This article is about Charizard's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For other uses, see Charizard. Also, for information about Charizard in regards to Pokémon Trainer, see Pokémon Trainer (SSBU), Squirtle (SSBU), and Ivysaur (SSBU).
Charizard (リザードン, Lizardon) is a character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Unlike in Super Smash Bros. 4, Charizard is no longer a standalone character, and is back under the Pokémon Trainer’s control. It was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Along with the Pokémon Trainer, Charizard is classified as fighter #35.
Shin'ichirō Miki reprises his voiced role as Charizard, providing new clips.
Charizard deviates from the other super heavyweight characters in speed. Its ground game provides wide utility courtesy of its high initial dash and run speed. Also, its normals such as forward tilt and jab are further supplemented by skid canceling. Its high traction and quick out-of-shield options like neutral attack and up smash suit its close-quarters combat well. Up smash hits on frame 6, KOs at reliable percents, and functions as an effective juggling and anti-air tool alongside up tilt.
Neutral air is a multi-purpose tool effective at starting and extending combos, juggling, edgeguarding opponents, and sometimes landing. It is capable of stringing into itself, forward air, and down air. Forward air is fast (frame 8) and deals considerable damage to finish combos and KO at high percents. However, it does not autocancel out of a short hop, so it is only a mix-up at best in the neutral game. Up air renders Charizard's head intangible and is one of the strongest in the game, making it an effective juggling tool and finisher. It is also a makeshift combo too at low to middle percent ranges. Back air is extremely powerful and disjointed; it covers a wide diagonal arc behind Charizard and overpowers opponents above it. Down air’s sweetspot hitbox is large and powerful, enabling it to seal stocks at low percents.
Charizard’s grab game sees high flexibility, being capable of setting up into combos and positioning the opponent, as well as earning KOs. Having minimal ending lag, back throw is a versatile combo tool and positions the opponent off-stage at higher percents as well. Down throw fills the combo starter niche as well, although to a lesser extent than back throw. Forward throw has higher knockback than back throw, being able to set up edgeguards and ledge traps earlier, as well as KO’ing at higher percents. Up throw functions as a last-resort KO option at 150% and above, or earlier on stages with platforms.
Of Charizard’s special moves, Flamethrower sees the most utility, having medium range and flexibility in being angled. It pressures opponents to approach, covers certain weak projectiles, and is a useful ledge-trapping move. Fly has super armor at its startup, granting Charizard’s recovery more safety. Flare Blitz functions as a hard punish or tech chase option that deals immense power and knockback upon hit.
Charizard’s main benefits include its strong advantage state, damage-racking capabilities, and KO potential. It is able to build high damage from only a few hits thanks to its high damage output in its combos and strings, particularly out of back throw. Charizard is the most advantaged when it is below the opponent. Its neutral air, up tilt, up smash, and back air are disjointed and cover wide arcs against opponents above it. Charizard also comes with respectable edgeguarding and ledge-trapping abilities. Flamethrower covers many get-up options when properly spaced, and the player is able to punish them on reaction thanks to down smash, up smash, and neutral air. Forward tilt (angled downwards) and down smash are also capable of hitting characters at the ledge.
Charizard's weaknesses include its raw moveset causing it to have a mediocre neutral game. Flamethrower’s decay prevents it from being usable for a long time, and its few safe-on-shield options, such as back air, neutral air, and forward tilt, require precise spacing and timing for the highest benefit. Charizard's moveset also contains several flaws that considerably offset its strengths, including forward air not being able to autocancel out of a shorthop. Thus, its moveset requires high commitment, resulting in heavy reliance on movement and reads to secure advantage state. While its moveset is equipped to maintain advantage, the nature of it requires the player to read the opponent instead of being able to aggressively juggle them. Charizard's biggest weakness is against characters that can rush it down with combos such as Squirtle, Mario, Palutena, Lucina, and Corrin, as its few combo-breaking moves are either too risky or too slow to be consistent in this application.
