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Remember back in the mid-nineties when boy bands were the rage, everyone was trying desperately to keep their Tamagotchi alive and there were only three starter Pokemon to choose from. If you can’t, then perhaps we have just shown our age but we promise, back in the day there was just 151 Pokemon in total, making it easy to know which Pokemon to use in battle, which moves were best for the situation, and also, it was much easier to complete your Pokedex.
However, in the modern age of gaming we live in today, this number would be far too limiting. Instead, the most recent generation of Pokemon has pushed the number of Pokemon available closer to 1,000.
Meaning that there is so much information to retain, an abundance of new moves to learn, type advantages that didn’t even exist ten years ago, and a variety of new abilities that can be game-changers in the right hands. It’s a lot to ask and we want to help you stay on top of it.
We have created a series of in-depth guides, allowing you to get all the key Pokemon info without needing to spend hours figuring anything out for yourself.
In this Shiny Charmander guide, we look at one of those original starters from the nineties. We take a look at the shiny version of the original fire starter, Charmander. This fan favorite has a lot to offer and as a result, so does its shiny counterpart. However, what does it offer exactly? We find out in our essential guide for the Pokemon, Shiny Charmander.
What is Charmander?
Well, just in case you don’t know. Charmander is one of the three Pokemon that the original Pokemon trainers will have picked from Professor Oak’s lab table before setting off on their long journey to the Pokemon league. This Pokemon is the fire-type Pokemon and represents the original game’s hard mode as the first two gyms have a major type advantage over Charmander, forcing you to train hard or to catch and train supporting Pokemon.
In terms of appearance, Charmander is based on the real-world animal, the salamander, as you might have gathered from the name of this creature. This Pokemon has an orange body with a cream-colored belly marking.
The creature has wide, blue eyes, small eyebrows, two small nostrils, a set of sharp baby teeth, claws on its feet but not on its hands, and a long orange tail with a flame burning at the end. The tail is an indicator of Charmanders mood and health. If the flame is burning brightly, this Pokemon is happy and healthy. However, if this flame is no more than a flickering ember, this Pokemon is in need of medical attention or is feeling upset.
It is said that when this Pokemon’s flame is extinguished, the Pokemon dies. However, this cannot happen simply through contact with water or rain. This Pokemon’s tail will steam when in contact with water and only when this Pokemon is truly battered and broken will this flame go out.
This Pokemon is known to stick with other Charmander and is a pack animal. You will often find this Pokemon in hot, mountainous areas. However, it is much more likely that you will find this Pokemon in a trainers party than in the wild.
This Pokemon is number four in the Pokedex, is 0.6 meters tall, weighs around 8.5KG, has a medium/slow leveling rate, and has a catch rate of 11.9%.
Here is a video of Charmander in action so you can see exactly what this Pokemon has in its locker:
What is a Shiny Pokemon?
Now that you have a grasp of what this OG starter is all about, we better quickly run through what a shiny Pokemon is. A shiny Pokemon is an alternate version of a Pokemon within the series.
This shiny Pokemon has the same core design, move sets, attributes, abilities, and base stats as the original monster. However, it differs from the vanilla design as the color palette used to present this monster is changed to offer a brand new aesthetic.
These Pokemon offer no advantage to the owner in battle compared to a standard version of the Pokemon. However, what they do offer are bragging rights. These Pokemon often look fantastic and they are very rare into the bargain.
You may be asking, how rare are these Pokemon. Well, some are rarer than others but in general, these Pokemon pop up about once in every 4096 battles. These Pokemon used to be much rarer in earlier generations, only popping up once in every 8192 battles but Game Freak has been kind enough to cut the odds in half. Thankfully there are ways to cut these odds even further through the use of certain methods, but we will explain more about that in due time.
What is a Shiny Charmander?
So what makes a Shiny Charmander so special? Well, we were kind of hoping that you could tell us because the design is extremely underwhelming. This Shiny Pokemon has one noticeable difference from its standard model and that is the color change from orange to a vibrant yellow.
For some Pokemon, this would be an adequate change. Just look at what this exact change does for a Shiny Magikarp for example. However, due to the fact that this Pokemon is already a quite similar color already, the change is hardly noticeable and in truth, if you came across one, without a shiny animation prompt, we doubt you would immediately notice the difference.
This very slight alteration is a problem with some other popular Pokemon. The Pokemon mascot Pikachu springs to mind as their shiny only changes the standard yellow for a deeper shade of the same color. We hate to see when great Pokemon don’t have a shiny variant worth hunting.
