Ash Ketchum has had a variety of Pokemon in his long-winded career, including his famous Pikachu. Ash may be known for his troublesome Pikachu, who didn't hesitate to electrocute him constantly in the first season, but what about his other Pokemon? New viewers of the show may not know or remember how much trouble Ash's Charizard was when he first got him.
Ash's Charizard is known for being disobedient when he first got him, but did the Pokemon even start out that way? Charizard's journey is a long and wild ride through fun and hardships. Ash and Charizard are an amazing team nowadays but let's take a look at how these fiery hotheads worked together in the beginning.
As a Charmander
When Ash and his friends first find Charmander, it’s in the middle of nowhere somewhere outside Vermillion city. Charmander is on top of a large rock and not in good shape. They try to capture the Charmander to bring him to the nearest Pokemon center, but the Pokemon refuses. Pikachu explains to Ash that Charmander is waiting for his trainer to come back. Hoping that the trainer comes back soon, they leave, with Charmander crying softly as they walk away - it’s heartbreaking but not as heartbreaking as what happens later on.
Further down the trail, it starts to thunderstorm, and they happen on a Pokemon Center. There, they overhear Damian, Charmander’s trainer, talking about how he left his Charmander out on a rock. He shows no remorse when Brock tells him Charmander will die if he doesn’t go back out and save it. When Damian refuses, Ash and his friends go out themselves to save Charmander, who’s barely hanging on. Ash and Brock use their own jackets to make sure Charmander stays alive. Ash and friends sleep on the couches of the Pokemon Center only to have Charmander head back to the rock to wait for Damian when the weather is better.
They give up on helping Charmander, but later in the episode, Charmander comes to the rescue and saves Pikachu from Team Rocket. When Damien sees Charmander beat Team Rocket, he tells Charmander he wants him back. Refusing to go back with an awful trainer, Charmander whips the pokeball back at Damian and joins Ash’s squad. “Charmander will be a great Pokemon,” Brock comments to Ash without knowing the hellish journey they’re getting themselves into.
The Trouble Begins
Charmander isn't a problem at all until he evolves into Charmeleon. Due to the jump in level, he now views himself as a higher skill level than Ash, his trainer. Similar to how the mechanics work in the games, Charmeleon now only sometimes listens to Ash. About three episodes pass before Charmeleon evolves from sheer willpower and a vengeance because an Aerodactyl insulted it. This creates even more problems for Ash, including his loss against Ritchie.
Ash is berated several times for not being a good enough owner to handle his Charizard. Charizard doesn’t take anyone’s orders because he doesn’t respect them. Despite the fact that Ash helped Charizard and risked his life for him, Charizard’s level makes him view Ash as a weakling undeserving of his acknowledgment. Charizard’s personality is not unlike many fiery anime protagonists.
Catastrophic Trouble
In the episode “Charizard Chills,” the trainer Ash is battling, Tad, states “Ash, that thing isn’t even trained yet, are you sure that’s the Pokemon you wanna use?” after Charizard blows a wave of fire into Ash’s face. Ash’s Pokemon beating him up before respecting him seems to be a recurring theme throughout the series, though this could be because Ash’s Pokemon are more like rowdy friends than Pokemon as pointed out by Misty during the Indigo League.
Weirdly, Ash seems to be able to talk to and understand his Pokemon, but that doesn’t stop Charizard from trying his own moves instead of listening to Ash. During this catastrophic battle, Charizard is frozen solid and Ash takes care of him diligently. He spends the entire night massaging and looking after him, rubbing his hands raw. Charizard recognizes the effort Ash is putting into taking care of him and eventually warms up to him again. Using teamwork, they battle Tad again for the second time and win. Even though Charizard listens to Ash, he’s still full of himself. Occasionally, he still blows fire into Ash’s face as a sign of affection.
Charicific Valley
In the episode, “Charizard’s Burning Ambition,” the group finds themselves at Charicific Valley. Charicific Valley is actually a sanctuary for Charizard. Liza offers to let Ash into the Charizard Valley and teaches him how to fly with Charizard. Every Charizard in Charicific Valley is wild except for Charla, Liza’s Charizard. Both Ash and Charizard have some masculinity issues. Charmander and Ash are both incredibly hot headed in this episode. After Charizard loses, Jesse and James help him gain the respect of Charicific Valley.
Despite the heartbreak Ash goes through, he lets Charizard stay and train, but assures him he will always be his Charizard. Ash can see how much Charizard loves it here with the other Charizard, so he leaves him saying that he isn't strong enough and can train here before coming back to him. He and Charizard both know that's just an excuse, so Ash doesn't keep him against his will. He promises to see him again.
Goodbye Forever?
Charizard may have spent several years in Charicific Valley, but he continues to help Ash during his journey. He frequently shows up no matter the current season to help his long time friend. This can be seen in the third Pokemon movie, Spell of the Unown: Entei as well as more recent seasons such as Pokemon Journeys. All in all, Charizard's personality has had quite the bumpy ride over the years, but he’s truly an amazing, dependable teammate for Ash.