Charizard (SSB4)

Charizard in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Pokémon
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Mega Evolution
Tier	I (49)

“	Charizard Fires It Up!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Charizard (リザードン, Lizardon) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Charizard's return to the series was confirmed as part of the April 8th, 2014 Super Smash Bros. Direct, during which its fellow Pokémon representative Greninja was also confirmed. Charizard is once again voiced by Shin'ichirō Miki, who re-recorded Charizard's grunts and roars to match how it sounds in the Pokémon anime, rather than redo the coarser sounds it emitted in Brawl.

Charizard is ranked 49th out of 56 on the tier list, placing it in the middle of the I tier and making it the second lowest ranked super heavyweight. This is a significant drop from Pokémon Trainer's standing in Brawl, where he has been ranked 29th out of 38. Now an individual character, Charizard no longer has to contend with stamina reducing its power and has a more consistent moveset, but is unable to switch out with other Pokémon in order to cover its significant weaknesses. Charizard is a fast character for its weight class, boasting a decent walking speed, one of the fastest dashing speeds, below average but usable air speed as of update 1.1.5, and several moves with reasonable speed and combo ability.

Charizard also benefits from an array of strong KOing options, high durability thanks to its weight, and a grab game that allows for combos, KO set-ups or KOing outright. Its up throw is particularly notable due to being the strongest in the game, although its KO power is most effective on stages with platforms and its knockback can be mitigated via directional influence. Additionally, its special moveset is more consistent than in Brawl and is useful both for punishing and defensive purposes.

However, Charizard has some exploitable weaknesses. Despite having better frame data than its fellow super heavyweights, some of Charizard's attacks are still laggy and punishable compared to the many combo-oriented characters prevalent in the metagame. Charizard also suffers from a vulnerability to combos, a common problem among heavyweights; although its escape options are assorted, they can be easy to exploit.

Initially, Charizard had poor tournament representation even worse than some characters ranked lower than it, such as Samus and Ganondorf. However, while widely viewed as an even poorer character in the early SSB4 metagame, game updates have significantly improved Charizard both in playstyle and in perception. Due to actually achieving mild competitive success thanks to its subsequent buffs, particularly the ones brought about by update 1.1.5, the relevancy of Charizard's current tier ranking is now debatable. In particular, its status as the second lowest ranked super heavyweight is highly contested due to King Dedede being nerfed beyond update 1.1.3, whereas Charizard has begun to achieve success in local tournaments, with the most notable instance being Sharpy winning BeSmash 2016 while using Charizard as a solo main, sparking debate amongst many to wonder if Charizard is truly viable or not.

Attributes

Unlike the other playable Pokémon, who are either lightweights or middleweights, Charizard is a super heavyweight that fittingly possesses impressive power and survivability. True to its decent speed stat in its home series, Charizard also boasts very good mobility and decently fast attacks, making it arguably the fastest of the super heavyweights and thus results in it fitting the archetype of the "lightning bruiser". Charizard has the fifteenth fastest walking speed (which is tied with Mewtwo's) and the ninth fastest dashing speed, but has below average air speed (albeit much faster than in previous versions of SSB4). Additionally, Charizard has decent frame data for a character of its weight class, with some moves that combo fairly easily, such as its neutral attack and forward aerial.

One of Charizard's strengths is its KOing ability; it possesses numerous KOing options (Flare Blitz, Fly, Rock Smash, its smash attacks, its sweetspotted forward tilt, its forward, up, back, and down aerials, and its post-update 1.0.8 up throw), all of which become even more lethal courtesy of the rage mechanic that SSB4 introduced. As of update 1.1.5, Charizard's back aerial in particular is one of its most fearsome moves, as it has significant range, KO power and is safe on shield due to its relatively low landing lag. Another of Charizard's best assets is its grab game. Its grab's reach is one of the longest for a non-tether grab in SSB4, its up throw can potentially KO below 95%, and its down throw is a good combo starter. Its very high dashing speed additionally allows it to land dash and pivot grabs more easily than other super heavyweights, leading into its combo and KO set-ups.

