The Pokemon series may be simplistic as far as RPGs go, but its elemental system is truly iconic. Every Pokemon has at least one typing to give it its strengths and weaknesses, and throughout every single game, this has led to all kinds of unique entities in both casual and competitive play.
Today, we’re looking at Fire-type Pokemon from across the ages to show just how strong and flexible this can be. This classic type is one of the first introduced to players, and part of that iconic Fire-Grass-Water trinity. It’s undoubtedly one of the most popular and most diverse Pokemon types of the entire series, but only some Fire-type Pokemon can truly be called the best and strongest.
Updated June 30, 2021 by Gene Cole: From the original Fire-type starter Charmander to powerful Ultra Beasts like Blacephalon, Fire-type Pokemon have remained some of the most popular Pokemon among long-time fans of the series. Since this list was first published, more Pokemon have been introduced to the series, and others have become more popular over time, meaning the best Fire-type Pokemon have changed a lot over time.
15 Flareon
For the longest time, Flareon was a fan-favorite Eeveelution that simply lacked the moves to be relevant. Its modern stat makeup is quite unusual, featuring poor physical Defense, Speed, and HP, but with some excellent Physical Attack and Special Defense.
People have been trying to make it work for years, and it came closest when it got the greatest gift of Flare Blitz as a possible TM Move to take advantage of its stronger offensive stat. It might still be a little too slow to compete with the best competitive Pokemon, but fans are still ready and wanting to see it get the fame and power it deserves.
14 Entei
Entei spent a long time being overshadowed by its fellow legendary beasts of Johto, Suicune, and Raikou. Its stats were always just too balanced to be very special, and most of its Fire-type moves were better on other Pokemon with more range and diversity, but much like Flareon, it took several games for Entei to get the strength it deserves.
This includes a lot of great competitive moves like Snarl to lower its opponent’s Special Attack, but even better was the move Sacred Fire for some intense Fire-type damage and a fifty percent chance to burn the foe. This move was originally exclusive to Ho-Oh, but it managed to make Entei one of the best Fire-type threats in all of competitive Pokemon.
13 Blacephalon
Among many of the Ultra Beasts of the Alola Region, Blacephalon stands out thanks to its own signature move. This move is Mind Blown, an explosive Fire-type attack with one of the highest power ratings of any Fire-type move, all at the cost of half the user’s total health.
This move can make Blacephalon a monster against most opponents, and it only grows stronger if you can get it in sunny weather to boost it even further. Thanks to some other odd moves like Solar Beam and Shadow Ball, you can easily turn Blacephalon into a fast destructive force that’s unlike any non-legendary Fire-type Pokemon.
12 Alolan Marowak
Unlike the underrated favorites of Flareon and Entei, few people ever expected Alolan Marowak to be as powerful as it is. The combination of Ghost and Fire-type can leave a Pokemon with a lot of weaknesses, but Alolan Marowak manages to have just enough defenses and vulnerabilities to somehow make it work.
This includes a few odd resistances like to Electric-type attacks, since it has access to the undoubtedly strange ability Lightning Rod to draw in and nullify these attacks. With its wide set of resistances, a smart trainer can use its physical moves like Poltergeist and Bonemerang for some absurd damage against foes that wouldn’t normally be threatened by Fire-type Pokemon.
11 Torkoal
When Torkoal was first introduced, it was a huge oddity among other Fire-type Pokemon. Nearly every Fire-type in the series was a fast aggressive sweeper in the first few generations, and Torkoal stood out by being this slow and defensive turtle with some unusual status moves.
This all changed when it gained Drought, an ability originally exclusive to the legendary Groudon to cause sunny weather on entry. This made it a must-have in any teams relying on Fire, Grass, and Rock-type Pokemon that needed some resistance to Water-type moves, but its access to the powerful move Eruption made it even more deadly when using strategies like Trick Room to speed it right up.
10 Coalossal
Some of the newest Fire-type Pokemon in the series push the boundaries of what they’re capable of, with the unsuspecting Coalossal quickly becoming one of the most dominant forces of competitive Pokemon battling. This Rock and Fire-type combination might seem like an easy victim to Water-type moves, but its signature ability Steam Engine and its powerful Gigantamax Form let it tank these strikes to maximize its Speed.
This makes Coalossal strong and fast enough to run over nearly anything. With Double Battle partners using moves like Aqua Jet to give this boost even faster, it’s impossible to argue against Coalossal being one of the best Fire-type Pokemon to ever be introduced in competitive play.
9 Galarian Darmanitan (Zen Mode)
The original Fire and Psychic-type Zen Mode for Darmanitan was fairly underwhelming, having some excellent stats but very few unique features to give it an edge in battle. Galarian Darmanitan manages to be much more worthwhile thanks to its Ice and Fire-type Zen Mode transformation, a fully unique combination that activates when it’s below half health.