Overall, Charizard is a well-rounded super heavyweight but has the weakest auto-pilot of the three Pokémon in the Pokémon Trainer’s party. It must rely on sheer mobility and player interaction, and must work around the glaring problems its moveset contains. Charizard is able to function both offensively and defensively in the neutral, but it is up to the player to find the most beneficial position in this spectrum. Once it gains advantage, it must capitalize on the opponent’s mistakes to the greatest extent for the highest return.
In an indirect sense, Charizard can be considered the best super heavyweight in the game as its Trainer can call on it when its strength, endurance, and recovery are needed, and can simply remove it from situations that exploit the weaknesses it shares with fighters of its weight class. While Charizard requires more skill and prediction to use to its full potential than Squirtle and Ivysaur, Pokémon Trainers that have mastered the Flame Pokémon will be rewarded greatly with the options that it brings to the table.
Previously the standalone character in Smash 4 representing the trio of Pokémon in Brawl, Charizard now returns as part of the Pokémon Trainer's crew. As expected, it keeps many of its changes and buffs from Smash 4, retaining its function as the hardest-hitting member of the Trainer's party while also gaining new, significant buffs to its mobility. Having been considered a lackluster character in Brawl and in early SSB4, Charizard has received a mix of buffs and nerfs, but the former are more prominent as they address its more critical flaws in the previous game.
Charizard's buffs gave many improvements to its ground and aerial moveset. Its overall mobility has been substantially improved; its previously abysmal initial dash speed is now one of the fastest in the game, its second midair jump covers more height, and its air speed is now substantially faster compared to in Smash 4. Its falling speed and fast falling speed are much higher, making it easier for it to land while making its neutral game more effective, and the universal frame 3 jumpsquat significantly helps its buffed aerials (which are now faster). Up tilt's hitbox covers more horizontal range, up smash can now hit grounded opponents, and Flare Blitz and Fly have had their power and hitboxes buffed respectively, making Charizard's moveset more reliable. Neutral air's endlag has been drastically reduced and its animation has been made faster, repurposing it into an effective air-to-air option and combo extender.
However, Charizard has received notable nerfs. Its former most effective tools, including its neutral attack's range, down throw's mitigated combo ability, and forward aerial no longer autocanceling in a short hop. Its higher fall speed also makes it easier to combo. However, Charizard's most notable loss comes from the removal of Rock Smash to make way for Pokémon Change, eliminating a niche landing option and shield-pressuring tool from its moveset, with the only compensation being if the player wishes to make full use of Pokémon Change to take advantage of Squirtle's attributes.
Based on its direct changes, Charizard is fundamentally better but is counterbalanced by new, gaping flaws in its moveset. As such, it is very debatable how Charizard fares compared to its solo appearance in SSB4. However, given Pokémon Trainer's overall high- to top-tier standing, Charizard has proven itself more useful as a member of Pokémon Trainer's team because it allows the Trainer to adapt to situations where its recovery, endurance and KO power are needed and can replace itself with Squirtle or Ivysaur in cases where Charizard's weaknesses can be exploited, but Squirtle's or Ivysaur's cannot. This is especially true after patch 4.0.0, which nerfed some of the more notorious tools in Ivysaur's kit while buffing Charizard in return, presumably to encourage more balanced use of all three members.
Aesthetics
As with all veterans returning from Smash 4, Charizard's model features a more subdued color scheme, resembling its appearance in recent mainline Pokémon games. Additionally, its legs and arms are more prominently muscular, the flame on its tail is also more vibrant.
During normal matches, Charizard uses the Pokémon Trainer's stock icon and name call instead of having its own. However, its own stock icon is seen in the Spirits mode, as both a playable character and an enemy.
Charizard moves in a wave-like motion during its dash animation, similar to Lugia on the title screen for Pokémon SoulSilver. [1]
Charizard now hangs onto the ledge with one hand instead of two.
Charizard has two new taunts: one where it stands upright for its up taunt, similar to Ridley's down taunt, and another where it does a quick aerial flip and roars during its side taunt. Its former up taunt is now its down taunt.