Charizard's special moves are all very useful for its general playstyle. Flamethrower is a short-range projectile that can inflict massive damage, intercept projectiles, interrupt approaches, and gimp recoveries, and is overall more versatile than Bowser's Fire Breath because it has less ending lag and can cause flinching more easily. Its recovery is also very versatile, as Flare Blitz, though somewhat situational, covers a large amount of horizontal distance quickly while providing fairly high damage and powerful knockback. While Flare Blitz provides significant risk for Charizard due to its lag rendering it punishable as well as its recoil damage, it has a number of uses; it can be used as a punishing move in its own right, it can be used as an anti-projectile option due to its heavy armor, and it can be used as a faster movement option in the air for mindgames and to get away from opponents to escape potential pressure. However, it should not be used as a rushdown option despite appearances, as the move is highly telegraphed and suffers from an extreme amount of ending lag on impact. Fly covers a decent amount of vertical distance while providing super armor and high base knockback. Finally, Rock Smash is an essential move as it provides Charizard with high amounts of super armor while causing high damage and knockback itself, allowing Charizard to avoid being launched or juggled by all but the fastest moves while shifting momentum in its favor and providing it with a somewhat safe landing option.

However, Charizard has noticeable flaws. One flaw is its lack of a very useful projectile; despite Flamethrower's strengths, its sub-par range and moderately fast decay can prevent it from aiding Charizard significantly. Charizard also is easy to combo and generally hit due to its size and weight, although this factor can be overcome with the use of defensive moves such as Rock Smash, Fly, dodging, and even Flare Blitz to escape from foes. Additionally, Charizard's frame data, while better overall than other heavyweights (even Bowser's), is still generally poor compared to most of the cast, although this is not necessarily too big of a problem depending on the moves used. While Charizard's air speed has been greatly improved and is no longer among the slowest in the game, it is still below average overall. Arguably, its most noticeable flaw is its out of shield game; despite having some of the best out of shield options available, like Fly and its up throw, they are hindered by Charizard's exceptionally poor traction, which is tied with Mewtwo's for the second lowest in the game after Luigi's.

Custom moves address some of Charizard's shortcomings. Dragon Rush is arguably its best custom, as it is a pressuring and rushdown option that has less lag, no recoil and cannot be blocked by opponents when recovering. Fly High slightly improves its vertical recovery, although it loses one of its fastest punishing moves in the process. The other up special alternative, Rising Cyclone, sacrifices some recovery height for very high launching power that can KO most characters towards the upper blast line around as low as 56%.

Overall, Charizard can be considered a variation of Bowser that exchanges out of shield options and some raw power for speed, mobility, usable defensive tools and better recovery. Playing Charizard requires patience, as well as appropriately balancing offensive and defensive tactics; strictly offensive play exposes Charizard to harsh punishment, while strictly defensive play fails to exploit Charizard's main advantages over other super heavyweights, namely its attack speed and mobility. Like with all super heavyweights, the player should not be afraid to exchange blows with the foe, as a few strong hits from Charizard can give it the advantage in many cases. Reads and mindgames can be pivotal for Charizard's best punishing options, such as Flare Blitz and its smash attacks, although it is not as singularly dependent on them like Ganondorf and Jigglypuff are, thanks to its other assets.

From a competitive standpoint, Charizard ranks in the bottom-tier as of the 1.1.3 metagame and has generally poor tournament representation to reflect this, with many players citing it as one of the more complex heavyweights to utilize. However, its current tier placement is under debate due to numerous factors, such as its various competitive successes under Draquaza, Sharpy, Bloodcross, and Aposl, its consistent and useful buffs up to and including update 1.1.5 and the fact that the current tier list only reflects the metagame up to and including update 1.1.3. While at first regarded as a non-viable character, its results have begun to improve with Sharpy winning the Dominican Republic tournament BeSmash 2016 using Charizard as a solo main, bringing debate as to whether Charizard is truly viable or not.

Changes from Brawl

Charizard has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. While it has been buffed overall, its status as a member of Pokémon Trainer's team to a standalone character has changed it drastically, arguably offsetting its buffs. Charizard is a generally better character than how it was in Brawl (when not counting Ivysaur and Squirtle) and no longer has to contend with running out of stamina. Additionally, its learning curve, while moderately high, is much lower than that of Pokémon Trainer. However, it lacks other Pokémon as teammates that are better suited for specific match-ups, making it a less adaptable character than Pokémon Trainer. This makes it unclear whether SSB4 Charizard is a better or worse character than Pokémon Trainer, as both characters have seen unusual success in local tournaments but almost nonexistent results outside of their dedicated players. Like Pit and Meta Knight, the removal of gliding has greatly weakened Charizard's already unimpressive recovery. Additionally, its new side special, Flare Blitz, is not flexible for horizontal recovery like gliding was.

