Charmander is one of the original Kanto starters from the very first Pokémon games and it is also one of the most popular Pokémon in the fandom. Best known for being one of Ash Ketchum’s team in the Pokémon anime, Charmander is an adorable Fire-type that evolves into Charmeleon starting at level 16, before its final evolution of Charizard starting at level 36.

For players of Pokémon Sword and Shield looking to get their own little Charmander, read on to find out where you can get this Pokémon in the game, as well as some interesting facts you might be surprised to hear.

10 Location

Players of Sword and Shield will notice that the current reigning Champion, Leon, has a Charizard as his main Pokémon, though Charmander is not native to the Galar region and cannot be found in the wild at all.

However, after the player has become the new Champion of the Galar region, if you visit Leon at his house, he will gift you your very own Charmander. Additionally, the Charmander he gives you is capable of Gigantamaxing. Charmander can also be occasionally found in Max Raid dens in Hammerlocke Hills and the Lake of Outrage.

9 Only Kanto Starter in the Base Game

Fans were surprised to find that Charmander was the only Kanto starter in the base game for Sword and Shield, and were particularly disappointed that neither Squirtle nor Bulbasaur had made the cut.

Fortunately, Nintendo and Game Freak seemed to listen to fans and the last two Kantonian starters were added into the latest DLC, the Isle of Armor, complete with their own Gigantamax forms. Though you can only choose one of them as part of the story content, their final evolutions are often found in Max Raid battles, so you can easily capture the other and breed it for its starting form.

8 Name

Charmander has the longest name of all starter Pokémon when it comes to unevolved versions at least. Chikorita is a close second but ultimately it didn’t knock Charmander off of its top spot.

Charmander’s name is made from a mixture of the words “char”, as in “to burn”, and “salamander”, a creature that it kind of resembles. When you consider the Fire Salamander species, it’s not difficult to see what Charmander’s initial design may have inspired by.

7 The Missing Digit

Charmander’s design has an inconsistent amount of fingers that changes depending on the media. The original sprites designed by Atsuko Nishida for the first generation games had three fingers, but the artwork by Ken Sugimori that was based on those sprites showed four fingers.

The anime, Trading Card Game, and other media still use the three-finger design, whereas 3D models for the games feature the four-fingered design, such as in the Pokémon Let’s Go! games and Pokémon Sword and Shield.

6 Pack Behavior

Though not mentioned in any of its Pokédex entries throughout the series, Charmanders exhibit pack behavior with one another. This is evident from the original Pokémon Snap that released on the Nintendo 64.

When the player throws food to a Charmander, it will call out to others of the same species to alert them to the food. Other Charmanders will then arrive and they all eat together as pack animals. This behavior is particularly adorable and it will hopefully be recreated when the new Pokémon Snap title launches for Nintendo Switch.

5 Guest Appearances

Given Charmander’s popularity, it’s unsurprising that is has popped up in other media outside of the Pokémon franchise. Charmander appears as a stage hazard in the Saffron City level of Super Smash Bros., with it being one of five Pokémon that appear to attack any nearby fighters.

Charmander also appeared as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as well as appearing as a spirit and maintaining its role of stage hazard in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Charmander was also one of the few Pokémon chosen by Build-A-Bear for their Pokémon stuffed toy range.

4 Design Origins

Charmander, along with the other two Kantonian starters, were designed based on their final evolution forms that had already been created. Atsuko Nishida worked backward from Charizard to create Charmander and hoped to create a Pokémon that players would be surprised evolved into such a fierce dragon.

Additionally, Charmander is likely based upon the mythical figure of the Salamander, which was the inspiration for the naming of the real-world counterparts. The mythical Salamander was said to be a lizard-like creature that had an affinity with fire and was capable of surviving great heat.

3 Back Spikes

Many fans don’t realize that Charmander’s original generation one design has changed over the years. Initially, in both the official artwork and the very first sprites, Charmander was shown to have back spikes. These back spikes were also visible on Blue’s Charmander in the Pokémon Adventures manga.

However, in later generations, the back spikes were removed and Charmander’s spike-less form is the one that fans are most familiar with. It makes sense to remove the back spikes, as neither Charmeleon nor Charizard have back spikes.

2 Charmander’s Tail

A Charmander’s health can be determined by the strength of the flame of its tail and if a Charmander’s tail flame goes out, it will die. This is best shown in the anime episode “Charmander – The Stray Pokémon”, where Ash and friends find an abandoned Charmander in the rain.

Contrary to popular belief, Charmander’s tail can get wet as long as the Charmander is healthy. In these situations, the tail will simply steam in the rain, or if made a bit wet some other way. The real danger is an unhealthy Charmander’s tail getting wet.

1 The Charmander Continuity Error

In the original Pokémon anime, there was a continuity error when it came to Ash’s Charmander. In the episode “Snow Way Out”, Ash uses his Charmander’s tail to help warm himself and his other Pokémon. However, by this point of the anime, Ash’s Charmander had already evolved into both Charmeleon and Charizard.

This continuity error is due to the American dub reshuffling several episodes of the anime, as in the original Japanese version, this particular episode happens prior to Charmander evolving.

NEXT: Sword & Shield: The Isle Of Armor – 10 Great Uses For The Cram-O-Matic