Introduced in generation four with the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games, Infernape is the final evolution of Chimchar and the fire type representative for the starters of this generation. This dual type fire and fighting type monkey has had many chances to appear in Pokemon media despite its relatively late entry. Infernape was also one of the Pokemon that made it onto Ash’s team in the Sinnoh region. This guide will showcase Infernape’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Infernape.
About Infernape
As the fire type representative of generation four for the Diamond and Pearl games, Infernape continued the trend of the past generation with a dual fire and fighting type. It is the final evolution of Chimchar, and evolves from Monferno upon reaching level 36. As it was the third Pokemon caught by Ash, it has appeared throughout the series a number of times. It made its first appearance as Infernape in the episode Fighting Ire With Fire!. It was eventually released by Ash when his group set off to the Unova region. The Pokedex states that Infernape fights relentlessly in its own unique fighting style.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Diamond and Pearl Fighting Ire with Fire! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Diamond and Pearl |
| Region | Sinnoh |
| Evolution | Final evolution of Chimchar, it evolves from Monferno |
| 1st Evo level | 14 |
| 2nd Evo level | 36 |
| Pokedex Entry | It uses a special kind of martial arts involving all its limbs. Its fire never goes out. |
Infernape Base Stats
| HP | 76 |
| ATTACK | 104 |
| DEFENCE | 71 |
| SP. ATTACK | 104 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 71 |
| SPEED | 108 |
| TOTAL | 534 |
Appearance
As a part fire type, Infernape lives up to its namesake as a fiery monkey-like Pokemon. The hair on top of its head is made of flames, and its frame, arms and legs, and tail all resemble monkeys in real life. Most of its body has some fire themes as it is adorned with golden flame-like ornaments. Infernapes body is mostly red, with white fur on its waist, head, and around its feet. Its eyes are blue with a yellow sclera.
Behavior
Typical of a fire/fighting type, Infernape is rather hot headed. It is incredibly agile and loves to battle. As its preferred method of fighting is some kind of martial arts, it is reserved and calm when it needs to be, but holds nothing back during battle. Often regarded as a majestic Pokemon, its combat style is referenced to be similar to a fire dance.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Infernape has almost everything you would be looking for in an offensive fire/fighting type Pokemon. It has powerful attack and special attack base stats and a solid speed stat to back it up with. Infernape’s biggest weakness is its lack of bulk and any flying, ground, water, or psychic type move will likely take an Infernape down. However, Infernape also comes with the ability Iron Fist, which boosts its punch-based attacks by 1.2x. This means that Infernape can easily end a battle before much time elapses.
Shiny Infernape
A Shiny Infernape does not change too much in its appearance. Shiny Infernape just swaps its orange/red fur for a hot pink color. This color is also seen in Shiny Infernape’s hair of flames. Interestingly, the pink flames are only evident on Shiny Infernape and Shiny Chimchar and Shiny Monferno do not receive the same treatment for the flames on their tails. Like all shiny Pokemon, Shiny Infernape gains a starry animation upon entering battle.
Mega Infernape
There is no Mega Infernape in any of the official Nintendo released Pokemon games. Mega Infernape is also not likely to appear since the Pokemon games seem to be moving away from mega evolutions. While Mega Infernape would be a welcome addition for fans of the Pokemon, you will have to get your fill from fanart or fan games.
Best Moveset
While Infernape has some tough competition in competitive Pokemon brackets, it manages to hold its own in UU (Under Used) brackets. In order to get the most out of an Infernape in competitive battles, consider running a Life Orb to get the best chance at One Hit KO’ing an opposing Pokemon. For moves consider Nasty Plot, Fire Blast, Close Combat/Vacuum Wave, and Grass Knot. Nasty Plot gives Infernape a chance to get setup, Fire Blast benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Close Combat and Vacuum Wave are interchangeable depending on which you need more, and Grass Knot is used for type coverage.
| Nasty Plot | Fire Blast |
| Close Combat/Vacuum Wave | Grass Knot |
How to Catch Infernape in Pokemon Go
If you want an Infernape in Pokemon Go, your best bet will be locating enough Chimchars to eventually evolve into Infernape. You will need 25 Chimchar candies to evolve into Monferno and another 100 candies to evolve into Infernape. While you can find an Infernape in the wild, it is unbelievably rare and you are more likely to get an Infernape from evolving than you are to encounter one in the wild. Unfortunately, it does not seem like Infernape has appeared as a raid boss before, it could be possible it is added in the future. Until Infernape is added as a raid boss, you will have to catch enough Chimchars to get an Infernape the old fashioned way.
Trivia
- The inspiration for Infernape’s design likely comes from the character Sun Wukong, a character of the Chinese story Journey to the West.
- The name Infernape is a portmanteau of the words inferno and ape.
Explainer Video
FAQs
Q. Is Infernape better than Blaziken?
In casual play it is hard to say. In competitive play, absolutely not. Not many Pokemon can reach Mega Blaziken’s potential. Even regular Blaziken can have the Speed Boost ability which sets up your Pokemon’s sweeping potential for free. If we are only looking at casual play, they are very comparable in terms of their usability.
Q. What happened to Ash’s Infernape?
Ash released his Infernape to Professor Oak as part of the end of the Diamond and Pearl season. This has become typical throughout the anime, as Ash needs to have a clean slate upon entering a new region. Like many of the other Pokemon that Ash had released, it was a touching emotional moment of two friends saying goodbye.
Q. Is Mega Infernape real?
Mega Infernape is not official and has not been released, teased, or introduced by Nintendo. It was not released with generation six, and since Mega Infernape has not been released yet, it is not likely to happen soon. Especially since the games seem to be moving away from mega evolutions.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this flame Pokemon. Infernape was the generation four final evolution of the fire starters and it was particularly effective during casual play as it was super effective against many of the opposing gyms. In competitive play, it manages to hold its own which is better than most Pokemon with similar typing. The anime also featured Infernape as one of Ash’s own Pokemon. Throughout the history of Pokemon, Infernape managed to remain in the spotlight for quite some time.
