Ash’s Charizard is probably hissecond most famousPokémonof all time, just behind Pikachu. Ash used Charizard on a number of occasions, bringing him with him to multiple other regions in a way that few other Pokémon of his got a chance to do. Charizard’s everlasting popularity has made it one of Ash’s go-to Pokémon throughout the series.
Needless to say,after all these years, Charizard has been through some incredible battles. In order to qualify, it needs to be a battle that Charizard won, or at least fought to a draw; battles against Team Rocket generally weren’t considered, as they tend not to be overly impressive. This also only includes battles that took place when he was a Charizard, and so doesn’t include battles from before he evolved. Without further ado, here are 10 of Ash’s Charizard’s greatest battles.
Episode:Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, “Charizard Chills”
After Charizard evolved, it became quite disobedient and difficult for Ash to control. This ended up costing him on several occasions, most notablyin the Pokémon Indigo League tournament, where Ash was disqualified due to Charizard’s behavior. The tension between Ash and Charizard came to a head in “Charizard Chills,” which saw Ash’s Charizard battle a Poliwrath, only to be frozen solid.
Ash and Charizard celebrate not only their victory, but the rekindling of their friendship.
Ash had to nurse Charizard back to health slowly as the ice melted, reminding Charizard of all Ash had done for it. At the end of the episode, Ash and Charizard have a rematch against Poliwrath, the first time when the two are in sync.Charizard obeys Ash’s orders, and this time emerges victorious, taking down Poliwrath with a Seismic Toss of epic proportions. Ash and Charizard celebrate not only their victory, but the rekindling of their friendship.
9Charizard vs. Falkner’s Pidgeot
Episode:Pokémon Gold and Silver, “Fighting Flyer with Fire”
Ash challenges Falkner for his first Johto League badge, but things get off to a rough start when Ash chooses Chikorita as his lead. He ends up falling back on Pikachu to defeat two of Falkner’s three Pokémon, but Pikachu doesn’t have the stamina to face Pidgeot as well, and so Ash is forced to rely on Charizard. Fortunately, this is when Charizard is obeying, and it takes to the sky for an aerial battle with Pidgeot.
Pidgeot initially has the upper hand with its Agility, allowing it to outmaneuver Charizard and force it to the ground. Charizard is able to get back up in the air, but takes several Quick Attacks in the process.Already weakened, Charizard manages to catch Pidgeot by surprise with a Fire Spin, before grabbing it for the classic Seismic Toss knock-out, giving Ash the win and securing him the Zephyr Badge.
8Charizard vs. Drake’s Electabuzz
Episode:Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, “Enter the Dragonite”
In Ash’s match with theOrange Island League’s Supreme Gym Leader, Drake, he ended up deploying Charizard against Drake’s Electabuzz, a risky tactic since Electabuzz has the type advantage. Drake’s Electabuzz wastes no time, landing a Thunder Punch and Thunder in quick succession, dealing major damage to Charizard. However, Charizard wasn’t going to be defeated that easily, and encircles Electabuzz in a Fire Spin.
Electabuzz tries to get off a Thunderbolt, butCharizard manages to grab it and pull off its classic Seismic Toss once again, taking down Electabuzz.Charizard didn’t fare so well in the next phase of the battle due to the damage it took from Electabuzz, but it was still an impressive performance that put Ash within sight of victory. With a championship at stake in this battle, it was time for Charizard to deliver on his potential, and deliver he did.
7Charizard vs. Iris' Dragonite
Episode:Pokémon Black and White, “The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!”
Iris is a traveling companion of Ash’s, but when Ash called upon his Charizard out of nostalgia, they soon discovered that Charizard did not get along with Iris’ Dragonite. Their instant rivalry led Ash and Iris to let them battle, giving Charizard his first chance in a long time to show off his power. The two take to the air almost immediately, clashing with similar moves, as both open with a Flamethrower.
Charizard is able to outmaneuver Dragonite, hitting it with a super-effective Dragon Tailand sending it careening into the ground below. That’s whenN, another temporary traveling companion, steps in and calls the battle off, stating that the two have settled their differences. While the battle technically ended in a draw, it’s clear that Charizard had the upper hand, especially since Iris was under the mistaken impression that Charizard is a Dragon-type.
6Charizard vs. Clone Charizard
Pokémon: the First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back
In the first movie, Mewtwo challenges several trainers, including Ash, to defeat his cloned Pokémon with their ordinary counterparts.Charizard takes this challenge against another Charizard seriously, and the battle gets quite fierce, but Charizard is simply unable to defeat the clone Charizard, as it constantly outmaneuvers him.
Charizard is defeated and captured by Mewtwo’s special Poké Balls, but Ash finds a way to free the captured Pokémon and bring them tofight against Mewtwo’s clone army. As the Pokémon battle against their clones, it becomes increasingly apparent that the clones are too evenly matched. Every battle, including Charizard’s, comes down tothe two Pokémon being worn out and unable to continue fighting, although they push on relentlessly.
