charizard
Charizard!!!!! Startin’ these off with a big one!!!!! Possibly the BIGGEST one?????
Charizard is notable for being the single most-popular pokemon from Kanto, and the fourth-most-popular pokemon overall (according to that Pokemon of the Day poll thing awhile back). It’s easily the most iconic Fire-type, the most iconic starter, and is particularly beloved by those who’ve followed the series since its inception. Even Game Freak themselves acknowledge Charizard’s special significance in recent generations, being the ace pokemon of Leon in Sword and Shield even with the Bulbasaur and Squirtle lines initially absent – truly the only Kanto starter that matters.
Unfortunately Charizard, like many Kanto pokemon, suffers from a poor transition with every graphical and artistic update. The sheer personality in the original Sugimori watercolour artwork is unmatched, and much of that is lost in modern depictions. Charizard’s simple and organic aesthetic transfers especially poorly to 3D, making its portrayal in XY onwards particularly lacking. Still, big orange dragon is a big orange dragon, and that’s going to have appeal regardless of graphical style.
Charizard, in all its marketing significance, also notably received two mega evolutions, the less-imaginative being Mega Charizard Y. With its tattered wings and sleeker form, it has a striking silhouette that feels like a strong improvement over the still-respectable base form. It also notably gains the ability Drought, allowing it to summon sunlight upon entering battle, which I’ll talk more about in a later review.
Mega Charizard X, meanwhile, goes in a completely different direction, tossing Charizard’s iconic orange colour scheme in favour of a distinctive black and blue. And looking far better in the process, speaking as someone not fond of orange. It also dropped Charizard’s Flying secondary typing for a Dragon typing, and whilst I feel Charizard’s base typing of Fire/Flying is perfectly valid, having this Fire/Dragon alternative is superb. This form also got the heavier marketing, for good reason.
So many forms omfg. Gigantamax Charizard takes on a much more monstrous visage, with a jagged mouth and wings made of fire, along with some oddly elegant diamond patterns that don’t particularly mesh with the rest of the design but end up looking appealing despite that. Gigantamax as a concept is rather underwhelming, however, with only a unique move compared to regular Dynamax forms.
Charizard also notably has a superb shiny form, by far one of the most popular, as black shinies usually are. It is worth mentioning it used to be purple back in GSC, which was pleasant as well, though black seems much more iconic.
Overall, Charizard is a pokemon I have complex feelings about. It’s iconic and popular, which I consider justified, but I don’t have any special fondness for it myself and honestly find it rather boring (though Megazard X is quite outstanding), particularly compared to more recent takes on dragons. Still, like with most other pokemon, I’m quite happy it exists.
Bland but cool/10.
