Is Charizard Overrated?

[Groudon]

To tell you the truth, I despise this thing. Not because I don't like, I dislike it because of how overrated it is. So why is?
This card is probably one of the reasons. Or perhaps it is because Ash had one. Or perhaps just being on the cover of Pokemon Red is why it is overrated . Whatever the reason I have had bad experiences with it. Whenever I battle Ubers, I occasionally see this thing. My victories over them feel like stealing candy from a baby. On top of that, past fans would tell me they would own me with their Charizard.
So, what is your opinion on this subject?

 

[PinkIceFox]

I chose Charmander as my first starter so I've been attached to the family ever since I was a little girl. I can understand why you wouldn't like him. Charizard did somehow because the baddest of the original starters. He was also (and still is, so far) the only starter evolution that can learn Fly.

I don't battle with people outside the NPCs in the games. Mainly because I like to have fun and use my pokemon and moves based off my preferences and not worry about how good of a tier they are or how great their moves are. Don't even get me started on IVs and EVs. I'll have no part of that! Too complicated for me to try and keep track of as I play my game! I have no interest in owning you with my Charizard. I'm much more content with punching Youngsters (and their Rattatas) for their money.

I have no idea why Charizard was the rarest of rare cards, either. I never actually got a holographic Charizard (my cousin got two, which I find wholly unfair because he didn't even like Charizard and thought Venusaur was the best pokemon. D. I think I managed to get a Dark Charizard though...

Personally, I tend to feel Pikachu is overrated. But I know other people like the chubby little electric mouse, so that's just fine with me.

 

[Proxima Centauri B]

I dont really care that Charizard is considered "overrated". Ive always liked the Charmander line since Pokemon started pretty much. It's my favorite Kanto starter and it being labeled over rated does not change that. I didnt even know it was considered that until I was on the forums here tbh. Im using a Charmeleon in LeafGreen because I like it and no other reason.

 

[Winterdaze]

I've never cared for Charizard, but I don't hate it either. It's just bland and boring. It's just there.

So yes, I do think it undeserving of the hype it receives. However given Ash's Charizards exposure in the anime and the fact that for a lot of people it was their first fully evolved starter, I can understand why so many people would latch on to it the way they do.

 

[Envoy]

A term used to describe something that gets more hype and credit than it's actually worth.

Following this quote, let's take a look at Charizard, shall we?

-Design- Does it have an awesome design? That's up to opinion. I personally think it looks quite bland by today's standards, but I can see why people would see 'dragon' and immediately think 'awesome.'

+0/-0

-In-game- The 'hard mode' of the original games, which I guess does draw some people in. However, the reason it is the 'hard mode' is because it's at a critical disadvantage early on.

+0/-1

-Competitively- This thing SUCKS. SO MUCH. It's not even funny how much it sucks. Stealth Rocks are everywhere, which means 'Zard loses half it's health just for poking its head out. It's powerful, to be sure, but overkill isn't necessary and other Fire types can handle its job just fine while still being more resilient. Infernape is a good example of this (and consider what I'm saying, Infernape is more resilient than Charizard.)

+0/-2

So yes, 'Zard is overrated. So, so, so, sooooo overrated.

In fact, my hatred for this thing stems purely from how overrated it is. Venusaur and Blastoise are BOTH better starters than this thing is.

 

[Enzap]

It might have been overrated back in the day, but nowadays I hear more about how much he sucks and how annoying he is than people praising him. So I'd say no, he's not overrated at all. In fact I'd say he's underrated since people are scared to use him after hearing how terrible it is.

 

[Gardelade]

Yes, SO OVERRATED.

I think it looks cool, but I like almost every other Dragon type better.

 

[Otika]

I don't think he's overrated or underrated. There are two reasons why Charizard is so popular.

-He represents the very first generation of Pokémon in a way. That honor would go to Pikachu, but as you can see, he's still a prominent figure in the franchise. Charizard brings us back to the late 90's and the era of Pokémon Red/Blue and many of us had him as our first fully-evolved starter.

-He is the basic embodiment of a dragon type. When one thinks of "dragon," Charizard best fits the description. Plus, he looks cool and has the best shiny coloration.

