Charizard (SSBU)

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 in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Pokémon
Shares character slot with	Pokémon Trainer Ivysaur Squirtle
Other playable appearances	in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Triple Finish

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.

Attributes

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.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

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

• Charizard's model features a more subdued color scheme, more closely resembling its appearance in recent mainline Pokémon games. Its legs and arms are more defined, and the flame on its tail is more vibrant.
• During normal matches, Charizard uses the Pokémon Trainer's stock icon, name call, and Boxing Ring title instead of having its own. However, it still has its own stock icon used in numerous situations, such as the Spirits mode, as a Classic Mode opponent, and during Mr. Game & Watch's down throw.
• 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.

Attributes

• Charizard is once again part of Pokémon Trainer, allowing it to switch to Squirtle and Ivysaur.
• Like all characters, Charizard's jumpsquat animation lasts 3 frames (down from 7).
• Charizard walks slightly slower (1.2 → 1.187).
• Charizard runs faster (2 → 2.2).
  • Its initial dash speed is significantly faster (1 → 2.28), going from the slowest in the game to the 5th fastest.
• Charizard's air speed is much higher (0.92 → 1.103).
• Charizard has significantly higher traction (0.04 → 0.11), no longer being tied with Mewtwo for having the second lowest traction in the game. This allows it to punish opponents out of shield much more easily.
• Charizard moves its head closer to itself during forward aerial, standing grab, and when hanging on the ledge, leaving it less vulnerable to attacks.
• Charizard's midair jumps' animations have been changed to be more distinguishable from each other.
• 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.
• Charizard takes small amounts of damage while swimming. It shares this attribute with Sonic, Inkling, and Incineroar.
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-18 → 4-16).
• Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-18 → 5-17), and more ending lag (FAF 33 → 38).
• Spot dodge has more ending lag (FAF 28 → 29).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 50).
• Air dodge's animation has been altered.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • 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 combo to connect more smoothly.
  • All hits have smaller hitboxes, with the third hit having one of them removed (4.5u/4u/3u → 2.4u/2.4u/2.6u (hit 1), 2.8u/2.8u/3.2u (hit 2), 6.5u/5.5u/5u/4u → 5u/4u/4u (hit 3)), reducing the attack range.
  • All hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.4× (hit 1), 1.2× (hit 2), 1.6× (hit 3)), giving opponents more time to SDI each hit and DI the last hit.
  • The first and second hits deal less damage (3% → 2.5% (hit 1), 4% → 2.5% (hit 2)).
  • The first hit no longer deals set knockback (26/22 set/100 scaling → 20/20/24/20 base/30/28/25/25 scaling), causing it to connect less reliably into the next hits at very high percents.
  • The third hit has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 7-9 → 7-8).
  • The first and second hits have altered angles to keep opponents close to Charizard (120°/361° → 361°/180° (hit 1), 80°/55°/30° → 361° (hit 2)) like other neutral attacks, and have gained a hitstun modifier of 2, with the second hit also dealing less knockback (25/40 base/50 scaling → 20 base/30/28/25 scaling). This allows them to connect and jab lock more consistently, but removes their jab cancel setups against grounded opponents.
  • The third hit launches at a consistent angle (70°/60°/50°/45° → 60°).
  • Charizard rears back in a more pronounced fashion during the ending lag of the third hit.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has 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.
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 43 → 38).
  • The sweetspot deals more knockback (40 base/100 scaling → 45/104).
  • It has more startup with a shorter hitbox duration (frames 11-13 → 12-13).
• Up tilt:
  • 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 new hitboxes covering its wings as they spread out. This increases the move's lateral range above Charizard, although due to the high placements of these hitboxes, it still cannot effectively hit grounded opponents at its 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 aerial attacks.
  • The body hitbox uses a normal effect with punch SFX, instead of slash ones.
• Down tilt:
  • The changes to jostle mechanics allow down tilt to connect more consistently against opponents right next to Charizard.
  • The hitbox does not extend as far (Z offset: 7u-16u → 7u-13.5u), considerably reducing its range.
  • It no longer has a point-blank windbox to push opponents into the hitboxes; however, this is made negligible by the jostle changes.
  • The headbutt has a more pronounced animation.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack deals more damage (11% → 13% (clean), 8% → 10% (late)) and launches at lower angles (50°/60° → 45°/55° (clean), 60°/75° → 55°/70° (late)), with knockback not fully compensated (100 base/45 scaling → 96/44 (clean), 100/30 → 98/27 (late)), improving its KO potential.
  • It has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 1.5×, increasing its safety on shield in combination with its higher damage.
• Forward smash:
  • Charizard no longer breathes fire during forward smash's animation.
  • 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)), improving its KO potential.
  • It grants more intangibility (frames 22-25 → 20-24).
• Up smash:
  • Up smash's second hit is faster (frame 16 → 14), allowing it to connect better from the first hit. The move's total duration has been reduced as well (FAF 49 → 47).
  • The first hit's innermost hitboxes after frame 6 use the 368° autolink angle, while the outermost hitbox uses different angles (280° → 280° (frame 7), 320° (frame 8), 340° (frame 9)) with more set knockback (10 → 32, 42, 60), allowing it to link more consistently into the second hit.
  • Due to Charizard once again possessing hurtboxes on its wings, the move is riskier to use as an anti-air option, although to a much lesser extent compared to up tilt.
  • The first hit's late hit has smaller hitboxes (4.2u/5.5u/5u → 4.2u/5u/4.2u), with the outermost hitbox also being moved inward (X offset: 9u → 7u), reducing its range.
  • The first hit's animation has been sped up. This allows it to hit faster behind Charizard, but reduces its duration (frame 6-11 → 6-9).
• Down smash:
  • The knockback scaling and angles on the hitboxes close to Charizard have been homogenized with the outer hitboxes (KBS: 85 → 79; angle: 46° → 33°), increasing its consistency and overall improving its KO ability.
  • It no longer has a trip chance. However, due to the move having been unable to trip opponents regardless, this change is negligible.
  • Charizard faces towards the screen instead of downward, and sports an angrier expression.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (20 frames → 10 (neutral), 22 → 19 (forward), 24 → 20 (back), 20 → 13 (up), 33 → 21 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has faster startup (frame 9 → 8) and significantly less ending lag (FAF 60 → 40), making it safer to use offstage.
  • Its animation has been sped up. This shortens the duration of its hitboxes (frames 9-25 → 8-20), but allows it to hit faster around Charizard.
    • The auto-cancel window is unchanged, increasing the move's ending lag before it can auto-cancel.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has one frame less ending lag (FAF 47 → 46).
  • It no longer auto-cancels in a short hop, as Charizard's faster falling speed causes its auto-cancel window to fall short by one frame. In combination with it now having the most landing lag of any forward aerial alongside Snake's, this considerably hinders its safety and utility for approaching.
  • The sweetspot has been moved inwards (X offset: 7.5u → 6u), reducing its range. The middle hitbox is also slightly smaller (4u → 3.8u).
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial's animation has been rotated slightly to prevent issues with the z-axis.
  • The first active frame has shorter range, and does not contain the 16% sweetspot.
  • The last active frame is aimed more behind Charizard instead of above it, reducing its vertical range, but allowing it to hit more consistently.
• Down aerial:
  • 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.
  • It has smaller hitboxes (6u/5u → 5u/5.5u (clean), 4.5u/5.5u (late)) that no longer extend horizontally from Charizard's leg, and the clean hit's inner hitbox is now a sourspot that does not meteor smash (270° → 361°). This reduces the move's range and makes it slightly harder to use for edgeguarding.
  • The late hit has a shorter duration (frames 21-26 → 22-25).
  • The move's animation has been lengthened by one frame during startup, leading to several small frame changes:
    • Its initial auto-cancel window has been lengthened (frames 1-4 → 1-5).
    • The clean hit has a longer duration (frames 18-20 → 18-21).
    • Its ending auto-cancel window is active later (frame 41 → 42).
  • The stomp has a more pronounced animation.
  • The landing animation no longer causes Charizard's tongue to clip through its head.

