Charmander

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Charmander
National Venusaur - Charmander (#004) - Charmeleon Johto Venusaur - Charmander (#229) - Charmeleon
Japanese name	Hitokage
Stage	Basic
Evolves from	None
Evolves to	Charmeleon
Generation	First
Species	Lizard Pokémon
Type	Fire
Height	2 ft 0 in (0.6 m)
Weight	18.7 lb (8.5 kg)
Ability	Blaze

Charmander (ヒトカゲ, Hitokage^?) are one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise. The purpose of Charmander in the games, anime and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon, untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers.^[1] Charmander is one of the first Pokémon a player can obtain in Pokémon Red and Blue. Choosing Charmander as a starter Pokémon would be rated the most difficult as Charmander is weak in the first two Gyms, but becomes arguably the best of the three starter pokemon by the end of the game. Charmander also feature prominently in the early episodes of the animated series, as one of Ash Ketchum’s lead Pokémon. Time Magazine once described Charmander as one “of the three more popular Pokémon”, along with Squirtle and Bulbasaur^[2].

The name “Charmander” is a portmanteau of char (to burn)^[3] and salamander (a small amphibian traditionally associated with fire).^[4] Its Japanese name, “Hitokage”, was probably formed from the kanji 火蜥蜴 pronounced hitokage, literally meaning salamander or fire lizard, but can also be viewed as being a pun on 人影 (hito kage), meaning shadow.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 In the Pokémon video games 3 In the Pokémon anime 4 In the Pokémon manga 5 In the Pokémon Trading Card Game 6 In other media 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Characteristics

Charmander are small bipedal lizard or dinosaur-like creatures,^[5] similar to their evolved forms Charmeleon and Charizard, and they possess a flame on the tip of their tail. The intensity of the flame can be taken as an indicator of Charmander’s physical and emotional status. When the flame’s intensity is diminished, Charmander is weak and its health may be at risk. When the flame burns normally, Charmander is healthy, and it can be seen to waver when Charmander is happy, and blaze fiercely when it becomes enraged. If the flame were to ever go out, it would mean the end of Charmander’s life. Charmander will not necessarily die if it falls into water, but extended submergence could be fatal. In the rain, a Charmander’s life is not especially endangered, and each drop of rain on the tail creates a spout of steam. Baby Charmander that are not yet familiar with the flame sometimes accidentally burn themselves with it.^[6] Charmander generally prefer hot places to live. The artwork design of Charmander was created by Ken Sugimori in for its 1996 debut in the Pokémon video games.

[edit] In the Pokémon video games

One of the things consistent among most of the Pokémon games—spanning from Pokémon Red and Blue on the Nintendo Game Boy to the Nintendo DS games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl—is the choice of three different Pokémon at the start of the player's adventures; these three are often labelled "Starter Pokémon". Players can choose a Water-type, a Fire-type, or a Grass-type Pokémon indigenous to the region; an exception to this rule is Pokémon Yellow (a remake of the original games that follows the story of the Pokémon anime), where players are given a Pikachu—an Electric-type mouse famous for being the mascot of the Pokémon media franchise.^[7]

In the original titles (Pokémon Red, Yellow, and Blue) as well as their remakes, (FireRed and LeafGreen), Charmander, along with Squirtle and Bulbasaur, is one of the starter Pokémon offered to the player at the beginning of the quest. When an individual takes a Charmander, the rival trainer will invariably choose Squirtle, as Squirtle has a type-advantage over Charmander: Squirtle’s Water attacks are particularly effective against Charmander’s Fire type.

As Charmander is a Fire-type Pokémon (a special attribute determining the strengths and weaknesses of each Pokémon species), its attacks are particularly effective against Grass, Bug, Ice, and Steel Pokémon, but Ground, Rock, and Water attacks are particularly effective against it. Fire, Grass, Steel, Ice and Bug-type attacks do little damage to Charmander, and Charmander does little damage to other Fire-types, as well as Dragon, Rock, or Water types. Charmander is therefore considered a difficult first choice for beginners, as the first two Gym Leaders (Brock and Misty) use Rock and Water Pokémon respectively. However, in FireRed/LeafGreen, Charmander can learn the attack Metal Claw, a Steel-type attack which Brock's Rock-type Pokémon are weak against. Also, the third Gym Leader (Lt. Surge) uses Electric Pokémon, and neither side has an advantage. At level 16, Charmander evolves into Charmeleon, which evolves (at level 36) into Charizard. Charizard is considered one of the most powerful Pokémon in the first few games, making up for the difficulties at the beginning.

Charmander is not available as a starting choice in Pokémon Yellow, as the storyline follows the animated series, and the player is forced to take Pikachu as a starting Pokémon, since Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle have been taken by trainers who arrived earlier. Charmander is eventually given to the player as a gift, because the owner feels that he is not good enough to give it the care it needs. When it’s received, it is at level 10.

Charmander is not available in the wild in any of the games, and because of its rarity, it is a popular choice for in-game breeding and trading with other players. Additionally, Charmander has made appearances in other Pokèmon games. It appears in the Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap, in the Volcano area of “Pokémon Island”, the game’s setting. It has also made cameo appearances in Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2, as well as the Nintendo GameCube game, Pokémon Channel. Charmander is also one of the sixteen starters in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games. One notable non-Pokémon game appearance of Charmander's is as one of the random Pokemon that appear within the Saffron City stage in the original Super Smash Bros.

