Charizard (SSB4)

Charizard in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Pokémon
Other playable appearances	in Brawl in Ultimate
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Mega Evolution
Tier	E (42)

“	Charizard Fires It Up!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Charizard (リザードン, Lizardon) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Its return to the series was announced during a Super Smash Bros. Direct on April 8th, 2014, during which its fellow Pokémon fighter Greninja was also revealed. It is no longer a part of Pokémon Trainer, who, along with Squirtle and Ivysaur, did not return. Shin'ichirō Miki reprises his role as Charizard's voice actor, albeit via re-recorded voice clips that match how it sounds in the Pokémon anime.

Charizard is ranked 42nd out of 54 on the tier list, placing it in the E tier. This is a marginal improvement to Pokémon Trainer's placement in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where he was ranked 29th out of 38. Due to now being a standalone character, Charizard's playstyle is much more consistent, and its moveset is no longer burdened by stamina. Fittingly for a super heavyweight, Charizard boasts an array of strong KOing options and impressive endurance, which are supplemented by rage and its varied recovery, respectively.

Charizard also boasts a potent grab game that allows for combos, KO set-ups, and even KOing outright; its up throw, in particular, is the second strongest throw of any kind in the game. Lastly, Charizard's overall mobility is quite fast for a super heavyweight. Its walking and dashing speeds are among the fastest in the game, while a number of its moves boast minimal start-up lag alongside respectable utility.

However, Charizard has some very noticeable weaknesses. Despite having a number of regular moves with minimal start-up lag, its overall frame data is nevertheless below-average compared to most of the cast. Unsurprisingly for a super heavyweight, Charizard is susceptible to combos and juggling; although it has options to escape from a disadvantaged state, they are easily exploitable.

In the early stages of SSB4's metagame, Charizard endured very poor tournament representation and results, to the point of being widely considered the single worst character in the game. Thanks to consistently receiving very useful buffs via game updates, however, Charizard's tournament presence has considerably improved at a gradual pace, particularly in regional tournaments outside of North America. This success has been reflected by Charizard's current status as a mid-tier character.

Attributes

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Unlike the other playable Pokémon, who are either lightweights (Pikachu, Jigglypuff and Mewtwo) or middleweights (Lucario and Greninja), Charizard is a super heavyweight. Although its overall damage output and endurance are fittingly very high, it deviates from its weight class' archetype in a few ways. The most noticeable of these differences are its hurtboxes and mobility. Charizard does not have hurtboxes on its wings, and they only cover slightly more than the base of its tail. As a result, Charizard's wings and the majority of its tail are effectively immune to opposing hitboxes.

In regard to mobility, Charizard's dashing speed is the ninth fastest in the game, whereas its walking speed is tied with Mewtwo's for the fifteenth fastest in the game. Like Pit and Dark Pit, it has below-average falling speed and multiple double jumps: the former makes it floaty in spite of its weight and thus enables it to avoid certain set-ups, whereas the latter assists its recovery. However, Charizard's mobility also has very apparent flaws. Its traction is tied with Mewtwo's for the second lowest in the game, while its rolls are among the slowest in the game. By extension, Charizard's below-average air speed hinders its otherwise varied recovery, and its falling speed makes it more susceptible to combos and being KO'd vertically because of its high gravity.

Charizard's greatest strength is its KO potential: thanks to its plethora of KOing options, it can easily and/or reliably KO opponents either on the ground or in the air. Sweetspotted forward smash, sweetspotted back aerial, and Flare Blitz are Charizard's strongest attacks: while near the edge of Final Destination, each of them KO middleweights below 85% and 75% in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, respectively. Alternatively, Charizard possesses a few safer, albeit somewhat weaker KOing options in sweetspotted forward tilt; up tilt; down smash; sweetspotted forward aerial; up aerial; up smash and up throw.

Out of these weaker KOing options, up smash and up throw are the most effective. Up smash hits grounded and aerial opponents on frame 6 and 7, respectively; deals respectable damage; and reliably KOs either grounded or aerial opponents. Conversely, up throw is the second strongest throw of any kind in the game (surpassed only by Ness' back throw), which enables it to KO reliably, even without the aid of a platform.

Another of Charizard's strengths is the utility of its moveset. Neutral attack is a prime example of this utility: it is among the most damaging of its kind in the game; possesses deceptive speed and range; and is decent at jab canceling. Down tilt, neutral aerial and forward aerial have significant ranges and fairly minimal lag, which make them useful for spacing like neutral attack. These three particular attacks also have specific perks: down tilt and sweetspotted forward aerial are useful edge-guarding options thanks to being semi-spikes, whereas neutral aerial is a useful combo starter from low to medium percentages, yet decently safe on shield or when missed thanks to its auto-cancel window and hitbox placements.

Forward smash and up aerial grant intangibility throughout their durations, which essentially enables Charizard to use them to retaliate against incoming attacks. Up tilt and up smash are reliable anti-air attacks, thanks to their ranges and Charizard's wings not having hurtboxes. Down smash simultaneously hits in front of and behind Charizard. When coupled with its quake hitboxes and its sweetspot being a semi-spike, it is very useful for punishing rolls and edge-guarding. In addition to up throw's aforementioned KO potential, the remainder of Charizard's grab game possesses respectable utility: its forward and back throws have decent damage outputs and are reliable for setting up edge-guards, whereas its down throw is a reliable combo starter from low to medium percentages.

The respectable level of utility within Charizard's moveset also extends to its special moves. Flamethrower is a short-ranged projectile that can be angled to safely rack up damage; intercept approaches and some other projectiles; or gimp recoveries. Rock Smash grants 18 frames of super armor beginning on frame 5, which makes it useful against incoming attacks, and a somewhat safe landing option. Lastly, Flare Blitz and Fly are both highly protective recovery options. Flare Blitz covers a great amount of horizontal distance, and grants 30 frames of armor that begin on frame 23 and can withstand a maximum of 15%. Conversely, Fly has fairly minimal start-up lag, and grants 11 frames of super armor beginning on frame 4.

However, Charizard has significant flaws. Like its fellow super heavyweights, it suffers from a lack of reliable landing options; when coupled with its slow air speed and air acceleration weakening its landing mix-ups, Charizard has only neutral aerial and Rock Smash as fairly safe landing options. Charizard's neutral game is also limited because of its lack of safety on shield. Although its neutral game has decent defensive potential, it suffers against opponents that can pressure it safely and force it to approach unsafely, such as Zero Suit Samus.

Although a number of Charizard's normal moves have minimal start-up lag, its overall frame data is below-average compared to most of the cast. This is especially apparent with several of its most useful and/or potent attacks: up aerial and Flamethrower have considerable amounts of start-up lag, whereas forward/down smashes; back/down aerials; Flare Blitz and Rock Smash each have considerable amounts of start-up and ending lag. In addition, some of Charizard's most useful and/or potent attacks have specific flaws aside from lag. Flamethrower's decay can prevent it from spacing effectively when used frequently. Flare Blitz's recoil damage makes it best used strictly as a punishment option. Forward smash, forward aerial, back aerial, down aerial and Rock Smash require their sweetspots to KO reliably, whereas up throw's KO potential can be hindered via directional influence.

A few of Charizard's custom moves alleviate some of its weaknesses. Dragon Rush is effectively its best custom move: although it deals slightly less damage and has very minimal KO potential, it hits multiple times, cannot be blocked by opponents when recovering, has less lag and lacks recoil damage. Rising Cyclone is drastically stronger, to the point that it is capable of KOing most characters under 80%. However, it covers much less distance, to the point that it travels roughly as high as Rising Uppercut. Fly High covers slightly more distance, but at the cost of not dealing any damage. Lastly, Sinking Skull is slightly faster, buries grounded opponents and, when sweetspotted, meteor smashes aerial opponents. However, it does not have any super armor, so it worsens Charizards already poor landing options.