Now thankfully, if you evolve Charmander into a Charizard, you begin to reap the rewards of chasing down this shiny but as for the original starter Pokemon, we have to say it’s a bit of a letdown.
How to Catch a Shiny Charmander?
As this Pokemon has been around within the Pokemon series and was for many, the first-ever Pokemon that they owned, it’s safe to say that the availability of this Pokemon is great in terms of shiny hunting.
The problem with this Pokemon though is that it has only been available as a starter Pokemon for the most part, which means that in a lot of games if you wanted to get your hands on one, you would either need to breed Charmanders, or you would need to play through the start of games until you were awarded your first Pokemon.
There are also some other ways to acquire this Pokemon. You could acquire this Pokemon as a gift in Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver, in Pokemon Yellow, in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and in Pokemon X and Y. Plus, you would be able to encounter this Pokemon in the wild in the Pokemon Lets Go series and Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon. So while it isn’t the most common Pokemon, you’ll be able to get your hands on one fairly comfortably.
The problem with this lack of natural encounter options means that you’ll have to use several alternative techniques to get your hands on a Shiny Charmander. However, if you use any of these helpful methods below, you should be able to grind for a shiny Charmander in the most stress-free way possible. Here is a list of helpful tips below:
Save Manipulation
This is a pretty retro method and can be rather long-winded too. However, depending on the game that you are playing, this may be one of your only options.
If you save your game at a particular point before you receive this Pokemon, either as a starter or as a gift, you will be able to turn off and restart the game again and again until a shiny Pokemon pops up. This does have the same very high odds as simply encountering the Pokemon, so while it is an option, it’s certainly not the best one.
Masuda Method
The next option would be to use a method that is popular with Pokemon Breeders, the Masuda Method. This method requires the user to find two applicable Pokemon that can be used to breed a Charmander.
They will need to be from two different real-world regions, such as North America and Asia for example. If you do this, the chances of your egg hatching to reveal a Shiny Charmander drop to a much more favorable 600/1.
Catch/Combo Chaining
Another option, and in our opinion, the best option. Is to use the catch and battle combo method. This requires the player to either play Pokemon Sword and Shield or Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee/Pikachu.
However, since this Pokemon is only available in the Pokemon to Let’s Go series for a random encounter, it will have to be the latter. The player will then have to battle the same Pokemon continuously, either catching or battling this Pokemon to keep the chain alive. For each encounter, your odds will drop and after a few hours, you could see your odds drop to as low as 270/1.
Shiny Charm: Then lastly, you have the unique item introduced in more modern Pokemon adventures, the Shiny Charm. This allows players to drop their odds of capturing a shiny Pokemon by a third from 4096/1 to 2761/1. This can be stacked with the above techniques to produce even better results.
Does Charmander Evolve?
Yes, Charmander evolves into arguably the most adored Pokemon of the entire series, Charizard. This Pokemon first evolves into Charmeleon when it reaches level 16, then at level 36, this Pokemon grows into the powerful fire and flying type Pokemon that we love so much.
It is also important to note that Charizard also has three other evolutionary forms. This Pokemon has two separate mega-evolutions, the X and Y evolution. Then the Pokemon also has the Gigantimax form. However, only the X evolution allows you to change this Pokemon’s typing into a dragon type.
All of these evolutions are subject to change if you have a shiny version of this Pokemon. Meaning that if you evolve your Charmander into a Charizard, you have access to a rotation of four different shiny variants with just one Pokemon which is unmatched by any other Pokemon. So evolving this Pokemon is a very worthwhile venture.
Should I Evolve My Shiny Charmander?
We would usually approach this question with a certain level of professionalism and try to keep our bias out of things. However, even with bias aside, there is no question that you should evolve your Charmander into a Charizard.
However, we will explain exactly why that is the case. Firstly, in terms of aesthetics, while Charmander and Charmeleon are incredibly underwhelming shinies, Charizard is a smorgasbord of color and creativity. The standard shiny allows you to cut about with a black Charizard which is unprecedented levels of cool.
Then you have the three additional evolutions which allow you to enjoy a green, red and blue Y form, a grey and red X form, and charcoal colored Gigantamax version of this monster. No matter what your preference is, each of these designs trumps the Charmander shiny model, so you would be a fool to deny yourself this variety of shiny models.
