Charizard (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)


 * ''For other uses please see Charizard (disambiguation).
 * 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 is significantly different from the other heavyweights featured in Brawl. Charizard has a surprisingly fast running speed (tied with Pikachu) for a character of its weight. Charizard is also one of only three playable characters to possess wings (the others being Pit and Meta Knight), and as such is gifted with an two, very small mid-air jumps and the ability to glide. Both the start-up and the actual glide are significantly slower than the other two gliders though, making it difficult to incorporate into strategies outside of safer, less-predictable recoveries.

Predictably, Charizard is a powerful character. Its Smash Attacks are all quite powerful, with its side smash being capable of KOing a little below 80%. Charizard can put decent offensive pressure on the opponent with its multiple jumps, Flamethrower, b-air, up-tilt, and up-smash, and can also give out more defensive damage with moves like f-tilt, d-tilt and f-air (f-air is especially useful when properly ledge-hopped). N-air and Rock Smash work both defensively and offensively, so overall Charizard has balanced attack capabilities. Charizard also has potent specials. Its Flamethrower is great at racking up the damage at close range, and it also works well as an edge-guard or stalling tactic at mid-range. Complementing the damage-racking of Flamethrower is Charizard's side special, Rock Smash. It provides Charizard with an additional, relatively-safe power move; the headbutt packs a more portable punch than its smashes, and damage dealt from the rock fragments can combine to over 50%. Charizard's up special Fly has super-armor frames and significant knockback (although it has a linear path and is a somewhat poor recovery move), which both contribute to its recovery and can surprise high-speed, high-priority rushdown moves (like Meta Knight's glide attack) by busting through for a potential kill.

Charizard's greatest asset is its grab; Charizard's long neck gives the second longest standing grab in the game, next to Dedede. The range is immensely helpful when dealing with higher-tier characters who have an easier time controlling the match. At low-percents, rushing in after a forward throw can usually net another grab, with another throw racking up a quick 20% at the beginning of matches. Forward and back throws are also easily followed up with short-hopped Flamethrowers/Rock Smashes, depending on what the situation calls for (opponent retreating/advancing). At percents above 120%, Charizard's down-throw is an effective killing move, should the opponent prove difficult to kill with standard attacks.

Despite its pros, Charizard suffers glaring cons. Its main weaknesses stem from a significant amount of ending lag after its power moves, being a very large target, its huge vulnerability to chaingrabs (due to it large size and heavy weight), and its lack of both a proper projectile and a sufficient defense against them. Additionally, Charizard suffers against well-spaced disjointed hitboxes; Charizard fights best at mid-close range, where swords and the like are generally superior (a Marth f-air can even cut through all of Rock Smash). Also, despite having the fastest running speeds, Charizard has the slowest walking speed of all. Finally, like all three of the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon, Charizard is susceptible to stamina; after two minutes of play, its moves will be noticeably less powerful (in both damage and knockback). Given Charizard's high KO power and staying ability however, it could be said it is the least affected by stamina of the three.

Ground

 * Neutral Attack - Right hand slash, left hand slash, then a smack with the right wing. Does 3% damage on first hit, 4% damage on second hit, and 6% damage on third hit for a total of 13% damage if all hits connect.
 * Dashing Attack - Slides forwards and raises one leg for a sliding kick. Slows Charizard significantly out of dash, and is easily shield-grabbed. Does 11% damage.
 * Up Tilt - Hops into a triangular dual-wing stab above its head. Quick with excellent knockback, working well in conjunction with up-smash and n-air. Does 8% damage.
 * Forward Tilt - Sweeps flaming tail forward. Decent range and power (on sweet-spot), but ill-advised at close-range. Does 10% damage if sourspotted and 11% damage if sweetspotted.
 * Down Tilt - Bites forward at the ground in front of it. Quick move with useful pop-up in-close, and powerful knockback at the jaws. Does 8% damage if sourspotted and 12% damage if sweetspotted.

Aerial

 * Neutral Aerial - Spins entire body in a somersault, 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, combo setups, or for attacking from beneath low-level platforms. Does 9% damage.
 * Forward Aerial - Breathes a cone of flame forward and a little down. Good knockback, quick, and can work as a mildly effective Fence of Pain. However, the attack has no knockback further away from initial flame-blast near the mouth, and has noticeable landing lag. Does 10% damage if all hits connect.
 * 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 more-powerful tail swipe.  Most reliable aerial kill move when sweet-spotted. Does 7% damage.
 * Up Aerial - Bites upwards. Fairly poor range and knockback. Move has significant sex-kick attributes. Does 10% damage.
 * Down Aerial - Stomps downward. This move will always spike, and is highly effective when combined with multiple jumps. Does 14% damage.
 * 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. Does 12% damage.

Smash

 * Forward Smash - Sweeps its head forward from bottom to top. Slow, but very powerful and far-reaching attack.  Two-hit attack. First hit does 5% damage and second hit does 17% damage if uncharged.  First hit does 7% damage and second hit does 23% damage if fully charged.
 * Up Smash - Bats upwards with both of its wings, hitting twice. Decent knockback; maximum damage is given if both wings strike. Initial wing-swipe is very fast, making running up-smashes very effective. First hit does 5% damage and second hit does 11% damage if uncharged.  First hit does 7% damage and second hit does 15% damage if fully charged.
 * Down Smash - Stomps the ground once with both feet, causing earth to erupt from either side of it. Vertical knockback.  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. Does 16-22% damage.

Other

 * Ledge Attack - A slow, biting headbutt with little range. Does 8% damage.
 * 100% Ledge Attack - A mid-range tail swipe with moderate knockback. Does 10% damage.
 * Floor Attack - A combination rising bite and tail sweep, which hits on both sides quickly. Does 6% damage.

Grabs and Throws

 * Pummel - Bites with sharp fangs. Does 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. Does 10% damage.
 * Back Throw - Throws the opponent behind it quickly. Does 10% damage.
 * Up Throw - Sets opponent above itself, then slams them with its head. Does 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, but the weakest of his throws damage-wise. Can even damage a victim with a Franklin Badge. Does 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 he/she 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 its arsenal of regular attacks (Kirby's d-air becomes a drill after the initial hitbox), allowing it to spike opponents more safely/reliably than others.
 * While performing Rock Smash, any attack that interrupts Charizard will cause it to visibly drop the boulder. However, any attack that actually goes through Rock Smash's attack frames will simply make the boulder itself disappear, after the visible hit-lag.
 * 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).
 * In Brawl, Rock Smash is very strong and KO-capable, but in the Pokémon franchise, Rock Smash is one of the weakest moves in the game, which had an attack power of 20-40, depending on the generation.
 * In the All-Star Rest Area, Charizard's Rock Smash is a different color, looking like a chunk of ice.
 * It is the only playable Pokémon who has different names but has the same voice in all versions.
 * Though it really doesn't look like it, Charizard can perform a Reverse Hyrule Jump, thanks to his glide.
 * Rock Smash is a very useful move in The Subspace Emissary and Boss Battles mode, since it's relatively easy to land all of the move's hits on the bosses, and it can be used in midair, unlike Donkey Kong's similarly useful Forward smash.