Overall, Charizard is essentially an "all-rounder" version of a super heavyweight, yet it is also comparable to Bowser in certain ways: its air physics and a number of its moves are similar to his, while its grab game is very useful for combos and KOing. Unlike Bowser, however, Charizard possesses faster grounded mobility, greater moveset utility, and a better recovery at the cost of raw power and balanced aerial mobility.

These traits make Charizard's playstyle require patience like Bowser's, yet deviate from his by requiring an appropriate balance of offense and defense, instead of being largely defensive. Reads and baits can also be very beneficial for Charizard's most potent punishment options, particularly its smash attacks and sweetspotted back aerial. However, its other useful assets enable it to not be as dependent on mindgames like Bowser is.

From a competitive standpoint, Charizard is currently placed in the lower portion of the mid-tier. While it had been previously regarded as a bottom-tier character, and even the single worst character in the game prior to update 1.0.6, the substantial buffs it consistently received from game updates lead it to be widely regarded as a potential low-tier or mid-tier character even before its improved results and official tier reassessment.

Despite being well-rounded for a super heavyweight, many players cite Charizard as one of the more complex heavyweights to utilize, which was reflected by its generally below-average tournament representation in North America prior to 2017. Nevertheless, Charizard has managed to achieve sparse, but notable results in tournaments outside of North America, such as winning some regional tournaments. In addition, its tournament success in North America began to show improvement in 2017, as shown by Bloodcross and Sharpy placing 17th and 33rd, respectively, at CEO Dreamland.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Charizard has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. Direct comparisons to its appearance in Brawl are somewhat abstract because of the fact that it could not be played as an individual character; however, it is generally agreed that Charizard itself has been buffed. Charizard's playstyle is drastically different from that of Pokémon Trainer as a whole: in general, the loss of its teammates makes its playstyle much more consistent than Pokémon Trainer's, but less capable of adapting to matchups.

Charizard has received some notable buffs. The removal of stamina grants its moveset consistent power, which is further supplemented by the rage mechanic enabling its wide array of KOing options to become even more potent. In regard to individual buffs, Charizard's grounded mobility has greatly improved: its already fast dashing speed has become the ninth fastest in SSB4, while its walking speed has gone from being the slowest in Brawl to being tied with Mewtwo's as the fifteenth fastest in SSB4.

Charizard's grab game has also improved: up throw is now a reliable KOing option and the second strongest throw of any kind in the game, whereas down throw has been re-purposed from a KOing option into a reliable combo starter at low to medium percentages. Lastly, Rock Smash now grants super armor and Flare Blitz, its new side special, boasts KO and recovery potential.

However, Charizard has also received nerfs. The removal of gliding has greatly weakened its recovery, while Flare Blitz is not as flexible for horizontal recovery like gliding was. Flare Blitz is also burdened with recoil damage, regardless of whether or not it hits a target and its extremely slow nature makes it very difficult to connect and it is highly punishable if it misses. In regard to individual nerfs, Charizard's heavier weight; faster falling speed; and slower air speed collectively make it more vulnerable to combos and juggling especially when combined with the removal of hitstun canceling which overall does not benefit Charizard much as its combo grab is limited outside of its throws. While some of its moves deal more knockback and are thus able to KO earlier, this in turn makes them less suitable for combos past medium percentages and despite having stronger KO options, some of Charizard's move such as down tilt, down throw and Rock Smash have reduced KO potential. Charizard's aerial game has also seen some nerfs. Not only is its air speed slower but it's neutral aerial has smaller hitboxes, forward aerial is less effective as an edgeguarding tool, back and up aerials are much slower, down aerial has considerably decreased range and Charizard has lost its glide attack. Lastly, Charizard's overall grab range has been shortened and all of its grabs are slower meaning that despite its stronger grab game, Charizard has more difficulty actually getting the grabs it needs.

Aesthetics

• Charizard's design has changed. It has smaller teeth and a slightly less pronounced snout; the corners of its mouth are curved upward; and its wings' metacarpal joints are slightly longer and slightly thinner. Additionally, Charizard's teeth are now white instead of beige; its patagium's interior is now midnight green instead of Persian green; and its tail's flame is now orange instead of vermilion. Lastly, the aesthetic used in SSB4 has resulted in Charizard having a sleeker design, and the orange portion of its skin being more vibrant. Altogether, these changes make Charizard appear virtually identical to its appearance in Pokédex 3D Pro.
• Charizard has received three new alternate costumes.
• Charizard is slightly more expressive. Its irises now shrink during its sidestep and when it is hit or launched. The majority of Charizard's animations are also more fluid.
• Charizard has new voice clips. Its grunts and roars now match how they sound in the Pokémon anime.
• Due to being separate from Pokémon Trainer, Charizard has a new victory pose that replaces the one that involves Pokémon Trainer petting it. Its new victory pose consists of Charizard using its new side special, Flare Blitz, to descend from the air and crash into ground before striking a pose.
• Charizard's body now faces the screen regardless of whether it's facing left or right.
• Dash's animation has slightly changed. Charizard now flaps its wings while dashing.

