Physical
Attacker
CTier
95Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Arcanine's Attack does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 2 Attack EVs per KO. Moderately hard to find, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats
High
HP90
B
Attack110
B
Defense80
C
Sp. Atk100
B
Sp. Def80
C
Speed95
B
Total555
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging75 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.9 m
6'03"Average
Weight155.0 kg
341.7 lbsHeavy
Base XP194
High Yield
Abilities
IntimidateTop Pick
Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.
Flash FireNiche
Protects against fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.
JustifiedHANot in game
Raises Attack one stage upon taking damage from a dark move.
Flash Fire grants Fire immunity
EV Yield
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

Its proud and regal appearance has captured the hearts of people since long ago.

Arcanine Weakness

Arcanine's Fire typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Ground, and Rock. The Fire typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. With 90 HP and balanced defenses, Arcanine can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

Arcanine Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Water, Ground, Rock
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel
Type ChartAvg
3Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Score-1
Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
WaterGroundRock
½xResist
FireGrassIceBugSteel
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Fire
STAB (4)
GrassIceBugSteel
How to Beat Arcanine in Diamond & Pearl (Best Counters)

In Diamond & Pearl, Azelf's Explosion hits Arcanine for 81-96%. Infernape's Close Combat hits Arcanine for 63-74%.

Azelf
AzelfThreatens with Stealth Rock, outspeeds
Psychic
A
Recommended Build
AbilityLevitate
ItemFocus Sash
NatureJolly
Moves
  • Explosion
  • Stealth Rock
  • TauntUtility
  • U Turn
Damage vs Arcanine
Explosion
81-96%
U Turn
11-13%
View Azelf builds →

Diamond & Pearl Evolution

Arcanine evolved from Growlithe's chain using an evolution item. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Growlithe eggs (average hatch time). The evolution from Growlithe pushed Arcanine to 555 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +40. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Growlithe
#058Growlithe
Fire Stone
Fire Stone
Arcanine
#059Arcanine
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Growlithe
Fire
Arcanine
Fire
HP
55
90+35
ATK
70
110+40
DEF
45
80+35
SP.ATK
70
100+30
SP.DEF
50
80+30
SPE
60
95+35
BST
350D-Tier
555A-Tier+205
ROLE
Balanced
Attacker
TYPE
Mixed
Mixed

Breeding

Easy

Breed with Arcanine to get Growlithe eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Body Slam, Crunch, Double-Edge and 6 more.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
♂75.0%♀25.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
9moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy
12 of 131·

Diamond & Pearl Arcanine Best Moveset

Intimidate helps Arcanine stick around while dealing real damage. Leftovers for passive recovery each turn, max Attack and Speed EVs for the right balance, and Extreme Speed as the main threat. Not the fastest, but it doesn't need to be.

Best Build

Solid pick
Physical Sweeper
Ability
Intimidate
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Arcanine
Jolly+SPE

Arcanine best EVs are Attack and Speed

EVs

Physical Sweeper Moveset

  • Extreme Speed
  • Flare BlitzSTAB
  • CrunchCoverage
  • Thunder Fang

Recommended Teammates

Starmie
StarmieDecent
Donphan
DonphanDecent
Skarmory
SkarmoryDecent

Moves

You'll want to breed for Body Slam and Crunch on Arcanine. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Overheat and Flare Blitz, they expand what Arcanine can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bite
C6010025Dark
Lv 1
Fire Fang
C659515Fire
Lv 1
Odor Sleuth
———40Normal
Lv 1
Roar-6
C——20Normal
Lv 1
Thunder Fang
B659515Electric
Lv 39
Extreme Speed+2
S801005Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM40
Aerial Ace
C60—20Flying
TM45
Attract
——10015Normal
TM78
Captivate
——10020Normal
TM28
Dig
C8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM59
Dragon Pulse
C9010010Dragon
TM58
Endure+4
———10Normal
TM42
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
B120855Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
B9510015Fire
TM21
Frustration
D—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
C1007515Steel
TM83
Natural Gift
D—10015Normal
TM50
Overheat
B140905Fire
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM05
Roar-6
C——20Normal
HM08
Rock Climb
—908520Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
D4010015Fighting
TM43
Secret Power
—7010020Normal
TM82
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
B12010010Grass
HM04
Strength
C8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
——9015Normal
TM46
Thief
—6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
C—8510Poison
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
B—7515Fire

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Body Slam
C8510015Normal
Egg
Crunch
A8010015Dark
Egg
Double-Edge
B12010015Normal
Egg
Fire Spin
—357015Fire
Egg
Flare Blitz
S12010015Fire
Egg
Heat Wave
B1009010Fire
Egg
Howl
———40Normal
Egg
Safeguard
D——25Normal
Egg
Thrash
—12010020Normal

Tutor Moves

Arcanine can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Rem
Rem
Agility
C——30Psychic
Rem
Crunch
A8010015Dark
Rem
Ember
—4010025Fire
Rem
Flame Wheel
—6010025Fire
Rem
Flamethrower
B9510015Fire
Rem
Flare Blitz
S12010015Fire
Rem
Heat Wave
B1009010Fire
Rem
Helping Hand+5
———20Normal
Rem
Leer
——10030Normal
Rem
Reversal
——10015Fighting
Rem
Take Down
—908520Normal

Transfer Moves

Gen
Gen 3
Mimic
———10Normal

How to Get Arcanine in Diamond & Pearl

Arcanine doesn't appear wild. Catch Growlithe instead, it shows up at moderate rates. Evolve it through a special method to get Arcanine. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.

How to Obtain Arcanine in Diamond & Pearl

Growlithe is your first catch on the way to Arcanine. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 2+ across 4 total spots in the chain.

  1. Growlithe
    Step 1Catch Growlithe
    Route 201
    DiamondGrass Lv.2 Route
    RareEarly
    Dual-slot: FireRed
    Route 201
    PearlGrass Lv.2 Route
    RareEarly
    Dual-slot: FireRed
    Route 202
    DiamondGrass Lv.2 Route
    RareEarly
    Dual-slot: FireRed
    Route 202
    PearlGrass Lv.2 Route
    RareEarly
    Dual-slot: FireRed
  2. Arcanine
    Step 2Arcanine ✓

Arcanine Guide

  • In the Diamond & Pearl meta, Arcanine already has 555 BST going for it, and Intimidate pushes the competitive value even higher. C-Tier attacker on our tier list. Extreme Speed with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In Diamond & Pearl, watch for Starmie (Water), Golem (Ground), and Aerodactyl (Rock) when using Arcanine. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • Arcanine gets Intimidate, Flash Fire, and Justified. But Intimidate is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Arcanine is a physical attacker with base 110 Attack. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 95 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. Fits the attacker role.

  • For Diamond & Pearl, Arcanine has answers, but so do you. Faster attackers outpace it. Anything with a super-effective STAB move and decent speed can revenge kill.

Game Availability

Available since Red & Blue, Arcanine appears in 21 games spanning 10 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained a Hisuian form in Generation 8.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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