Charmander (Pokémon): Difference between revisions

* Charmander's hand has an inconsistent number of fingers in its designs. The original sprites designed by [[Atsuko Nishida]] for {{game|Red and Green|s}} featured three fingers, while the artwork [[Ken Sugimori]] drew based on those sprites had four fingers. Currently, the {{pkmn|Trading Card Game}}, {{pkmn|anime}} (including {{pkmn|movie}}s and specials), and artwork unrelated to games and merchandise use the three-fingered hand design; while the 3D models and the artwork based on those (such as the ones made for {{pkmn|Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!}}) feature the four-fingered hand design.

Charmander appears to be predominantly {{wp|reptilian}} in origin, and may have been partially inspired by the mythical {{wp|Salamanders in folklore and legend|salamander}} (as opposed to the real-world amphibian of the same name which inspired its mythical counterpart). This salamander was a fire-spirit capable of surviving in extreme heat or flames, and it is sometimes creatively rendered or interpreted in the shape of a lizard.

Physically, Charmander has a slender body, a short nose, and a long tail, as well as other lizard-like characteristics. The fact that it does not undergo a metamorphosis stage (beyond its own evolutionary pattern) but instead grows into a larger version of itself as it matures, among other things, indicate that Charmander has more in common with reptiles (such as lizards) than with amphibians (such as real-world salamanders). Its draconic evolutionary line may be a reference to lizard species that are likened to dragons, such as {{wp|bearded dragon}}s and {{wp|flying dragon}}s.