Attributes

• Due to the limitations of the Nintendo 3DS' processing power, Charizard is no longer connected to Pokémon Trainer via Pokémon Change or character selection screen input.
  • As a result, Charizard is no longer affected by stamina or type effectiveness (although the former is far more beneficial than the latter), allowing Charizard to be consistently powerful throughout an entire match.
  • However, Charizard can no longer switch to Squirtle (and subsequently Ivysaur) to adapt to different matchups and cover up its own weaknesses.
• Charizard walks much faster (0.7 → 1.2), going from the slowest out of 39 characters to the 15th fastest out of 58.
• Charizard dashes faster (1.8 → 2.0).
• Charizard's initial dash is slower (1.3 → 1), now being tied with Bowser for the slowest initial dash in the game.
• Charizard's air speed is slower (0.987 → 0.92), going from the 14th fastest to the 12th slowest.
• Charizard falls faster (1.35 → 1.4). This slightly improves its vertical endurance, but makes it slightly more susceptible to combos.
• Charizard's gravity is higher (0.085 → 0.11).
  • Despite this, Charizard's mid air jumps are higher.
• Charizard is heavier (110 → 116).
• Charizard's traction is lower (0.055 → 0.04). When combined with Charizard's slower grab and up smash, this significantly hinders Charizard's ability to punish out of shield.
• Rolls have decreased ending lag (FAF 35 (forward)/FAF 36 (backward) → 33 (both)).
• Roll have decreased intangibility (frames 4-19 → 4-18).
• Spot dodge has more startup lag with a short duration (frames 2-20 → 3-18) and it has increased ending lag (FAF 26 → 28).
• Air dodge has less startup (frame 4 → 3) and ending lag (FAF 40 → 34).
• Item throw is stronger (1.198 → 1.208).
• Charizard no longer has hurtboxes on its wings. This makes it harder to hit from above, especially during animations such as its midair jumps, and causes its wing attacks to effectively be fully disjointed.
• The removal of gliding significantly hinders Charizard's recovery. This also means that Charizard no longer has a glide attack, removing Charizard's safest aerial/KO option.
• The removal of meteor canceling significantly improves Charizard's endurance against meteor smashes as it previously had one of the least effective meteor cancel windows in Brawl, while its down aerial is also a more effective meteor smash.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first two hits transition into the next hit slightly faster (frame 10 → 9).
  • The final hit deals more knockback (40 (base), 110 (scaling) → 60/130).
  • The far hitbox for the first two hits now takes priority (ID #3 → 0).
  • All hits have a shorter duration (frames 4-7 → 4-5 (hit 1), frames 5-7 → 5-6 (hit 2), frames 7-10 → 7-9 (hit 3)).
  • The far hitbox for the first two hits is smaller (5u → 4.5u) and has been moved closer to Charizard.
  • The hitbox the furthest inside Charizard's body (for the first two hits) has been removed.
  • The final hit deals less damage (6% → 5%).
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has less startup lag (frame 12 → 11).
  • Forward tilt has increased base knockback (35 → 40), improving the sweetspot's KO potential.
  • The sweetspot launches opponents at a more favorable angle (361° → 40°).
  • Forward tilt now has two sweetspot hitboxes rather than just one.
  • The sourspot deals less damage (10% → 7%).
  • The original sweetspot has a smaller hitbox (5.5u → 4u).
  • Forward tilt has more ending lag (FAF 42 → 43).
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt's animation has changed. Charizard now slightly fans out its wings while thrusting them upward.
  • The wing hitbox reaches higher (y offset: 28 → 30).
  • Up tilt's hitboxes have been moved backwards (z offset: 2.5 → 0). This increases its range behind Charizard but reduces its range in front of Charizard.
  • Up tilt no longer grants intangibility to Charizard's wings although since Charizard's wings now lack hurtboxes, this change has no impact.
  • Up tilt has a shorter duration (frames 9-15 → 9-13).
• Down tilt:
  • Charizard's down tilt has an altered animation. While Charizard still thrusts its head forward, it no longer bites.
  • Down tilt now has one extended hitbox rather than three normal hitboxes (3.5u/5u/5u → 3.5u).
    • This makes the move consistently powerful and it is now disjointed; rather than failing to fully cover Charizard's head.
    • However, this slightly decreases the move's vertical range.
  • Down tilt now has a windbox from frames 5-7.
  • Charizard's neck deals more damage (8% → 10%) although its knockback was compensated (20 (base), 100 (scaling) → 60/60).
  • Down tilt is now a semi-spike (361°/65°/75° → 30°).
  • Down tilt has a reduced trip chance (40%/50% → 30%) although it is still incapable of tripping due to its knockback and angle.
  • Down tilt has more startup (frame 8 → 9) and ending lag (FAF 28 → 31).
  • Charizard's head deals less damage (12% → 10%) and knockback (40 (base), 100 (scaling) → 60/60), significantly hindering its KO potential.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 45 → 40).
  • Dash attack deals more knockback (70 (base), 50 (scaling) → 100/45 (clean), 45/30 → 100/30 (late)).
  • Dash attack launches opponents at a lower angle (80°/90°/100° → 50°/60° (clean), (80°/90°/110° → 60°/75° (late)).
  • Dash attack has smaller hitboxes (4.5u/4.5u/4.5u → 4.5u/4u (clean), 4u/4u/4u → 4u/3.5u (late)) and it has lost its hitbox which was the furthest inside Charizard.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash's animation has slightly changed. Charizard now swings its head in a more pronounced motion. This new animation increases its horizontal range.
    • However, the move now has two extended hitboxes rather than four normal hitboxes (6u/6u/6u/6u → 6u/5.5u), decreasing its vertical range and making it cover less of Charizard's body.
  • Forward smash deals more knockback (40 (base), 98 (scaling) → 60/94), improving the neck hitbox's KO potential.
  • Forward smash has lost its initial hit, shortening its duration (frames 22-27 (hit 1)/28-30 (hit 2) → 22-24) and making it deal less damage overall (22% → 17%).
    • This also increases its ending lag as its total duration was unchanged.
    • Additionally, The head hitbox has a shorter duration (3 frames → 2) and deals less damage (17% → 14%), hindering its KO potential.
  • Charizard starts charging forward smash slightly earlier (frame 17 → 16).
  • Forward smash has decreased intangibility (frames 22-26 → 22-25).
  • Forward smash now launches opponents at a consistent angle (45°/40°/35°/361° → 45°), no longer being able to semi-spike opponents.
  • The 1.19x damage multiplier against shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve forward smash's shield pressuring potential, although it still remains easily punishable on shield.
• Up smash:
  • Due to Charizard's wings no longer possessing hurtboxes, up smash is a much safer anti-air option, allowing it to always beat out attacks from opponents above Charizard.
  • The first hit's upper wing hitbox is larger (4u → 5u).
  • The second hit has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 17-21 → 16-21).
  • The second hit has larger hitboxes (5.5u/4.5u/3.5u/2.5u → 5.5u/5u/4.5u).
  • The second hit no longer has sourspots on the top of Charizard's wing with lower knockback scaling (100/90 → 107).
  • Charizard no longer slides nearly as far when performing a dashing up smash (although Charizard still travels further than its DACUS variant in Brawl). This makes its hits connect together better. However, this hinders its approach potential.
  • The first hit's launching hit has higher set knockback (90/80 → 100) and its angle has been altered 115°/105° → 110°).
  • The first hit's lower wing hitboxes have altered set knockback (60 (lower wing)/40 (middle wing) → 30/60).
  • The first hit's middle wing hitbox now takes priority over the lower wing hitbox (ID#1 → 0).
  • The first hit's middle and upper wing hitboxes have altered angles (100° → 140°/280°).
    • This allows them to connect more reliably into the second hit against aerial oppoents.
    • However, this hinders the move's ability to lead into the second hit against smaller characters.
  • The first hit has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 5-11 → 6-11), no longer being tied for the fastest up smash.
  • Up smash no longer has transcendent priority.
  • Charizard starts charging up smash smash slightly earlier (frame 4 → 3).
  • The first hit now only has one launching hitbox, with the hitbox positioned within Charizard being removed.
  • The first hit's middle wing hitbox is smaller (5u → 4.2u).
  • The second hit's previous sweetspots have decreased knockback scaling (110 → 107).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash's animation has slightly changed. Charizard now stomps the ground with one foot, instead of both feet.
  • Down smash has increased knockback scaling (75 (all) → 79 (sweetspot)/85 (sourspot)), improving its KO potential.
  • Down smash can now hit aerial opponents.
  • The sweetspot is now a semi-spike (80° → 33°), improving its KO and edgeguarding potential.
  • The sourspot's angle has been altered (80° → 46°). While this improves its KO potential near the horizontal blastzone, it also significantly hinders its KO potential near the vertical blastzone, as well as its overall KO potential.
  • The sweetspot's have smaller hitboxes (10u/10u → 6u/6u). As the sweetspot's are postioned at the end of Charizard's wings, this significantly decreases down smash's range despite the sweetspots being repositioned further horizontally (z offset: 19/-13 → 21/-15).
  • Charizard starts charging down smash smash slightly earlier (frame 3 → 2).

