Pokemon Fan Redesigns Charmander and Its Evolutions

A Pokemon fan has redesigned Charmander and its evolutions Charmeleon and Charizard, and the community has nothing but praise for the Fire-type monsters’ makeover. Charmander is one of the most recognizable companions in the Pokemon franchise, with Charizard being the most sought-after dragon within the Pokemon Trading Card Game, and the lizard serves as a starter Pokemon in Generation 1 alongside Bulbasaur and Squirtle.

The Pokemon IP is one of the biggest properties to exist, spanning several video games from Nintendo and Game Freak, the beloved tabletop cards, an ongoing anime, and even the 2019 live-action Detective Pikachu movie captured old-school fans’ hearts. The franchise has also produced the augmented reality mobile game Pokemon GO, which turns fans into real-life trainers to catch Pokemon in their neighborhood.

Posted on Reddit by necrovvi, a series of concept art images showcased the artist’s vision of a Charmander line redesign. The starter can be seen leaping on all fours with a hint of fire on its tail, and Charmeleon doesn’t look as angry in its transformation. Charizard’s rework could double as a dragon from Studio Ghibli films, and both Charmeleon and Charizard flaunt green highlights down their spines. Shiny versions of the Pokemon were also illustrated, swapping the lizards’ iconic orange palette for blue and turquoise with red spines. The artist stays true to the starter’s fire element, unlike another Pokemon fan who redesigned Charmander as a Water-type monster, and several Redditors preferred necrovvi’s concept over the original design from the games.

Pokemon Fan Shares Cute Rework of Charmander and Its Evolutions

The artist’s cute concept has earned fans’ admiration. Members of the Pokemon subreddit pointed out the designs’ similarities to salamanders and highlighted the adorable qualities included in the alternates. Demand for necrovvi to redesign the other Pokemon in Generation 1 came swiftly, and fans noted how hard it is to reimagine characters that have become so iconic in pop culture. Furthermore, Reddit users recommended the artist design Paradox or Regional variants next to complement other Pokemon redesigns of the Charmander family.

Appearing as a starter in Pokemon Red, Blue, FireRed, and LeafGreen, Charmander boasts its Blaze and Solar Power abilities in battle and can evolve into Charmeleon at level 16 before completing the evolution into Charizard at level 36. Pokemon fans hope Charmander becomes the starter in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the upcoming sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, because the popularity of the fire lizard has never been extinguished.