With that said, neither of those really credit Charizard based on its own merits, but I mean, I think it's worthy of the praise it receives. He's not my favorite Pokémon, but certainly isn't my least favorite.

 

[Envoy]

It might have been overrated back in the day, but nowadays I hear more about how much he sucks and how annoying he is than people praising him. So I'd say no, he's not overrated at all. In fact I'd say he's underrated since people are scared to use him after hearing how terrible it is.

Only in competitive circles. He's still massively popular elsewhere.

Yes, SO OVERRATED.

I think it looks cool, but I like almost every other Dragon type better.

Zard's not a Dragon type.

-He represents the very first generation of Pokémon in a way. That honor would go to Pikachu, but as you can see, he's still a prominent figure in the franchise. Charizard brings us back to the late 90's and the era of Pokémon Red/Blue and many of us had him as our first fully-evolved starter.

Bulbasaur represents Generation I to me, and I know many people who would give that honor to Squirtle. What makes Charizard stand out above these two? That a lot of people picked him as their first Starter? A lot of people picked Bulbasaur and Squirtle too. Why don't they get the honor of representing the first Gen?

 

[Otika]

Bulbasaur represents Generation I to me, and I know many people who would give that honor to Squirtle. What makes Charizard stand out above these two? That a lot of people picked him as their first Starter? A lot of people picked Bulbasaur and Squirtle too. Why don't they get the honor of representing the first Gen?

Because life is funny like that. I don't know. Squirtle was my first starter Pokémon, but the Charmander line seems to come across as the more memorable Pokémon, in my opinion.

 

[Infinity Mk-II]

Remember that overrated means that it is believed to be far better than it actually is. People trying to justify its use in strictly competitive enviroments instead of simply going with it being their favorite (see all discussions that generally go "charizard can win because of [unprobable chain of events]") is overrating it, as it simply isn't that strong. Using a pokémon you like for the sake of challenge is encouraged, but knowing how it works so you can devise an actual strategy.

It is also overhyped because of its ridiculous exposition everywhere. It is one of the few pokémon a non-pokémon fan will instantly recognize, it and only it somehow got a huge amount of popularity. Practically every other pokémon of Gen I lives under its shadow except Pikachu and perhaps Mewtwo.

Why? One could say because it's a cover pokémon for red. Dragons, fire, and red all generally tend to be pretty popular. And it looks more fierce than Venusaur and Blastoise, many kids like fierce things.
That this popularity was reflected in the anime (which pretty much led most pokémon merchandise back in the day) probably boosted it further. So there was a huge hype for him that still remains even today.

 

[Faye Scarlet]

I certainly think Lizardon is overrated. :/ Enbuoh deserves more love. Lizardon has a place in my heart, he was my FRLG starter, but there are better Fire-Starters than him.

 

[Otika]

I guess from a strategic perspective, you could be right. Maybe Charizard is overrated strategically, but then, as you said most people just use whatever Pokémon they like the best, myself being no exception.

Also, just because he's one of the few Pokémon a non-Pokémon fans recognizes doesn't mean he's "overhyped." I mean, come on. There are over 600 Pokémon. Even at the original 150, you can't expect too many to instantly stand out to someone who isn't a fan of the series. It's like saying Agumon is hyped because it's the only Digimon that non-Digimon fans like me actually know by name. Also also, you're forgetting Jigglypuff. That seems to be one that people seem to instantly remember.

 

[TheCableGuy]

It might have been overrated back in the day, but nowadays I hear more about how much he sucks and how annoying he is than people praising him. So I'd say no, he's not overrated at all. In fact I'd say he's underrated since people are scared to use him after hearing how terrible it is.

Agreed. This very thread is proof of that fact. A Thread started to rail about how much someone hates Charizard because of how much Hype it has,
yet it's seams the common consensus within the thread is that not many people have a very high opinion of him anyway, thus refuting the supposed "Hype."

Sounds more like the OP once met someone who really, really, really Loves Charizard and, for whatever reason, wanted to whine about it.

