Special
Attacker
BTier
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 FireRare
Protects against fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.
JustifiedHA
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

A Pokémon that has long been admired for its beauty. It runs agilely as if on wings.

Arcanine Weakness

Arcanine's Fire typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Ground, and Rock. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. 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, Fairy
Type ChartAvg
3Weak
6Resist
1Immune
Score0
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
WaterGroundRock
½xResist
FireGrassIceBugSteelFairy
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Fire
STAB (4)
GrassIceBugSteel
How to Beat Arcanine in X & Y (Best Counters)

In X & Y, Excadrill can KO Arcanine with Earthquake (106-125%). Weavile deals 47-56% with Knock Off.

Excadrill
ExcadrillThreatens with Earthquake
GroundSteel
S
Recommended Build
AbilityMold Breaker
ItemLeftovers
NatureJolly
Moves
  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • Rapid Spin
  • Iron Head
  • Stealth Rock
Damage vs Arcanine
Earthquake 2x
106-125%KO
Rapid Spin
18-21%
View Excadrill builds →

X & Y 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 200 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Body Slam, Close Combat, Covet and 10 more.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
♂75.0%♀25.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
13moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy
12 of 200·

X & Y Arcanine Best Moveset

Safetygoggles and Intimidate form the backbone. Arcanine invests max HP and Attack EVs to play its physical attacker role properly, and Adamant nature pushes Attack higher. Extreme Speed handles the heavy lifting on offense. Dark coverage rounds it out.

Best Build

Experimental
Ability
Intimidate
Item
Safety Goggles
Best Nature for Arcanine
Adamant+ATK

Arcanine best EVs are HP and Attack

EVs

Doubles Physical Tank Moveset

  • Extreme Speed
  • Flare BlitzSTAB
  • ProtectFAST +4
  • SnarlCoverage

Recommended Teammates

Amoonguss
AmoongussDecent
Ninetales
NinetalesDecent

Moves

You'll want to breed for Body Slam and Close Combat 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
—659515Electric
Lv 34
Extreme Speed+2
S801005Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM40
Aerial Ace
C60—20Flying
TM45
Attract
D—10015Normal
TM78
Bulldoze
C6010020Ground
TM100
Confide
———20Normal
TM28
Dig
C8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM42
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
B110855Fire
TM43
Flame Charge
C5010020Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
B9010015Fire
TM21
Frustration
D—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM59
Incinerate
—6010015Fire
TM50
Overheat
B130905Fire
TM17
Protect+4
A——10Normal
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM67
Retaliate
—701005Normal
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM05
Roar-6
C——20Normal
TM94
Rock Smash
—4010015Fighting
TM48
Round
C6010015Normal
TM20
Safeguard
C——25Normal
TM88
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM95
Snarl
A559515Dark
TM22
Solar Beam
B12010010Grass
HM04
Strength
—8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
——9015Normal
TM46
Thief
C6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
C—9010Poison
TM93
Wild Charge
B9010015Electric
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
S—8515Fire

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Body Slam
C8510015Normal
Egg
Close Combat
A1201005Fighting
Egg
Covet
—6010025Normal
Egg
Crunch
C8010015Dark
Egg
Double Kick
—3010030Fighting
Egg
Double-Edge
B12010015Normal
Egg
Fire Spin
D358515Fire
Egg
Flare Blitz
S12010015Fire
Egg
Heat Wave
B959010Fire
Egg
Howl
———40Normal
Egg
Iron Tail
C1007515Steel
Egg
Morning Sun
S——5Normal
Egg
Thrash
—12010010Normal

Tutor Moves

Arcanine can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Rem
Rem
Agility
C——30Psychic
Rem
Crunch
C8010015Dark
Rem
Ember
—4010025Fire
Rem
Flame Burst
—7010015Fire
Rem
Flame Wheel
—6010025Fire
Rem
Flamethrower
B9010015Fire
Rem
Flare Blitz
S12010015Fire
Rem
Heat Wave
B959010Fire
Rem
Helping Hand+5
C——20Normal
Rem
Leer
——10030Normal
Rem
Outrage
B12010010Dragon
Rem
Retaliate
—701005Normal
Rem
Reversal
——10015Fighting
Rem
Take Down
—908520Normal

Transfer Moves

Gen
Gen 4
Captivate
——10020Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
D——10Normal
Gen 4
Headbutt
C7010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
———10Normal
Gen 4
Mud-Slap
D2010010Ground
Gen 4
Natural Gift
D—10015Normal
Gen 4
Swift
—60—20Normal

How to Get Arcanine in X & Y

Arcanine isn't available in the wild in X & Y. Start by transferring Growlithe from Red, Yellow, or Sun. The evolution path from Growlithe to Arcanine is covered in the steps below.

How to Obtain Arcanine in X & Y

  1. Growlithe
    Step 1Obtain Growlithe

    Catch in the wild in:

    Omega RubyWalking · Mt. Pyre · DexNav chain

    Then trade to X & Y to continue the evolution chain.

    Also found in:

    RedYellowGoldCrystalFireRedDiamond
  2. Arcanine
    Step 2Arcanine ✓

Arcanine Guide

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

  • In X & Y, 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 special attacker with base 100 Sp. Atk. 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 X & Y, 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

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Want to tell us more?
What was most useful?
What could be improved?
Thanks for your feedback