The 25 Best Fire Pokémon of All Time

The best Fire Pokémon are blazing with strength, often speedy, and usually colored red. They are also regarded by many as some of the best in 1000+ Pokédex. The likes of Charizard, Entei, and Infernape are among the most popular Pokémon ever created.

There are so many unique Fire Type Pokémon, in no small part because it is one of the three basic elemental types used for the starter Pokémon in each generation. Narrowing it down to only the top 25, though, here are the best Fire Type Pokémon from across every generation, with only one Pokémon per evolutionary line.

1 – Charizard

If you think of a Fire Pokémon, chances are the first to come to mind is Charizard or any of its prior forms. As the first Fire starter and one of the most iconic of Ash Ketchum's Pokémon, it is hard to beat this masterpiece in design and utility.

Game Freak knows this, too, giving this Pokémon a little too much preferential treatment in all sorts of Mega Evolutions, Gigantamax, and other forms. If you want to pick up the best Fire Pokémon that won’t let you down no matter your game, this is the one to collect. This makes it an easy choice to top our list of the best Fire Pokémon.

2 – Entei

Regarding legendary Fire Pokémon, it is hard to beat Entei. On its own, this wondrous creature is already one of the most memorable Pokémon in the franchise. But then you add its role in the third anime movie, which is easily the best in the series, and you have a Fire Pokémon that comes close to knocking out the top spot.

3 – Primal Groudon

For better or worse, normal Groudon isn’t a Fire-type, despite looking like it should be. Fortunately, Game Freak rectified that problem with Primal Groudon's unique form in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. With the glowing lines and menacing effects throughout it, plus the epic Ground and Fire combo, this is one of the best legendary forms in the series. It's also the best legendary on our list of best Fire Pokémon.

4 – Volcanion

The Fire and Water type combination is one of the most unique in the entire series. This potent combo is solely for one Mythical Pokémon: Volcanion. Besides its immense power, it has an odd but surprisingly detailed and fun design helped it stand out as one of the better anime movies.

5 – Reshiram

The other box art legendary to be a Fire-type in its base form, Reshiram has the long-awaited type combination of Fire and Dragon. It took way too long to get this typing after Charizard was mishandled, but it ended up with a great-looking legendary Pokémon whose appearance uniquely doesn’t match its typing in a good way. Regardless of its appearance, it's still easily one of the best Fire Pokémon.

6 – Ho-Oh

Though Fire Pokémon legendaries are, sadly, few and far between, Ho-oh remains the quintessential box art legendary Fire type. This Gen 2 Pokémon first made waves for its awe-inspiring inclusion in the anime's first episode while having a terrific backstory as the Phoenix representative in the series.

7 – Ninetales

Vulpix and Ninetales are two of the finest Generation 1 Pokémon in design. Unlike others that focused on simplistic designs, the majestic nine-tailed fox legend comes to life with this magnificent creation. If you didn’t pick up a Charmander in Gen 1, this was the Fire Pokémon to use.

8 – Cyndaquil

Gen 2 has arguably the second-best Fire Pokémon starter in terms of design and is certainly near the top in terms of cuteness. While its charm is a bit lost in its evolutions, even they are pretty extraordinary. It is all the better for its inclusion in the anime series, where it stands out as one of Ash’s better Pokémon.

9 – Arcanine

With a classic appearance that has been a favorite for many decades, Arcanine is one of the better-looking Generation 1 Pokémon. It got even better, though, with the Hisuian version in Legends Arceus, improving its typing and getting a slightly sleeker design.

10 – Volcarona

Volcarona is an example of being worth the wait, resulting in one of the best Fire Pokémon. It takes quite a long time to evolve Larvesta into Volcarona, but you get the best Bug Pokémon in exchange. Its shared Fire typing is terrific, and it has stats and a design worthy of being legendary, even if it isn’t one.

11 – Victini

While the design leaves a bit to be desired, Victini has excellent typing and some unique stats. With its strong total stat base of 600, it has equal stats across the board. This makes it highly versatile and powerful as the first and only #0 Pokémon on a Pokédex.

12 – Ceruledge

Gen 9 saw the release of the intriguing Charcadet line, which evolves depending on which game you have. All three of its lines are fantastic, but Ceruledge narrowly edges out as the best of the bunch. Its sleek purple design is incredible and unique, not to mention it is a beast competitively. It's an easy inclusion on our list of the best Fire Pokémon.

13 – Salazzle

This Gen 7 underrated Pokémon is only held back by how difficult it can be to get one if you don’t have a female Salandit. Poison and Fire weren’t that common at the time as a combo, leading to a heavily flexible and well-designed Pokémon—bonus points for the excellent shiny form.

14 – Litten

Litten edges out Fennekin by a tiny margin. Similar to its predecessor, it is an amazing animal—cat in this case—turned into a colorful Pokémon version. The black with red stripes is a fascinating touch that hints at its eventual result as Incineroar.

15 – Fennekin

Fennekin is up there for the most memorable and adorable starter designs, competing well with its fellow starters in Gen 6. It is also one of the few starter lines to have a primarily well-done execution throughout all three Pokémon. Delphox isn’t perfect, but its unique Fire and Psychic typing is welcome.

16 – Houndoom

Of the many dog Pokémon in the series, Houndoom claims to be one of the best. It is also one of the most metal Pokémon, having the epic type combination of Fire and Dark and such a uniquely twisted hellish design.

17 – Scorbunny

Scorbunny is a fun starter Pokémon in that it balances its cuteness with its sporty and fun nature quite well. This makes it not too cutesy and clear where its evolution line is headed. Its evolutions may not be the greatest, but they do the job.

18 – Pyroar

The long-awaited actual lion Pokémon in Gen 6 gave fans the surprisingly unique Fire and Normal Pyroar. While Litleo has some problems, Pyroar more than makes up for that with two tremendous designs, no matter if it’s male or female.

19 – Infernape

Pokémon was obsessed with the Fire and Fighting type combination for a bit, which is seen in Infernape. To its credit, while the combination isn’t the best, Infernape and its initial form, Chimchar, are the right mix of starting cute and ending up fearsome.

20 – Torchic

Whether you love or hate it, the Torchic line is one of the oddest in the series. This Gen 3 starter starts as potentially the most adorable Fire starter Pokémon before growing up into the unfortunately designed Blaziken and its less-than-stellar Fire and Fighting combination.

21 – Talonflame

Next on our list of the best Fire Pokémon is a regional bird. It’s nice to see this bird that opts for a more varied typing, such as Talonflame and its line with the Fire and Flying typing. It is also one of the most valuable Pokémon in Generation 6, with a solid moveset and design.

22 – Heatran

The immensely powerful Heatran has the busted and unique typing of Fire and Steel. This makes it quite potent in battle, both defensively and offensively. It’s only too bad that the design doesn't match its capabilities.

23 – Iron Moth

The Paradox future form of Volcarona for Pokémon Violet-only is an intriguing take on one of the best Bug Pokémon in the series. Trading out the Bug Typing for Fire and Poison is a fascinating combination, along with its robotic-like design.

24 – Flareon

From the first generation of Pokémon games, players could evolve Eevee into one of many possible evolutions, including Flareon. Pretty in its simple design, it is a solid option for players looking to upgrade their Eevee. Sadly for Eevee fans, it's near the bottom of our list of the best Fire Pokémon.

25 – Fuecoco

The Generation 9 Fire starter line is one of the weaker in its class compared to the other best Fire Pokémon. Without a doubt, Fuecoco is a charming little goofy fellow with its Spanish influences and hints at what it would later evolve into. Unfortunately, the rest of its evolutions are a letdown.