Growlithe is meant to evolve into Arcanine . At 350 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

What is Growlithe weak to?

In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Growlithe's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Golem (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

What is the best ability for Growlithe?

Intimidate is what you want on Growlithe. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Flash Fire, Justified) work on paper but Intimidate is what makes Growlithe worth using.

What role does Growlithe play in battle?

At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Growlithe is a mixed attacker with base 70 Attack and 70 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Fragile, can't afford to take many hits.

Should I use Growlithe?

For Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, you can run Growlithe through the first few routes without issues. 350 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Arcanine as fast as you can.

Growlithe - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Mixed

Balanced

DTier

60Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

The stat budget goes to damage. Attack and Sp. Atk carry the offense, Defense doesn't even come close. A Puppy Pokemon on a slow 1.25M XP grind, worth 1 Attack EV per KO.

Base Stats

Avg

HP55

Attack70

Defense45

Sp. Atk70

Sp. Def50

Speed60

Total350

Details

Catch Rate

Easy190 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height0.7 m

Weight19.0 kg

Base XP70

Abilities

Intimidate

Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.

Flash Fire

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+1DefSpASpDSpe

Attack training source

Pokedex Entries

It is a Pokémon with a loyal nature. It will remain motionless until it is given an order by its Trainer.

Growlithe Weakness

Type-wise, Growlithe takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. With 6 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.

Growlithe Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Water, Ground, Rock
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel, Fairy

Type ChartAvg

3Weak

6Resist

1Immune

Score0

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Water Ground Rock

½xResist

Fire Grass Ice Bug Steel Fairy

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Fire

STAB (4)

Grass Ice Bug Steel

How to Beat Growlithe in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (Best Counters)

In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Tyranitar can KO Growlithe with Stone Edge (410-483%). Slowbro threatens a KO with Scald (120-141%).

Tyranitar RockDark	A
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves CrunchSTAB Stone Edge Earthquake Stealth Rock Damage vs Growlithe Crunch 165-194%KO Stone Edge 2x 410-483%KO Earthquake 2x 273-322%KO View Tyranitar builds →
Slowbro WaterPsychic	B
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureRelaxed Moves TeleportUtility Future Sight ScaldSTAB Slack Off Damage vs Growlithe Scald 2x 120-141%KO View Slowbro builds →

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Evolution

Growlithe doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need an evolution item to push it forward to Arcanine. Evolving adds up to 205 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#058Growlithe

Fire Stone

#059Arcanine

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Growlithe

Fire

Arcanine

Fire

90+35

ATK

110+40

DEF

80+35

SP.ATK

100+30

SP.DEF

80+30

SPE

95+35

BST

350D-Tier

555A-Tier+205

ROLE

Balanced

Attacker

TYPE

Mixed

Breeding

Easy

Breed Growlithe easily with 131 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Body Slam, Burn Up, Close Combat and 10 more to offspring.

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)

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Growlithe Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

The egg pool carries weight here. Body Slam and Burn Up aren't available any other way for Growlithe, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Overheat and Burn Up for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Ember

D4010025Fire

Lv 1

Leer

D—10030Normal

Lv 4

Howl

D——40Normal

Lv 8

Bite

D6010025Dark

Lv 12

Flame Wheel

C6010025Fire

Lv 16

Helping Hand+5

C——20Normal

Lv 20

Agility

C——30Psychic

Lv 24

Fire Fang

C659515Fire

Lv 28

Retaliate

D701005Normal

Lv 32

Crunch

D8010015Dark

Lv 36

Take Down

D908520Normal

Lv 40

Flamethrower

C9010015Fire

Lv 44

Roar-6

C——20Normal

Lv 48

Play Rough

D909010Fairy

Lv 52

Reversal

D—10015Fighting

Lv 56

Flare Blitz

B12010015Fire

TM Moves

TM40

Aerial Ace

D60—20Flying

TM45

Attract

C—10015Normal

TM28

Dig

D8010010Ground

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM58

Endure+4

C——10Normal

TM42

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM38

Fire Blast

C110855Fire

TM35

Flamethrower

C9010015Fire

TM23

Iron Tail

D1007515Steel

TM50

Overheat

B130905Fire

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM05

Roar-6

C——20Normal

TM98

Rock Smash

D4010015Fighting

TM20

Safeguard

C——25Normal

TM82

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM78

Snarl

D559515Dark

TM96

Strength

—8010015Normal

TM90

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM87

Swagger

D—8515Normal

TM46

Thief

D6010025Dark

TM61

Will-O-Wisp

C—8515Fire

Egg Moves

Egg

Body Slam

D8510015Normal

Egg

Burn Up

B1301005Fire

Egg

Close Combat

C1201005Fighting

Egg

Covet

D6010025Normal

Egg

Crunch

D8010015Dark

Egg

Double Kick

D3010030Fighting

Egg

Double-Edge

C12010015Normal

Egg

Fire Spin

D358515Fire

Egg

Flare Blitz

B12010015Fire

Egg

Heat Wave

C959010Fire

Egg

Howl

D——40Normal

Egg

Morning Sun

C——5Normal

Egg

Thrash

C12010010Normal

Tutor Moves

Growlithe can't learn any Tutor moves

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Growlithe Locations

Growlithe appears at moderate rates across 4 spots in endgame routes. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.

Best Locations to Catch Growlithe in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Walking encounters at Lv. 58-63 across 4 spots for Growlithe. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.

Sandsear Cave

Grass Lv.58-63 Desert

Post

Post-game

Spacious Cave

Grass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Typhlo Cavern

Grass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Volcanic Cave

Grass Lv.58-63 Volcano

Post

Post-game

Growlithe Guide

Growlithe is meant to evolve into Arcanine. At 350 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Growlithe's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Golem (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.
Intimidate is what you want on Growlithe. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Flash Fire, Justified) work on paper but Intimidate is what makes Growlithe worth using.
At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Growlithe is a mixed attacker with base 70 Attack and 70 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Fragile, can't afford to take many hits.
For Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, you can run Growlithe through the first few routes without issues. 350 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Arcanine as fast as you can.

Game Availability

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Growlithe has appeared in 21 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received a Hisuian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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