But to answer the question, no I don't find him "Overrated" at all. Was once Overused, perhaps but I think he deserves a decent token of respect.
In red, I chose Bulbasaur so there's no undue favoritism with me and I never really liked fire-types but Charizard was a reliable Member of my Competitive Team in Red.
Found him far better then Venasaur, though only because of the Predominance of Mewtwo in Competitive battles. But that was a long time ago.

 

[Dralcax]

Starter-wise, it's outclassed by Bulbasaur, which pretty much kills every gym leader except Blaine and Koga, but by then you should have better Pokemon. Charmander loses to Brock and Misty right off the bat. Not even all the Caterpies in the tall grass could justify picking Charmander.

Competitively, it's outclassed by every Fire-type ever. It's 4x weak to Stealth Rock and can't compete with Volcarona, which is also 4x weak but has enough benefits to a team in order to justify that. Also, it's unfortunately Fire/Flying instead of Fire/Dragon, and we had to wait until Gen 5 until we got Reshiram.

 

[Otika]

Starter-wise, it's outclassed by Bulbasaur, which pretty much kills every gym leader except Blaine and Koga, but by then you should have better Pokemon. Charmander loses to Brock and Misty right off the bat. Not even all the Caterpies in the tall grass could justify picking Charmander.

I beat Brock and Misty with Charmander. @3@

 

[Dralcax]

Starter-wise, it's outclassed by Bulbasaur, which pretty much kills every gym leader except Blaine and Koga, but by then you should have better Pokemon. Charmander loses to Brock and Misty right off the bat. Not even all the Caterpies in the tall grass could justify picking Charmander.

I beat Brock and Misty with Charmander. @3@

In RB or FRLG?

 

[PrettyVenomoth]

I very rarely battle out side the game so really i dont care how weak it is i never picked pokemon based on how strong they are anyway.. I like charizard the most out of any starter its the only line where i adore all 3 versions so i will always pick it even if the other 2 are stronger. I also rerember loving charizad in the anime it was so badass i couldent wait for it show up and flamethrower ash, i dont care if its overrated on the competitive batttling scene that dosent intest me and even if it did i would still love charizard as use it in battles.

 

[Otika]

In RB or FRLG?

Blue. That being said, it wasn't my ONLY Pokémon... I also used Pikachu. @3@

But to be honest, he might have been a Charmeleon by that point due to my OCD for having all my Pokémon at a relatively even level.

 

[Infinity Mk-II]

also, you're forgetting Jigglypuff. That seems to be one that people seem to instantly remember.

Jigglypuff is nowhere as popular as Charizard. It just is more popular than other pokémon, specially on gaming sites because of Smash Bros.
But in no way as popular as Charizard.

just because he's one of the few Pokémon a non-Pokémon fans recognizes doesn't mean he's "overhyped."

You misinterpreted, I am not saying that is the reason, that is an effect.

The reason is its former crazy exposition and marketability everywhere, beggining with the players, which I reasoned later on.

This left a mark on most people who experienced Gen I, directly or indirectly, so he's been a long-time favorite for many, many, MANY people.


Whatever messageboards on the internet say isn't as relevant as you think on the grand scale of things. The two thousands of people that say Charizard sucks are people that share some opinions and thus go to similar places. Merely a fraction of the millions of players. (Although, the old fans of Charizard are also a fraction. Just a larger one, though)

And honestly, I don't see why people get upset for their favorite pokémon being said to be overhyped. It just means it's so popular it overshadows others. Which in the end makes sense. It's reasonable to be upset for say, not enough Venusaur merchandise while Charizard is everywhere. Or to get bored of fighting fifteen Charizard every day. Or to make a "what's your favorite pokémon" poll to see the diverse likes of a community and be disappointed when Charizard comes in first.
But how's this any bad if you like it?

I mean, I like Charizard. Nowhere as much as other people, but I still like it. This isn't some "everyone gets together to hate on charizard", it's merely recognizing it as a massively popular pokémon.


Although...
Despite all of that, thinking more about it Charizard's popularity indeed has faded now, simply by the pass of time. A random kid won't know much of charizard, you'll have to talk to someone who was around during the Pokémon fever.