How GOOD was Charizard ACTUALLY? - History of Charizard in Competitive Pokemon

CHARIZARD is today’s Pokemon for our competitive history series! Join False Swipe Gaming in this not so brief overview of Charizard in competitive Pokemon!
PATREON!
/ falseswipegaming
FULL RESEARCH SOURCES HERE
docs.google.com/document/d/13...
The Official False Swipe Gaming Twitter:
/ falseswipeg
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
2:25 - RBY/Gen 1
4:35 - GSC/Gen 2
7:25 - ADV/Gen 3
12:28 - DPP/Gen 4
15:22 - BW/Gen 5
17:35 - XY/Gen 6
23:31 - Gen 6 VGC - VGC 2014
32:54 - Gen 6 VGC - VGC 2015
39:21 - SM/Gen 7
42:54 - Gen 7 VGC
48:32 - SS/Gen 8
52:31 - Gen 8 VGC - VGC 2020
59:37 - Gen 8 VGC - VGC 2021
1:03:54 - Outro
Directed by Kellen
/ kellen_fsg
Follow Me On Twitch!: / kellen_fsg
Written By
Kevin aka BKC
His Channel: / @bkcplayspokemon
This Bread Needs More Jam: / @thisbreadneedsmorejam583
Edited By
Connor Nguyen aka CDK
Follow Him: / cdk_1989
VFX Intro By
Ryan Gonzales
ryangonzalesfilmmaker.weebly....
Sound Designed by
Ryan Gonzales
Game Capture Artist:
DarkMusician
Follow Him: / of_darkmusician
DISCLAIMERS ON FORMATS COVERED:
Notice I said POPULAR formats, meaning a format where there is a significant amount of people who compete in it for tournaments and so on and so forth.
For the record, I do not care what rules or formats people play their battles by nor am I saying these formats are the only formats that should be played. The way you play Pokemon is between you and your opponent. I just like examining popular tournament formats.
Songs Used (List of ALL Songs used for this series. Some may or may not make it into the video):
docs.google.com/document/d/1H...
My Twitter:
/ kellen_fsg
Resources and Historical References
History of Rule Variants: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wik...
Smogon University:
www.smogon.com/
Maikiri
/ nbmakiri
Aaron Cybertron Zheng:
/ cybertronvgc
Pokeaim
/ joeypokeaim
Pokemon Battle Historia:
pokemon.s20.xrea.com/
Nintendo Cup 2000 Team Construction:
pokemon.s20.xrea.com/2nd/const...
Nintendo Cup 2000 Tier List:
pokemon.s20.xrea.com/2nd/2000/
Pokemon Japanese Battle Wiki:
wiki.xn--rckteqa2e.com/wiki/%E...
Sprites From:
www.spriters-resource.com/
pldh.net/dex/sprites/index

[@goldenhydreigon4727]

Charizard: *[loses its Megas]* Drought Torkoal and Heavy Duty Boots: Come, this is no place to die.

[@Leet-iz2fz]

Charizard: You saved me... why? Torkoal: Mmm... Lizard.

[@victory8928]

@@Leet-iz2fz torkoal: roasted lizards are nice, plus I need your soul and solar beam

[@potatoonwheels]

@@victory8928 soul-ar beam

[@victory8928]

@@potatoonwheels yes

[@nelsondaily]

Stop meme comments!

[@thesuntitan]

The whole build-up to that "unfortunately" was GLORIOUS

[@whydoiexist2180]

i also love the mewtwo build up

[@bobuxstuff121]

Ye

[@VincentHernandez2121]

*INHALES* UNFORTUNATELY... I lol'd.

[@SiddharthShenoy]

Timestamp?

[@firezera]

@@SiddharthShenoy 2:25

[@pavansakthivelvijayakumar7756]

"Has an allergy to geology" It has absolute gems of lines.

[@Lassoloc]

fsg should give his writers a raise for that line alone

[@aquaticchaos1717]

Heh. Gems. I see what you did. Another rock pun

[@joshuadelministro4954]

Charizard: *roaring in the background in pain*

[@Cris_Blu]

Charizard: Like old times friend? Venasaur: Just like old times

[@gengarzilla1685]

Charizard: I never thought I'd be fighting side by side with a Venusaur. Venusaur: How about side by side with a friend? Charizard: Aye, I could do that. Meanwhile Blastoise is beginning to feel lonely.

[@fknee9111]

@@gengarzilla1685 Blastoise: "so lonely" Me: 'walks up to Blastoise and hugs it' "You will always be the definitive water-type to me"

[@zardichar3903]

@@gengarzilla1685 *gives Blastoise Shell Smash as compensation* Blastoise in National Dex format: :)

[@exi_dudi2037]

@@gengarzilla1685 at least Charizard fell below Blastoise but it's still kinda viable in nu. So now Venusaur is lonely

[@MegaMachiOnline]

@@exi_dudi2037 charizard can use hurricane in rain so it can visit sometimes

[@LunarWingCloud]

"the excellent speed tier of 100, which could have its own video" Please make this video

[@Shadrake]

Let's get this to top comment so they see

[@LunarWingCloud]

@@Shadrake It would be awesome if they did a video, I remember back in the day during Gen 3-4 looking up competitive blurbs on Smogon and Serebii and they always touted the 100 base speed stat, and while I sort of understood why 100 base speed is good, metagames can get pretty deep with the minute stat differences, so it would be cool to see FSG discuss that in a video

[@whydoiexist2180]

What about 90 speed Ubers lmao

[@thecriticalghost4626]

No

[@LunarWingCloud]

@@thecriticalghost4626 where is your "no" being directed at? Can you elaborate?

[@RaynmanPlays]

"So what's your strategy?" "I'm going in with an understanding of the metagame and how to counter it. Unfortunately, I'm weak to non-meta teams. What about you?" "I bought a plushie to make my opponent think I'm using a different Pokemon than I actually am."

[@Giaroscope]

He was having a pokémon battle of the mind

[@jessehutchings]

I feel like I would be best friends with that guy just bc of his sheer nerve

[@Rncko]

Boi, exactly my thought. It just make it seems like if it is legal to have a slight advantage by battling the player physically, the players will do it.