While maintaining its Flare Blitz victory pose from Smash 4, Charizard regains its victory pose from Brawl where the Pokémon Trainer pets its neck, replacing the roaring victory pose from Smash 4.
Charizard's air speed is much faster (0.92 → 1.103).
Charizard has significantly higher traction (0.04 → 0.11), no longer being tied with Mewtwo for the second lowest in the game. This allows it to punish out of shield much more easily.
Charizard's midair jumps' animations have been changed so that they are more distinguishable from each other.
Charizard's second midair jump now gives as much height as its first, improving its air game and recovery.
Charizard's falling speed and fast falling speed are much faster (1.4 → 1.52) and (2.24 → 2.432) respectively. This makes it more prone to combos, but improves its tomahawk and overall neutral game.
Charizard once again possesses hurtboxes on its wings like in Brawl, making it easier to hit from above.
The first hit transitions into the second hit faster (frame 10 → 7), which transitions into the third hit faster (frame 10 → 8), allowing the whole move to connect more smoothly.
The first and second hits deal less damage (3% → 2.5% (hit 1), 4% → 2.5% (hit 2)).
The final hit has fewer hitboxes, and the remaining hitboxes are smaller (6.5u/5.5u/5u/4u → 5u/4u/4u), reducing its range.
The first and second hits have altered angles and knockback to keep opponents close to Charizard, like other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect and jab lock more consistently, but removes their jab cancel setups against grounded opponents.
Charizard rears back in a more pronounced fashion during the ending lag of neutral attack's last hit.
Forward tilt contains a new sweetspot hitbox on frame 12 that is centered in front of Charizard's tail, with the original sweetspot remaining intact. This makes the sweetspot larger and prohibits issues with the z-axis.
Forward tilt has less ending lag (FAF 43 → 38).
It has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 11-13 → 12-13).
The sweetspot deals more knockback (40 base/100 scaling → 45/104).
Up tilt has an altered animation, with Charizard jumping higher and its wings spreading out more to its sides.
In addition to the hitbox above Charizard, it possesses hitboxes covering its wings as they spread out. This increases the move's coverage above Charizard, although due to the high placements of these hitboxes, it still cannot hit grounded opponents at Charizard's sides.
It has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 9-13 → 9-12).
It launches opponents slightly away from Charizard instead of towards it (96° → 78°/84°), and deals much less knockback (40 base/130 scaling → 50 base/80/85 scaling). This collectively worsens both the move's combo and KO potential, stringing into itself less reliably at low percents, and still having too much ending lag to combo into other moves, despite Charizard's faster jumpsquat, while it is now unable to KO grounded opponents below 200% (compared to KOing below 140% under the same circumstances in Smash 4).
Due to Charizard once again possessing hurtboxes on its wings, the move is riskier to use as an anti-air option, as these hurtboxes now extend upward especially during the active frames, leaving Charizard more vulnerable to trades with opponents' aerial attacks.
Up smash's second hit comes out more quickly (frame 17 → 14), allowing it to connect better from the first hit and giving the move faster interruptibility (FAF 49 → 47).
The outermost hitbox on the first hit now uses the 368° autolink angle to properly launch opponents into the second hit instead of weakly meteor smashing them in place, enabling it to connect more efficiently.
Due to Charizard once again possessing hurtboxes on its wings, the move is riskier to use as an anti-air option, although not to the same degree as its up tilt.
Aerial attacks
All aerials have less landing lag (20 frames → 10 (neutral), 22 → 19 (forward), 24 → 20 (back), 20 → 13 (up), 33 → 21 (down)).
Down aerial's lower landing lag alongside the removal of teching for grounded meteor smashes enable it to function as a potent combo starter onstage. The sweetspot also has a longer duration (frames 18-20 → 18-21).
The clean hit has received a sourspot on Charizard's body that does not meteor smash, making it slightly harder to use for edgeguarding. The late hit also has a shorter duration (frames 21-26 → 22-25).
It auto-cancels later (frame 41 → 42).
Its initial auto-cancel window has been lengthened (frames 1-4 → 1-5).