Aerial attacks

• All aerials except back aerial have decreased landing lag (22 frames → 20 (neutral/up), 32 frames → 22 (forward), 35 frames → 33 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has smaller hitboxes (4u/4u/4u/4u/4u → 3.5u/3u/1.5u/3.5u), as well as losing the hitbox on Charizard's body.
  • Neutral aerial has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 8-27 → 9-25).
  • Neutral aerial has decreased knockback scaling (90 → 78).
• Forward aerial:
  • Charizard has a new forward aerial, a downward slash with its claws. Compared to the previous forward aerial, it deals more damage (4% (near)/3% (mid)/2% (far/farthest)/11% (total) → 12% (early)/13% (clean tip)), significantly improving its KO potential despite dealing less knockback than the first hit of the previous forward aerial (70 (base), 100 (scaling) → 35/92 (early), 37/92 (clean tip)).
  • Forward aerial has less startup (frame 9 → 8) and ending lag (FAF 48 → 47).
  • Forward aerial has a shorter duration (frames 9-16 → 8-11).
  • Forward aerial auto-cancels later (frame 26 → 35), now requiring perfect timing to be auto-cancelled in a short hop.
  • Forward aerial has smaller hitboxes (6u/8u/11u/13u → 4.6u/4u/3u/4.8u).
  • Forward aerial launches opponents at a less favorable angle (25° → 361° (early)/34° (clean)), which along with its lower base knockback hinders its edgeguarding potential.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has a new animation where Charizard thrusts its tail much further, with its hitboxes being re-positioned accordingly. This significantly increasing its range.
    • However, this new animation is longer (41 frames → 52), increasing the amount of time Charizard cannot grab the ledge after using the move.
  • Back aerial deals more damage (9% (flame)/7% (tail)/5% (wing) → 16%/14%/11%), significantly improving its KO potential despite its decreased knockback (30 (base), 130/100 (scaling) → 50/90).
  • Back aerial no longer has an initial wing hitbox which in turn:
    • Significantly increases its startup lag and shortens its duration (frame 7-9 (hit 1)/10-12 (hit 2) → 14-16).
    • Removes its ability to link into the clean hit, making the sweetspot harder to land.
  • Back aerial has smaller hitboxes (6u/6u/6u/6u (hit 2) → 5u/4u/4u/2.8u).
  • Back aerial has more ending lag (FAF 42 → 46).
  • Back aerial has more landing lag (22 frames → 24).
  • Back aerial auto-cancels much later (frame 24 → 44), removing its ability to auto-cancel with a short hop.
    • Altogether, these changes greatly hinder back aerial's approach potential despite its increased range.
  • The changes to shields as well as back aerial's increased range and damage significantly improve its shield pressuring potential, especially the sweetspot.
• Up aerial:
  • Charizard has a new up aerial. Charizards swings its head in an upwards arc (similar to Bowser's). It deals more damage (10% (clean)/7% (late) → 13%) and has increased base knockback (20 → 30), significantly improving its KO potential compared to the previous up aerial.
  • Up aerial has more horizontal range due to its new animation.
  • Up aerial has much more startup lag with a much shorter duration due to no longer possessing a late hit (frames 6-8 (clean)/9-27 (late) → 12-15).
  • Up aerial grants less intangibility to Charizard's head/neck (frames 6-11 → 11-15).
  • Up aerial has a shorter initial auto-cancel window despite its increased startup lag (frames 1-5 → 1-3).
  • Up aerial has a longer animation (46 frames → 59). This increases the amount of time Charizard cannot grab the ledge after using the move although it now has interruptibility frames to compensate for its total duration.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial's upper hitbox can now hit aerial opponents, increasing the move's upwards reach against aerial opponents.
  • Down aerial has received a late hitbox that deals 8% and launches at a horizontal angle. This lengthens its duration (frames 18-20 → 18-20 (clean)/21-26 (late)).
    • However, the late hit has had its knockback uncompensated, so the move is more susceptible to punishment at lower percents.
  • Down aerial's animation has slightly changed. Charizard now performs a stomp with one foot, instead of a double foot stomp. This animation is still the same length so this has no practical effect.
  • Down aerial's upper hitbox has an altered angle (361° → 270°). This improves its edgeguarding potential but hinders its KO potential on stage.
  • Down aerial's main hitbox is smaller (8u → 6u) and has been repositioned higher (y offset: -7 → -3), significantly reducing its downwards range (despite now being an extended hitbox). This removes Charizard's ability to hit the entire cast with down aerial out of a full hop at max height and still auto-cancel the down aerial.
  • Down aerial's main hitbox now meteor smashes grounded opponents rather than sending them vertically (70° → 270°). While this means that down aerial can potentially trip opponents at lower percents, this also hinders its KO potential on stage, especially since grounded opponents can now tech the down aerial, combined with the upper hitbox now also being a meteor smash.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have larger grabboxes (4u/3.5/3.5u (all) → 5.4u (standing/pivot)/4.3u (dash)). This increases pivot grab's range despite it not being extended as far out (z offset: -18 → z stretch: -17.6).
• All grabs have increased start-up (frame 6 → 8 (standing), frame 8 → 10 (dash), frame 10 → 11 (pivot)) and ending lag (FAF 30 → 34 (standing), FAF 37 → 42 (dash), FAF 36 → 40 (pivot)).
• Standing and dash grabs do not extend as far out (z offset: 17 (standing)/14 (dash)) → z stretch: 13.6/12.3), reducing their range despite their larger grabboxes.
  • In addition to this, Charizard no longer takes a large step forward while performing standing grab, greatly reducing its range.
• Forward throw:
  • Charizard releases opponents earlier from forward throw (frame 40 → 27).
    • This makes the throw harder to DI.
    • However, this significantly increases its ending lag as its total duration was unchanged.
• Back throw:
  • Charizard releases opponents later from back throw (frame 16 → 29). While this makes back throw easier to DI, it also significantly decreases its ending lag as its total duration was unchanged, with the throw now being almost lagless.
• Up throw:
  • Charizard has a new up throw, a dive-bombing slam, similar to Kirby and Meta Knight's up throws. Compared to the previous up throw, it deals much more knockback (70 (base), 140 (scaling) → 50/220), greatly improving its KO potential (now being the strongest up throw).
    • Additionally due to its new properties, Charizard can now land on a platform above it, further improving up throw's KO potential.
  • The collateral hit has a longer duration (frames 29-30 → 52-58) and has increased base knockback (40 → 60).
  • Charizard releases opponents much later from up throw (frame 30 → 58), and it has more ending lag (FAF 50 → 80).
  • Up throw launches opponents at a less favorable angle (90° → 70°), hindering its KO potential and making DI more effective against it (especially when combined with the previous point).
• Down throw:
  • Down throw has less ending lag (FAF 82 → 71).
  • Down throw has more base knockback but much less knockback scaling (40 (base), 300 (scaling) → 70/130).
    • This significantly improves its combo potential, especially with its lower ending lag.
    • However, this greatly hinders its KO potential.
  • Down throw's visual effects have changed. Its flames are now orange, instead of vermilion.

