When Gigantamax Charizard first arrived in Pokémon GO during the Kanto Starters Gigantamax event in late October 2024, it was one of the most anticipated Max Battle debuts. Compared to Venusaur and Blastoise, Charizard has always been the one that trainers sought after the most. It has an aura to it. Its Gigantamax Shiny form felt worth every dollar spent on topping up Max Particles. It is, after all, Charizard – the name that defines Fire typing.
Nearly 18 months since its debut, this weekend, Pokémon GO is calling for a replay of that same event that brought Gigantamax Charizard to the game. Is it still worth farming this iconic and beloved Pokémon? The short answer is yes – Charizard still has its value as both an attacker & a tank, which is genuinely amazing in a mode that usually forces a Pokémon to be either one of them, and very rarely both.
Stats & Role in Max Content: Gigantamax Charizard
Gigantamax Charizard
Fire
|
|
|---|---|
| Max CP | 3266 |
| ATK | 223 |
| DEF | 173 |
| HP | 186 |
| Weak to |  (x2)   |
| Resists |  (x2)  (x2)      |
| Fast moves |
* Requires Elite Fast TM to learn |
| Max Move |
|
– 0.5s
– 1.0sGigantamax Charizard‘s stats are nothing extraordinary, if you compare it against every niche Pokémon for each stats. 223 ATK is high, but not extremely high, while 173 DEF and 186 HP are mediocre at best. However, when they are put together with Charizard’s typing, the result is an amazing Pokémon that doesn’t sit at the top of any rankings, but breaks into many top 10 ranking lists.
Gigantamax Charizard as an Attacker: Dethroned, but not Outdated
Gigantamax Charizard once dominated the meta when it called for a Fire attacker. Sadly, that title now belongs to Gigantamax Cinderace, who is ~6.7% ahead of Charizard. In practice, sure there is a gap and Charizard is no longer the #1 Fire attacker anymore, but 6.7% is arguably not a game-breaking gap. Charizard only loses to Cinderace, but still out-damages every other Fire Max Pokémon in the current meta, making it a clear #2 Fire attacker, and still one of the strongest damage dealers in the entire Max roster.
Looking into the future as an attacker, Gigantamax Charizard is futureproof thanks to its Gigantamax damage multiplier, as only Dynamax Blacephalon, whenever it comes out, would be able to out-damage it. By then, Gigantamax Charizard will be pushed down one more rank, but will still stay strong as #3 Fire damage dealer in Max content.
| Fire | ||
| Ranking | Pokémon | Damage Output
vs. G-Max Charizard |
| 1 |
Dynamax Blacephalon
[not yet released] |
+10% |
| 2 |
Gigantamax Cinderace
|
+7% |
| 3 |
Gigantamax Charizard
|
– |
| 4 |
Dynamax Darmanitan
|
-9% |
| 5 |
Dynamax Moltres
|
-14% |
| 6 |
Dynamax Flareon
|
-17% |
Gigantamax Charizard as a Tank: Broadest Resistance Among the Kanto Starters
What often gets overlooked in discussions of Charizard is just how defensively capable its Fire/ dual typing makes it in Max content. Seven types deal reduced damage to Charizard: Bug (x2), Grass (x2), Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Steel. This gives it one of the broadest resistance spreads among other released Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon.
In the current meta, Charizard is definitely a usable tank, as it ranks among top 10 tanks against Bug and Grass attacks. It also breaks into the top 20 against most of the rest of the resisted types listed above (except for Fire at #21). What ultimately cripples Charizard’s tank potential in the long run is its modest 173 DEF. It is low enough that future roster expansion will gradually push it down the rankings across all of these types. It will likely remain a usable tank vs. Bug and Grass types due to its double resistance against these types, while for the other typings will see it fall far outside the top 20.
|
Gigantamax Charizard
Fire
Ranking by Type-Resistance |
|
| Type | Ranking (as of 2026) |
| Bug | #6 |
| Grass | #9 |
| Fairy | #15 |
| Fighting | #18 |
| Fire | #21 |
| Ground | #17 |
| Steel | #17 |
Verdict
500+ days have passed since its debut, and Gigantamax Charizard does show its age if you strictly look at meta. It no longer leads as a Fire attacker, but it remains the #2 (#3 in the eventual future) by a comfortable margin over every other released Pokémon in Max content. Plus that seven-type resistance spread gives it genuine utility on the defensive side that most pure attackers can’t match.
Charizard, while not the best, is definitely usable, and should never get slept on. For trainers who already have a Gigantamax Charizard built, it remains a very useful Pokémon for the Fire coverage in their Max roster, and is definitely worth continued investment. For those who don’t, this weekend’s rerun is an excellent opportunity to pick up, so don’t miss out!