[@YourFather143]

It was a 4000 IQ play though.

[@jaschabull2365]

At least that doll didn't take up a team slot like the seaking in that one One-Piece-themed team.

[@stroervor]

Charizar and Venusaur were from the original mascot duo, to a kick-ass sun partnership

[@princesscrystal6410]

Absolutely best vgc team, Sun Y and Growth Vena is just a game of nuking your foes with spread Heat Wave

[@pranavdiwan1650]

Sad blastoise noises

[@gengarzilla1685]

If Blastoise worked in the sun, I guarantee you'd have a complete trifecta. Such is the fate of a Water type.

[@pranavdiwan1650]

@@gengarzilla1685 unfortunately :(

[@l00kaTuRdAdm8]

@@gengarzilla1685 except he’s the best out of all of them. He was amazing in uu every gen and now mega blastiose is ubers in national dex

[@NellyHartnell]

I can't believe a plushie was literally an essential part of someone's tournament strategy.

[@joshuadelministro4954]

Zard is Fire type... ...a plushie... ...isn't...

[@Duck-de9dw]

@@joshuadelministro4954 ??????

[@dragolax]

i hate that team preview is a thing now. I used to do pretty well when i played in vgc and a lot of it was just the fact that i used non meta pokemon so a lot of people had little to no knowledge of their movepool/stats/abilities or simply had no good counter for it

[@MidoriOfTheShuinsen]

@@joshuadelministro4954 thanks, Captain Obvious. Want a cookie?

[@theywalkinguptoyouand4060]

@@joshuadelministro4954 is that supposed to be a joke?

[@PinClockFuntime]

The plush bluff Charizard is one of the biggest power plays I've seen in Pokemon

[@elijahpadilla5083]

That's so stupid it overflows right back around to being clever, and honestly top marks for faking his opponent out like that

[@Yomasi]

that actually blew my mind so hard lmao

[@tony76935]

He's just built different

[@Novice1390]

That's some next level bluff right there

[@tony76935]

@@Novice1390 😏😆

[@kuribro443]

I love how they built up Charizard for 2 whole minutes only to hit you with the big U.

[@TAKirbyStar]

As someone who's favorite Pokémon is Charizard (feel free to throw tomatoes at me), the U-word broke my heart, only for funni meme man FSG to start repairing it from Gen 2 onwards

[@treygoodsell9874]

I guffawed, because I was so ready for hype. I've seen all of their videos too, I shouldn't have bought in considering RBY meta.

[@RavenDarknyte]

It really should feel standard at this point lmaooo

[@berkay4903]

@@TAKirbyStar well i kinda expected big u at start...still as someone whos all time fav is zard(just like you) that still hurted

[@lordbeerus5722]

Well glad you love it then

[@Timorias]

"oh cool they did charizard" -is an HOUR long "Sweet jesus"

[@pacificpoke5606]

Wild Genwunners appeared! You destroyed their whole career with Shell Smash Blastoise!

[@KootenaiKing]

It's ONLY an hour, you mean.

[@machspeed20]

@@pacificpoke5606 blastoise is also a gen 1 pokemon???

[@gregorywood7554]

​@@machspeed20 It's not Charizard, so they hate it.

[@splitsee2526]

I love how Charizard and Venusaur slowly started to appear with each other. Then at the end, Charizard and Venusaur are Sibling Bestfriends, while Blastoise is left in the shadows.

[@jappyrich481]

SUN GANG

[@catsorafgc]

Funny. It was kinda like that in the anime as well. Charizard and Bulbasaur were good friends, while Squirtle left with the Squirtle Squad

[@Awoken_YKW_Fan9001]

Blastoise plots in the darkness on how to end the 2.

[@pratikkalotra88]

Then it receives shell smash and Mega blastoise got banned

[@TheReZisTLust]

@@catsorafgc Didn't Squirt join the fireforce? The squad was "disbanded" when ash intervened

[@akoboldskobold]

i guess ferrothorn: the major motion picture will have to wait until another day…

[@Skullhawk13]

A six hour experience

[@aceman2383]

Ferro only has gen 5-8 to cover so it probably won’t be as long

[@justanotherhunter6634]

@@aceman2383 get a load of this guy

[@swiss5004]

@@aceman2383 You’re underestimating the sheer power of this Pokémon

[@aceman2383]

@@swiss5004 i know Ferros good, it’ll be long, but I don’t think it’ll be 8-gens,2 megas, and a gigantimax form, long. Especially because ferro doesn’t change much throughout gens.

[@rover9k151]

Gens 1-5: 17 minutes Gens 6-8: the rest

[@AS-rb5jz]

I didn’t check the time before clicking on the video, wow...

[@zEr-ne5ri]

DAME

[@ChazzDex]

mostly because of the way too long VGC parts that feature every decent tournament placement

[@CubeBizz]

gen 8 too?

[@CubeBizz]

ah right, g-max zard forgot dynamax exists xd

[@iron2684]

Charizard in gens 4 and 5 is the epitome of "better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven"

[@gengarzilla1685]

This is why I was totally ok with Gengar dropping to UU in an era when I lost interest and hope in OU. Well, it was more like ruling in heaven than serving in hell.

[@microwave8931]

@@gengarzilla1685 idk why but I consider UU stronger than OU

[@athan13590]

I don't think that's a good thing though

[@shadowldrago]

CT - 3512 Considering the originator of that line and its context, you would be correct.

[@athan13590]

@@shadowldrago That's what I meant

[@jj209th6]

I love that Venusaur came back to work with Charizard again in gen 8 after getting dropped years prior Zard was like "We're getting the gang back together for one last job"

[@DBZMacky]

This video is too short, Charizard needs more forms.

[@Daichifan1]

Agreed! My boy Charizard doesn't get nearly enough attention or special treatment

[@thefisherman0074]

hahaha

[@g0ttathedead]

True

[@blobfishmusic6020]

The next remakes should be Pokemon Charizard Red and Pokemon Charizard Green 😅

[@cesarflamenco9484]

What goes through Gamefreak's mind probably.