This comes with an absurd boost to its already-high Attack and Speed stats. The new typing lets it hit just as hard with physical Ice-type moves like Icicle Crash as it can with Fire-type moves like Flare Blitz, as this boost makes it capable of beating down many legendaries in just one quick strike.
8 Arcanine
The original fiery puppy of the Pokemon universe, Growlithe, and its evolved form Arcanine have been doing the rounds since the very first generation of Pokemon. It’s just a vanilla pure Fire-type, but has a wide enough range of moves and stats that you can put it into nearly any role you could imagine, from a supportive tank to an aggressive sweeper.
In VGC battles, the official Nintendo tournament format, it’s always remained a super solid choice. Not only does its well-rounded stats allow players to customize its offensive and defensive roles to suit their needs, but it also comes equipped with Intimidate, one of the best abilities if you want to quickly lower your foe’s physical Attack without wasting any time.
7 Volcarona
If you’ve been playing Pokemon since 1998’s Red and Blue, you’ll remember those darn Bug Catchers in Viridian Forest. You’ll remember effortlessly stomping their disappointing Caterpies and Beedrills to gain some simple early experience points, and likely avoid catching your own after seeing how weak they can be in other trainer’s hands.
Since then, we’ve seen powerhouses like Heracross, Scizor, and Genesect bringing a little honour back to Bug. When it comes to power, though, Volcarona is often held in the highest regard, having the stats of a pseudo-legendary and moves like Quiver Dance to maximize its power and speed even further.
6 Blaziken
The original Fire and Fighting-type starter, Blaziken, has the distinction of being one of few starter Pokemon to ever be considered as powerful as a legendary in unofficial competitive circles. It’s a remarkable mixed attacker with some great offensive moves, but great offense is hardly the only thing that makes Blaziken such an overpowered Fire-type Pokemon.
The release of its hidden ability, Speed Boost, lets it gain an additional fifty percent more Speed at the end of each turn, meaning you can easily just use Protect to give it a boost before the battle truly begins. When combined with some great offensive stats, or items like the Focus Sash to let survive hits from full health, it becomes an aggressive fighter that’s deceptively hard to take down.
5 Talonflame
The reason for Talonflame being overpowered is thanks to a fully unique ability called Gale Wings, which lets it attack first with Flying-type moves so long as it’s at full health. Before Pokemon Sun & Moon, this ability was active at any level of health, but Talonflame is still as powerful despite its nerf.
As a supportive ally for double battles, Talonflame can double your team’s speed for several turns thanks to the move Tailwind, but even just beating down foes with a fast Brave Bird or Dual Wingbeat is enough for this poorly-named hawk. It can definitely be disrupted with moves like Fake Out or Protect to make it waste moves, but this will still eat up much of your opponent’s time.
4 Ninetales
Much like Torkoal, Ninetales is most famous in modern competitive play for its overpowered ability, Drought, which can help it set up sunny weather the moment it enters battle. It wasn’t one of the best Fire-types in Gen 1, but it definitely got progressively better over the course of each game.
The true best tools for it came in Pokemon Sword & Shield, though, as it was much easier to catch with this ability and even got a new Ground-type move of Scorching Sands. This gave Ninetales enough range to deal a much wider variety of Pokemon, letting its high Speed and Special Attack finally pay off more safely.
3 Heatran
Since we first met Heatran in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, it’s made a huge impact on the competitive scene. Its great mixed stats allow it to go the defensive or offensive route, and its unique Fire and Steel-type body gives it just as many resistances as it has weaknesses.
You still have to keep your Heatran away from Ground moves, but items like the Air Balloon and effects like Dynamax can help Heatran tank these four-times effective attacks with zero trouble before blasting them with Lava Plume or Flash Cannon.
2 Ho-Oh
Introduced in Pokemon Gold and Silver, the Rainbow Pokemon was the box mascot of the former game, and was widely considered the best Fire-type legendary Pokemon for several generations. Alongside the former signature move Sacred Fire, unusual moves like Ancient Power and Zap Cannon helped it remain unique over other Fire and Flying-types like Charizard and Moltres.
As with Heatran, it’s got a glaring weakness, but this time to Rock-type moves. Thankfully, though, most of the competitive Rock-type moves tend to be quite inaccurate, such as Stone Edge and Rock Slide, so you’re still likely to stay alive if they try to take advantage of Ho-Oh’s biggest vulnerability.
1 Charizard
Fan-favourite Charizard has had an interesting journey through the generations of the series. Its classic form has fairly average offenses and a great range of Fire and Flying-type moves, but Charizard truly became the best Fire-type Pokemon in X & Y, where it gained two separate Mega Evolutions that boosted its stats to incredible heights for various aggressive strategies.
Love for Charizard didn’t stop there, as it was one of the face Pokemon for Pokemon Sword & Shield with its own Gigantamax Form ahead of the other two Kanto starters. Even without these forms, though, Charizard started from being a solid Fire-type to one of the strongest Fire-types over just a few games, and is likely to stay so famous and powerful for years to come.