The Iconic Charizard Finally Achieves Its Destiny: Dragon Typing Through Two Mega Evolutions
As a lifelong Pokémon superfan, Charizard has always held a special place in my heart. Getting to train the fiery Charmander into its awe-inspiring final evolution was a right of passage for early Pokémon trainers. So when Charizard was granted not just one but two Mega Evolutions in Pokémon X and Y, including a long-awaited Dragon-type, it felt like justice had finally been served for the dragon-like beast.
A Fan Favorite Over 20+ Years
Ever since Red chose Charmander as his starter in the Pokémon Red/Blue games and anime in 1996, Charizard has been a constant fan favorite. Its design stands out from the rest with its orange body, blue wings, flaming tail, and draconic features like horns and claws. As Ash‘s disobedient but powerhouse Pokémon, Charizard quickly became a standout character in the anime too.
When fully evolved, Charizard boasts a great blend of offense and defense. With base 109 Attack, 100 Defense, 85 Special Attack, and a versatile movepool, it can dish out damage while taking hits effectively too. This [statistics table] shows how Charizard‘s stats hold up even today:
| Stat | Base Stat |
|---|---|
| HP | 78 |
| Attack | 109 |
| Defense | 78 |
| Sp. Atk | 85 |
| Sp. Def | 78 |
| Speed | 100 |
These well-rounded stats and its awesome design have enabled Charizard to remain one of the most consistently popular Pokémon over the past 20+ years. In official Japanese polls up through 2020, Charizard has never placed lower than 7th out of all Pokémon in terms of popularity.
Many iconic Charizards like Alain‘s Mega Zard and Red‘s ferocious Zard from Pokémon Origins have reinforced its reputation for power and badassery over the years too.
The Case For Dragon Typing
But one aspect of Charizard has confounded fans for years – its Fire/Flying typing. Many expected Charizard to be a dual Fire/Dragon type based on its clear dragon inspiration. Just look at its dragon wings, claws, and horns. Even its name contains "izard", sounding similar to "dragon".
Back in 1999, GameFreak said they avoided making Charizard Dragon-type to prevent an imbalance with the other Kanto starters. But fans regularly made the case for retconning it over the years on forums like [insert examples]. Some even went as far as creating Dragon-type Charizard fan art and custom moveset concepts.
This fan demand likely stemmed from the superior offensive and defensive coverage provided by Fire/Dragon. One fan poll from 2010 named over 75% of participants voting in favor of changing Charizard‘s typing. And Charizard having a 4x weakness to Rock moves as a Flying-type surely factored into things too.
The Long Wait Finally Pays Off
So when Mega Evolution was introduced in 2013, I was sure Charizard would be one of the beneficiaries of this new power up. And I was ecstatic to learn it would finally gain the Dragon secondary typing fans craved through Mega Charizard X, awarded alongside a more traditional Mega Charizard Y retaining its Flying type.
At long last, Charizard could achieve its destiny dragonic! Mega Charizard X lived up to expectations too, with boosted Attack reaching a monstrous 185 and the coveted Fire/Dragon typing. Its ability Tough Claws makes its trademark physical moves like Outrage and Flare Blitz even more potent.
Mega Charizard Y also received enormous boosts to Special Attack (159) and Special Defense (115), capitalizing on Charizard‘s prowess as a special sweeper too. With Drought ability enhancing its Fire moves further, both Megas are absolute beasts!
[Insert stat table comparing Normal Charizard with both Megas]And Charizard is in exclusive company by having two Mega forms – Mewtwo is the only other member of this club. This shows the high esteem GameFreak holds Charizard in, warranting extra development time to craft two Megas.
Closing Thoughts
Seeing Charizard finally awarded the Dragon secondary type its design deserves through Mega X – even after 20+ real-world years – was incredibly gratifying as a lifelong fan. It shows GameFreak listens to fan feedback and understands which Pokémon are most revered by players.
Now we can utilize both Mega X‘s physically imposing Fire/Dragon offense or Mega Y‘s potent Fire/Flying special sweeps. Charizard has effectively been futureproofed and remains relevant instead of fading away over time. That‘s a relief, because I expect to be catching ‘em all with this iconic dragon for 20 more years to come!
What are your thoughts on Charizard‘s two Megas? Feel free to share in the comments – I‘d love to hear other perspectives from fellow Pokémon devotees!
