Charizard (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)


 * This article is about Charizard's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Charizard.  In addition, for information about Charizard in regards to Pokémon Trainer, see Pokémon Trainer, Squirtle, and Ivysaur.

Charizard is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl in a sense; it is one of three Pokémon that are played through Pokémon Trainer, the other two being Squirtle and Ivysaur. Charizard originated from the original Pokémon as the second evolved form of Charmander, one of the initial monsters the player can start out with at the beginning of the adventure.

Attributes
Charizard has a surprisingly fast running speed (tied with Pikachu) for a character of its weight. However, it has the slowest walking speed in the game, more common for a very heavy character. Charizard is also one of only three playable characters to posses wings, and as such is gifted with an extra mid-air jump and the ability to glide. Charizard has smash moves quite similar to Bowser in their high strength and lack of speed. Unlike Bowser, Charizard is capable of many techniiques beyond its fire breathing attack (Flamethrower) to rack up damage. The forward aerial and down throw both use fire to add extra damage before the knockback is applied. The side special, Rock Smash, provides Charizard with an additional power move, along with a disjointed hitbox to block projectiles or be put to many other uses. It also has a very powerful spike with its D-air, capable of KOing opponents in the air at low percentages. One of Charizard's best attributes is its powerful forward smash attack, laying up to 30% damge and KOing at percentages as low as 50. Charizard's main weaknesses come from a significant amount of ending lag after its power moves; if they miss, it is left wide open for a counter-attack. Additionally, like all three of the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon, Charizard is susceptible to stamina, and must be switched away from after about two minutes of play.

Ground

 * Neutral Attack - Right hand slash, left hand slash, then a smack with the right wing.
 * Dashing Attack - Slides forwards and raises one leg for a sliding kick.
 * Up Tilt - Thrusts wings above head and gives a little hop.
 * Forward Tilt - Sweeps flaming tail forward.
 * Down Tilt - Bites forward at the ground in front of it.

Aerial

 * Neutral Aerial - Spins in a circle, hitting with its tail. Hitbox for sweetspot is very small, and otherwise has very little knockback. Has a long-lasting hitbox and cancels quickly, making it effective for defense or for combo setups.
 * Forward Aerial - Breathes a cone of flame forward and a little down. Good knockback, quick, and works as a fairly effective Fence of Pain. However, the attack has no knockback further away from initial flame-blast near the mouth.
 * Back Aerial - Hits quickly behind it with its mouth and fiery tail. The upper hit-box can spike, but it is weak and exists only to knock the opponent into the tail swipe.  Most reliable aerial kill move when sweet-spotted.
 * Up Aerial - Bites upwards. Fairly poor range and knockback. Move has significant sex-kick attributes.
 * Down Aerial - Stomps downward. This move can spike, and is highly effective when combined with multiple jumps.
 * Glide Attack -Spins out of glide and hits with wings/jaws for solid knockback; a good interruption move and easily followed up on when used near ground.

Smash

 * Forward Smash - Sweeps its head forward from bottom to top. Slow, but very powerful and far-reaching attack.  Two-hit attack.
 * Up Smash - Bats upwards with both of its wings, hitting twice. Decent knockback; maximum damge is given if both wings strike. Initial wing-swipe is very fast, making running up-smashes very effective.
 * Down Smash - Stomps the ground once with both feet, causing earth to erupt from either side of it. Hits simultaneously on both sides with fantastic range and good power, but has a laggy start/finish and will only hit if the opponent is grounded.

Other

 * Ledge Attack -Quick claw swipe as it pulls itself to the stage.
 * 100% Ledge Attack -Slow headbutt, medium knockback.
 * Floor Attack -Quick tail sweep,hits on both sides very fast.

Grabs and Throws

 * Pummel - Bites with sharp fangs. (2% damage)
 * Forward Throw - Grabs opponent in jaws, spins them, then releases them in front of itself. A pseudo-chain throw on many characters at near-0% percents. (10% damage)
 * Back Throw - Throws the opponent behind it quickly. (10% damage)
 * Up Throw - Sets opponent above itself, then slams them with its head. (11% damage)
 * Down Throw - Sets its opponent on the floor, and then breathes fire on them. Largely horizontal knockback. A reliable, if easy to DI, KO move at high percents. (6% damage)

Taunts

 * Up - Stomps and roars to the sky, while flapping its wings.
 * Side - Stomps and makes a bizarre purring sound, and also flaps its wings once.
 * Down - Stomps violently.

Role in The Subspace Emissary
Charizard is first seen flying into a cave by Lucas and the Pokémon Trainer. The Pokémon Trainer recognizes that Charizard is one of the Pokémon he had been trying to catch. Lucas and the Pokémon Trainer head into the cave to attempt to capture Charizard. In the process, they encounter Ivysaur and capture it as well. Eventually, Lucas and the Pokémon Trainer defeat Charizard in battle and capture it. Unlike many of the characters in The Subspace Emissary, Charizard does not serve any story roles after its capture. The Pokémon Trainer retains this role and the player is free to choose whichever of the Pokémon s/he wants during play.

Trivia

 * Charizard has the slowest walking speed in the game, but runs very quickly, tied with Pikachu for 7th fastest.
 * All of Charizard's tail-based attacks have a sweet-spot at the flaming tip, burning the opponent for more damage and knockback (b-air, f-tilt, n-air, +100% ledge-attack, get-up attack).
 * Charizard is the only flying/multiple-jump character in the game with a dedicated, single-hit Meteor Smash in his arsenal of regular attacks (Kirby's d-air becomes a drill after the initial hitbox), allowing him to spike opponents more safely/reliably than others.
 * Charizard is currently the heaviest playable Pokémon in the Super Smash Bros. series. Many Pokémon that appeared in Super Smash Bros are either middleweight (such as Lucario) or lightweight (such as Pikachu).