Ultimately,the fighting stops when Ash is caught between Mew and Mewtwo’s blast, turning him to stone.The Pokémon, original and clone alike, cease their fighting and shed a tear for Ash, which helps to revive him. While Charizard didn’t win this one, he struggled mightily to a draw, and that’s all one can ask for.
5Charizard vs. Clair’s Dragonair
Episode:Pokémon Gold and Silver, “Better Eight Than Never”
Ash’s battle for his eighth Johto League badge came down to the wire; in a three versus three match, it all ended up with Ash’s Charizard, which had just returned from training at the Charicific Valley, and Clair’s Dragonair, her toughest Pokémon, which had already taken out Pikachu.Dragonair is a difficult opponent, hiding under the water to protect it from Charizard’s fire attacks. After several failed attacks, Ash changes up to a Fire Spin, which is able to heat the area up enough to evaporate the water and expose Dragonair.
As Dragonair prepares an Iron Tail,Charizard grabs it and initiates a “Flaming Seismic Toss” by combining Seismic Toss with Fire Spin, delivering a powerful attack that ultimately takes down Dragonair. It’s an epic battle worthy of a final gym badge, and proved definitively that Charizard’s training was paying off, prompting Ash to send Charizard back for more training.
4Charizard vs. Blaine’s Magmar
Episode:Pokémon Indigo League, “Volcanic Panic”
Ash’s attempt at his seventh Kanto gym badge was a rough one, as he had to forfeit his first matchdue to Pikachu nearly dying in lava. His rematch was a one-on-one battle between his Charizard and Blaine’s Magmar, which Charizard had come to see as a worthy opponent. The battle between two Fire-types blazed on, with Magmar knocking Charizard into the volcano and nearly hitting the lava before Charizard recovered.
Magmar is able to reverse this fortune, however, and both plummet into the lava. They reemerged, and now in the air, Charizard had the edge.He managed to grab Magmar with Submission, and pulled off his very first Seismic Toss victory. Ash secured himself the Volcano Badge, putting him once again on track for the League. This is easily one of Charizard’s most iconic battles, but there are still a few that stand above it.
3Charizard vs. Noland’s Articuno
Episode:Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, “The Symbol Life”
When Ash returned to the Kanto region, he decided to challenge the new Battle Frontier, with his first opponent being Noland. The Frontier Brains, as they’re called, are no pushovers, however, and Noland calls outan extremely powerful Pokémon: the Legendary Articuno. Charizard has the edge type-wise, buthe’s never faced anything as strong as Articuno before. The battle takes to the air as the two Pokémon exchange attacks, with Charizard being knocked to the ground.
Charizard has the edge type-wise, but he’s never faced anything as strong as Articuno before.
Charizard manages a comeback, getting in position above Articuno and using Overheat, but it’s still not enough. As Articuno comes in for the finishing blow, Charizard manages to catch its wing, and once again pulls out his classic Seismic Toss, sending Articuno flying down into the ground. Articuno collapses first, meaning thatAsh’s Charizard has defeated a Legendary Pokémonand secured Ash his first Frontier Symbol.
2Charizard vs. Entei
Pokémon 3: the Movie - Spell of the Unown: Entei
In the third movie, Ash is attempting to rescue his mother, who was taken by an Entei. Charizard isn’t on his team at this point, and is instead at the Charicific Valley training, but Charizard hears about Ash’s predicament from the television and sets off to help his trainer.As Ash and Pikachu are falling from a great height, Charizard arrives and saves them, and then squares off with Entei. The two powerful Fire-types go at it, exchanging Flamethrowers.
Entei begins to repeatedly shoot off Fire Blasts, which overpower Charizard’s attacks. Soon, Molly, whom Entei obeys, calls the fight off. While Entei had the upper hand at the end of the fight, Charizard performed admirably against the Legendary Pokémon, and his timely arrival to save Ash and Pikachu makes for an epic moment that no fan will ever forget.
1Charizard vs. Gary’s Blastoise
Episode:Pokémon Gold and Silver, “Can’t Beat the Heat!”
Ash’s battle with Gary at the Silver Conference is one of his greatest battles of all time, and a lot of that comes down to Charizard’s battle with Gary’s Blastoise. Gary’s Blastoise has the type advantage, but Ash pulls off a clever plan.Ash has Charizard attack indiscriminately, heating up the battlefield and causing the rocky ground to glow red-hot.
Gary tries to cool it down again with Blastoise’s Hydro Pump, but he accidentally creates a cloud of steam which obscures everyone’s vision of the battlefield. Using the steam to gain the element of surprise, Charizard gets in close and grabs Blastoise, delivering a final Seismic Toss and ending the battle in victory for Ash.
At long last,Ash has bested his long-time rival Gary, and will be moving on to the next stage of the championship. While Ash ended up losing the Silver Conference overall, his performance against Gary is without a doubt one of Charizard’s greatest battles inPokémonhistory.
Pokémon
Cast
Pokémon follows Ash Ketchum on his journey to become a Pokémon Master, accompanied by his loyal Pikachu. Released in 1997, the series explores Ash’s travels through various regions, where he encounters new friends and challenges, underscoring the themes of adventure and teamwork.