[edit] In the Pokémon anime

In the Pokémon anime, Ash Ketchum and his travelling companions once found a Charmander on a rock, waiting for its owner. Because a Charmander will die if the flame on its tail goes out completely, they feared for its life during a rainstorm, during which it was also being harassed by a flock of Spearow. Ash and his friends rescued it and took it to the local Pokémon Center, but it returned to the very same rock once it had recovered. It turned out that its trainer, Damien, had thought it too weak to keep and abandoned it. He had deceived the Charmander by convincing it he would come back for it. Team Rocket arrived and (as usual) attempted to steal Pikachu, but Charmander scared them off with its Flamethrower attack. Damien, who just happened to be walking by, saw that he was wrong about Charmander’s strength after all, and explained his dislike of weak Pokémon. After Charmander heard this, it rejected him and joined Ash.^[8] Ash’s Charmander later evolved into Charmeleon during a battle against an army of Exeggutor, and later into Charizard while fighting a tough Aerodactyl.^[9]

Richie also has a Charmander, named Zippo in reference to the lighter of the same brand, which was used against Ash in their Indigo League battle. However, at some point before his next appearance in the Whirl Islands story arc, Zippo evolved into a Charmeleon.

As a starter Pokémon, Charmander has also been seen alongside Squirtle and Bulbasaur in episodes that feature Kanto trainers who are starting out on their Pokémon journeys. To this effect, Charmander have appeared in minor roles in both Pokémon Chronicles and Advanced Generation.

Charmander, like most Pokémon in the anime (a notable exception being Team Rocket’s Meowth), talk by repeating the syllables of their species name, usually communicating with just “Char” or “Charmander”.

A Charmander is the leader of Team Go-Getters in the half-hour animated special "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out Of The Gate!". He is the first to meet the human who has been turned into a Squirtle, though neither he nor his partner Chikorita fully believe that Squirtle was actually a human. Brave and energetic, this Charmander is always the first into battle, and is considerate of those around him, even his enemies.

[edit] In the Pokémon manga

In Pokémon: Pikachu Shocks Back which loosely parallels the storyline of the anime, Charmander’s story begins in a similar manner. When Pikachu is accidentally left behind by Ash, a Squirtle convinces Pikachu and Charmander to travel with it to a sanctuary for abandoned or weak Pokémon. Along the way, they meet up with Team Rocket, as well as a Kangaskhan who has adopted a human boy. Together they travel to the sanctuary, and true to form, Team Rocket tries to capture all the Pokémon, only to be beaten by Pikachu and Kangaskhan. Charmander’s trainer Damian, who had fallen into a coma after he left Charmander, finds his Pokémon and they are reunited.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Blue received a Charmander from his grandfather, Professor Oak. Having since evolved into a Charizard, it is part of his team as Gym Leader of Viridian City.

In Magical Pokémon Journey, a Charmander belongs to the character Peanut. This Charmander is always causing trouble by getting into fights with other Pokémon.

In Pokémon Zensho, Satoshi is given a Charmander as his starter Pokémon, while Shigeru chooses a Squirtle.

In the Pocket Monsters manga by Kosaku Anakubo, Green (the rival) has a mischievous Charmander that goes along with whatever his trainer wants him to do. It tends to be very antagonistic toward Red's Clefairy.

[edit] In the Pokémon Trading Card Game

The Pokémon Trading Card Game is a collectible card game similar in goal to a Pokémon battle in the video game series; players must use cards (with individual strengths and weaknesses) in an attempt to defeat their opponent by "knocking out" all of his cards.^[10] The game was first published in North America by Wizards of the Coast in 1999, until Nintendo USA started publishing the series in 2003.^[11]

Most Charmander cards are typical, Basic Pokémon cards, and are primarily used to play stronger cards (such as Stage-1 Pokémon, like Charmeleon in this case, or Stage-2 Pokémon, like Charizard in this case). Some Charmander cards are identical in attack and defense to other Basic Fire-type Pokémon, such as Torchic or Cyndaquil.

Charmander has made many appearances in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, including the Base Set (included in Base Set 2 and Legendary) and expansions including Team Rocket, Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge (as Blaine’s Charmander), Expedition (appears twice), EX Dragon (as a secret holographic card) and EX FireRed & LeafGreen (3 cards, one as a secret holographic card). The secret holographic Charmander cards in EX Dragon and EX FireRed & LeafGreen are actually the same card in every way except the artwork.

[edit] In other media

Charmander has also made cameos in several non-Pokémon-centric works. For example, in a scene from Austin Powers in Goldmember, one person in a Charmander costume, another person in a Pikachu costume, as well as someone in a Celebi costume are trying to move out of the way as Austin Powers crashes his Mini-Cooper into a Godzilla Parade Float.^[12]
A life-size charmander plush can also be seen in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle in the boy's room.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Pokémon website
• Bulbapedia (a Pokémon-centric Wiki)’s article about Charmander as a species
• Serebii.net’s 4th Gen Pokédex entry for Charmander
• Pokémon Dungeon Pokédex entry, full of statistics analysis
• PsyPoke Pokédex entry
• WikiKnowledge.net’s entry for Charmander Previously hosted by Wikibooks