[@adrianathit5736]

In the beginning as he was hyping up Charizard i could almost hear the UNFORTUNATELY coming up 😭

[@kakashihatake6052]

he is a beast in anime though and that is the reason we cam e to love him

[@Entelarmer]

@William Camacho ... Dude, there should be limit to how lazy you can be...

[@ShadowtheYouTuber523]

2:25

[@Silver-Arm]

"Do I even need to say anything about Charizard?" 1 hour long video I guess you do

[@AlexanderDraconis]

Charizard in Comp is like Ash's Charizard early on. He's either sleeping Or *He's Running Absolutely Wild* And the frequency of change is so high that you can never be completely sure where he is in his rise & fall cycle. Like in the Pokemon world, you always have to be careful when a Charizard is around.

[@averygamerdude7911]

Saying you need to be careful around a Charizard is like saying you need to bring an umbrella to a desert.

[@Trashtox]

Or he’ll lose to dusclops

[@thetizic]

"How good was Charizard X plush actually?" next week

[@justinr.507]

good

[@rackroll4405]

So good it beat players by itself.

[@htskyogre3276]

It had a defining place in the meta but unfortunately couldnt do anything past gen 7

[@maxspecs]

Honestly an incredibly meta move, mental damage and information hiding is powerful.

[@AsheSkye]

Honestly surprising zard didn't get a unique Z move in gen 7.

[@TerraEmperor1]

Right? It was weird that it didn't

[@xx_v_xx4373]

True but he got to be a ride Pokemon in a region he had no business being in

[@cansolourfavverse]

Ikr, I thought it weird since Pikachu and other famous Kanto Pokemon got one.

[@shenzhong3078]

*charizarnium z*

[@jamesdinius7769]

@@xx_v_xx4373 And yet I don't see you complaining about Tauros, or Lapras, or Machamp. Most of the ride pokemon are Kanto Pokemon (Sharpedo is the only exception I can recall) so this is more of a Kanto favoritism thing than Zard specific.

[@wyattnance3756]

The next remake should totally be Zapdos, it’s gotta be the most consistent gen 1 Pokémon by far

[@Ghostkilla773]

Starmie

[@wyattnance3756]

@@Ghostkilla773 Zapdos is more consistent than Starmie, there are several generations where Starmie’s only real use is as a rapid spinner, and Zapdos has been excellent in OU in just about every gen

[@volgtorbg]

od love a zapdos remake w bkc narrating!

[@thecriticalghost4626]

Parasect

[@Jollofmuncher2000]

yes. quite literally ou in every gen but gen 5 where he was uu and was one of the best special nukers in the game. the combo of electric flying(which allows great moves like thunder under rain and the glorius hurricane which also works great in rain) and a smexy base 120 special attack to support this even further. its not just consistent it has always been really fricking good

[@spartandumpster1158]

It's nice this video got remade, cause one unfortunate thing about those early videos was that they were basically treated like "if the Pokemon wasn't viable in OU, it was just bad". Now we can see how it's alright for a Pokemon to be good in lower tiers, like Charizard terrorizing NU in gens 4 and 5.

[@Sheriff_Curtis]

Hear for this Charizard positivity!

[@midnightmoonlit3741]

Hear hear

[@MrMarinus18]

I think he should have waited for it till November. When the old video is exactly 5 years old.

[@Lau2856.]

True but the new viedeos go in way too much detail about boring stuff and are way to long. I just want to know how good it was

[@c.q.32]

@@Lau2856. The boring stuff are the reasons why it's good or not. If you just wanna know straight away just type it online and you'll get a straight answer.

[@henri-leonlebesgue5471]

First five generations : 0:00 - 0:17:35 minutes Since Mega-Evolution and Gigantamax : 0:17:35 - 1:03:54

[@xanderdesousa1882]

Lol

[@denizmergen418]

jesus

[@thatman666]

How fanservice and maybe Kanto pandering can make a Pokémon competitively viable?

[@Nastara]

Christ

[@nyahnyahson523]

@@thatman666 Light Ball. Heh.

[@TalkingVidya]

I am not a Charizard fan, mostly because I've always been a Venasaur kind of guy and I am kinda salty about all the love they've gotten during the generations, BUT, it's kinda impossible not get hyped with a video made with so much love and research

[@Kaempfdog]

Honestly, just wish every gen 1 starter got 2 megas. They and Pikachu are the most nostalgic Pokémon around. (Honestly surprised they haven’t given Raichu and Pikachu ACTUAL buffs to be proper competitive.) Still holding hope for gen 4 megas.

[@094176]

at least Venusaur was the most consistently good 🤷‍♀️

[@tony76935]

@Don’t Read the Description The link in your description is the link for...y'know. Isn't it? 😏

[@Dogginho]

Same

[@PrismaAce]

@@Kaempfdog raichu is competitively viable in doubles and has won worlds

[@Indubitably_Pol]

That inhale before the “unfortunately” was very funny

[@mugiwaraLux]

Update for anyone wondering: in vgc 2022, it won several regionals, several top8 at international events, and 2nd at worlds AGAIN

[@myguy4203]

You’re telling me that everyone who challenged Leon didn’t bring Stealth Rocks? Galar is kinda dumb

[@larrychilders6599]

You would think at least Raihan would

[@dionjones6300]

He has Dragapult, Aegislash and the starters. I feel like they never made it that far

[@nyoron39]

I mean, the first mon he uses is Aegislash, you're gonna need more than SR to bring him down.

[@shadowbonbon3]

I never used rocks on him it’s not worth it

[@josiahmccalla1991]

On my 2nd playthrough when I actually knew leons team I brand a toxtricity and destroyed the charizard

[@thisisaclown8497]

Blissey, Scizor, Dragonite and Skarmory remake: "How GREAT was ACTUALLY?" Charizard: How GOOD was Charizard ACTUALLY? Thank god for Megas in gen 6 and 7, or it might have been How BAD was Charizard ACTUALLY?

