Meganium (#154) - Cyndaquil - Quilava (#156)
General
Name (Japanese), Number	Cyndaquil (Hinoarashi), 155
Stage	Basic
Evolves from	(none)
Evolves to	Quilava
Video game base stats¹
Hit points	39
Attack	52
Defense	43
Speed	65
Special attack	60
Special defense	50
Biological
Species	Fire Mouse Pokémon
Types	Fire
Height	1'8" (0.5 m)
Weight	17 lb (7.5 kg)
Pokédex Color	Yellow
Shiny color	The top of its body becomes light red, and the tan parts of its body become a lighter yellow
Ability	Blaze
Gender distribution	87.5% male, 12.5% female
¹ Stats for trading card versions may vary.

Cyndaquil, known as Hinoarashi (ヒノアラシ) in the original Japanese, Feurigel in German, Hericendre in French, and Beukein (브케인) in Korean, is one of the three starter Pokémon available in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal (the other two are Chikorita and Totodile). According to the Pokédex, this Pokémon may curl up into a ball if frightened. It lights up the fire on its back only when it feels threatened, angry, or is attacking.

Picking this Pokémon as a starter is categorized as choosing a "Medium-Easy" difficulty level for the game because the second gym leaders use Pokémon whose type is weak against Cyndaquil's strong fire-type attacks. Also, no other Fire-type Pokémon are catchable until Goldenrod City.

Name Origin

"Cyndaquil" originates from the words "cinder" and "quill".

Availability

In Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal, Cyndaquil is one of three choices for a starter. In Pokémon Emerald, it is one of three choices as a gift from Professor Birch for completing the Local Dex. In Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Firered/Leafgreen, it can only be obtained through trading. It is in no way obtainable in Pokémon Red/Green/Blue/Yellow.

In the anime

In the Pokémon anime, Ash's Cyndaquil often seems to be very weak. However, with the right support from its trainer, it can produce some incredibly strong fire-type attacks.