The rest of its moveset has been re-balanced in other ways: its faster attacks (such as neutral attack, neutral aerial and forward tilt) are slightly weaker, many of its KOing options are stronger at the cost of some speed, and its grab game is stronger both in terms of combo and KO potentials. As a super heavyweight, Charizard benefits greatly from the addition of the rage mechanic; in fact, the recoil from Flare Blitz can act as a positive due to it bringing Charizard closer to utilizing rage sooner. Additionally, many of its moves (most notably its special moves) grant it super armor, while its overall mobility is much better. Despite a somewhat slower air speed, Charizard's already fast dash speed has become even faster, now being the ninth fastest in the game, while its walk speed has also become drastically faster, having gone from being the slowest in Brawl to being tied with Mewtwo's as the fifteenth fastest in SSB4.

Charizard's status as an individual character and the corresponding changes to its moveset and attributes require it to be played differently from how it did in Brawl, as a mobile yet defensive heavyweight. As such, it is said to work best as a punishment-oriented character, using its attacks to take advantage of openings and flaws in the opponent's play. Optimal Charizard play revolves around reliance on punishes and hard reads.

Aesthetics

• Due to the brighter aesthetic used in SSB4, Charizard's skin is a brighter shade of orange. Additionally, its fangs are smaller and its proportions are more in-line with its recent 3D appearances in the Pokémon franchise.
• Due to being separate from Pokémon Trainer, Charizard a new victory pose that replaces the one where the Pokémon Trainer is petting it. The new victory pose now has Charizard using Flare Blitz into the ground and then poses afterwards.
• Charizard is now ambidextrous.
• Dash's animation has slightly changed. Charizard now flaps its wings while dashing.
• Charizard's has new voice clips. Its grunts and roars now match how they sound in the Pokémon anime.

Attributes

• Due to being separate from Pokémon Trainer, Charizard is no longer affected by stamina. Additionally, the removal of type effectiveness removes Charizard's water weakness and grass resistance. Although very minor, this is a buff nonetheless due to five characters having water-based attacks, most notably Greninja, while the loss of its grass resistance is of no consequence due to none of the cast having grass-based attacks.
• The removal of gliding hinders Charizard's recovery.
• Charizard is heavier (110 → 116), which improves its endurance, but makes it more susceptible to combos.
• Charizard walks faster (0.7 → 1.2), going from being tied for the slowest in Brawl to being tied for the fifteenth fastest in SSB4.
• Charizard dashes faster (1.8 → 2.0).
• Charizard's air speed is slower (0.987 → 0.92).
• Charizard falls faster (1.35 → 1.4).
• Charizard's traction is lower (0.055 → 0.04), going from average in Brawl to being tied for the second lowest in SSB4.
• Charizard's item throw is stronger (1.198 → 1.208).
• Charizard's jumpsquat is 1 frame longer (frame 6 → 7)

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack deals 1% less damage (13% → 12%).
• Final hit of neutral attack is significantly stronger (40 (base)/110 (growth) → 60/130), despite dealing 1% less damage (6% → 5%). It is also significantly faster.
• Sourspotted forward tilt deals 3% less damage (10% → 7%).
• Forward tilt is slightly faster and one of its previous sourspot hitboxes is now a sweetspot hitbox.
• Sweetspotted forward tilt deals slightly higher base knockback (35 → 40).
• Up tilt has a shorter duration (9-15 → 9-13).
• Down tilt deals less damage due to losing its sweetspot (12% (head)/8% (neck) → 10%), removing its KO potential (40 (base)/100 (growth) → 60/60). It is also slower (Start up: 8-9 → 9-10; IASA: 28 → 31).
• Down tilt has received a windbox that pushes opponents inward, making it easier to land.
• Dash attack has decreased ending lag (45 frames → 39).
• Forward smash deals 5% less damage (22% → 17%), due to its weak, initial hitbox being removed.
• Forward smash is stronger (40 (base)/98 (growth) → 60/94), has increased horizontal range and now consists of a single hit instead of multiple hits (similar to Bowser's forward smash), improving its KO potential.
• Up smash no longer has transcendent priority.
• Down smash has higher knockback growth (75 → 79/85) and now launches opponents horizontally (80° → 33°/46°), improving its set-up potential for edge-guarding.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral, forward, up and down aerials have decreased landing lag (22 frames → 20 (neutral), 32 frames → 22 (forward), 22 frames → 20 (up), 35 frames → 33 (down)).
• Back aerial has increased landing lag (22 frames → 24).
• Neutral aerial's damage output is now consistent throughout its duration and is significantly faster, to the point that it can now auto-cancel from a short hop.
• Neutral aerial has 1 more frame of start-up and has a shorter duration (8-28 → 9-25). Its hitboxes' sizes were also decreased.
• Forward aerial deals more damage (2%-4% → 12% (early, clean arm)/13% (clean tip)) and knockback.
• Forward aerial's animation has changed. Charizard now slashes with its right arm instead of breathing a cone of fire.
• Back aerial deals more damage (9% → 16% (flame), 7% → 14% (tail), 5% → 11% (wing)), its sweetspot is larger (4.5u → 5u) and has increased reach. It is also significantly stronger, improving its KO potential.
• Back aerial no longer auto-cancels from a short hop.
• Up aerial deals more damage (10% (clean)/7% (late) → 13%), provides partial intangibility and is significantly stronger, improving its KO potential.
• Up aerial has increased start-up and has lost its lingering hitbox.
• Up aerial's has animation changed. Charizard now headbutts instead of biting.
• Down aerial has received a lingering sourspot that is significantly weaker and deals horizontal knockback. This makes it capable of edge-guarding and slightly improves its follow-up potential while in midair, but makes it easier to punish at lower percents.
• Down aerial's animation has slightly changed. Charizard now stomps with one foot instead of both feet.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have decreased ranges. However, they still have long reach relative to the rest of the cast.
• Dash grab and pivot grab have increased start-up (8 → 10 (dash), 10 → 11 (pivot)).
• Up throw's animation has changed. Charizard now soars to the upper blast line while clutching the opponent and dive-bombs them, instead of holding the opponent above itself and slamming them down with its head. This new animation is similar to Seismic Toss when used by Ash's Charizard in the Pokémon anime.
• Up throw has altered knockback (70 (base)/140 (growth) → 50/220), improving its KO potential and making it the strongest up throw in the game.
• Down throw has altered knockback (40 (base)/300 (growth) → 70/130), improving its combo potential at low to to medium percents, but at the cost of its KO potential. However, the loss of its KO potential is mitigated by up throw's aforementioned buff. It also has decreased ending lag (80 frames → 70).