Then as for the competitive perks of owning a Charizard, we could go on all day about its battle-ready nature. It has an excellent move pool, solid stats, has the ability to act as a wall breaker Pokemon, can fit into different competitive categories depending on the evolution you choose to use. Plus, this Pokemon has several tactics that remain popular in the meta, which is not something you can say about most Pokemon as there tends to be one optimal way to utilize them.
Charmander does have its place within the LC and does have a decent movepool for a basic Pokemon. However, despite this, the starter never had a chance when compared to its full evolution. So do yourself a favor and evolve your Pokemon into a Charizard.
A Must-Have Shiny Starter
As you can see from the information above, Charmander is a rather underwhelming shiny Pokemon. However, thanks to the potential that this Pokemon possesses if you get it involved in a regular training regime. It is still well worth hunting for and adding to your roster.
This Pokemon has the potential to offer six different shiny variants to the player, can grow into one of the finest competitive Pokemon in the game, and thanks to the Let’s Go series, this shiny is much more obtainable. So get out there and grab one today.
FAQs
Question: Does Charmander Feature in The Pokemon Anime?
Answer: Charmander not only features in the anime, but this Pokemon was also one of Ash’s original Pokemon within the original anime series. This Charmander would of course evolve into Ash’s moody Charizard that rarely done what it was told. This Pokemon debuted in the episode, Charmander – The Stray Pokémon. In this episode, Ash, Misty, and Brock encounter a Charmander that has been abandoned by its trainer, Damien. The Pokemon remained where he left it, hoping that he would come back. However, when a rainstorm rolled in, the Charmander became ill and Ash took this Pokemon to a Poke center. Later, Charmander realized that Ash would care for them and allowed him to capture them.
We saw another Charmander make major appearances in the series. This was Ritchie’s Charmander that first appeared in the episode, A Friend In Deed, then later evolved into a Charmeleon in the episode, A Parent Trapped!
Trevor was another main character that owned a Charmander which would make regular appearances in the anime. This Pokemon would appear first in Summer of Discovery! Then evolve into a Charmeleon in A Legendary Photo Op! Before finally evolving into a Charizard in the episode A League of His Own!
Another key Charmander appearance was in the episode Journey to the Starting Line! In this episode, Gilbert is choosing his starter Pokemon to take on Kanto. However, Ash bounds into the lab with his Tauros, and the starters flee startled. The group set out to find the missing Kanto starters and Charmander is the Pokemon they find first. We also seen Professor Oak show up during the series with the three original Kanto starters by his side. This happened in episodes such as A Six Pack Attack! And The Right Place and The Right Mime.
These are the main appearances that Charmander makes within the Pokemon anime. However, this is far from an exhaustive list. This Pokemon made several other minor appearances and also made some appearances in full feature-length Pokemon movies. So to keep you up to date, here is every single episode that Charmander popped up in that we haven’t mentioned already:
• Mega Evolution Special I
• The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!
• Pokémon – I Choose You!
• Battle Aboard the St. Anne
• Hypno’s Naptime
• Pokémon Fashion Flash
• The Ultimate Test
• The Breeding Center Secret
• Pikachu’s Vacation
• Friends to the End
• Pikachu’s Rescue Adventure
• Don’t Touch That ‘dile
• Gonna Rule The School!
• Meloetta’s Moonlight Serenade
• I Choose You!
• A Crowning Moment of Truth!
• Alola, Kanto!
• The Power of Us
• Where Are You Going, Eevee?
• We Know Where You’re Going, Eevee!
• Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution
• Legend? Go! Friends? Go!
• Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day!
• Getting More Than You Battled For!
• Crowning the Chow Crusher!
• Sobble Spies a Stealthy Strategy!
Question: What Are The Best Moveset’s For Charmander?
Answer: As Charmander is a basic Pokemon with decent stats, an excellent move pool, and has access to some stat-boosting moves, it actually makes a very good LC competitor. However, w you will undoubtedly be asking what moves are best when trying to get the most out of this Kanto starter. Well, we happen to have all the answers you need. Here is the optimal moveset for the Pokemon, Charmander:
• Dragon Dance
• Flare Blitz
• Brick Break
• Thunder Punch
Question: How Much Does a Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card Cost?
Answer: Well, as you know, the price of an item is often defined by how much the bidder wants the item. In the case of a holo Charizard, as these cards are rare, the price is often very high and can fluctuate. However, if we are talking about 1999, first edition Holo Charizard. We do have a very recent point of reference. In April of 2021, after a long and hard-fought bidding war, one of these cards sold at auction for a staggering $311,800.