Special moves

• Flamethrower and Fly are higher pitched.
• Flamethrower:
  • Flamethrower has more base knockback (12/10 → 30/15) and larger hitboxes (4.0u → 5.0u).
  • The flames have a lower SDI multiplier (1.2x → 0.5x). When combined with the weakening of said mechanic, this makes Flamethrower significantly more difficult to escape from.
  • Charizard no longer steps back when performing Flamethrower, increasing its range.
    • However, this also makes Charizard easier to hit when it is initiating Flamethrower.
  • Flamethrower's visual effects have changed. It now appears as a consistent stream of orange flames, instead of individual vermilion flames separated by small gaps.
  • Flamethrower has increased ending lag (FAF 69 → 71).
  • The flames have an increased hitlag multiplier (0.5x → 1.0x).
  • Charizard now gets pushed backwards when it lands Flamethrower. This significantly hinders Flamethrower's damage racking ability.
    • Charizard can also easily slide off platforms when this occurs.
• Flare Blitz:
  • Due to the removal of Pokémon Change, Charizard has a new side special, Flare Blitz. It is a flaming, corkscrew tackle that deals respectable damage; propels Charizard far horizontally; and grants 30 frames of armor that can withstand a maximum of 15%. This move grants Charizard a new and powerful KO option and recovery tool however, it is rather laggy, causes recoil damage and Charizard can easily self destruct while using the move.
• Fly:
  • Fly covers more vertical distance, improving its recovery potential.
  • The weakening of SDI makes Fly significantly more difficult to escape from.
• Rock Smash:
  • Rock Smash is now Charizard's down special move, instead of its side special move.
  • Rock Smash now grants super armor on frames 5-23.
  • The weakening of SDI makes Rock Smash significantly more difficult to escape from.
  • The 1.19x damage multiplier against shields overall improves Rock Smash's shield pressuring potential, even with its reduced damage output.
  • Rock Smash has more ending lag (FAF 62 → 72).
  • If Charizard is prematurely hit out of Rock Smash (before the move gains super armor), the rock will no longer immediately break and trigger the fragments, hindering its use as a fast attack to use in pressure situations.
  • Rock Smash deals less damage (18% (boulder)/5% (fragments) → 14%/3%). This hinders the rock's KO potential while also reducing the fragment's damage racking potential.
  • The rock hitbox is smaller (8.5u (ground)/8u (air) → 7.8u (both)).
  • The fragments deal more knockback (55 (base), 30 (scaling) → 70/50), which makes them connect less reliably while still being far too weak to KO.
• Mega Charizard X:
  • Charizard has a new Final Smash, Mega Charizard X. Charizard undergoes Mega Evolution to become Mega Charizard X. Like Triple Finish, Mega Charizard X can use Fire Blast. Unlike Triple Finish, Mega Charizard X is a transformation-based Final Smash that can fly freely across the stage; use Fire Blast as a projectile, similarly to Super Dragon; use Dragon Rush, regardless of whether or not custom moves are enabled; and grants both super armor and flinch resistance throughout its duration. However, Mega Charizard X's duration will shorten upon receiving damage.

Update history

Initially considered one of the worst characters in the game, Charizard has been buffed significantly via game updates. Update 1.0.8 granted Charizard arguably its most beneficial buffs: it improved neutral attack's reliability; increased back aerial's range; and re-purposed up and down throws into a viable KOing option and Charizard's best combo starter, respectively. Although the buffs granted by update 1.1.0 were not as prominent in comparison, they nevertheless improved the utility of Charizard's moveset.

The changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 are a mixed bag for Charizard: they make its high hitlag attacks safer and more threatening against shields, yet worsen its out of shield options. Lastly, update 1.1.5 followed a similar route to 1.0.8 by granting very beneficial buffs for Charizard: it increased its air speed; increased the damage outputs and decreased the landing lag of its aerials; and gave 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

• Down tilt's startup (frame 11 → 9) and total duration decreased (FAF 33 → 31).
• Neutral aerial has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 8-28 → 9-25).
• Neutral aerial has smaller hitboxes (4u/4u/4u/4u/4u → 3.5u/3u/1.5u/3.5u), with the move losing one of its hitboxes.
• With the exception of the late claw hitbox, forward aerial deals less knockback (45 (base)/100 (scaling) → 35/92) hindering its KO potential.
• Forward aerial's late claw hitbox deals more knockback (25 (base)/80 (scaling) → 32/97), significantly improving its KO potential to the point of now being the move's sweetspot.
• Back aerial's sweetspot is larger (4u → 4.5u) and it has been positioned further along Charizard's tail (z offset: 0 → -1), improving its range.
• Up throw deals 3% more damage (8% → 11%), restoring its damage output from Brawl and improving its KO potential.
• Flare Blitz deals 1% more recoil damage (4% (no contact)/9% (contact) → 5%/10%).

1.0.8

• Neutral attack's first hit has higher set knockback (15/10 → 26/22). This notably means it is no longer possible for the opponent to shield the second hit if they are hit by the near first hit.
• The first two hits of neutral attack transition slightly faster (frame 11 → 10).
• The third hit of neutral attack has higher knockback scaling (110 → 130), improving its KO potential.
• Forward aerial's claw hitbox is larger (4.3u (early)/4.5u (late) → 4.6u/4.8u).
• Forward aerial has a longer duration (frames 8-11 → 8-12).
• Up throw launches opponents at a higher angle (60° → 70°) and it has much higher knockback scaling (160 → 220). This not only greatly improves its KO potential (to the point of becoming the strongest up throw in the game without DI) but this also improves its combo potential at lower percents.
• Down throw has less ending lag (FAF 82 → 73).
• Down throw deals drastically less knockback (40 (base)/300 (scaling) → 70/130) and it launches opponents at a higher angle (361° → 70°). This completely removes its KO potential but when combined with its lower ending lag, this grants it combo potential.

1.1.0

• Forward tilt deals more damage on its sweetspot (10% → 11%), improving its KO potential.
• The second furthest hitbox on forward tilt is now a sweetspot, dealing much more damage (7% → 11%) and having higher base knockback (30 → 40), greatly improving its KO potential.
• Down tilt has received a windbox from frames 5-7 that pushes opponents forwards. This notably prevents down tilt from whiffing at close range.
• Back aerial has less landing lag (36 frames → 33).
• Down throw has less ending lag (FAF 73 → 71).

1.1.1

• Rock Smash has more ending lag (FAF 62 → 72).
• Sinking Skull has less startup lag (frame 23 → 21).
  • However, its total duration was unchanged, giving it slightly more ending lag.
• Sinking Skull deals more damage (10% (grounded)/9% (aerial) → 12%/10%).
• Rock Hurl has more ending lag (FAF 56 → 64).

