>>42809868>It's supposed to be a menacing dragonIt is. Especially compared to the competition from within its series (Dragonite, Salamence, Flygon).
>Charizard only got the popularity it does today from relentless shilling.Charizard went from Gen 2 through 5 being a shitmon with no special treatment and Smogon still had a description of it that noted how many people wanted to use it despite it being shit. It has always had an enduring legacy and iconic status, and Gen 6 was when Game Freak started responding to the love from fans. It was never that they wanted people to love Charizard, because people already loved Charizard in the first place.