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs:
  • All grabs are active for one more frame (frames 8-9 → 8-10 (standing), 10-11 → 11-13 (dash), 11-12 → 12-14 (pivot)).
  • Standing grab has been moved forward (Z offset: 5u-13.6u → 7.5u-16u), while dash grab extends further (Z offset: 5u-12.3u → 5u-16.5u), increasing their range.
  • All grabs have more ending lag (FAF 34 → 40 (standing), 42 → 46 (dash), 40 → 43 (pivot)).
  • Dash and pivot grab have more startup (frame 10 → 11 (dash), 11 → 12 (pivot)).
  • Pivot grab doesn't extend as far (Z offset: 4u-17.6u → 4u-17.2u), reducing its range.
  • Standing and dash grab's animations have been altered, with Charizard lunging farther forward, matching their increased range.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals less damage (2% → 1.6%).
  • It has much less ending lag (FAF 17 → 8), but deals considerably more hitlag (4 frames → 15), increasing its effective duration.
    • Relative to the rest of the cast, Charizard's pummel is among the slowest but most damaging, rather than average on both accounts.
• The speed of Charizard's forward and back throws is no longer weight-dependent.
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw deals more knockback (60 base/65 scaling → 63/70), allowing it to KO around 20% earlier.
  • Charizard spreads its arms out more near the end of the animation.
• Back throw:
  • Back throw releases the opponent earlier (frame 29 → 26), though with its total duration 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 the Sakurai angle being lower against aerial opponents in Ultimate (45° → 38°), it has improved edgeguarding and KO potential.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw's looping hits no longer inflict hitlag, allowing it to execute much faster, despite releasing the opponent later (frame 52 → 55).
  • The looping hits deal knockback to bystanders (0 base/0 scaling → 0/100), making the move safer in battles with multiple opponents.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 71 → 77), and no longer inflicts 4 frames of hitlag on the opponent upon releasing them. This hinders its combo potential, with Charizard's faster jumpsquat failing to compensate.
  • It has an altered animation where Charizard hovers slightly while breathing fire onto the opponent, and lifts itself higher into the air with a more exaggerated breathing animation upon releasing them.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (8% → 10%).