[@johnwest6690]

Poor charizard, too overrated for it's own good lol

[@EBOLAVlRUS]

Gengar too

[@zodrac516]

Not at all, he's great in gen 2 and gen 3, and he dominates lower tiers, he never was a bad pokemon

[@rotozizou8285]

@@zodrac516 charizard def wasnt great in gen 2 and 3

[@Saviarai-Dravolika]

Mega Zard is THE GOAT

[@MrMarinus18]

I do really like the tiering system of Pokémon. It gives each generation multiple metagames and makes almost every Pokémon capable of being played competitively.

[@exi_dudi2037]

I'm starting to think zu needs to be official next gen. It's getting kind of crowded already more and more Pokemon drop

[@sigma1766]

@@exi_dudi2037 Honestly, I agree, also the ZU tier metagame looks kind of interesting to discuss considering to low overall power

[@thedarknessmagician5234]

So here’s something fun, I loved using mega Charizard X to slaughter everything. However my mega X set had a nasty little surprise up it’s sleeve. The first three moves were the standard dragon dance, dragon claw, and flare blitz, but the last move was overheat. My thought process was that mega Charizard X still had a pretty good special attack stat even though it was primarily a physical attacker, so why not throw on a ridiculously powerful stab special move to use when your opponent least suspects. The best part is that the special attack drops from overheat don’t really matter for Charizard X because it typically attacks with physical moves. Essentially, the set allowed me to do typical mega X set up and sweep shenanigans while being able to use a one time usage one-hit-kill special attack on anything with high physical defense. Yes, this set did have to give up earthquake, but I rarely actually needed earthquake when dragon and fire attacks ripped through pretty much everything on their own. The best part is that this set was an absolute beast in both singles and doubles, meaning I could use it in absolutely any battle I played and have fun slaughtering nearly everything. I have been playing Pokémon consistently in both casual and competitive sense for well over a decade, and I have created A LOT of unique and powerful Pokémon sets in that time, but that mixed attacking mega Charizard X set was my all time favorite set EVER. I hope mega evolution comes back someday so I can use it again.

[@thebravegallade731]

overheat is one of the reasons why mixed attacking fire types are so good. when something like scarmory shows up they ded.

[@mehiamawesome0609]

CharX overheat? Why it's nice to see that someone else thought of it too

[@belimvasim143]

Lets me next Hmm EQ ZARD Y FOR HEATRAN?

[@Kirandhariwal944]

@@belimvasim143 yes!!

[@Dr.J42]

@@belimvasim143 Scorching Sands tho/

[@mikewiese]

No joke: You single-handedly got me interested in competitive pokemon. Now I'm teaching my sisters a few tricks on team building and synergies and stuff. This legit helped me reconnect with them on a personal level, which historically was pretty hard. And I think that's a testament as to how good your videos are, Kellen! You absolutely delivered with this video - and all the others before - and I'm gonna keep watching for a long time to come!

[@adriangache8655]

dread it, run from it, heatran still arrives

[@reddragonair3147]

But it can only really switch into a Fire attack or Solar Beam safely. Even a resisted Tough Claws Dragon Claw does solid damage to it on common sets, and if it's boosted, then it's a likely 2HKO. For Y, you absolutely need to respect Focus Miss- I mean Blast. But then there's always the chance both could carry Earthquake, which they sometimes do. Heatran can be a roadblock, to be clear, but by no means is it a reliable counter to either form, let alone both. Unless you were talking about Heatran getting its own video, in which case I apologize for my mistake and I agree.

[@okanidug6035]

@@reddragonair3147 If Zard Y ever comes back it will have scorching sands. It can replace focus blast easily.

[@reddragonair3147]

@@okanidug6035 True. I actually really enjoy using it with Scorching Sands in the National Dex metagame on Showdown.

[@CantusTropus]

@@reddragonair3147 That's not really true. +1 Dragon Claw with Touch Claws boost does a maximum of 44% to *Offensive* Heatran, and 37% to Defensive Heatran. Even with 12% chip from Stealth Rock, you will not 2HKO Defensive Heatran with +1 Dragon Claw and it requires extremely good luck to 2HKO Offensive Heatran. Unless you're running Adamant Zard X, in which case what the heck are you doing?

[@reddragonair3147]

@@CantusTropus I was probably thinking of +1 DClaw vs offensive Heatran. I ran a calc a while back and remember that there was a decent chance to 2HKO at +1, so switching in is risky. Either way, it's smart to scout the set before switching in. That should be a given. If you're like me, you'll usually run Jolly Zard with DDance, DClaw, Flare Blitz, and Roost. That's a pretty common and effective set. But Adamant isn't unreasonable, to be fair. Jolly's Speed makes it easier to threaten stuff before setup, sure, but if you're able to force a switch and set up as they switch, it can pay off pretty well. Obviously make sure annoying stuff like Pex and Azu are weakened or just eliminated. That's just common sense.

[@solar615]

There are 2 things I never thought I'd see in this video: 1) Charizard be good post Gen 6 2) Focus Blast actually hit a target

[@superzockertvyt9630]

Focus blast trying to hit a pokemon challenge(impossible)

[@TheDeathmail]

*So basic summary* Gen 1: Dumpster crap Gen 2: Actually pretty good; dangerous and useful in OU, but also a risk Gen 3: Still was actually pretty decent in some teams and could be very useful in many situations in OU Gen 4: Stealth Rock; but awesome in NU (False Swipe says it was the best in NU) Gen 5: Venusaur was better in weather war; but it was ace in NU (so still worth playing) Gen 6: Mega Gen 7: Mega; plus regular Charizard actually was in a VGC tournament 2019 Gen 8: Actually was useful in UU with Heavy Duty Boots and was great in OU; it was pretty good in VGC and Dynamax worked with it's hidden Ability and Gigantamax was also pretty great Over all: Charizard actually worked better than people would think and worked like a nuke....

[@ShadowtheYouTuber523]

In gen 1 it was good in NU

[@averygamerdude7911]

Eh I'd say it's been pretty mediocre IMO since Gen 4

[@ShadowtheYouTuber523]

@@averygamerdude7911 well yeah it was in NU until gen 6.

[@averygamerdude7911]

@@ShadowtheKZbinr523 Well, I don't think it's Mega forms are great either

[@ShadowtheYouTuber523]

@@averygamerdude7911 they OU but ok

[@Zyquux]

"Say the line FSG!" "UNFORTUNATELY" *Cheering*

[@tracypitts835]

Say the funny line.