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

For a gallery of Charizard's hitboxes, see here.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Scratch (ひっかき) / Continuous Scratch (れんぞくひっかき) / Wing Cutter (ウイングカッター)	3%	Two alternating slashes with its claws, followed by swinging one of its wings upward. Thanks to its impressive damage output; minimal start-up lag; very high knockback growth; and deceptively long range, it is reliable for damage racking and spacing. Its second hit can be jab canceled into down tilt, a grab, or Fly, although the opponent can potentially evade these follow-ups with proper DI. In comparison, its last hit launches opponents at differing angles: the wing's inner portion launches them vertically, whereas its tip launches them horizontally. Due to its strengths, it is considered one of the most effective neutral attacks in the game.
			4%
			5%
Forward tilt		Flame Tail (ほのおのしっぽ)	11% (flame), 7% (tail)	Swings its tail forward. It can be angled; has long range; and its sweetspot is at the flaming tip of Charizard's tail. When sweetspotted, it is one of the strongest forward tilts in the game. Its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 122%/111% (3DS/Wii U). Due to it hitting on frame 11 and having 29 frames of ending lag, however, it is punishable.
Up tilt		Wing Thrust (はねあげ)	8%	Hunches in order to thrust its wings upward. It hits on frame 9 and has very high knockback growth for a tilt attack. These traits make it a fairly fast, yet capable KOing option, as it KOs middleweights at 135%/126% (3DS/Wii U) from anywhere on Final Destination. Thanks to its long vertical range and Charizard not having hurtboxes in its wings, it is also a safe anti-air attack. However, it is Charizard's least damaging tilt attack. It also has fairly minimal horizontal range.
Down tilt		Low Headbutt (ていくうずつき)	10%	A battering ram. It has a windbox that hits on frame 7, which makes it deceptively fast. It is also a semi-spike, which makes very useful for edge-guarding. Despite its decent damage output, its base knockback and knockback growth are both below-average, which make it unsuited for KOing.
Dash attack		Front Kick (まえげり)	11% (clean), 8% (late)	A front kick. It has very high base knockback, and its range and long duration make it decent at punishing and zone breaking.
Forward smash		Headlong Rush (ぶちかまし)	17% (clean, late body), 14% (late head)	Rears back its head and then performs a lunging headbutt. It is very strong, as its sweetspots KO middleweights at 70%/61% (3DS/Wii U) while near the edge of Final Destination. It also renders Charizard intangible throughout its duration. Due to it hitting on frame 22 and having 45 frames of ending lag, however, it is very punishable.
Up smash		Wing Bash (ウイングバッシュ)	5% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	Rears back in order to swing its wings upward twice in an overhead fanning motion. Due to it hitting aerial and grounded opponents on frame 6 and 7, respectively, it is Charizard's fastest smash attack. Thanks to its long vertical range and Charizard not having hurtboxes in its wings, it is also a very useful anti-air attack. Despite being Charizard's weakest smash attack, it is still strong enough to KO reliably. Its second hit KOs middleweights at 118%/114% (3DS/Wii U) from anywhere on Final Destination. Despite its animation, its first hit can jab reset opponents behind Charizard. However, its hits do not connect together well behind Charizard, while its first hit has minimal horizontal range against aerial opponents. Its 27 frames of ending lag also make it punishable.
Down smash		Wing Attack (つばさでうつ)	16%	Stomps the ground to cause a small earthquake. It simultaneously hits in front of and behind Charizard, which makes it very useful for punishing rolls. Due to having quake hitboxes, it is also capable of hitting opponents slightly above ground or hanging on the edge. When coupled with its respectable damage output and its sweetspot being a semi-spike, it is also very useful for edge-guarding. Its sourspot launches at a slightly higher angle, but is also reliable for edge-guarding, thanks to its slightly higher knockback growth. While near the edge of Final Destination, its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 101%/91% (3DS/Wii U), whereas its sourspot KOs them at 106%/97% (3DS/Wii U). Due to it hitting on frame 14 and having 44 frames of ending lag, however, it is very punishable.
Neutral aerial		Charizard Turn (リザードンターン)	12% (flame), 9% (tail)	Somersaults forward to strike with its tail. Like forward tilt, its sweetspot is at the flaming tip of Charizard's tail. It can auto-cancel with a short hop, and its hitboxes end in front of and under Charizard just before it auto-cancels. All of these traits make it a fairly safe landing option and useful combo starter when auto-canceled, with follow-ups including neutral attack, dash attack and forward aerial. However, its very low base knockback and average knockback growth make it unsuited for KOing, even when sweetspotted.
Forward aerial		Aerial Claw (くうちゅうひっかき)	12% (early, clean arm), 13% (clean tip)	A downward slash with its claws. It hits on frame 8, which is the lowest amount of start-up lag out Charizard's aerials. It also auto-cancels with a short hop, while its sweetspot's tip is a semi-spike. When coupled with its respectable damage output and high knockback growth, these traits make it very reliable either as a follow-up from down throw, or as a KOing option. While near the edge of Final Destination, its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 108%/97% (3DS/Wii U). However, it has moderate ending and landing lag, and is punishable from out of shield by most characters.
Back aerial		Aerial Tail (くうちゅうしっぽ)	11% (body), 14% (tail), 16% (flame)	Swings its tail backward. Like forward tilt, its sweetspot is at the flaming tip of Charizard's tail. When sweetspotted, it is Charizard's most damaging aerial, and the second strongest back aerial in the game. While near the edge of Final Destination, its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 84%/74% (3DS/Wii U). Although its tail hitbox is noticeably weaker, it is still strong enough to KO middleweights at 98%/87% (3DS/Wii U) while near the edge of Final Destination. Its high damage output and long range also make it safe on shield when spaced properly. Due to it hitting on frame 14, however, it has the second highest amount of start-up lag out of Charizard's aerials.
Up aerial		Heading (ヘディング)	13%	An upward headbutt. Its respectable damage output and very high knockback growth allow it to KO middleweights at 86%/80% (3DS/Wii U) while near the upper blast line of Final Destination. It also renders Charizard's head intangible throughout its duration, and is tied with its neutral aerial for having the lowest amount of landing lag out of its aerials. However, it has minimal horizontal range.
Down aerial		Meteor Stomp (メテオスタンプ)	14% (clean), 8% (late)	A stomp. Its sweetspot is a very powerful meteor smash. In comparison, its sourspot launches opponents either diagonally or at the Sakurai angle. Due to it hitting on frame 18 and having 33 frames of landing lag, however, it is very punishable. Its sourspot is also much less effective than its sweetspot in regard to edge-guarding.
Grab		Grab (つかみ)	—	Clinches the opponent. Despite having decreased since Brawl, Charizard's overall grab range is still above-average.
Pummel		Biting and Tearing (かみちぎり)	2%	A bite. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw		Biting Throw (かみとばし)	10%	Sways its head with the opponent in tow and then flings them forward. It deals respectable damage and can be used to set up an edge-guard. However, its base knockback and knockback growth are both below-average, which make it much less reliable for KOing compared to up throw. While near the edge of Final Destination, it KOs middleweights at 175%/169% (3DS/Wii U).
Back throw		Rear Biting Throw (うしろかみとばし)	10%	Flings the opponent backward. It deals respectable damage and can be used to set up an edge-guard. Unlike forward throw, it has very low ending lag. As a result, it can combo into dash attack or Flare Blitz at 0%, or forward aerial at 0%-15%. Like forward throw, it has below-average base knockback and knockback growth, which make it much less reliable for KOing than up throw. While near the edge of Final Destination, it KOs middleweights at 175%/169% (3DS/Wii U).
