McElroy stated that Charmander was the superior choice due to balancing, arguing that Water and Grass-type Pokémon were easier to come by early on. Prima Games writer Bryson Maddock considered Charmander the best Starter Pokémon, stating that it was an easy choice to make due to how good Charizard was. He added that it was a popular Pokémon early on, and that Charmander is still vied after due to its evolution.

Nintendo Life writer [] found it cute, while fellow Nintendo Life writer [] stated that he was disaffected by how omnipresent Charmander was. This was a sentiment shared by John [last name], who compared it to McDonald's in this sense. John considered it his favorite of its line, stating that it only became uglier as it evolved. USA Today writer Cian Maher stated his preference for Charmander over Charizard, stating that while Charizard may be more popular, Charmander's designs is among the best for a Fire type in the series. He cited the lore around its tail fire, feeling that this was "extremely grim for a story meant for kids" but appreciated how they incorporated a fire concept into its design. GamesBeat writers Jeff Grubb and Mike Minotti both considered Charmander a particularly good Starter Pokémon. Grubb felt that the entire evolutionary line was strong, and compared it to Bulbasaur, arguing that there was more mystique to Charmander due to the flame on its tail. He stated that it was the "ideal" Pokémon as far as what a Pokémon species should be. Minotti believed that he had a simpler design, appreciating that over later Starter Pokémon species and that the Starter trio of Red and Blue focused on a single color.

Charmander has been noted as being a particularly difficult choice for a Starter Pokémon in Red and Blue due to a disadvantageous type match-up against the first Gym Leader's Rock-type Pokémon and the second Gym Leader's Water-type Pokémon. Futabanet writer Honey stated that, due to Charizard being on the box art of Pokémon Red, Charmander was the most popular Starter Pokémon, but also that it was the most difficult Starter due to the early challenges in the game. They explained that this was compounded by the lack of strong Pokémon early on, which they stated could cause the player to become stuck. Charmander was analyzed as part of IGNTemplate:'s "Pokémon of the Day" series, the author stating that it was the most popular of the three starters thanks to its superior speed, adding that it evolving into Charizard was another reason many people picked it.

Multiple moments in the various Pokémon anime series have been highlighted as significant. Charmander's first appearance in the anime was considered one of the saddest moments of the series by IGN staff. GameSpot writer Tamoor Hussain agreed that it was sad, stating that it showed how trainers could abuse their Pokémon's affection for them. He considered it one of the series' best moments, discussing another moment in the series where Ash nurses Charizard back to health, which he believed evoked Charmander's first appearance. A scene in the series Pokémon Origins where Squirtle bites Charmander was considered particularly noteworthy by critics, with Crunchyroll News writer Daniel Dockery remarking that the sound of Charmander screaming was "haunting" and something he'd never heard in Pokémon before.

External links

• Charmander on Pokemon.com
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