Special moves

• Flamethrower:
  • Flamethrower's clean hit lasts longer (3 frames → 4), and it has gained a mid hit, which lasts 3 frames before the late hit and deals more damage (1% → 1.3%). This improves the move's damage racking ability overall.
  • The flames have a more vibrant coloration.
• Flare Blitz:
  • Flare Blitz deals drastically more damage (4% → 6% (hit 1), 15% → 18% (hit 2); 19% total → 24%)), with knockback scaling only minimally compensated (84 → 77), KOing middleweights under 80% from the center of Final Destination.
  • Charizard cannot be locked if it gets knocked down by the move's collision; attacks will instead cause it to get up as if hit beyond the lock limit. This leaves it less vulnerable to deadly punishes.
  • The first hit uses an autolink angle (60° → 366°) and set knockback (60 base/80 scaling → 60 base/46 set/78 scaling), allowing it to connect more reliably into the second hit.
  • In addition to the hitbox following Charizard's rotation, the first hit has a hitbox that consistently stays on its lower side. This gives the move more range below Charizard, allowing it to hit every character lying on the ground and a few hanging on the ledge.
  • The first hit has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.1×), allowing it to transition faster into the second hit.
  • The move is only able to grab the ledge starting on frame 45 (about two-thirds of the way).
  • It causes Charizard to emit orange flames on startup instead of glowing blue. Its flame effects are also much more intense.
  • Charizard's voice is louder when using the move, allowing players to hear it without adjusting the Sound settings.
  • The recoil damage from the second hit of the move is no longer applied all in one go, but is instead applied over the course of a few frames, with it being applied over the next 5 consecutive frames when hitting an opponent, or in intervals of 10 frames when hitting a wall.
• Fly:
  • Fly no longer suffers RCO lag.
  • The first hit has different angles (70°/95°/80° → 100°/70°/65°) and less set knockback (130/140/140 → 120/80/115), while the looping hits use an autolink angle (72°/90° → 367°). In combination with rage no longer affecting moves with set knockback, this allows it to connect much more reliably.
  • The looping hits's hitboxes are spread around Charizard instead of placed in front of it, while the last hit has one hitbox less, but one of its hitboxes has been moved much farther back. This allows the move to hit behind Charizard and further helps in its linking ability.
    • However, this reduces the looping hits' frontal range.
• Down special:
  • Since Charizard has returned to Pokémon Trainer's team, Rock Smash has been replaced with Pokémon Change.
    • This allows it to change places with Squirtle and Ivysaur to adapt to difficult situations and matchups.
    • The removal of Rock Smash reduces Charizard's own defensive capabilities, hinders its landing options and eliminates one of its finishers.
  • Pokémon Change executes much faster, and no longer requires the game to load the next Pokémon with every switch. This significantly increases its safety, and allows it to potentially string into another Pokémon's moves.
  • It can now be used in the air. This allows the player to mix up their recovery between different Pokémon, and to utilize its intangibility frames as an alternative air dodge, with the notable advantage of coming out on frame 1. As a result, it poses much less of a risk than in Brawl as a defensive option.
  • It has a cooldown of around two seconds after the Pokémon switch is executed. However, it can be skipped by using another special move.
  • It no longer resets stale-move negation, effectively weakening Squirtle when Charizard switches.
  • It can no longer skip the ending lag of the switch if performed near the edge of a moving platform.
• Final Smash:
  • Triple Finish replaces Mega Charizard X with the return of Pokémon Trainer.
  • Charizard fires five Fire Blasts in a row instead of six, and the move deals less total damage (58% → 44.3%).
  • It has a different text box, more closely resembling its appearance in the Generation VII games.
  • The undead glitch on the Stamina Mode, and results screen glitch on timed team battles have been removed.

Update history

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.

2.0.0

• Dash attack deals more damage (11%/8% → 13%/10%) with knockback not fully compensated (Early: 100 base/45 scaling → 96/44; late: 100/30 → 98/27).
• Charizard's down aerial landing lag animation no longer causes its tongue to clip through its head.

3.0.0

• Grounded Flare Blitz has more an additional hitbox below it, being able to hit every character lying on the ground and some hanging on the ledge.
• Up throw drifts slightly forward, meaning that Pichu and Ridley do not get stage spiked when it is used near the ledge.
  • This means true follow-ups with this application (such as back aerial) are no longer possible.

3.1.0

• Neutral attack 1 connects into neutral attack 2 more reliably.
• Neutral attack 2 moves Charizard forwards more and connects into neutral attack 3 more reliably.

Technical changelist 3.1.0

Changed	Before	After
Jab 1 hitbox ID 2	Base knockback: 20	BKB: 24
Jab 2 kinetic module	No added speed	Frame 3: X speed +0.72, Frame 5: X speed -0.5
Jab 2 hitbox ID 2	No extension	Hitbox extended from Z=13 to Z2=15.5

4.0.0

• Forward tilt's sweetspot deals more knockback (40 base/100 scaling → 45/104).
• 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)).
• 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.
• Certain hitboxes of up smash's first hit no longer use set weight, fixing a glitch that caused their position vector to last much longer than usual and launch opponents much farther if the move was interrupted.
• 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).

6.0.0

• Up smash's 0% hitbox introduced in update 4.0.0 has been properly given damage like the rest of the hitboxes (0% → 5%).

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased by 1.2×.

Moveset

• Charizard can perform two midair jumps.
• Charizard takes continuous damage when swimming. It shares this trait with Incineroar, Sonic, and Inkling.

