Charmander’s Evolution Line: Explained!

One of the hardest decisions in thousands of people’s childhoods is which starter Pokémon they would choose to take on their first adventure.

While the Pokémon games have spawned an enormous media franchise, that first step into becoming a Pokémon trainer is one of the most recollected moments in gaming history.

Starter Pokémon, often known as starters, are the Pokémon chosen by a Trainer at the beginning of their Pokémon journey. New Trainers are given a set of three Starter Pokémon to choose from in each generation of Pokémon games; they are grass, fire, and water type Pokémon. 

At least one of the player’s opponents will always pick or have a beginning Pokémon, generally one that has a type advantage over the player’s, while the other will pick one that has a type disadvantage.

The starter Pokémon are also said to be extremely rare in the wild, which offers the player a good reason why the Pokémon they didn’t pick can’t be found there.

The only exception to these rules are in the game Pokémon Yellow, and its remakes, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!, and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!. In these games, the player has the option to select either a Pikachu, an electric type, or Eevee, a normal type, as their starter Pokémon.

Typically, each set of starter Pokémon are unique to the region of the game they are in, however, the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Arceus on the Nintendo Switch offers the player a choice of starter Pokémon from previous game installments.

These are the grass type, Rowlet, from the Alola region and Pokémon Sun and Moon games, the fire type, Cyndaquil, from the Johto region and Pokémon Gold and Silver games, and the water type, Oshawott, from the Unova region and Pokémon Black and White games.

In this article, we’re going to be looking at one of the most widely popular Pokémon starters, Charmander, and its evolution line. We’ll break down what makes each stage of Charmander’s family line unique, and how they evolve.

Charmander

Charmander is a Generation 1 starter Pokémon that originally appears in the Red, Green, and Blue version games. It is a Pokémon of the Fire-type. It evolves into Charmeleon starting with level 16, by level up.

Along with Bulbasaur and Squirtle, Charmander is one of three Kanto starter Pokémon given to the player by Professor Oak at the start of Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, FireRed, and LeafGreen.

A bipedal reptile with a predominantly orange body and blue eyes, Charmander is a bipedal reptile. From the chest down, as well as the soles of its feet, it has a cream-colored underbelly. It has two tiny fangs on its upper jaw and two smaller fangs on its bottom jaw.

A fire has flashed at the tip of Charmander’s slender tail since his birth.

Charmander’s health and mood may be gauged by the flame, which glows brilliantly when it is in good form, dimly when it is weary, sways when it is delighted and scorches when it is enraged. Legend has it that if Charmander’s flame goes out, he will die.

Charmeleon

Charmeleon is a Generation I Pokémon that originally appears in the game. It is a Pokémon of the Fire type. It evolves from Charmander when it reaches level 16, then into Charizard when it reaches level 36.

The Charmeleon is a two-legged reptile Pokémon. It features dark red scales on the breast and a cream underbelly. It has blue eyes and a long nose with a slightly hooked tip. From the back of its skull, a single horn-like protrusion protrudes.

On its relatively long arms, it possesses three powerful claws. Its slender legs have plantigrade feet with three claws and cream-colored soles. At the tip of its long, powerful tail, a flame glows. The temperature rises to unbearable levels if Charmeleon swings its tail.

Charmeleon is a vicious monster who is constantly on the hunt for potential enemies. Strong opponents anger this Pokémon, causing it to erupt in bluish-white flames that envelop its surroundings.

When a conflict is won, though, it will unravel. In the wild, it’s rare, although it’s prevalent in hilly areas.

Charizard

Charizard is a dual-type Fire/Flying Pokémon that first appeared in Generation I. It evolves from Charmeleon starting at level 36. It’s Charmander’s most powerful evolution stage.

Charizard is the game mascot of both Pokémon Red and FireRed, being featured on the cover art for both games.

Charizard comes in three different variations. It Mega Evolves into Mega Charizard-X, when holding Charizardite X, and into Mega Charizard-Y when holding Charizardite Y. Charizard also has a Gigantamax form.

Charizard is a draconic bipedal Pokémon. It is mostly orange with a cream underbelly from the breast to the tip of its tail. It has a long neck, tiny blue eyes, slightly raised nostrils, and two horn-like appendages that protrude from the rear of its skull.

Two fangs may be seen in the upper jaw when it is closed. Two huge wings with blue-green undersides develop from the back of each wing, with a horn-like appendage protruding from the top of the third joint.

A single wing finger may be seen through the center of each wing membrane. Charizard’s limbs are tiny and slender in comparison to its strong belly, having three white claws on each arm.

It has plantigrade feet with cream-colored soles and stocky legs. At the tip of its long, tapering tail, a huge flame burns.

Mega Charizard-X

Its torso and legs are stronger as Mega Charizard X’s, but its arms are still weak. The underside and soles of the creature darken, revealing a sky-blue underbelly.

Two spikes with blue tips curl upward from the front and back of each shoulder, sharpening, becoming blue, and curving slightly forward. The size of its forehead and claws has increased, and its eyes have become crimson.

Under each horn, it has two small fin-like spikes, and two more down the length of its neck. As the finger leaves the wing membrane, its bottom edges break into wide, rounded tips. A claw-like spike decorates each wing-third arm’s joint. 

Mega Charizard X’s sides spew blue flames, while the flame on its tail has become blue. It’s meant to become black and create more intense flames as its strength grows.

Mega Charizard-Y

Mega Charizard Y is a sleeker version of Mega Charizard, although it retains its original coloration. It has three pointed horns on the back of its head, the centre of which is longer.

It has a ridge on its nose and a snout with larger teeth. The neck is shorter, while the torso is sleeker and longer. It also has longer digitigrade feet. It has tiny fingers that are no longer separated from one another, and its hands are underdeveloped.

The wrists develop little wings, while the back wings expand, lose the wing finger that goes through their membrane, and develop ragged edges.

On the back of its tail are a massive spike at the base and three smaller spikes at the tip, which now burn with a longer flame. Mega Charizard Y is said to have flight skills that are superior to those of a jet fighter.

Gigantamax Charizard

As a Gigantamax Charizard, it grows larger and more physically fit. The lower belly contains many golden jewels, and the bottom half of its body glows white.

The front legs have diamond-shaped patterns as well. The claws on its hands and feet become longer and more pointed. As they grow bigger and digitigrade, the forefeet retain their small light soles.

The horns emit two flames, and the wings transform into real flame wings that extend to the shoulder blade. Its enormous flamed wings were built with Gigantamaxing’s energy.

The sclera of the eyes darkens and becomes yellow with time. When the mouth is closed, the bottom front teeth and three teeth in the center protrude, giving the mouth a flame-like appearance.

The flame on the tail extends out and is encircled by three red clouds, which are identical to the clouds seen on most other Gigantamax Pokémon.

The flames of the Gigantamax Charizard reach over 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. As it roars, the temperature can reach even higher levels. Charizard’s wings are perhaps hotter than the magma it uses to burn its foes.

Can I Stop My Charmander From Evolving?

If you’re a big fan of Charmander, you might want to keep it permanently. Fortunately, you, the player, have the ability to stop the development process in its tracks.

To put it another way, if you don’t want to evolve your Pokémon right now but do later, simply press the B button on the evolution screen. 

This will stop the evolution of your Charmander and prevent it from becoming a Charmeleon. You’ll have to restart the method if you don’t want your Charmander to evolve at the next level because the game will try to evolve it automatically when it reaches the next level.

The same may be said on any subsequent levels.