HM Compatibility Check
Can Charizard learn Fly in Pokemon Yellow?
Yes. English Yellow’s Charizard TM/HM list includes HM02 Fly (plus Cut and Strength). You must be the final evolution—Charmander and Charmeleon cannot learn Fly. Outdoor flying also needs the Thunder Badge. Use the checklist, line comparison, and keep-or-skip tool below.
Fast Answer
Yes — after level 36
Teach HM02 Fly to Charizard from the bag. English Yellow lists Cut, Fly, and Strength on Charizard only—pre-evos stop at Cut/Strength. Get the HM from the Route 16 Fly House (Cut tree), beat Lt. Surge for outdoor Fly, and remember: no Move Deleter in Gen 1.
Checklist
Charizard Fly unlock tracker
Compatibility
Who in the line learns Fly?
Charmander
Fire · gift on Route 24. TM/HM list never includes Fly.
Charmeleon
Evolves at 16. Still no Fly—do not waste time trying HM02 here.
Charizard
Fire/Flying at Lv. 36. BST 425 · Spe 100 · Spc 85. Can hold field Fly + battle STAB.
Steps
How to teach Charizard Fly
1–2 · Get and evolve the gift
- Clear Nugget Bridge, talk to Damian for Lv. 10 Charmander.
- Raise to 16 → Charmeleon, then 36 → Charizard.
- Leave a free party slot when accepting the gift.
3–5 · HM02, badge, teach
- Get HM01 Cut from the S.S. Anne captain; Cascade Badge allows outdoor Cut.
- Cut the tree to the Route 16 Fly House; take HM02.
- Beat Lt. Surge for the Thunder Badge (outdoor Fly).
- Bag → HM02 → Charizard. Fly is 70 power, 95% accuracy, 15 PP, two-turn semi-invulnerable.
Battle moveset if you lock Fly on Charizard
Test damage in the Calculators. Gen 1 Special is a single stat—Fire moves use Spc; Fly uses Attack.
Decision
Should Charizard hold Fly?
Teach Fly if…
- Charizard is a permanent team member and you hate swapping birds
- You want Flying STAB without a second flyer
- You accept losing one specialized battle slot forever
- You already have Flamethrower / Fire Blast covered
Skip Fly on Charizard if…
- You want four pure battle moves (common efficient-run choice)
- Fearow / Pidgeot / Farfetch’d already handles travel
- You might regret permanent HMs (no deleter in Yellow)
- You only need Charizard as a Fire nuker for Erika/Ice/Bugs
Quick chooser (saved on this device):
We will recommend teaching Fly on Charizard or parking HM02 on a bird instead.
Other flyers
If Charizard skips Fly
Farfetch’d · Cut + Fly
Classic no-trade slave: one mon for trees and town hopping. Weak in gyms—keep pure utility.
Fearow / Pidgeot
Spearow or Pidgey lines learn Fly, battle better than Farfetch’d early, then become permanent taxis. Common in best-team shells.
Aerodactyl / Dragonite
Old Amber Aerodactyl and late Dragonite also Fly, but arrive after you already needed travel for hours. Not first Fly plans.
Charizard without Fly still shreds
Fire/Flying typing, Flamethrower, and optional Earthquake make Charizard a strong mid/late attacker even as a pure battler. Gift availability is Yellow-specific—grab it even if a bird holds HM02.
Play tips
Avoid HM regret
Don’t spam HM02 on Charmeleon
The game will refuse—compatibility is final-evo only. Evolve first.
Badge vs teach timing
You can teach Fly before Surge; you just cannot use it in the overworld until the Thunder Badge.
Cut tree on Route 16
Without Cut (and Cascade outdoor permission), the Fly House stays blocked. Anne first.
Two-turn Fly in battle
Semi-invulnerable turn helps vs some AI, but trapping moves and residual damage still apply under Gen 1 rules—see mechanics guides.
FAQ
Charizard + Fly questions
Can Charizard learn Fly in Pokemon Yellow?
Yes. Teach HM02 Fly after evolving to Charizard. Outdoor use needs the Thunder Badge.
Can Charmander or Charmeleon learn Fly?
No. Their Yellow HM lists have Cut and Strength only. Evolve to Charizard first.
Where do I get HM02?
Route 16 Fly House, past a Cut tree west of Celadon / on the Cycling Road approach.
Is Fly permanent?
Yes in Generation I. There is no Move Deleter in Yellow. Backup before teaching if you are unsure.
Is Charizard a good Fly slave?
Convenient if it is already on the team; suboptimal if you need every battle slot. Birds or Farfetch’d are cleaner taxis.
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