Continuing on with our rankings of cutest-ever Pokémon, the next type we’ll be covering is Fire. From Charmander to Ninetales, there are plenty to choose from, but only 10 can be ranked the cutest. Like Water and Grass type Pokémon, Fire type is another that trainers can start with at the outset of their Pokémon training journeys. A player’s affinity for an individual Pokémon is usually directly related the Pokémon’s attack and defense capabilities, or how the Pokémon evolves ⏤ Arcinine to Growlithe, for example.
For the purposes of this list, we’re mainly focusing on the physical attributes that make these fiery creatures the cutest of the cute. Here’s our ranking of the top 10 cutest Fire Pokémon.
10. Litwick
A Fire and Ghost dual-type Pokémon, Litwick is both creepy and cute at the same time. Many Ghost types are designed to be scary, but considering that Litwick is the first in an evolution chain, it’s quite cute for a Ghost type and even cuter for a Fire type. The wax melting down its face looks like bangs, which is a nice way to show its dual-type status as a mix of Fire and Ghost types.
The purple, white, and gray color scheme of Litwick is also something to take into consideration. While it does have a flame on its head, it’s purple, which is a signature color of Ghost type Pokémon. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but when we’re ranking the cutest Fire types, it would be nice to see it be designed to look a little more fiery. Even considering its less-cute Pokédex entries, it still made the list, but that’s why it’s at the bottom.
9. Magby
Magby is one of the many “baby” Pokémon introduced in Gen II. The pre-evolved form of Magmar, Magby has a plain and cute design. Its little snout/mouth is circular-shaped, which is perfect for spitting fire, but its small body makes it far less intimidating than its two evolved forms, Magmar and Magmortar. Its color scheme and petiteness are both factors in its cuteness, both being vital to the cuteness of any Pokémon.
While Magby is never a main Pokémon in the anime, it’s had its fair share of minor appearances in both the show and a couple of the movies such as Giratina and the Sky Warrior as well as The Power of Us! This author hasn’t seen the character appear in any video games, but if the rumors are true, then Magby can be encountered in ways other than just getting an egg from a daycare. The cute yet fierce design of the baby version of Magmar has rightfully helped it earn its spot on this list.
8. Victini
Another dual-type Pokémon is Victini, the victory Pokémon. Being both a Psychic and a Fire type, it’s powerful and adorable. Victini’s debut was in the first black and white movies Victini and Zekrom and Victini and Reshiram. In the movies, we see it as a winsome fun-loving Pokémon who saves Ash once or twice. It’s only shown up one other time in the anime and was in a short where, funnily enough, it ended up having to save Pikachu from falling into a chasm.
As for Victini’s design, it’s definitely based on some sort of rabbit-esque creature. Not as much as Scorbunny, for example, but the influences are there. From its ears to its slightly rounded body to the two sharp teeth it has up top, Victini is a well-designed and darling Pokémon as well as the only mythical one to make the list.
7. Torchic
There was no hiding from starter Pokémon in this round. After all, Fire types are one of the three choices every trainer has at the outset of his or her Pokémon training journeys and the beginning forms are almost always adorable. It must be a requirement for starter Pokémon to be cute, and one of the cutest in the first few gens is Torchic, the small chicken-like Pokémon.
Torchic was first seen and is most notably recognized as May’s partner. Torchic is a fiesty Pokémon whose design is definitely based on a chicken. It became a fan favorite during the Hoenn region seasons of the Pokémon series. Seeing it run around on its two little legs frantically and learn staple Fire type moves like Ember and Flamethrower was adorable, and the Pokémon design team has stepped its game up, so shockingly enough there are Fire type starters that are even cuter than Torchic.
6. Tepig
Tepig was part of the Unova trio of starter Pokémon and is clearly based on a pig. Pokémon designers really took all of the “cutsie” bits of pigs that a kid could think of. From the curly tail to its small and chunky body, Pokémon designers knew what they were doing when they created Tepig.
While its evolved forms are nowhere near as cute, Tepig is still adorable and almost made the top five. The reason it fell short has more to do with the other Pokémon ahead of it and how well they’ve been designed to be adorable. After all, there are plenty of Fire type Pokémon to go around.
5. Litten
Litten is, of course, based off of a cute kitty cat, which is where its name comes from. Its name is a combination of lit ⏤ as in fire ⏤ and kitten; a simple yet cute name for a simply and adorably designed starter. Coming to us from the Alola region, we meet Litten in the anime series as a street cat living with an old and sickly Stoutland who seemed to have raised it. It was a sob story, but it only made Litten all the more appealing.
Minus its anime appearances, Litten has made cute strides all on its own with its design. Its colors perfectly show what type of Pokémon it is, as does its fiery personality. Most people are either dog or cat people, so obviously Litten is an automatic win for cat fans.
4. Scorbunny
A member of the newest set of starter Pokémon is the Galar region’s Scorbunny. While initially just a basic white rabbit upon first glance, what really got Scorbunny ranked so high was its role in the Pokémon: Journeys series. We first meet Scorbunny when Ash and Goh visit Galar and Scorbunny is a street Pokémon leading a pack of Nickit around to try and feed their empty bellies.
It doesn’t trust people and actually plays tricks on Ash and Goh by stealing one of their bags. In the end, though, Scorbunny admires Goh for his generosity and becomes his partner. It’s a sweet ending, and seeing how hard Scorbunny worked to master its battle tactics endeared us to it even more.
3. Flareon
Of course Eevee’s Fire type evolution made the list. A true underdog, Flareon is one of the OG “Eeveelutions” and it would be disrespectful to leave it off the list. Respect isn’t the only thing that landed it here, though. Just look at its face! The color combination and fire-like fur design really makes it stand out as a Fire type Pokémon. Of all of the Fire types, wouldn’t you love to have Flareon as a pet? It’s also easy to tell that it evolved from an Eevee, which means its evolution has a good design as well.
Flareon, while never having a main role in the anime, still has a great and unique design. Not to mention all of the love that Eevee and its evolutions so rightfully deserve, Flareon gets too. As of Pokémon X and Y, we’re delighted that Flareon learns Flare Blitz, adding to its appeal. The creativity is there and the design of the Pokémon shows all of the hard work and brain power that went into designing this Fire type.
2. Cyndaquil
The last starter Pokémon on the list is Cyndaquil. Part of the three Johto starters, Cyndaquil is adorable both in and out of the anime. Something about its eyes always being shut is precious, adding to that baby-like quality it somehow has. Though not confirmed, Cyndaquil seems to be based on a mole or a hedgehog of some kind considering the fact that the flames on its back are retractable.
In the anime, Ash actually caught a Cyndaquil while on his journey in Johto. He wasn’t the only one, as in the Diamond and Pearl series Dawn was gifted with a Cyndaquil egg. Ash’s Cyndaquil is probably the most memorable because of its shortcomings, which mainly included being too tired to battle (which is both sad and sweet), however it eventually outgrew them and became a strong member of Ash’s team.
1. Vulpix
The winner of the cutest Fire type Pokémon is none other than the Gen I fox Pokémon, Vulpix. We see Vulpix reintroduced as an ice type in its Alolan form, but nothing is better than the original. From its big brown eyes to the cute curls on its head and in its tail, Vulpix is an easy choice for number one yet somehow it seems to still be underrated.
It’s almost flawless design-wise, especially when it comes to its evolution into Ninetales. Vulpix’s multiple tails leave it open to grow into a more adult-looking fox with nine tails instead of the six it has as Vulpix. Even in the photo above, it’s an adorable Pokémon ⏤ just look at how curious it is about the world right after hatching! As the youths would say, this one is straight-up fire.