Why Pokémon's Charizard Is Overrated | Screen Rant
Of the many mascots for the Pokémon series, Charizard is one of the most popular. Right up alongside Pikachu, the dragon-like Kanto starter has been making waves in the Pokémon community for 25 years. With Charizard TCG cards selling for thousands of dollars online, and fans scrambling to capture or trade for Charmanders to evolve in Pokémon games, Charizard is likely one of the most popular Pokémon of the series. However, when looking at Charizard as a Pokémon, it actually isn't as strong or useful as players might think.
Charizard is the third evolution of the Fire-type starter Charmander of the Kanto region. It gained popularity in the Pokémon animated series as Ash's unruly, disobedient companion during Indigo League. Charizard has been featured in recent games with special new battle mechanics like Mega-Evolution in X and Y, where it possesses two different forms, and Gigantamax in Sword and Shield. While these forms are powerful, Charizard still has a major setback as a Pokémon used in battle thanks to its type.
Despite looking like a dragon, the only time Pokémon's Charizard takes on the Dragon-type is when it Mega Evolves into Charizard X. Otherwise, it is a Fire/Flying-type. Fire/Flying weaknesses include Ground by x4, Water by x2, and Electric by x2. While it can pack a punch with Fire-type moves like Flare Blitz, and can learn a few Dragon-type moves, Charizard is easy to take out, and has a limited range of attack types, primarily relying on heavy hits and little strategy.
The love of Charizard has actually created problems for fans of the series, especially those playing the Pokémon trading card game. Card sets that feature new versions of Charizard get bought out in bulk, and this Pokémon card fever has created shortages. Online streamers like ADrive on YouTube spend thousands of dollars to do card-pack openings on their channels, looking specifically for sought-after Charizard cards. Because of this, fans of the TCG who want to buy packs to play have been unable to find cards, and must either go without or purchase from scalpers online.
Charizard's incredible popularity also prevents other Pokémon from having a chance at the spotlight. Much like how Pokémon's Ash should retire from the Pokémon anime to make room for new heroes, it would be nice for fans of other starter Pokémon like Fennekin or Bulbasaur to see their personal favorites get a Gigantamax form, or be featured as a special battle buddy in upcoming Pokémon animated series titles. While Charizard will always hold a special place in the hearts of many fans, focusing on other species could be a refreshing change of pace for the series.
Source: ADrive/Youtube