Special moves

• Charizard has a new side special, Flare Blitz. It is a powerful corkscrew tackle that deals flame damage. Aside from being a new KOing option, it also has utility by providing horizontal recovery.
• Flare Blitz deals recoil damage regardless of whether or not Charizard hits an opponent. It is also a laggy attack overall.
• Due to the addition of Flare Blitz, Rock Smash is now Charizard's down special instead of its side special.
• Starting on frame 5, Rock Smash now grants Charizard 22 frames of launch resistance.
• Rock Smash deals less damage (18% → 14% (headbutt), 5% → 3% (fragments)) and knockback, hindering its KO potential.
• Fly's vertical distance has increased. Its initial hits also connect together better and its last hit is much stronger, improving its KO potential.
• Charizard has a new Final Smash, Mega Charizard X. Charizard undergoes Mega Evolution to become Mega Charizard X, which results in it being able to fly freely across the screen instead of being forced into a stationary position like Triple Finish did, launch fiery attacks similarly to Yoshi's Super Dragon and gain resistance to both flinching and launching. In addition to Fire Blast, Mega Charizard X can also perform Dragon Rush instead of Flare Blitz, regardless of whether custom moves are on or off. However, Mega Charizard X's duration is not fixed like Triple Finish's, as Mega Charizard X will end earlier if Charizard takes damage while Mega Evolved.

Update history

Initially considered one of the worst characters in the game and arguably the definite worst among the cast, Charizard has been noticeably buffed via game updates. Notably, update 1.0.8 drastically improved two of Charizard's most useful moves as well as its grab game. Its neutral attack connects more reliably and its neutral aerial is much faster, so much so that it can auto-cancel from a short hop, which greatly increases its utility in spacing. Its up throw now has far more knockback, making it the strongest up throw in the game and one of the strongest throws overall in the game. However, it is easier to mitigate with DI due to its launching trajectory. Additionally, its down throw has been re-purposed into becoming Charizard's best combo starter, which can occasionally lead into a KO when followed up with its up aerial, or a decent damage racker when used at 0%, if followed by a forward aerial.

In spite of Charizard's below average out of shield game, changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 also help it due to its moves' high hitlag and damage outputs. Lastly, update 1.1.5 provided the most significant buffs of all by increasing Charizard's air speed to a passable level, increasing the damage outputs and reducing the landing lag on its aerials (especially its forward and back aerials), and giving Flare Blitz an additional hitbox that can allow it to punish a wider variety of maneuvers.

1.0.4

• Four frames of intangibility have been added to Charizard's head for its shielding animation. This leaves Charizard less susceptible to shield stabbing, as its head is not covered by the shield during these first frames even at full health, and could therefore be hit prior to the change.
• Dragon Rush deals less damage: 15% → 11%.
• Some properties of what appear to be the headbutt in Rock Hurl and Flamethrower have been adjusted.