Up throw		Seismic Toss (ちきゅうなげ, Earth Throw)	8% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Soars to the upper blast line with the opponent in tow, then dive-bombs them onto the stage at a blinding speed, similarly to Kirby and Meta Knight's up throws. As of update 1.0.8, its knockback is significantly higher, making it the strongest up throw in the game. It is also the second strongest throw of any kind in the game, being surpassed only by Ness' back throw. It KOs middleweights at 134%/124% (3DS/Wii U) from anywhere on Final Destination. It is even more effective on stages with platforms; it KOs middleweights at 107%/104% (3DS/Wii U) upon landing on Battlefield's top platform. It can also combo into Flare Blitz, which deals 30% altogether. However, this combo is very situational, as it is only effective at 0%-10% and is easily avoidable via proper DI. Despite being the strongest up throw in the game, proper directional influence hinders its KO potential to the point that Mewtwo's up throw, which is the second strongest up throw in the game, KOs more reliably in comparison.
Down throw		Roasting Heat (あぶりやき)	1% (hits 1-5), 1% (throw)	Pins the opponent to the ground and then expels embers from its mouth onto them. Prior to update 1.0.8, its knockback growth was the highest in the game, to the point that it could KO middleweights at 125%. As of update 1.0.8, its base knockback and knockback growth were both altered, which re-purposed it into a reliable combo starter at the cost of significantly hindering its KO potential. Notable follow-ups include a dashing up smash from 0%-15%, and neutral, forward, and up aerials from low to medium percentages.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Swings its tail backward, then headbutts forward while getting up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Swings its tail forward and backward while getting up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Performs a slash with its claws while getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			8%	Performs a battering ram while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Flamethrower	2% (clean), 1% (late)	Expels a stream of flames from its mouth, almost identically to Fire Breath. Like Fire Breath, it can be angled, which makes it useful for gimping low recoveries. Compared to Fire Breath, Flamethrower is better at damage racking and spacing, thanks to its overall higher damage output and its farthest hitboxes being able to cause flinching. Like Fire Breath, however, it has considerable start-up and ending lag, while its power and range also gradually decrease when it is used for more than a few seconds.
	Custom 1	Fire Fang	2% (embers), 8% (explosion)	Expels a much shorter-ranged stream of embers from its mouth, which hit multiple times. Releasing the special attack button makes Charizard perform a small, explosive bite that is strong enough to KO middleweights at 124% while near the edge of Final Destination in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
	Custom 2	Fireball Cannon	3% (clean), 2% (late)	Expels fireballs from its mouth that deal slightly more damage and travel much farther, similarly to Fireball. However, it has more start-up lag and Charizard must expel at least three fireballs before it concludes.
Side special	Default	Flare Blitz	4% (collision), 15% (explosion)	A flaming, corkscrew tackle. It is very powerful, as it KOs middleweights at 81%/69% (3DS/Wii U) while near the edge of Final Destination. In addition to its offensive potential, it covers an impressive amount of horizontal distance and grants armor on frames 23-53 that can withstand a maximum of 15%. However, it is very risky to use: it deals 5% recoil damage both at its beginning and on contact, and is very unsafe on shield because of its extreme amount of overall lag and how it forces Charizard into a tumble that cannot be teched. When used unwisely, its impressive horizontal distance can also result in an inadvertent self-destruct when used near an edge.
	Custom 1	Blast Burn	4% (collision), 5% (explosion hits 1-3), 9% (explosion hit 4)	A flaming, corkscrew tackle that concludes with a powerful explosion. It deals significantly more damage; has higher knockback; and launches opponents vertically. Altogether, these traits enable it to KO middleweights at 75% from anywhere on Final Destination in the 3DS version. Like Flare Blitz, it grants armor that can withstand a maximum of 15%. However, it travels slower; covers much less distance; and deals more recoil damage (6% at its beginning and 10% on contact).
	Custom 2	Dragon Rush	1.2% (hits 1-6), 4% (hit 7)	A corkscrew tackle. It has less start-up lag; does not deal recoil damage; and its loop hits drag opponents along during the tackle. Altogether, these traits make it safer than Flare Blitz and Blast Burn. However, its damage output and knockback are lower than Flare Blitz and Blast Burn's, which result in it having minimal KO potential in comparison. It also covers very slightly less distance than Flare Blitz. Due to its strengths outweighing its weaknesses, however, it is Charizard's most effective custom move.
Up special	Default	Fly	5% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-5), 4% (hit 6)	Flies upward while corkscrewing. It can be angled and covers a relatively average amount of vertical distance. Due to it hitting on frame 9, it has the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Charizard's special moves. When coupled with it granting super armor on frames 4-15, this enables it to function as an effective out of shield option. It also deals respectable damage when all of its hits connect, while its last hit's very high knockback allows it to KO middleweights at 125%/110% (3DS/Wii U) while near the upper blast line of Final Destination. However, it covers only minimal horizontal distance, even when angled forward, and his horizontal air movement is greatly reduced afterwards. Its loop hits can also be DI'd out of when Charizard is affected by rage.
	Custom 1	Rising Cyclone	4% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-7), 6% (hit 8)	Vacuums opponents and launches them. Its last hit is also much stronger, as it KOs middleweights at 86% from anywhere on Final Destination in the 3DS version. Like Fly, it grants super armor at its beginning. However, it has more start-up lag and covers less distance, and even less on the ground.
	Custom 2	Fly High	—	Covers more vertical distance and, like Fly, it grants super armor at its beginning. However, it deals no damage.
Down special	Default	Rock Smash	14% (boulder), 3% (fragments, up to 5)	Pulls out a boulder and headbutts it, breaking it into fragments. It can deal an impressive amount of damage when the boulder and fragments collectively hit the opponent. The boulder itself is also strong enough to KO middleweights at 139%/129% (3DS/Wii U) while near the edge of Final Destination. It also grants super armor on frames 5-23, which makes it a somewhat safe landing option and useful against incoming attacks. However, it has considerable start-up and ending lag.
	Custom 1	Sinking Skull	12% (sweetspot), 10% (sourspot)	A downward headbutt. It has less start-up lag; buries grounded opponents; and meteor smashes aerial ones. However, its lack of a boulder results in it having a much lower overall damage output and less range. It also lacks super armor and only its sweetspot is a meteor smash, whereas its sourspot very weakly launches aerial opponents diagonally.
	Custom 2	Rock Hurl	8% (boulder), 2% (fragments)	Grants super armor beginning on frame 1 and has more vertical range, thanks to the boulder's fragments flying much farther. However, it deals less damage; the fragments have slightly less horizontal range; and the boulder lacks KO potential.
Final Smash		Mega Evolution	2% (Dragon Rush hits 1-7), 10% (Dragon Rush hit 8), 5% (Fire Blast hit 1), 1% (Fire Blast hits 2-7), 5% (Fire Blast hit 8)	Mega Evolves into Mega Charizard X. As Mega Charizard X, it can fly freely around the stage, similarly to Super Dragon. Unlike Super Dragon, Mega Charizard X has super armor and flinch resistance instead of invincibility, and receiving damage will shorten its duration. Pressing the attack and special attack buttons causes Mega Charizard X to use Dragon Rush and Fire Blast, respectively. Compared to the Dragon Rush custom move, Mega Charizard X's Dragon Rush possesses longer range; the ability to propel Mega Charizard X in any given direction; and actual KO potential, thanks to its higher damage output and knockback. In comparison, Fire Blast is a fiery projectile that covers slightly more than the entirety of Final Destination and hits multiple times, with its last hit possessing KO potential. Dragon Rush and Fire Blast's last hits KO middleweights at 108% and 123%, respectively, while near the edge of Final Destination in the 3DS version.