Down aerial's animation has been altered.
Down aerial's landing animation no longer causes Charizard's tongue to clip through its head.
Back throw releases opponents faster (frame 29 → 26), though with its interruptibility frames unchanged. This makes it harder to DI, but gives it more ending lag.
Despite this change, it has increased combo ability due to Charizard's much faster initial dash speed and jumpsquat.
Due to rage being changed to not affect hitboxes with set knockback, Fly no longer launches opponents away from the rest of the hits when Charizard has rage, allowing it to connect more reliably.
Since Charizard has returned to Pokémon Trainer's team, Rock Smash has been replaced with Pokémon Change. While this reduces Charizard's own defensive capabilities, it can now change places with Squirtle and Ivysaur to adapt to certain situations.
The removal of Rock Smash hinders Charizard's landing options and eliminates one of its finishers.
Pokémon Change is much faster, as it does not need to load the next Pokémon during every switch. The quicker switch time allows it to potentially combo into another Pokémon's moves, work akin to an air dodge, or supplement the Pokémon's recovery.
Pokémon Change can now be used in the air. Like in Brawl, it also offers brief intangibility upon switching out.
Spamming Pokémon Change will grant no invincibility frames for a period of time. It also has a cooldown of 140 frames (2.33 seconds), which can be skipped via a special move.
Charizard has been buffed in updates. The changes Charizard has received improve its damage output and ability to KO. In addition, Flare Blitz is able to grab the ledge substantially earlier, and neutral aerial is safer on shield and can combo into other moves more reliably out of fastfall.
Forward smash deals more damage (17% → 19% (clean, late body), 14% → 16.4% (late head)) with knockback scaling not fully compensated (94 → 91 (clean, late body), 86 (late head)).
Neutral aerial has a slightly longer hitbox duration (frames 8-19 → 8-20) and less landing lag (13 frames → 10).
Forward throw deals more knockback (60 base/65 scaling → 63/70).
Flare Blitz can snap to the ledge earlier (frame 54 → frame 45).
The outermost hitbox of up smash's first hit uses set angles instead of the 368° autolink angle.
The first hit has a different hitbox during its last active frame that uses the 368° angle, but deals no damage (5% → 0%), effectively providing no benefit over landing only the second hit.
Swings its tail forward. The move has a sweetspot at the flaming tip of Charizard's tail. When sweetspotted, it has high knockback for a tilt attack, KOing middleweights at around 140% from the center of Final Destination. Having long range and angling capabilities, forward tilt is an essential tool in the neutral game for spacing and approaching.
Jumps with its wings widespread, hitting with them from below. Thanks to its long vertical range, it is an effective anti-air attack. However, it doesn't hit grounded opponents easily. Additionally, it leaves Charizard more vulnerable to hits from above, due to the hurtboxes on its wings extending vertically when the move is used.
A battering ram. It has long range and launches at a semi-spike angle, which makes it useful for edgeguarding and tech chasing. However, it is unsuited for combos or KOing at conventional damage ranges.
Charizard kicks forward. Dash attack has very high base knockback, and its power and long duration allow it to effectively punish cooldown and break zoning. The move KOs at high percents near the ledge.
Rears back its head and then performs a lunging headbutt. Very strong, with its sweetspot KOing middleweights under 70% from the center of Final Destination. It also renders Charizard intangible throughout its duration. However, it is extremely unsafe, hitting on frame 22 and suffering 45 frames of ending lag.
Charizard rears back and swings its wings upward twice in an overhead fanning motion. This is the fastest of Charizard's smash attacks and one of the fastest smash attacks in the game, hitting grounded opponents on frame 6 and aerial opponents on frame 7. The move has long range and disjoint, and because up smashes cancel shield dropping, it is very useful not only as an anti-air attack but also out of shield. The move KOs in the 100%-120% range against most characters.
Charizard stomps the ground, creating a shock wave on the ground. It hits on both sides of Charizard and possess high damage output and knockback. The sweetspots at the end launch at a semi-spike angle, making them potent for edgeguarding and KOing opponent off the side. However, it has slow startup and extremely high ending lag.