1.0.6

• Up throw's damage increased: 6% (hit 1)/2% (throw) → 8%/3%.
• Flare Blitz deals 1% more recoil damage: 4% (no collision)/9% (collision) → 5%/10%.
• Forward aerial's sweetspot and sourspot hitbox positions switched.
• Fly's knockback increased.
• Down tilt's start-up and ending lag decreased.

1.0.8

• Neutral aerial's start-up increased by 1 frame, its duration decreased: 8-28 → 9-25 and its hitboxes' sizes decreased.
• Neutral attack's hits connect together better and its first hit has increased weight-based knockback.
• Forward aerial's duration and hitbox size increased.
• Back aerial's sweetspot hitbox size was increased and its other hitboxes were shifted outward giving it more range.
• Up throw's knockback growth increased: 160 → 220 and angle altered: 60° → 70°, improving its KO potential.
• Down throw's knockback altered: 40 (base)/300 (growth) → 70/130 and ending lag decreased: 80 frames → 72, improving its combo potential at low to medium percents. Although this removed its KO potential, this is completely mitigated by up throw's buff in the same update.

1.1.0

• Sweetspotted forward tilt deals 1% more damage: 10% → 11%.
• One of forward tilt's three sourspot hitboxes has become a sweetspot, essentially making its sweetspot larger overall.
• Down tilt has received a windbox that pushes opponents inward, making it easier to land.
• Back aerial's landing lag decreased: 36 frames → 33 making it harder to punish.
• Down throw's ending lag decreased: 72 frames → 70.

1.1.1

• Sinking Skull's damage increased: 10% (ground)/9% (air) → 12%/10%.
• Sinking Skull's ending lag decreased.

1.1.3

• Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 45 → 40).
• Dash attack launches opponents at a lower angle: 70°/80° (near/far) → 50° (near clean)/60° (near late/far clean)/75° (far late)).
• Up smash has received several minor tweaks.
• Down smashhas higher knockback scaling (76 (far)/82 (near) → 79/85), improving its KO potential.

1.1.4

• First hit of up smash's hitbox placements modified significantly and have angle modifications and/or increased knockback.
• Second hit of up smash deals more knockback.
• Trip invincibility and all trip followups except floor attack have one less frame of invincibility.

1.1.5

• Air speed: 0.87 → 0.92
• Weight: 115 → 116
• Neutral (22 → 20), forward (31 → 22), back (33 → 24), up (22 → 20), and down air (35 → 33) all have less landing lag.
• Neutral aerial deals 2% more damage: 10%/7%/7%/7% → 12%/9%/9%/9% but with knockback compensated (90 → 78).
• Forward aerial deals 1% more damage: 11%/12% → 12%/13%.
• Back aerial deals 1% more damage: 15%/13%/10%/10% → 16%/14%/11%/11% and has a larger sweetspot (4.5u → 5u).
• Flare Blitz explosion knockback growth: 78 → 84
• Flare Blitz has an additional hitbox that extends its reach to behind Charizard.
• Max Walk speed with heavy items increased: 1.198 → 1.208

