Charmander

Charmander is a fire type Pokemon. As the name would imply, he is a salamander like Pokemon that chars things. This is a generation one Pokemon that has been around since the first game. It is actually one of the three starter Pokemon that you can choose from in the original games.

Surprisingly, charmander is actually not a dragon type Pokemon. Even though he can eventually evolve into a charizard which looks exactly like a dragon, the only extra type he will gain in his final stage of evolution is flying.

Just look at this guy. He is cute now but he will grow bigger ( if you let him evolve ). Charmander is basically this cute little guy that follows you around but don't be fooled by his cute looks as he is more than capable in a battle ( just don't use him against water types ). His tail has a continuous flame on the end that stays lit as long as he is alive. It is said that the flame changes with his mood and health.

This guy is great against bug type Pokemon! It is so nice to be able to just blaze through battle after battle against bug types. This seriously comes in handy while making your way through Viridian Forest. This is one of the earlier areas that you will explore in the earlier Pokemon games ( red/blue/lets go ). Chances are, at this point in the game you won't have a huge selection of Pokemon to choose from and you probably won't find any other fire Pokemon yet. If you want a head start in the beginning, choosing charmander is a great choice. Charmander isn't great for the water gym but by then you should have plenty of other Pokemon, including at least a few electric types. Definitely make sure you get some plant and electric type Pokemon before taking on the water gym.

When I first started playing Pokemon (blue version) way back in the 90s on my Gameboy Color, I chose charmander as my starter Pokemon. I evolved him all the way up to a charizard. He was one of my highest level Pokemon. You couldn't actually watch him fly around like you can in the "Lets Go" Pokemon but he was still cool. In the "Lets Go" games, you can actually ride on a charizard. He has always been one of my favorites.