#0390 · Sinnoh · Generation 4 · starter

Chimchar

Chimp Pokémon · Fire-type

Chimchar is a Fire-type Pokémon, the Chimp Pokémon, number 390 (#0390) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 4 and comes from the Sinnoh region. It is 0.5 m tall and weighs 6.2 kg.

Chimchar is the Chimp Pokémon, a nimble Fire-type monkey whose rear end burns with gas made in its own belly. The Legends: Arceus entry says it was once feared as an apparition and nicknamed 'Lantern-Tail'.

How to pronounce Chimchar

Chimchar is pronounced CHIM-char. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Chimchar said out loud:

In Japanese it is ヒコザル (Hikozaru).

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Chimchar is a young-chimpanzee-like monkey, 0.5 m tall and 6.2 kg, with orange fur, a light yellow face, hands and feet, large ears with red insides, and a curl of hair on its head. A small red patch on its rear is usually hidden by the flame, which burns gas from its stomach. The Pokédex says even rain cannot put the flame out, but it burns weakly when Chimchar feels sick.

Behaviour

Chimchar is agile: the Diamond entry says it climbs sheer cliffs with ease, and the Platinum entry says it puts out its flame before sleeping to prevent fires. The Legends: Arceus entry calls it lively and always cheerful. Bulbapedia says that in Pokémon Sleep its flame sometimes lights up during sleep, a sign of an exciting dream.

Habitat

The Pokédex says it lives on craggy mountaintops, and Bulbapedia notes it has recently been seen in the Terarium of Blueberry Academy.

Powers

Its Ability Blaze strengthens Fire moves by 1.5 times once its HP falls to a third or below, and the hidden Iron Fist boosts punch moves, which suits Fire Punch and Thunder Punch. It learns Ember, Flame Wheel and Nasty Plot, and Flamethrower at level 47. Its 58 Attack, 58 Special Attack and 61 Speed make it a light, quick attacker.

Name origin

Chimchar may combine 'chimp' and 'char' ('to burn'). The Japanese name is Hikozaru (ヒコザル), which may combine hi ('fire'), ko ('small'), ko ('child') and saru ('monkey').

Design inspiration

Bulbapedia credits Takao Unno with designing Chimchar and its evolutions. Chimchar looks like a young chimpanzee, though the marking on its rear suggests some young baboon mixed in. These are fan readings.

Evolution notes

Chimchar evolves into Monferno at level 14, and Monferno becomes Infernape at level 36.

In the games

Chimchar is one of the Sinnoh partner Pokémon, first offered in Diamond and Pearl, and it is one of the two lead members of Team Poképals in Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness. In Legends: Arceus it appears in the Obsidian Fieldlands. In Scarlet and Violet, The Teal Mask gives it as an Egg gift on Reveler's Road and The Indigo Disk spawns it in the Terarium's Polar Biome; Bulbapedia lists it as unobtainable in Legends: Z-A.

In the anime

Chimchar debuted in 'Following A Maiden's Voyage!', teasing Dawn's Piplup in Professor Rowan's lab. Paul's Chimchar first appeared in 'When Pokémon Worlds Collide!', and after Paul released it in 'Glory Blaze!', Ash caught it in 'Smells Like Team Spirit!'.

Fun facts

• Chimchar shares the Chimp Pokémon category with Grookey.
• Bulbapedia describes a rare glitch in Diamond and Pearl: a wild Starly can knock out a Chimchar at 4 HP in a way that skips Starly's usual flee trigger, which freezes the game. It cannot happen with Turtwig or Piplup because Chimchar has the lowest base HP of the three.
• In the game data, Chimchar is the lightest and the shortest Fire type introduced in Generation IV.
• It can learn Fake Out, Counter and Switcheroo as Egg moves in Scarlet and Violet.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Chimchar (Pokémon) · Serebii: Chimchar (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex)

Base stats

• HP: 44
• Attack: 58
• Defense: 44
• Sp. Atk: 58
• Sp. Def: 44
• Speed: 61

Chimchar’s base stat total is 309. Its highest stat is Speed.