For a gallery of Charizard's hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.5%	Charizard slashes twice using its claws, then bats upward with its wing. Fast (frame 4) and reliable for building damage at close ranges.
			2.5%
			5%
Forward tilt			11% (flame), 7% (tail)	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.
Up tilt		Wing Thrust	8%	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.
Down tilt			10%	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.
Dash attack			13% (clean), 10% (late)	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.
Forward smash			19% (clean, late body), 16.4% (late head)	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.
Up smash			5% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	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.
Down smash			16%	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.
Neutral aerial			12% (flame), 9% (tail)	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.
Forward aerial			12% (early), 13% (clean)	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.
Back aerial		Aerial Tail	16% (flame), 14% (tail), 11% (body)	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.
Up aerial			13%	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.
Down aerial			14% (clean), 8% (late)	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.
Grab			—	Charizard clinches the opponent. Its grab range is above average.
Pummel			1.6%	A bite.
Forward throw			10%	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.
Back throw			10%	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.
Up throw		Seismic Toss	8% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	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.
Down throw			1% (hits 1-5), 1% (throw)	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.
Floor attack (front)			7%	Swings its tail backward, then headbutts forward while getting up.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Swings its tail forward and backward while getting up.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Performs a slash with its claws while getting up.
Edge attack			10%	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.
Neutral special		Flamethrower	2% (clean), 1% (late)	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.
Side special		Flare Blitz	6% (collision), 18% (explosion)	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), 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.
Up special		Fly	5% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-5), 4% (hit 6)	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.
Down special		Pokémon Change	—	The Pokémon Trainer calls Charizard back to its Poké Ball and sends out Squirtle.
Final Smash		Triple Finish	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.

On-screen appearance

Pokémon Trainer releases Charizard from its Poké Ball while saying "Go!" or "Charizard!". Charizard stomps once as it emerges.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Stands upright and puffs its chest out, similarly to Ridley's down taunt.
• Side taunt: Does a quick aerial flip and roars.
• Down taunt: Faces upright and roars.

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  Charizard's up taunt.

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  Charizard's side taunt.

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  Charizard's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Raises its foot as it leans back, opening its mouth as if roaring, and then stomps its foot.
• Turns its head to the side and quickly spits fire towards the ground.

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  Charizard's first idle pose

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  Charizard's second idle pose

Victory poses

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.

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Role in World of Light

Finding Pokémon Trainer in World of Light

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.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
33-35		Pokémon Trainer	Attack	7,500	Battlefield (Ω form)	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)

Spirits

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.

Additionally, Mega Charizard X appears as a Primary Spirit.