[@MasterLuigi452]

They should make a merc out of this phrase

[@yaboidragonitehere1137]

Vileplume reference

[@BowandSvent]

Is no one going to talk about how Charizard's neck gets skinnier and skinnier each generation? It's practically a toothpick these days.

[@thewanderers97]

Fire/psychic type regional form with no neck and a floating head incoming

[@yommmrr]

Looks like a duck nowadays

[@MisterSleep1123]

@@yommmrr Shuba

[@Shadrake]

@@MisterSleep1123 I see what you did there

[@zackiet731]

@@MisterSleep1123 I see you are a man of culture as well

[@LINKRETROGAMING]

ACTUALLY, Charizard's best gen in competitive performance was gen 1, when Yukifumi Aoki won the 99' Nintendo Cup with Charizard, Persian and Nidoking (kind of UU tournament shaped around Slowbro). I know you don't cover this format in the video, but I think it is worth knowing the first and last time Charizard won a BIG final, since world championships started in the 2000s it's fine to say charizard was a 99' WORLD CHAMPION. Your videos are amazing, congrats!

[@jothompson7610]

They just hating on my man, jk😂 But damn, my manz won a championship before there was even a championship, and it was arguably his worse season

[@LINKRETROGAMING]

@@jothompson7610 that is right! I try to have it always on my teams when I upload videos to my channel! Now in Stadium Rentals is not bad!

[@tangaps]

It was so cool to see how Charizard had subverted expectations in the past to get ahead. I did something similar during VGC 2020 by running a physical G-Max Charizard

[@michaelmagaletta3474]

32:50 Ryoske finding a competitive use for Pokémon Merch is one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard

[@ARonsoInEorzea]

zard with an eject pack is cool. can use overheat then switch out without taking solar power damage and preventing the special attack down .

[@12jswilson]

True, but specs weatherball cleanly 2HKOs blissey in the sun

[@vitovitovito4927]

yep and then switch on rocks cuz no boots

[@ARonsoInEorzea]

@@vitovitovito4927 yeah switch to magic bounce or spinner usually for myself

[@ARonsoInEorzea]

@@12jswilson your not wrong that's for sure.

[@XenoX]

@@ARonsoInEorzea mubtgv I Ntgyvntr om you.. C

[@TheDjpwn3]

"The remake you've all been waiting for" Aw yeah, Gyarados ti- "It's Charizard!" Oh...

[@luiseduardo8806]

Ok everywhere I go, I see his face: Charizard in gens 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, *two forms in gen 6* gen 7, and a *gigantamax form for another champion who uses it.*

[@IrfanFakhrianto]

"What if I bought a Zard X plushie and display it to my opponents to make them think that I was using that instead of Zard Y?" "ohohohoho, delightfully devilish, Ryosuge Kosuge"

[@georgecortes3416]

Charizard X Plushie is too OP, must ban!

[@cornelmccalla2799]

I'm doing that with my necrozma dusk mame figure at an unrestricted tournament if I get to

[@purplenamako86]

That inhale before the "Unfortunately" at the beginning of the RBY section was priceless lmao

[@SonBlackHeart22]

Yep never gets old.

[@Oliver-uz1fs]

It turns my favorite unfortunately line since the one on the vileplume video

[@MidoseitoAkage]

Because he know gen 1 Charizard is so terrible.

[@marleykeymer8929]

Surely we get a shirt that says “Unfortunately”

[@brycearnzen700]

We all thought Lando, or Ferrothorn, or Tyranitar remake, but here we all are, still very very satisfied. Great work as always FSG

[@htskyogre3276]

Ah yes, everyone's first favourite pokemon to begin with, the one with the most expensive cards, got nerfed into the ground by rocks and then got 2 megas, this is gonna be a rollercoaster

[@DaDukeofGaming]

Pl

[@derrickscott1630]

Um no, Charizard is trash. Bulbasaur is the best

[@DivineDEC]

HA! no

[@htskyogre3276]

Tbh I like both zard and bulbasaur

[@deadname569]

My first favrite was pikachu now eevee is my faverite probly because of the animie

[@nathanielvantassell8809]

Zard being good in RBY NU is pretty good foreshadowing for its future

[@MrZahsome]

Although it was really in reverse since NU in gen 1 is actually a new tier that was established pretty recently lol.

[@SpaceDetectiveTravis]

Ah, Stealth Rock: the two most hated words every Charizard fan dreads to hear

[@ShinyGreninja07]

One hated word for charizard haters- Earthquake.

[@kakashihatake6052]

@@ShinyGreninja07 charizard doesnt not have good physical stat thoug

[@nguyentandung42]

@@kakashihatake6052 you got a stroke bro?

[@Sheriff_Curtis]

Charizard with tombs on tho 🔥💀

[@ShinyGreninja07]

@@kakashihatake6052 but it can still ohkho many fire types by earthquake. Like darmanitan and arcanine. If these pokemon do not get one shooted by earthquake . Choice band takes care of charizard.

[@MonkeBrain07]

Mega Charizard Y is actually my favourite Pokémon so this video gives me so much validation. I used to battle with my friends regularly back in middle school and I always brought my Charizard. They made fun of me at first. That is until I swept half their team with Charizard.

[@averygamerdude7911]

Your friends must've been really bad then.

[@MonkeBrain07]

@@averygamerdude7911 At first, yeah. One of them got really good at competitive later on, while the other two never really took it up.

[@averygamerdude7911]

@@MonkeBrain07 Welp, that explains it. 🤷‍♂️

[@MonkeBrain07]

@@averygamerdude7911 It also didn't help that my Charizard carried Solar Beam, which absolutely fucked my friend's rock types. They never even tried to bring Tyranitar. I wonder why.

[@mushroomdude123]

Losing my mind at “Sneaky Pebbles”

[@elevate07]

Deceitful Dirt

[@raythehomie123]

Invisible Minerals

[@eclipse9727]

Assassin Stones

[@benikujaku4567]

Ninja ore

[@hollylucianta6711]

discreet bricks

[@Cold-Blooded-Jay]

"The dumpster is where he belongs." Charizard, NOOOOOO.

