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General Info on Charmander:

Charmander 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 Pokémon Green, the first Pokémon video game. They are small bipedal salamanders. They 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 Pokemon that can be obtained in the original Pokemon video games.

Charmander is also feature prominently in the early episodes of the animated series, as one of Ash Ketchums 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 and salamander. Its Japanese name, Hitokage, was probably formed from the kanji pronounced hitokage, literally meaning salamander or fire lizard, but can also be viewed as being a pun on , meaning shadow. The name Charmander refers to the species as a whole, as well as individual characters in the games, anime and manga.