Stats

Stats	Weight	Dash speed	Walk speed	Traction	Air friction	Air speed	Air acceleration	Gravity	Falling speed	Jumpsquat	Jump Height	Double jump Height
Value	116	1 – Initial dash 2 – Run	1.2	0.04	0.008	0.92	0.01 – Base 0.05 – Additional	0.11	1.4 – Base 2.24 – Fast-fall	7	32 - Base 15.42625 - Short hop	28, 18

Announcer call

This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files. The editor who added this tag suggests: Needs announcer calls from other languages. If you have a good audio file for this article, upload it here.

• English

• Japanese/Chinese

On-screen appearance

• Emerges from a Poké Ball, then stomps once.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Stomps once and then rears back to roar upward while flapping its wings.
• Side taunt: Faces the camera while stomping once and growling while spreading its wings out.
• Down taunt: Violently stomps twice while facing the camera.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Leans back and then stomps once.
• 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

An orchestral excerpt of the title theme from Pokémon Red, Blue and Green Versions, which has since become the main theme of the Pokémon series.

• Roars and then strikes a pose.
• Stomps forward before rearing its head back to roar upward while expelling flames from its mouth, and then strikes a pose.
• Uses Flare Blitz to descend from the sky and crash into the ground before striking a pose.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

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

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Charizard players (SSB4)

•  Chuck Nasty - The best Charizard player in the United States. Known better for his regional performances, especially placing 4th at No Man's Land, 9th at King of the Springs 2, and 13th at Low Tier City 5 defeating Konga and defeating Lima at Aftershock 2016.
•  Fire - The best Charizard player in Europe and one of the few Charizard players officially ranked in a superregion, ranking 40th on the European Smash 4 Power Rankings. He is best known for placing 2nd at ICARUS III and 5th at Geneva Gaming Convention 2016.
•  Sharpyzard - One of the best Charizard players of all-time best known for winning BeSmash 2016, the largest tournament won by a Charizard player. In addition, he is recognized outside his region for his consistency at North American majors, having placed 33rd at CEO Dreamland, GENESIS 5, and CEO 2018, defeating AC at GENESIS 5, as well as 49th at CEO 2017.
•  Tosshi - One of the best Charizard players of all-time, best known for his run to 4th at Umebura 31 defeating Nietono and Kome, which remains the best Charizard performance, while his 25th-place finish at Umebura Japan Major is tied for the highest placement for a Charizard player at a major. Outside of those events, he has also placed 13th at Single Game Championships: Umebura X Single-Chu defeating Ranai and 17th at Umebura 28.
•  Virum - Although known better as a commentator, he is also considered the second-best Charizard players in Europe, having placed 25th at BEAST 7 and Syndicate 2017, two of Europe's largest Smash 4 events. Internationally, he notably placed 25th at SwitchFest, tied for the highest placement for a Charizard player at a major, and 49th at both 2GGC: Nairo Saga and Shine 2017.

Tier placement and history

Due to its sluggish moveset; predictable and exploitable recovery; very slow air speed; susceptibility to combos; and newfound lack of teammates, Charizard initially garnered a very poor reputation by the majority of players during SSB4's early metagame. Update 1.0.8, however, began a trend in which game updates consistently granted Charizard buffs that were substantial at best and decent at worst. The buffs from this particular update noticeably improved Charizard's KO potential, combo game and frame data to the point that it lost its candidacy for the worst character in the game. Although some players even argued in favor of Charizard now becoming somewhat viable, it was still widely attested that these buffs were not sufficient enough to significantly improve its representation and results. As a result, Charizard was ranked 49th on the first tier list, confirming its status as a bottom-tier character.

Despite this placement, Charizard's viability became heavily contested ever since update 1.1.5, thanks to its sporadic instances of success and strengths as a character. Numerous professionals, including ZeRo and ESAM, believed Charizard to be somewhat viable and labeled it as a potential low-tier or even mid-tier character. This perception persisted into the second tier list, but was not reinforced by the second tier list itself, as Charizard was ranked 51st and thus placed at the top of the bottom-tier.

Despite this placement, many players kept arguing in favor of Charizard's viability. Notably, MkLeo has claimed that Charizard can fare well against top-tier characters, thanks to it having some niche matchups against some of them, such as Cloud. Arguments in favor of Charizard's viability were further supplemented by its tournament results slowly, but noticeably, improving; dedicated players like Chuck Nasty, Sharpy and Serge would go on to actually win regional tournaments while exclusively using Charizard.

Thanks to its newfound success, Charizard was ranked 45th on the third tier list, which reassessed it as a low-tier character. International players like Tosshi, Fire and SilentDoom would also achieve significant wins and results while using Charizard, such as the latter placing 25th at B.E.A.S.T 7 while using both Charizard and Cloud. Although Charizard's results in North America have been more sparse than other regions, they eventually improved in a similar manner. Notable examples include Bloodcross and Sharpy placing 17th and 33rd, respectively, at CEO Dreamland, and Chuck Nasty placing 13th at Low Tier City 5. Thanks to this steady amount of tournament success, Charizard has been ranked 42nd on the fourth and final tier list, which has reassessed it as a mid-tier character.

Trophies

3DS Classic Mode trophy

Wii U Classic Mode trophy

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!

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!

: Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (09/1998)

: Pokémon X & Pokémon Y (10/2013)

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/Blue (10/1999)

: Pokémon X/Y (10/2013)

3DS All-Star Mode trophy

Wii U alternate trophy

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...

: Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (09/1998)

: Pokémon X & Pokémon Y (10/2013)

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/Blue (10/1999)

: Pokémon X/Y (10/2013)

Mega Evolution (Charizard) trophy

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.

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Brawl: Charizard is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents debuted in Brawl.
• Fire-Type Frenzy: Charizard must defeat Greninja, Lucario, and Pikachu. Fire Bars, Fire Flowers, and Superspicy Curry are the only items that appear.
• Pokémon Battle: As Greninja, the player must defeat a team of Charizard, Pikachu, and Lucario.
• The Falchion's Seal: As Robin, the player must defeat a giant Charizard using their Final Smash, Pair Up. Defeating it in any other way causes it to respawn.

Co-Op Events

• Poisonous Planet: Olimar and Samus must defeat two giant Charizard in a Stamina Battle before their own health is depleted via flowering.
• Pokémon Multi Battle!: Charizard and Pikachu must defeat a team of Lucario and Greninja, and then a team of Charizard and Pikachu each appearing after one opponent is defeated.
• Robots vs. Dragons: Mega Man and R.O.B. 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.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Charizard's splash art.

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  Charizard's amiibo.

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  Charizard alongside Pikachu and various Pokémon during Charizard's trailer.

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  Using its new forward aerial on Mario.

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  Using Flare Blitz, its new side special, alongside Diddy Kong.

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  Landing after using its back aerial.

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

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  Footstool jumping on Yoshi.

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  Rolling away from Little Mac's Jolt Haymaker.

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  Sidestepping Greninja's Water Shuriken.

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  Using its down taunt.

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  Charizard and Lucario sleeping after coming into contact with Bellossom's Sweet Scent.

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  Teetering while Kirby is in the foreground after copying it.

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  Crouching on Prism Tower in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Alongside Pikachu.

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  Using Mega Charizard X, its new Final Smash.

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  Taunting alongside Lucario, Greninja and Pikachu.

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  Using Flare Blitz on Diddy Kong and Wii Fit Trainer and displaying its recoil effect.

Trivia

• Compared to its appearance in Brawl, Charizard now draws inspiration not only from Ash's Charizard, but also Red's Charizard and Alain's Charizard:
  • Its forward aerial's animation is identical to Alain's when it uses Dragon Claw.
  • Its up throw's animation is similar to Ash and Red's when they use Seismic Toss.
  • It knows Flare Blitz like Red's in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions.
  • It can use Blast Burn like Red (albeit only in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions) and Alain's.
  • It can undergo Mega Evolution like Red and Alain's.
• Due to having access to both X Attack and Fake Nails in the attack category, Charizard is the only character capable of using two types of specialized/non-badge equipment within the same category.
  • This also makes it the only Pokémon that can equip something other than badges and Pokémon equipment.
• Charizard knows eight official Pokémon moves 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 use Fire Fang and Blast Burn as custom moves, Fire Blast as part of its Final Smash, and Dragon Rush either as a custom move or as part of its Final Smash.
  • As Squirtle did not return from Brawl, Charizard is also the only playable Pokémon in SSB4 to know moves that were HMs prior to generation VII (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 who lacks both a chargeable special move and an aerial attack that hits more than once.
• Charizard is the first character to have one of its special move inputs changed between games since the transition from Super Smash Bros. to Melee, with the second being Palutena in Ultimate.
• Charizard is supposed to have a 6-frame jumpsquat according to its parameters. Due to a float precision error involving the original animation's length, however, it ends up being 7 instead.
• Due to Charizard going from part of Pokémon Trainer to a standalone character, it is the only non-DLC veteran to have unique splash art. While Zero Suit Samus, Sheik, and Yoshi also had taglines upon their reveals in the 2014 Direct, they instead used their official renders.
• In between the 3DS and Wii U versions, Charizard's the only character who uses a different victory pose when being on a winning team in Team Battles.
  • This makes it the only character to use all three of its victory poses in Team Battles when concluding both versions of the game.