[@jeffreygao3956]

Oh, and Froggy Plant whateverasaur.

[@gamincaimin9954]

@@jeffreygao3956 And Moto Moto turtle

[@frozezone2947]

@@jeffreygao3956 Except the fact that the plant symbiote dinosaur has been viable in every gen

[@jeffreygao3956]

@@frozezone2947 And better than ever since it can protect others from the Fair Folk.

[@Duskool]

Good.

[@thepredator4207]

Just an amazing video. I remember the first Charzard video and even went threw and watched it again just to see the difference in your style and delivery. Fantastic job!!! Makes me wanna come back and start playing Pokemon again :)

[@yu.otpV1]

When you were expecting ''Landorus-Therian; The Movie' but you got 'Nintendo's favourite go brr'

[@tejasgokhale7783]

Personally I was waiting for the How GREAT was Ferrothorn ACTUALLY 3-hour special

[@M3rtyville]

more like 6 part documentary...

[@MariOmor1]

*YOU WERE EXPECTING LANDORUS-T BUT IT WAS ME, GAMEFREAK'S FAVORITE SON!"

[@FartSnicklesthe3rd8626]

Me who expected Arceus

[@Just_Skyla]

Now time to review a mon that DESTROYS Charizard's typing. How good was Gigalith actually?

[@ezradianadieuveille4676]

Yessss or FERRO lol

[@connorbosley4431]

@@ezradianadieuveille4676 or rotom

[@dragonmaster3030]

Or sunkern

[@Lichtkrieger13]

Rotom and Ferro are both locked since they're candidates for special episodes

[@shadowbonbon3]

@@Lichtkrieger13 u mean movies right?

[@shawnspeedie960]

I'm a noob when it comes to competitive Pokémon. But seeing videos like this, especially on my favourite Pokémon of all time, is quite interesting and intriguing. Hopefully will gradually learn more about competitive play and perhaps get into the scene some day.

[@christmas4477]

Clearly most of the research time went into learning Hold Hands is a move that exists

[@goldenhydreigon4727]

"Its Charizard! It has to appear in every generation like Pikachu!" Sinnoh who chose not to have Charizard: Allow me to introduce myself. Unova which has neither Pikachu nor Charizard: The future is now old man.

[@samuelgarza2466]

Don't forget all the Hoenn games, as well as Sun and Moon!

[@thedom2753]

@@samuelgarza2466 The Hoenn games let you get kanto starters from the professor in post-game and Charizard is a ride pokemon in Sun and Moon

[@jagjitpradhan2038]

@@thedom2753 it's the johto starters

[@Hyperneosonic97]

Charizard appears in HGSS for its Gen 4 appearance. B2W2 has it appear on Lance's PWT team, I believe.

[@phineas81707]

Driftveil Drawbridge says hi.

[@Truffle_D_Toad]

The King of NU and OU, thus is Charizard's place in life. Whether at the bottom or at the top, he is always one of the kings.

[@GreatDG]

After getting significant favouritism from GF and being bullshitationally weak in all the other gets

[@PabloRodriguez-ov9sx]

@@GreatDG I understand the favouritism part, but the only gen he was realy not viable in anything was gen 1. In the second and third gens he was a viable competitive threat who always exerted preasure, leading to a good pokemon, in gen 4 he was decent, in gen 5 he was the KING of NU, in gen 6 his megas were fantastic, same in gen 7, he had great results in gen 8, we don’t realy know what will happen in gen 9… he actually has a great competitive record.

[@PabloRodriguez-ov9sx]

@@GreatDG Sorry, I meant exellent in gen 4 NU.

[@wargriffin5]

Alternate Title: *"How GOOD was Nintendo at deciding what is/is not a dragon ACTUALLY?"*

[@theminebloxcraft5779]

*gamefreak*

[@Yomasi]

the answer is: usually pretty good, but it started off not too great and got progressively better and more creative

[@yareulb2269]

@@Yomasi Fire Dragon: Not dragon Water Dragon: Not dragon Electric Dragon (dracozolt): Not dragon Apple: Dragon Bug: Dragon

[@Yomasi]

@@yareulb2269 dracozolt is dragon wdym also which water dragon?

[@micramism6431]

@@Yomasi gyrados, i think. i think theyre water flying maybe?

[@gothia6515]

Charizard Y with Chlorophyll Growth Venusaur is my favourite combo i ve used in PvP. Just great synergy and no Rotom Thunderwave rat strat.

[@lavahit]

Crazy effort you put with this video. You and your team OUTDID yourselves in all ways. Excellent work.

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

Charizard in a nutshell: Then, everything changed when the Megas and Gigantimax attacked.

[@whydoiexist2180]

I wonder why Pikachu never got a mega

[@thesetutorialsofmineduh4815]

@@whydoiexist2180 nfe I guess

[@volcanhacks]

@@whydoiexist2180 because he got a cosplay form and hat forms

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

@@whydoiexist2180 They only seem to give Megas to fully evolved Pokemon or Pokemon that don't evolve. Plus, Pikachu was never competitive viable the way Charizard was even after Stealth Rocks hit the field.

[@TheReZisTLust]

@@whydoiexist2180 Cause they and Evois (formerly known as Eevee) now have their own voices

[@nickh8711]

7:41 Yes, please make a video on the history of speed tiers in OU, I feel like that is the single most powercrept aspect of competitive Pokemon

[@crazytexan711]

Your channel has come such a long way. Fantastic video, glad you were able to make this as great of a video as you did! Great work.

[@nathanbeaudoin4437]

This was such a big episode, it took me 3 days to finish! Great Video FSG!!!

[@monkdonk4095]

Charizard Gen 1 to 5:I'm so Weak Gen 6:UNLIMITED POWER!!!!

[@Ghi102]

2-3 it was really great too. 1,4 and 5 are his meh generations

[@eclipse9727]

@@Ghi102 and even then, he was the king of where he dropped.

[@nousername191]

@@Ghi102 2-3 was make dangerous set up sets work and destroy or die trying.