Somersaults forward, striking with its tail. Its sweetspot is at the flaming tip of Charizard's tail. It can autocancel in a short hop and quickly hits all around Charizard. Has strong combo potential (especially when used while landing) and gimping potential. It is also a satisfactory landing option. At its fastest, neutral air hits behind Charizard and is thus best used out of a reverse aerial rush.
A downward arcing slash with Charizard's claws. Its high power, speed (frame 8) and semi-spike angle make it reliable as an edgeguarding and KOing option. However, it has high landing lag and cannot autocancel in a short hop, limiting its usefulness in neutral.
Charizard swings its long tail behind itself. It has slow startup, ending lag and landing lag. However, the sweetspot at the tip of Charizard's tail is incredibly disjointed, deals high damage, and KOs middleweights under 90%, making it Charizard's strongest KO option. The diagonal arc the move covers allows it to overpower opponents above Charizard.
An upward headbutt. The move's damage output and particularly high knockback allow it to KO middleweights under 100% near the upper blast line. It renders Charizard's head intangible and serves as a makeshift combo starter into itself, up smash, or other aerial attacks when landing.
Charizard kicks downward with one leg. The clean hit is a meteor smash, with a sourspot on Charizard's body that deals high sideways knockback. Down aerial has the highest overall lag of Charizard's aerials, but can function as a niche combo starter against grounded opponents, allowing for a potential KO setup into up aerial at higher percents.
Sways its head with the opponent in tow and then flings them forward. It is Charizard's strongest kill throw, KOing middleweights near the edge of Final Destination at around 120% without rage. Can also be used for a DI trap, as the optimal DI up throw (down and out) is poor for forward throw.
Flings the opponent backward. It deals respectable damage and can be used to set up an edgeguard. Back throw is Charizard's central combo starter, leading into dash attack, neutral aerial, and up smash at very low percents, and forward aerial or back aerial up to mid percents. It can also follow up into Flare Blitz, but this is not a true combo.
Charizard takes to the upper blast line with the opponent in tow, then dive-bombs them onto the stage at a blinding speed, akin to Kirby and Meta Knight's up throws. It is one of the strongest throws in the game without DI, but its mostly vertical, yet more horizontal angle than other up throws allows for the victim to apply both optimal DI and LSI against the move. This weakens it to an extent where middleweights can survive it up to around 160% without rage. The throw's poor knockback for its archetype can be alleviated by being used under a high platform.
Charizard pins the opponent to the ground and hovers, expelling embers from its mouth on them. Down throw's moderate ending lag allows it to function as a niche combo starter, leading into up smash out of dash at low percents and neutral or forward aerial until mid percents.
Performs a battering ram while climbing up from the ledge. This comes out on frame 24, compared to Squirtle's slow frame 28 and Ivysaur's quicker frame 21. It is one of the longest edge attacks in the game.
Expels a stream of flames from its mouth, almost identically to Fire Breath. The move can be angled, which makes it useful for gimping low recoveries and ledgetrapping. Compared to Fire Breath, Flamethrower is inferior at damage racking, but its farthest hitboxes still cause flinching. It has considerable startup and ending lag, and its power and range gradually decrease over time. Charizard must stop using Flamethrower for a short while for it to regain full power.
A flaming corkscrew tackle that also hurts Charizard. It is very powerful, KOing middleweights under 80% from the center of Final Destination. Flare Blitz covers an impressive amount of horizontal distance and grants heavy armor on frames 23-53 that sustains 15% (18% in 1v1)[1], enabling it to extend Charizard's recovery and power through opposing attacks. However, it deals 5% of recoil damage and an additional 5% upon hitting an opponent. It is very risky to use outside of punishes, having extreme amounts of cooldown. When used carelessly near the edge, its impressive horizontal distance can also result in an inadvertent self-destruct.
Flies upward while corkscrewing. Fly covers an average amount of vertical distance. Due to it hitting on frame 9, it has the lowest amount of startup out of Charizard's special move. It also grants super armor during frames 4-15, allowing it to break combos and work out of shield. It deals respectable damage when all of its hits connect, and can KO reliably at high percents.