Type matchups

What is Chimchar weak to?

Chimchar takes extra damage from Water (2×), Ground (2×), Rock (2×) moves.

It resists Fire (½×), Grass (½×), Ice (½×), Bug (½×), Steel (½×), Fairy (½×).

Evolution

How does Chimchar evolve?

Chimchar evolves into Monferno at level 14.

The whole family: Chimchar, Monferno, Infernape.

• Monferno evolves into Infernape at level 36.

Abilities

• Blaze: Strengthens Fire moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
• Iron Fist (hidden ability): Strengthens punch-based moves to 1.2× their power.

Moves

Moves Chimchar learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet

TM moves (56)

Chimchar can learn 56 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Fake Tears, Agility, Mud-Slap, Protect, Low Kick, Acrobatics, Thief, Fire Spin, Facade, Swift, Rock Tomb, Flame Charge, Low Sweep, Fling, Endure, Sunny Day, Dig, Brick Break, Zen Headbutt, U-turn, Shadow Claw, Bulk Up, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Sleep Talk, Metronome, Grass Knot, Poison Jab, Rest, Rock Slide, Taunt, Swords Dance, Gunk Shot, Substitute, Will-O-Wisp, Stealth Rock, Heat Wave, Encore, Flamethrower, Helping Hand, Nasty Plot, Fire Blast, Fire Pledge, Overheat, Flare Blitz, Tera Blast, Knock Off, Vacuum Wave, Uproar, Focus Punch, Burning Jealousy, Psych Up, Double-Edge, Endeavor, Temper Flare.

Egg moves (10):Counter, Double Kick, Encore, Fake Out, Fire Punch, Focus Energy, Heat Wave, Helping Hand, Switcheroo, Thunder Punch.

Breeding & training

• Gender: 87.5% male, 12.5% female.
• Egg groups: Field, Human-Like.
• Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
• Catch rate: 45 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
• Growth rate: Medium Slow (1,059,860 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 1 Speed effort value.
• Base experience yield: 62.

Pokédex entries

Full of vigor and always in high spirits. It was once known by the name ”Lantern-Tail” and feared as some kind of apparition. (Legends: Arceus)

The gas made in its belly burns from its rear end. The fire burns weakly when it feels sick. (HeartGold, SoulSilver, Y, Alpha Sapphire)

Its fiery rear end is fueled by gas made in its belly. Even rain can't extinguish the fire. (Pearl, X, Omega Ruby)

It is very agile. Before going to sleep, it extinguishes the flame on its tail to prevent fires. (Platinum, Black, White, Black 2, White 2)

It agilely scales sheer cliffs to live atop craggy mountains. Its fire is put out when it sleeps. (Diamond)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Lightest Fire type in Gen 4: 6.2 kg.
• Shortest Fire type in Gen 4: 0.5 m.
• Slowest Fire type in Gen 4: 61 Speed.
• Lowest base stat total among Fire types in Gen 4: 309.
• Taller than 19% of all Pokémon (0.5 m).
• Heavier than 19% of all Pokémon (6.2 kg).
• Base stat total 309, ranked #821 of 1,025.
• One of 81 Fire-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
• One of 147 brown Pokémon.
• Number 4 of 107 Pokémon introduced in Generation 4 (Sinnoh).
• Part of an evolution family of 3 Pokémon.
• Can learn 68 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
• Catch rate 45: about 5.9% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 5 distinct Pokédex entries.

Sources and fact-checking

• Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
• Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Chimchar (Pokémon), Serebii: Chimchar (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
• Pronunciation (CHIM-char): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Fire-type Pokémon · Chimchar vs Turtwig · Chimchar vs Piplup · Sinnoh region guide · Blaze ability · Iron Fist ability · Compare Chimchar · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

Gen 4 Fire-type Pokémon · Gen 4 Pokémon list · Brown Pokémon list · Field egg group · Human-Like egg group · Pokémon that start with C · Monkey and Ape Pokémon

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