Charmander and Growlithe have been long time entrants of the National Pokedex. As No. 4 and No. 58 respectively, both Fire-type Pokemon have become beloved staples of the franchise.
Arguably, they easily rival each other in popularity, both in cuteness and in effectiveness in battle. It raises the question: in the first Pokemon game, would Growlithe be better than Charmander as the Fire-type starter?
Here are 5 reasons why Charmander was the perfect Fire-type starter and 5 reasons why it should have been Growlithe.
10 Charmander Has A Faster Growth Rate
For anyone who doesn’t spend an ungodly amount of hours IV and EV training, a Pokemon’s growth rate refers to how quickly they evolve. So in layman’s terms, Charmander levels up faster than Growlithe. While this could be due to Charmander’s status as a starter, it’s worth noting that other Pokemon with three evolutionary forms - such as Poliwag, Bellsprout, and Trapinch - grow at the same rate that Charmander does.
This is especially important in the early Pokemon games, which were much more difficult to beat. Though there isn’t a huge difference in growth rates, Growlithe’s slower growth could make for an even more frustrating experience. Only ‘90s kids remember grinding for hours before gym battles and many of them want that time back.
9 Growlithe Can Be Good Without Evolution
Evolution is a permanent thing in Pokemon. Once a Pokemon evolves, it stays that way for good. This can be really annoying for players who know the mechanics of the game and want to do well, but can’t because the Pokemon they like is weak without evolving. While some Pokemon have some really cool evolutionary forms, others aren’t that aesthetically pleasing.
Though Growlithe has a good starting form and a final evolution, in which it basically turns into an even bigger, fluffier dog, a player can keep a Growlithe as a Growlithe without sacrificing aesthetic for power.
8 Charmander Has A Dual Type Final Evolution
Dual types became increasingly more prevalent and important as the Pokemon games went on. Though Charizard isn’t a Fire and Dragon-type (that would probably be too overpowered), it is a Fire and Flying-type.
This opens up Charizard to being super effective against Fighting-type without making Charizard fully vulnerable to any other type. In fact, the Flying-type status completely removes any threat that Ground-type attacks would pose to Charmander and Charmeleon.
7 Growlithe Has A Safer Hidden Ability
Hidden Abilities were introduced starting with Generation V and have continued since then. Only some Pokemon have Hidden Abilities and they can only be obtained in certain ways. What makes them special is the rarity and the fact that the ability will continue through evolution. Charmander and Growlithe both have Hidden Abilities, Solar Power and Justified respectively. Solar Power relies on harsh sunlight for it to work, boosting the attack stat but lowering the Pokémon’s HP by ⅛ of its maximum. Justified activates when the Pokémon in question is hit by a Dark-type move, raising the attack stat by one stage.
While the ultimate opinion on the two are up to the player’s battle style, Justified has slightly less risk involved for the reward. Harsh sunlight would still boost Growlithe’s Fire-type moves without costing it the HP. Growlithe is also more suited towards physical attacks over special attacks whereas Charmander is the opposite. Though Charmander has a good Attack stat, it would benefit more from a boost in Special Attack stat.
6 Charmander Has A Cooler Shiny Form
While in their first evolution stages, Charmander and Growlithe have similar Shiny form color schemes. The big change comes with Charizard. Instead of the usual orange and blue, Charizard becomes black and red. Charizard is already cool, the color palette just makes it even better.
Unfortunately for poor Arcanine, it stays that yellow/gold color. As far as Shiny forms go, it’s pretty underwhelming.
5 Growlithe Is Literally A Fire Puppy
Charmander and its evolutions definitely carry the cool factor, but sometimes, cute reigns supreme. Usually, with Pokemon evolutions, the Pokemon becomes scarier, more mature, or turns into something completely unrelated to the previous form. While Charizard sprouts wings, Arcanine is just a bigger, fluffier version of Growlithe.
Growlithe is already known as the Puppy Pokemon, with all the mannerisms and playfulness of a puppy, and it just ends up turning into a dog. A big, soft, fluffy, loyal dog that can shoot fire from its mouth. Sometimes, the imaginary companionship and ability to snuggle wins out.
4 Charmander Has More Balanced Stats
This may not mean much to casual players, but in competition play, IVs and EVs can be the difference between winning and losing. Obviously, the higher the stat, the higher the damage given or the lower the damage taken. Preference towards certain stats depends on the type of Pokemon, its nature, and personal choices by the player.
But for casual players who just want to beat the game, a Pokemon with a more balanced mix of stats works better for the storyline gameplay. Charizard’s top three stats are in Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, making it good for faster hits and withstanding most moves it's weak against (for example, a majority of Water-type moves are special attacks). In terms of stats and growth, Charmander is the safer option.
3 Growlithe Has Better Natural Moveset Diversity
This was definitely more important in the earlier Pokemon games when Poke, the game’s currency, was in much shorter supply, but it’s still valuable today for less experienced players. Natural moves refer to those that a Pokemon learns through leveling up. For the most part, Pokemon tend to learn moves that are the same type that they are. For example, Growlithe, a Fire-type Pokemon, will learn Ember, a Fire-type move, naturally.
But many Pokemon also have the ability to naturally learn moves outside of their designated type, which can be an advantage when facing bad type matchups or if the player wants to confuse their opponent. Growlithe learns more moves that aren’t Fire-type moves through the level up system than Charmander does, which cuts down on the need to use TMs, HMs, or TRs on it. In terms of TMs, that cut down on some serious spending.
2 Charmander Can Mega Evolution and Gigantamax
The ability to Mega Evolve and Gigantamax are what sets Charmander apart from Growlithe. In many competitions, players are allowed to perform either of these - while facing the additional side-effects of when they wear off. These gimmicks are flashy, powerful, and fun.
Keep in mind that while most of the starters have Mega Evolution and/or Gigantamax forms, many other Pokemon do as well, such as Absol, Sableye, Alcremie, and Duraludon to name a few. Growlithe was not included in this batch, making Charmander a more valuable asset to the team.
1 Growlithe Has Higher Stat Potential
When evolved into Arcanine, Arcanine’s overall base stats beat Charizard’s by an average of 22 points. This comes more into play with competition battles than the storyline gameplay since stats can mean everything in a battle where all Pokémon are set to Level 50.
Arcanine’s best stats lie in Attack and Special Attack, with HP and Speed coming in second. It’s a decently well-rounded Pokemon with the ability to strike fast and hard. Without Mega Evolution or Gigantamaxing, Arcanine is a more valuable fighter at its core.