5% (Fire Blast, first four), 12.5% (Fire Blast, final), ~50% total
The Pokémon Trainer sends out both Squirtle and Ivysaur, and all three Pokémon perform a synchronized combo attack with long horizontal range. Charizard dishes out five Fire Blasts in a row for massive damage, with the last one having the highest power.
During Charizard's victory poses, the Pokémon Trainer will say one of two lines at random. The male Trainer will say either "You all did great!" (みんな、よくがんばったな！, Everyone, you did great!) or "You did it, Charizard!" (やったぞ、リザードン！, You did it, Charizard!). The female Trainer will say either "Everyone did great!" (みんな、最高だね！, Everyone, you're the best!) or "You're amazing, Charizard!" (すごいね、リザードン！, Amazing, Charizard!).
Left: Stomps and rears its head back to roar upward, then strikes a pose.
Up: Uses Flare Blitz downwards to descend from the sky and crash into the ground, bounces out of it and lands on its feet, then strikes a pose.
Right: Pokémon Trainer pets its head and neck.
A small excerpt of the title theme of Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green Versions, a track which would go on to become the Pokémon main theme and the title theme for the entire series.
Pokémon Trainer was among the fighters that were summoned to fight against the army of Master Hands, and he brought his three Pokémon with him.
During the opening cutscene, Charizard was sent out by Pokémon Trainer, along with Squirtle and Ivysaur, shortly before Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Under Pokémon Trainer's command, Charizard used Flamethrower in an attempt to fight the beams of light, but this attempt failed. Pokémon Trainer, Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard were all vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment along with the other fighters, excluding Kirby.
Pokémon Trainer can be found at the southeast near the maze that resembles Pac-Maze. Defeating him allows access to all of their Pokémon.
Charizard's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Charizard in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.
One of the in-game tips for Charizard states that its wings "won't take damage" during its up tilt. However, this is incorrect, as the hurtboxes on Charizard's wings extend upward during the move without gaining intangibility or invincibility, therefore actually making it easier to hit.
This tip is recycled from Smash 4, where it is correct, as Charizard's wings do not possess hurtboxes in said game.
Charizard is the only character in the series to have been part of a composite character in one game, separated into a standalone character, and then returned to a composite.
The official Pokémon website claims that this was due to a stint of disobedience, similarly to Ash's Charizard. [2] This is hinted at via its new taunts and victory poses, where it behaves in a less feral way and acts slightly more tame than it did in SSB4.
Charizard and Lucario are the only characters to have had their Final Smash change once and then revert back to their original Final Smash. Charizard is part of Triple Finish in Brawl, uses Mega Charizard X as a standalone character in Smash 4, then reverts to Triple Finish in Ultimate with the Pokémon Trainer's return. Lucario reverts to Aura Storm from Brawl, though it still transforms into Mega Lucario while performing it.
Charizard is the only playable Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution that does not Mega Evolve for their Final Smash, though Mega Charizard X reappears as a Spirit.
Charizard uses Fire Blast five times during Triple Finish, matching the move's base PP in the Pokémon games.
Charizard is the only veteran from Smash 4 whose character select screen voice clips is not reused in Ultimate. The character select screen and victory screen uses Pokémon Trainer's name instead.
Since the announcer does not call out Squirtle or Ivysaur either, this makes all three of Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon the only fighters not to have their names called out upon being selected.
Charizard (as part of the Pokémon Trainer's lineup) is unlocked by clearing Classic Mode with either Bowser or Donkey Kong, possibly referencing Brawl's event, Three-Beast Carnage.
With the female option for Pokémon Trainer, Ultimate marks the first time outside of the main series Pokémon games where Leaf or one of her counterparts has used or has been depicted with a member of Charizard's evolutionary line.
As with all 
Like all characters, Charizard's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 7).
Charizard 
Down aerial's landing animation no longer causes Charizard's tongue to clip through its head.
