Should You Teach Charizard to Fly? An In-Depth Analysis

As a hardcore Pokémon gaming fan, I get asked questions like this a lot by fellow trainers: Should the iconic fire dragon Charizard learn the HM move Fly? My unequivocal answer: Yes! Teaching Charizard to Fly is an excellent strategic choice for enhancing this powerhouse Pokémon‘s capabilities and utility across generations of games.

Why Fly Is a Great Move for Charizard

Before analyzing the pros and cons, first let‘s review some key details on what the move Fly does:

• Type: Flying
• Category: Physical
• Power: 90
• Accuracy: 95%
• Additional effect: None

The main appeal? Flying-type STAB bonus. Since Charizard gains the Flying type upon evolution, Fly gets a 50% boost in power to 135 when used by Charizard. This makes it stronger neutral damage than Flamethrower!

Fly also has solid accuracy and power without drawbacks, making it a reliable damage option. And as a Physical attack, it better utilizes Charizard‘s naturally higher Attack stat compared to relying solely on Special moves.

Here‘s a statistical breakdown of Charizard‘s approximate damage output with some of its best moves:

As you can see, the 50% STAB boost lets Fly outdamage every non-STAB move and even Charizard‘s signature Fire Blast. And that‘s not even factoring in further bonuses from held items, abilities, weather effects, critical hits etc.

So Fly gives Charizard stellar neutral coverage at high power. But primal appeal lies in Fly‘s unique out-of-battle effects…

Fly‘s Defensive and Mobility Upsides

Unlike offense-only moves, the beauty of Fly stems from its utility beyond just dishing direct damage:

1. Escape dangerous situations – Fly lets Charizard pivot out from any threat about to use a powerful move like Hyper Beam or Superpower. Dodging these attacks can make the difference between winning and getting OHKO‘d!

2. Out-of-battle transportation – All Pokémon games give Fly the ability to fast travel between previously visited locations. This enhances exploration and cuts down on tedious backtracking time.

3. Open up new areas – HM moves like Fly are often necessary to access new locations and content. Having Charizard ready to Fly ensures you won‘t be blocked by these barriers.

So in summary, Fly gives Charizard both an emergency escape button against incoming attacks and simplifies navigating the world out of battle. That flexibility provides gameplay value beyond just the raw power.

How Viable Is Charizard With Fly vs Other Users?

Okay, so Fly synergizes super effectively with Charizard‘s capabilities. But how does it compare to other prospective Fly users catchable in the Kanto region? I break down the top options below:

While Dragonite and Aerodactyl make great use of Fly as well, Charizard‘s raw power and bulk combined with Fly‘s STAB gives it the optimal damage output. And it can still dish fire attacks if needing type advantage.

Meanwhile Frail sweepers like Dodrio appreciate Fly for pivot potential but lack the durability to switch into attacks. And scout flyers like Pidgeot and Fearow warrant consideration but will rarely have the offensive presence of a Charizard in battle.

So I‘d rank Charizard as the most versatile, hard-hitting Fly user available. Teaching it to a Charizard you plan to utilize as a tank or win condition is encouraged.

Incorporating Fly on Offensive and Defensive Charizard Movesets

While Charizard packs plenty of punch with Fire Blast and Blast Burn, Fly diversifies its attacking options. You generally want to run one physical and one special move to prevent getting totally walled. Here are some battle-ready builds:

Offensive Moveset

• Fire Blast
• Dragon Claw
• Fly
• Solar Beam

This set takes full advantage of Charizard‘s Special Attack for heavy Fire Blasts, mixes up physical Dragon Claw for coverage and boosts further with Sunny Day + Solar Beam. Fly replaces the secondary Fire move for more variability in damage types.

Defensive Moveset

• Flamethrower
• Roost
• Toxic
• Fly

More defensive-minded Charizards can use Fly to escape from the statuses they inflict with Toxic, heal back up again with Roost, and selectively dish damage. This wears down foes gradually.

So Fly fits naturally on both all-out attacking sets or slower paced tank builds. And it counters Ground weakness since Levitate blocks Earthquake!

Real-World Success Cases

Some examples that demonstrate Charizard‘s effectiveness with Fly in competitive teams:

• Leon‘s Gigantamax Charizard – The unbeatable Champion of Galar‘s ace is shown using Max Airstream, the flying type G-Max move, to devastate opponents. Dynamaxed Fly moves behave the same way!

• Worlds 2016 Chase Lybbert‘s team – This 3rd place squad utilized Mega Charizard Y holding Flyinium Z to boost a powerful Fly and sweep late game.

• Players Cup II top 8 finisher – In this recent 2020 tournament, a Charizard acted as a backup Dynamax attacker using Max Airstream.

Across formats from VGC doubles to Smogon OU singles, Charizard continues proving its aerial dominance with Fly fueling the flames!

After this deep analytical dive from a devout lifelong Pokémon fan, I hope you feel fully convinced that Charizard has earned its wings. Equipping fiery starter final evolution Charizard with HM02 Fly opens up new strategic options compared to pure fire movesets.

Fly‘s STAB and Physical damage bonuses let Charizard hit destructively hard while also facilitating escapes and mobility. Among Kanto flyers, it stands head and shoulders above competitors for dishing air assaults. And the utility cannot be understated on role-locked HM journey segments.

So for well-rounded Charizards ready to carry your squad to victory, make sure to give it the power of flight! What journey awaits through the skies of the Pokémon world? Teach Fly today to find out!