Few Pokémon are as beloved as Charizard, but there's one fire-lizard that's near and dear to any long-term fan's heart -- Ash's Charizard. But while Charizard's rebellious nature has been cemented in our memories thanks to the first movie and its remake, what many don't remember is that Charizard not only learned to respect Ash, it even did something no other Pokémon has. It journeyed with Ash a second time!
Halfway through the Unova region, after coming to a Kanto fair, Ash ends up reminiscing to his companions about his time with Charizard and decides to bring the flaming powerhouse back onto his team. But how did we get here? Why was Charizard so rebellious in the first place?
How Ash Met (and Left) Charizard
Ash first found Charmander abandoned by its original trainer and ended up saving its life before adding it to his team. Charmander was well-utilized as the team's only Fire-type and participated in gym battles and other misadventures until it evolved into Chameleon. Things only went downhill from there.
Chameleon was over-leveled and only spent three episodes as a Chameleon, failing to obey Ash even once. This is also where Chameleon starts his trademark move of throwing a flamethrower straight into Ash's face. When it does evolve again, it evolves not because it won a battle, but for pride. An Aerodactyl had given it a small wound, and kidnapped Ash, so what was Chameleon to do except evolve and fly after it?
And so, Charizard was a Pokémon with no respect for its trainer, almost costing him the Volcano Badge and going so far as to lose Ash the Indigo League! But all that changed in the Orange Islands.
In Season 2 Episode 49, "Charizard Chills," Ash is challenged by a Poliwrath trainer and decides (unwisely) to call on Charizard. Of course, Charizard doesn't listen to Ash and continues to use Fire-type attacks on the Water-type Pokémon. This ends panic-inducingly when Poliwrath freezes Charizard solid -- almost extinguishing Charizard's tail.
After building multiple fires and getting it a blanket, Ash rubs Charizard, using the friction to help warm him up while speaking words of encouragement. All. Night. To the point where Pikachu and Misty both point out that Ash's hands have been rubbed raw. Ash's compassion and stubbornness finally get through to Charizard, causing it to reminiscence, and give Ash its respect.
From here and throughout Johto, Charizard is a model Pokémon, save for its perchance for searing Ash's face. But then, when they arrived at the Charicific Valley, and Ash saw how small and weak Charizard was in comparison to the Charizards there, he made the ultimate choice. One based around what was best for Charizard -- he said goodbye.
By allowing Charizard to train the Valley, Charizard grew far more than he could have with Ash. As a result, whenever Ash would call upon Charizard, which he does more often than not, you'd know an epic battle was in store. Whether helping him get a Gym badge, taking on the League or even facing down Articuno, Charizard proved itself a reliable ally.
Ash Reunites With Charizard
Which brings us back to Unova; when Ash calls Charizard to his team once more, it replaces Unfezant as the team's Flying-type and stays there until Ash heads to Kalos. The timing couldn't be more perfect either -- Charizard enters the picture just as Team Plasma makes their move, leading into the season's end game plot, complete with Reshiram.
From there, with a fully-leveled team, the group takes off to the Decolore Islands, the only region with no kind of League or trials, making it more akin to a vacation for the gang, and serving as the "scenic route" from Unova to Kanto. While Charizard does get to show off, attempting to calm down quarreling Dragonites, due to the lack of official battles, Charizard's certainly not used to its full potential here. But, it was a welcome addition to the team nonetheless.
For the first time, when Ash returned to Pallet Town, he decides not to send Charizard back for more training, but let it live with all the other Pokémon at Oak's lab. Though it was hard to see Charizard go again, especially on the cusp of the possibility of Mega Evolving with Ash headed to Kalos, the fire-lizard certainly earned a break.
With Pokémon Journeys introducing a new Charizard form, fans may get their hopes up that Charizard may return once more, but with one being Leon's ace, and Leon providing Ash with a new goal to reach, it seems unlikely that Charizard will come back... Unless, of course, Ash calls out Charizard to battle... Charizard? While we don't know what it will think of Gigantamaxing, we know Charizard will fight to the end.