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	Slashes twice with its claws and then strikes with one of its wings. The last hit has high knockback, with the wing's inner part launching opponents vertically, while its tip launches horizontally. Can be jab canceled into Fly or a grab.
			4%
			5%
Forward tilt			11% (flame), 7% (tail)	Swings its tail forward. Its sweetspot is at the tip of Charizard's tail, which has a flame effect. Useful for spacing and can KO at 148% when sweetspotted.
Up tilt			8%	Thrusts both of its wings upward. Charizard's wings are intangible as long as the hitbox is active. It has decent vertical knockback and KOs around 135%.
Down tilt			10%	A low-angle headbutt. Deals good horizontal knockback, making it suitable for edge-guarding.
Dash attack			11% (clean), 8% (late)	A side kick. Can be used to catch landing opponents.
Forward smash			17% (clean, late body), 14% (late head)	Rears its head back and then performs a powerful headbutt. Charizard is invincible during the active frames of this attack, even when hitting explosive items, though it has high ending lag. It can KO at 91% when sweetspotted.
Up smash			5% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	Bats its wings upward, hitting twice. It has the lowest ending lag of all of Charizard's smash attacks, but the first hit requires the attack to be initiated with the opponent in front of Charizard to reliably connect. Despite this, it can act as a jab reset if they are not behind it. It can KO at 115%.
Down smash			16%	Stomps the ground, causing the ground to erupt on either side of it. It is a fairly powerful semi-spike, as it can KO at 132%. However, its hitboxes are mostly grounded, which can make it difficult to hit an aerial opponent. It also has high ending lag.
Neutral aerial			12% (flame), 9% (tail)	Somersaults and attacks with its tail. Like forward tilt, its sweetspot is at the tip of Charizard's tail and has a flame effect. Can auto-cancel from a short hop.
Forward aerial			12% (early, clean arm), 13% (clean tip)	Slashes with its right arm. Good knockback, KOing early if hits with the tip, relatively quick and also auto-cancels from a short hop. However, it has somewhat high landing lag.
Back aerial			11% (body), 14% (tail), 16% (flame)	Swings its tail backward. Like forward tilt, its sweetspot is at the tip of Charizard's tail and has a flame effect. Its sweetspot's power is on par with Captain Falcon's sweetspotted Knee Smash, which enables it to KO at 105% from center-stage. It also has low landing lag for its range, making it safe on shield when spaced correctly.
Up aerial			13%	An upward headbutt. Very strong, it can KO at 107% from a short hop. Charizard's head is intangible during its active frames, though it has minimal horizontal range.
Down aerial			14% (clean), 8% (late)	A stomp. A very powerful meteor smash from frames 1-3, with its lingering hitbox launching opponents either vertically or at the Sakurai angle. However, it has high landing lag.
Grab			—	Clinches the opponent with its arms and mouth. Good range.
Pummel			2%	Bites the opponent. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			10%	Spins the opponent once with its mouth, then throws them forward. Fairly high knockback and can KO some middle weights near the edge at 147%. Can be used as a mix-up while facing the edge with its up throw, though it can potentially KO earlier than up throw if the opponent DIs away from Charizard.
Back throw			10%	Throws the opponent backward with its mouth, launching opponents at the Sakurai angle. Does not have much ending lag, meaning that at low percents, Charizard can pursue a thrown opponent with a dash immediately after or even with a short hopped or a jumping Flare Blitz in some cases. It has fairly high knockback like its forward throw, but due to its launching angle, it KOs later (beginning at 155%) than the former while near the edge.
Up throw			8% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Soars to the upper blast line with the opponent in tow, then zooms back down and slams them against the floor, similarly to Kirby and Meta Knight's up throws. As of update 1.0.8, its knockback has been drastically increased, making it the strongest up throw in the game, especially on stages with low ceilings, as well as the second strongest overall throw in the game, only behind Ness' back throw. Although DI is more effective in lowering its KO power than Mewtwo's up throw, which is the second strongest up throw in the game, Charizard's up throw still reliably KOs beginning at 130%. It can KO even earlier on stages with platforms, such as Battlefield, beginning at 95%. While its knockback makes it best suited for KOing, it can also act as a set-up for Flare Blitz, which deals 30% altogether. However, this combo is very situational due to requiring the opponent to be at 0%, as well as the fact that it can be air dodged if they are particularly vigilant.
Down throw			1% (flames), 1% (throw)	Pins the opponent to the ground and then expels embers on them. Charizard's weakest throw in regards to damage output. Prior to update 1.0.8, it had high knockback and could KO beginning at 125%. As of update 1.0.8, its knockback has been drastically decreased, which is not actually a nerf due to it now being re-purposed into a very good combo starter at low to medium percents. Notable follow-ups include neutral aerial (which can be potentially followed up with another grab or up smash), forward aerial (which can be performed on most characters until around 60%), and up aerial (which can KO beginning at 80% and especially if the opponent DIs vertically).
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Swings its tail backward, then headbutts forward.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Gets up and performs a semi-circular slash.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Gets up and performs a slash.
Edge attack Edge getups			8%	Headbutts forward while climbing back up.
Neutral special	Default	Flamethrower	2% (clean), 1% (late)	Expels a stream of flames from its mouth that gradually weakens if the attack is held, similarly to Fire Breath. Unlike Fire Breath, Flamethrower's long-ranged hitboxes will make the opponent flinch.
	Custom 1	Fire Fang	2% (embers), 8% (explosion)	Expels a short-ranged stream of embers from its mouth that hit quickly. Releasing the special button results in a small explosion.
	Custom 2	Fireball Cannon	3% (clean), 2% (late)	Expels fireballs that travel far and weaken slightly over time, though they deal slightly more damage. In addition to having more start-up, Charizard must expel three fireballs before it concludes.
Side special	Default	Flare Blitz	4% (collision), 15% (explosion)	Performs a corkscrewing tackle while engulfing itself in flames. Deals recoil damage at its beginning and again on contact. KOs at 110% from center-stage and grants heavy armor that can withstand a maximum of 14%.
	Custom 1	Blast Burn	4% (collision), 5% (explosion loop), 9% (explosion last)	A slower, short-ranged version that deals more damage to both Charizard and its opponent. Like the default version, it grants heavy armor that can withstand a maximum of 14%.
	Custom 2	Dragon Rush	1.2% (per hit)	Hits multiple times and deals less damage and knockback overall, but does not deal recoil damage and will not stop moving if it hits an opponent, improving its recovery. Generally considered to be Charizard's best custom move, as it cannot be interrupted like Flare Blitz or Blast Burn, while also functioning as a good KOing option near the edge when used against opponents that have high recoveries.
Up special	Default	Fly	5% (hit 1), 2% (loop), 4% (last hit)	Flies upward while corkscrewing. The last hit deals powerful knockback and can KO at 115% from center-stage. Grants super armor at its beginning.
	Custom 1	Rising Cyclone	4% (hit 1), 2% (loop), 6% (last hit)	Covers less distance, but Charizard can vacuum opponents and launch them. The last hit is also noticeably stronger and like the default version, it grants super armor at its beginning.
	Custom 2	Fly High	—	Deals no damage, but covers more vertical distance. Like the default version, it grants super armor at its beginning.
Down special	Default	Rock Smash	14% (headbutt), 3% (fragments)	Pulls out a boulder and headbutts it, breaking it into pieces. Grants super armor on frames 5-22 before breaking the boulder. KOs at 139% from center-stage.
	Custom 1	Sinking Skull	10% (ground), 12%/9% (air)	A headbutt. Instead of destroying a boulder, it buries grounded opponents and meteor smashes opponents below Charizard.
	Custom 2	Rock Hurl	8% (headbutt), 2% (fragments)	The boulder fragments fly farther, but deal less damage. It grants super armor earlier than the default version.
Final Smash		Mega Charizard X	2% (Dragon Rush loop), 10% (Dragon Rush last), 5% (Fire Blast collision), 1% (Fire Blast loop), 5% (Fire Blast last)	Mega Evolves into Mega Charizard X. Mega Charizard X consistently hovers around the stage, similarly to Super Dragon. As Mega Charizard X, it can use Fire Blast, a powerful projectile, and Dragon Rush, a powerful physical attack. Unlike the Dragon Rush custom move, Mega Charizard X's Dragon Rush can move in any given direction.