[@zw3in]

Oh my god, it's an entire goddamn movie.

[@EBOLAVlRUS]

1 hour SHEEEEEEEESH

[@sayvionwashington1939]

Only the best for the OG

[@SonBlackHeart22]

@@sayvionwashington1939 I want a Blastoise or Venasaur video as long as this honestly.

[@Oliver-uz1fs]

@@SonBlackHeart22 yeah, for blastoise is impossible

[@ethanc.1443]

@@SonBlackHeart22 Most likely won't be as long because they don't have two Megas or as much VGC presence as Charizard (they still will have long videos)

[@Quix0tic707]

I’m amazed we didn’t get any paradox Charizard formes in SV.

[@brianchan8]

For now

[@bdt2002gaming]

Charizard was recently lifted into official OU status in Gen 3 within the past month. This comes following similar tiering changes seen by Pokémon like Moltres, Raikou, Breloom, Regice, and Porygon2.

[@bryanc1772]

Raikou and Regice suck now lol Charizard is the real mvp more than Moltres

[@Bidishake]

One entire damn hour Remember when more than 20 minutes for mewtwo was a lot?

[@CrackLionIX]

Power creep irl

[@velvetbutterfly]

Remember when YT only allowed 10 minutes?

[@619Slipk]

Lol, the guy with the X plushie to fool opponents Amazing

[@years-ti7xl]

Charizard has been my favorite starter since Fire Red.

[@Noobman69420]

Same but with venasaur

[@elijahpadilla5083]

And the two make great friends on doubles squads!

[@Noobman69420]

@@elijahpadilla5083 who two

[@elijahpadilla5083]

@@Noobman69420 Charizard and Venusaur, literally the only two Pokémon mentioned in this thread.

[@Noobman69420]

@@elijahpadilla5083 you're average sun team:

[@ChillavaKirby]

Damn this might be your best video yet. Everything about this channel is super on point this time. Production value through the roof today. I think Charizard would be proud of your efforts :')

[@pacoramon9468]

This is longer than most Pokémon movies.

[@LonesomeDevil]

I know they gave it a lot of favoritism, but I appreciate that all the love that Game Freak gave to Charizard never made it straight up overpowered. I'm 100% a Venusaur stan, but Venusaur was always fairly solid throughout, so it didn't need as many buffs as Charizard did to keep up with the meta. Yeah, I admit I also had my edgy hipster phase where I started to hate Charizard, but I've grown past that now. It's a cool Pokémon, and whenever its toxic fans brought down the other starters, it wasn't Charizard's fault, so hating it for that is unfair. Plus, as shown in the video, at Charizard's highest peaks, it paired super well with Venusaur, so... the fans of both shouldn't have a reason to fight, really. Charizard being bad stayed a meme way longer than it really should have. Its lows were only for 2 gens out of 8, which is a pretty good average for a Gen 1 Pokémon. And even out of those 2 gens where it was considered "bad", it was destroying NU and was never even considered for Untiered.

[@emblemblade9245]

Yeah, this is pretty much how I’ve come to feel. Charizard’s cool, and power-wise it’s not overcentralized. It’s just not so bad these days. My only major recent complaint is Leon having one as his ace, because…come on, did it really have to be like that? Plus I don’t love the G max look much. But the megas? Nice

[@Lrizu]

Yeah, Chadsaur is objectively better than Virginzard via transitive property, Venusaur > Blastoise > Charizard Therefore Venusaur > Charizard (Ironic that i said Chadsaur and Virginzard, since it's much better to say Chadzard and Virginsaur)

[@myasmith1820]

@@emblemblade9245 Anyone who uses Chad and Virgin is edgy.

[@cpt.crackfearow4512]

@@myasmith1820 It's more cringe than edgy though.

[@StoutShako]

I love this comment.

[@connorharlan1187]

FSG crew this is so loving and meticulous and really just inspiring. Your content really is one of my favorite things to just relax to

[@darnell16player]

I was a sucker for Fire types even as a kid, but man Charizard has had a crazy time in the gens over time. Man I wish I could get Charizard past gen 3

[@Andrew42520]

You can get charmander in gens 4 and 6

[@darnell16player]

@@Andrew42520 Really? How?

[@Andrew42520]

@@darnell16player In hgss you get a kanto starter once you get all 16 badges I believe. And in xy you get given a kanto starter pretty early on

[@nyxxose]

Even my mother knows who Charizard is. And Shes in her 50s!

[@BloodbornePC1279]

My mom's 49 and knows Charizard too. She does play Pokémon, so that's probably why.

[@kakashihatake6052]

@@BloodbornePC1279lol does your mom play old gens only?

[@BloodbornePC1279]

@@kakashihatake6052 Yeah, only 1 & 2. She only plays GB & SNES. Says games are too complicated after that

[@TheReZisTLust]

So she was about 25 when pokemon came out that is not old bruh.

[@Internazionale2010]

Well its the same way how even the local squirrel knows pikachu, theyre the overhype duo

[@lightningdude4282]

Wasn’t expecting an early upload but hey I like remake times. We need a Zapdos remake soon. So happy about Charizard remake How EXCELLENT was Charizard ACTUALLY

[@whydoiexist2180]

I love Zapdos it's so useful defensively

[@chasejc5846]

Been here since the original charizard vid youre weekly uploads make my day bro love you

[@justinanderson4497]

That has to be the greatest build-up to an “UNFORTUNATELY” yet! Lol

[@jabarithegoldenlucario8841]

Charizard has had a Climb up in the competitive world. It’s been a lower tier threat that rose up into power thanks to new moves, new items, and new forms. It’s kinda like you’re watching a movie about an underdog rising up in the rankings. He started threatening from the bottom… and now he’s threatening the top.

[@Kalicer]

Kind of feels more like a favorite of the crowd gets everything the crowd wants until he's halfway decent, while actually cool pokemon get left in the dust because they don't have as many fans.

[@TheReZisTLust]

No underdog gets to be top in an entire section for a long time tho

[@Sheriff_Curtis]

@@Kalicer do y'all not actually watch these videos or what?

