Portal:Pokémon/Selected Pokémon/10
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Charmander (ヒトカゲ? Hitokage in original Japanese language versions) is the fourth of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise. Designed by Ken Sugimori, Charmander debuted in 1996 in Pocket Monsters Aka, the first Pokémon video game. They are small bipedal salamanders and have orange-red bodies with pale yellow bellies. As a Charmander undergoes evolution, they grow larger and eventually gain wings.
The purpose of Charmander in the games, anime and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon, untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers. They are among the first Pokémon that can be obtained in the original Pokémon video games.
Charmander are also featured prominently in the early episodes of the animated series, as one of Ash Ketchum’s lead Pokémon. Time Magazine once described Charmander as one “of the three more popular Pokémon”, along with Squirtle and Bulbasaur.
The name “Charmander” is a portmanteau of char (to burn) and salamander (a small lizard-like amphibian traditionally associated with fire). Its Japanese name, “Hitokage”, was probably formed from the kanji 火蜥蜴 pronounced hitokage, literally meaning salamander or fire lizard. The name Charmander refers to the species as a whole, as well as individual characters in the games, anime and manga more...