• Charizard Spirit.png

  416. Charizard

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  422. Mega Charizard X

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
252		Valoo	The Legend of Zelda	•Giant Charizard		4,000	Wuhu Island (Maka Wuhu)	N/A	•The enemy is giant	Dragon Roost Island
356		Landia	Kirby series	•Charizard Team (×5)		3,600	Find Mii	N/A	•The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power •Stamina battle •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Dangerous Dinner
421	File:Charmander.png	Charmander	Pokémon series	•Tiny Charizard		2,200	The Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Lava Floor	•The floor is lava	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)
422		Mega Charizard X	Pokémon series	•Giant Charizard		9,700	Pokémon Stadium (Fire type)	N/A	•The enemy's special moves have increased power •Stamina battle •The enemy is giant	Battle! (Trainer Battle) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y
439		Rapidash	Pokémon series	•Curry Charizard		3,900	Mushroom Kingdom U (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy breathes fire •The enemy has increased move speed	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Melee)
463	File:Dragonite.png	Dragonite	Pokémon series	•Giant Charizard		4,700	Spear Pillar	•Hazard: Heavy Wind	•Dangerously high winds are in effect after a little while •The enemy is giant	Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue Medley
485		Ho-Oh	Pokémon series	•Curry Charizard		13,900	Kalos Pokémon League	N/A	•Fire and explosion attacks aren't as effective against the enemy •The enemy breathes fire	Pokémon Gold / Pokémon Silver Medley
493		Salamence	Pokémon series	•Charizard		4,400	Spear Pillar (hazards off)	•Hazard: Heavy Wind	•Dangerously high winds are in effect	Battle! (Lorekeeper Zinnia)
495		Latias & Latios	Pokémon series	•Charizard (×2) ()		9,100	Delfino Plaza (Gondola area)	•Uncontrollable Speed	•The enemy is very fast and can't stop quickly •Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Latias & Latios)	Battle! (Wild Pokémon) - Pokémon Ruby / Pokémon Sapphire	Latias (red costume) Latios (blue costume)
504	File:Garchomp.png	Garchomp	Pokémon series	•Charizard		3,900	Spear Pillar (hazards off)	•Attack Power ↑	•The enemy has increased attack power after a little while •The enemy has increased move speed	Battle! (Champion) / Champion Cynthia
524	File:HydreigonSpirit.png	Hydreigon	Pokémon series	•Charizard		3,600	Kalos Pokémon League (Dragonmark Chamber only)	•Attack Power ↑	•The enemy has increased attack power after a little while	Route 23 - Pokémon Black 2 / Pokémon White 2
528		Reshiram	Pokémon series	•Charizard		9,300	Unova Pokémon League	N/A	•The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power •The enemy favors special moves	Battle! (Reshiram/Zekrom)
543		Yveltal	Pokémon series	•Giant Charizard		9,800	Kalos Pokémon League	N/A	•The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power •The enemy is giant	Battle! (Champion) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y
813	File:Burrowing Snagret Spirit.png	Burrowing Snagret	Pikmin series	•Giant Charizard		9,400	Garden of Hope	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Burrowing Snagret) •Item: Pitfall	•Hostile assist trophies will appear •The enemy is giant	World Map - Pikmin 2
815	File:Fiery Blowhog.png	Fiery Blowhog	Pikmin series	•Charizard (×3)		1,500	The Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield form)	•Item: Fire Flower	•Stamina battle •The enemy favors neutral specials	Mission Mode - Pikmin 3
1,023	File:Fortitudo.png	Fortitudo	Bayonetta series	•Giant Charizard		4,000	Umbra Clock Tower	•Hazard: Low Gravity	•The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power •Stamina battle •Gravity is reduced	One Of A Kind

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Reference
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
251		Medli	The Legend of Zelda	•Isabelle •Charizard		9,300	Pirate Ship	N/A	•The enemy has increased jump power	Dragon Roost Island	Valoo
627		Minerva	Fire Emblem series	•Lucina •Charizard		3,500	Skyworld	N/A	•The enemy has increased jump power •The enemy has increased move speed	Story 5 Meeting	Minerva's Wyvern
663	File:Ashnard.png	Ashnard	Fire Emblem series	•Ganondorf •Charizard		3,600	Reset Bomb Forest (hazards off)	•Defense ↑	•Stamina battle •The enemy has increased defense	Against the Dark Knight	Rajaion
683	File:Camilla.png	Camilla	Fire Emblem series	•Corrin •Charizard		9,700	Spear Pillar	•Item: X Bomb •Hazard: Poison Cloud	•The stage is covered in a poisonous cloud	Lost in Thoughts All Alone (for 3DS / Wii U)	Camilla's Wyvern
1,053		Maria Renard	Castlevania series	•Zelda •Falco •Charizard •Incineroar		3,700	Reset Bomb Forest (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with a Cucco	Slash	Seiryuu
1,232	File:Fossilhunters.png	Nibbles	Fossil Fighters series	•Yoshi •Charizard •Ridley •Bowser		1,800	Arena Ferox	•Item: Pitfall	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Battle Start - Fossil Fighters: Frontier	Crimson Ravager
1,389		Rhea	Fire Emblem series	•Palutena •Charizard		10,300	Bridge of Eldin	N/A	•Stamina battle •Reinforcement will appear after an enemy is KO'd •The enemy is giant	The Apex of the World	The Immaculate One

Gallery

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  Artwork of all playable Pokémon characters and Poké Ball Pokémon, as posted by the official Pokémon Twitter account.

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  Charizard in Pokémon Trainer's fighter card.

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  Charizard performing Flare Blitz on Prism Tower.

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  With Squirtle, Ivysaur, and a Burrowing Snagret on The Great Cave Offensive.

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  Taunting with Squirtle and Ivysaur on Skyworld.

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  With Lucina on Skyworld.

Trivia

• 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.
  • Both characters are also Pokémon.
• 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.