On-screen appearance

• Charizard is released from a Poké Ball, then stomps.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Stomps and roars to the sky while flapping its wings.
• Side taunt: Faces the camera and stomps and growls while flapping its wings once.
• Down taunt: Stomps violently while facing the camera.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Leans back and then stomps.
• Turns its head to the side and quickly spits an ember onto the ground.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Char-izard!	Liz-ar-don!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A small excerpt of the music that would play on the title screen of Pokémon Red, Blue and Green Versions.

• Roars and then strikes a pose.
• Stomps forward, then roars upward with flames coming out of its mouth and then strikes a pose.
• Uses Flare Blitz into the ground and then strikes a pose.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Charizard	1311	1313	1331	1333	1113
	1211	1213	3311	2311	1321

Notable players

Active

•  Angis
•  Aposl
•  Bloodcross
•  Blue
•  chaoszard
•  Chuck Nasty
•  Draquaza
•  RIP Shadow
•  Serge
•  Sharpy
•  Steeler

Inactive

•  Trela

Trophies

Charizard

The iconic Fire/Flying-type Pokémon. Charizard's scorching breath can melt anything in its path. It soars through the air, seeking only worthy foes to test itself against. In Smash Bros., Charizard unleashes the destructive Flare Blitz special move— a move so strong, it even injures the user!

Charizard, a Fire- and Flying-type Pokémon, can burn through anything with the flames it breathes. It is constantly on the lookout for powerful opponents. And where better to find them than in this game? Its huge build and special moves mean it can inflict massive damage, and its Flare Blitz is so powerful, it even hurts Charizard itself!

: Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue (09/1998)

: Pokémon X and Pokémon Y (10/2013)

Charizard (Alt.)

Charizard's Flamethrower attack can be sustained by holding the button. The flames will gradually die, but a short break will recharge them. Charizard's down special Rock Smash crushes a rock and hits foes with the pieces. Charizard won't flinch while crushing, but others can break the rock...

When using Charizard's Flamethrower move, hold the button to keep breathing fire. The flames gradually die down, but you just need to rest for a bit before doing it again. If you get hit while you're using the down special Rock Smash, you won't flinch, but someone else can break the rock instead, making your attack fail.

: Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue (09/1998)

: Pokémon X and Pokémon Y (10/2013)

Mega Evolution (Charizard)

In this powerful Final Smash, Charizard Mega Evolves into Mega Charizard X and takes to the air. In this form, it can charge violently in any direction or shoot horizontal blasts of fire that launch foes. Mega Charizard X isn't invulnerable, though-in fact, taking damage will actually reduce the time you can stay transformed.

For this powerful Final Smash, Charizard Mega Evolves into Mega Charizard X and takes to the air. In this form, it can charge violently in any direction and shoot horizontal blasts of fire that launch foes. Mega Charizard X isn't invulnerable, though - taking attacks will reduce the length of time it stays transformed.

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  Classic (3DS)

• CharizardAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Mega Charizard X

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Brawl: Charizard is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents debuted in Brawl.
• Fire-Type Frenzy: Charizard must defeat Greninja, Lucario, and Pikachu all appearing after another.
• Pokémon Battle: As Greninja, the player must defeat a team of Charizard, Pikachu and Lucario in a one stock battle.
• The Falchion's Seal: As Robin, the player must defeat a giant Charizard using his Final Smash, Pair Up. Defeating it any other way causes it to respawn.

Co-Op Events

• Poisonous Planet: As Olimar and Samus, two players must defeat two giant Charizard in a Stamina Battle before their own health is depleted due to being flowered.
• Pokémon Multi Battle!: Charizard and Pikachu must defeat a team of Lucario and Greninja, then a team of Pikachu and Charizard each appearing after one opponent is defeated.
• Robots vs. Dragons: As Mega Man and R.O.B., two players must defeat a team of a giant Charizard, a giant Yoshi and Ridley in a stamina battle.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select characters and must defeat the entire roster.

Reveal trailer

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Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Charizard's splash art.

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  Charizard's amiibo.

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  Charizard and Pikachu atop a cliff, overlooking various Pokémon.

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  Using its new forward aerial against Mario.

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  Using Flare Blitz, its new side special.

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  Landing after using its back aerial.

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  Using forward tilt against Mario's F.L.U.D.D.

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  Footstool jumping on Yoshi.

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  Sidestepping Little Mac's Jolt Haymaker.

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  Being attacked by Greninja's Water Shuriken.

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  Using its down taunt.

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  Charizard and Lucario sleeping due to Bellossom's Sweet Scent.

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  Glaring at Kirby after he copied Charizard's Flamethrower.

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  In front of the Prism Tower in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  With Pikachu.

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  Using Mega Charizard X, its new Final Smash.

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  Using its up taunt alongside Lucario's, Greninja's and Pikachu's taunts.

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  Using Flare Blitz and suffering from its recoil.

Trivia

• Unlike in Brawl, Charizard draws inspiration from Ash's Charizard, Red's Charizard and Alain's Charizard:
  • The animations of its neutral attack's first two hits are similar to Red's when repeatedly using Slash against Mewtwo.
  • The animations of its neutral and forward aerials are identical to Ash's and Alain's when they use Dragon Tail and Dragon Claw, respectively.
  • The animation of its up throw is similar to Ash's and Red's when they use Seismic Toss.
  • It can use Fire Blast and Blast Burn like Red's and Alain's, respectively.
    • However, this Charizard can only use Fire Blast while Mega Evolved.
  • It can Mega Evolve into Mega Charizard X like Red's and Alain's.
  • It has an idle pose that sees it turn its head and spit out an ember like Ash's did during its disobedient phase.
  • It is voiced by Shin'ichirō Miki, who voiced both Ash's and Red's Charizard.
• Charizard is the only character capable of using two types of specialized/non-badge equipment within the same category, due to having access to both X Attack and Fake Nails in the attack category.
  • This also makes it the only Pokémon that can equip something other than badges and Pokémon equipment.
• Charizard knows eight official Pokémon attacks in SSB4, all of which it can learn legally in the Pokémon core series. In addition to Flamethrower, Flare Blitz, Fly and Rock Smash, it can also use Fire Fang and Blast Burn as custom moves, Fire Blast as part of its Final Smash and Dragon Rush as both a custom move and as part of its Final Smash.
  • As Squirtle did not return from Brawl, Charizard is now the only Pokémon in SSB4 to know at least one HM move, due to it knowing Fly and Rock Smash.
• In the PAL version of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, one of the tips about Rock Smash refers to Charizard using masculine pronouns: "Right before smashing a rock, Charizard gets super armor, meaning he won't even flinch if he's attacked!"
• Charizard is the only Pokémon without a chargeable special move and whose aerial attacks only hit once.
• Charizard is the only character to have one of its special move inputs changed between games outside of SSB.