[@Jollofmuncher2000]

better character development then most shows

[@machspeed20]

@@Kalicer or, favorite of crowd gets buffed because it popularized pokemon and everyone liked it so game freak gave it buffs, while pokemon you like get left behind. Just because your favorite isn't good. Doesn't mean you have to bring down others. I say this as someone who has sceptile as my favorite.

[@acc3209]

Not even Charizard is safe from the UNFORTUNATELY

[@anthonybaird1]

Excellent video - thanks so much for producing it!

[@AnimeGames16]

"Sneaky pebbles" sounds like a cereal that could go along with Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles.

[@shadowbonbon3]

It cuts your throat and sneaks in your lungs sneaky pebbles

[@AnimeGames16]

"Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Forretress approved!"

[@cradiculous]

Sounds like a bootleg cereal.

[@Internazionale2010]

@@shadowbonbon3 and then it shatters your intestines after puncturing your stomach 👍🏻

[@Aeromancer-Draco-Lord]

If Charizard is this long of a video, Heatran is going to be at minimum as long as Return of the King. Then Lando is legit going to be Snyder cut/return of the king extended length

[@animejerk05]

Doubt it because Zard has ou niches in gen 2-3 that need to be covered

[@Wildcatt1999]

Ferrothorn will be a full-length movie.

[@reddragonair3147]

But you also have to consider that Charizard has three alternative forms, not to mention three and four generations on Heatran and Landorus, respectively. And it's also been a part of more tiers each generation. So I don't think either of them will match the length of this video, let alone surpass it.

[@limerumpus3589]

@@reddragonair3147 yeah but lando was absolutely crazy since it was released in both singles and vgc unlike charizard plus the first 4 gens charizard has on him in this video lasted like 15 minutes

[@reddragonair3147]

@@limerumpus3589 15 minutes is a substantial amount of time, though, and I'd say Charizard's and Landorus-T's VGC successes are comparable when they overlap. Charizard has also had niches in multiple singles tiers in arguably every generation now, while Landorus-T's niches are limited to OU and some Ubers play. You can usually expect Lando to do one of three things, while Charizard has a full arsenal of moves to take advantage of and you don't know what to expect in any given tier, especially when the Megas are accessible. In short, while Charizard in its base form was never the instant OU threat that could be slapped on a team like Lando could, it's just had a much more diverse history, and so there's more to talk about.

[@christianbuffum-robbins8904]

(*inhales*) U N F O R T U N A T E L Y Beautiful.

[@goddusya]

I know no one really cares, but I just got a shiny charizard in Pokémon sword, and I really wanted to share :)

[@yeet8036]

Oh,that's cool!

[@handoverthestromboli6715]

I remember watching your first video so long ago... so glad to see you grow ❤

[@Rascal1214]

I love how my favorite Pokemon gets a remake of his video, and it was amazing seeing the near absolute dominance Mega Charizard Y had in 2014 and worlds, man deserved the comeback

[@bashhammer6172]

I remember the summer of '99, me and my siblings had obtained Red and were playing it at our grandparent's house using a Super Game Boy on their big tv. We picked charmander, and being a bunch of pyros, we were disappointed that it didn't know any fire moves. Then it turned level 4 and learned ember. We had no idea what the hell the word ember meant. Then we murdered a pidgey with it. The happiness we felt is something I'll never forget.

[@Uutalo]

What an incredible video brother. Loved every second of it👍

[@generaljohnnyree3349]

I am glad you brought back old FSG music for this video.

[@ningenslayer6306]

Agreed, the previous songs are why I still like the older videos. I hope they keep being used in the future

[@sonofhades57]

I started hitting up the competitive scene around Gen V, when annoyance with Charizard hype was in full force. Still annoyingly overexposed, but at least it's actually playable now.

[@shadowtitanx3962]

Hell. Even in Ubers.

[@MrZahsome]

"I'm here to state that I'm cool cause I hate Charizard like the rest of the fandom."

[@Rudoku1]

What? It didn't even do anything back then.

[@Internazionale2010]

Well, playable in games maybe but not in the tcg, it still is about as effective as trying to get from brazil to india on a paper boat

[@ChillavaKirby]

@@MrZahsome Yep. It's very disappointing every time I see it. Charizard is sick af but I guess you're quirky if you pretend like he isn't.

[@DarkSaber22]

Who else didn't realize this was an hour lol quickest hour ever

[@zardichar3903]

So pretty much Gen 1: Really bad Gen 2-3: An actually viable threat. While it was rather high risk, so much so the reliability wasn't there enough to be a meta staple, it was still capable of checking and nuking a lot of key threats with proper play and could reliably set up on Pokemon it made uncomfortable to force a switch. 4-5: Sadly the generations that kicked it down the hardest due to Stealth Rocks and not being threatening enough to warrant facilitating high level competitive play. However, at the very least it was dominating the lower tiers so a sort of "best of a bad situation" Gen 6-7: Major success stories in both the VCG and Smogon formats are almost exclusive to its Megas (barring a base Zard appearance in Gen 7), the Megas were absolutely dominant forces. In singles format, Zard X and Zard Y pose as a top tier Physical sweeper and Special wallbreaker respectfully as well as some expiremental sets that take advantage of Zard Xs good bulk and defensive typing and Zard Y being a monster in VGC in most formats. Gen 8: Probably the most up and down generation for Zard, at the very least this generation saw to base Charizard being the quintessential sun sweeper capable of extreme levels of damage in a singles format both with and without maxing and extremely high levels of play in VGC thanks to extremely good sun support. In summary: While there definitely existed formats in which the funny orange dragon as extremely underwhelming at best, overall its competitive career has proven to be a lot more successful and decorated than some would think or lead you too believe. While many people I think are extremely quick to under-sell what Charizard is capable of because of the thought that its "over rated" (and I can't necessarily blame them due to its bloated over exposure and fanservice, so much so that its bled over to Venusaur and Blastoise a bit), I think its safe to say that Charizard has proven its still a solid over all Pokémon that is a dominating in threat in formats it can thrive in. 😄

[@darkstudios693]

well said.

[@sagacious03]

Excellent analysis! Thanks for uploading!