Growlithe is a four-legged canine Pokémon with orange fur striped in black across its back and legs. Its muzzle, chest, belly, and the tuft of fur on its head are all beige, with noticeably longer fur covering its chest and tail. It has gray eyes, a black nose, and large rounded ears with triangular tips and beige inner fur. Its front paws show two claws, while the hind paws have three toes—all with brown pads.
Best known for its fierce loyalty and protectiveness, Growlithe will fearlessly stand up to any threat to its trainer or territory, no matter how outmatched it might be. It's territorial by nature and won't hesitate to bark, bite, and chase off intruders. Otherwise, it's obedient and patient, waiting motionlessly for orders. Growlithe has walked alongside humans for ages—its remains have turned up in Stone Age ruins—and in the wild it typically inhabits grassy plains.
The Pokémon has an exceptional sense of smell. It can detect unfamiliar scents in its territory and roars to drive out intruders. Fans often note that Growlithe can actually smell emotions and never forgets a scent it's encountered. That said, particularly strong or foul smells can temporarily shut down its olfactory abilities. It's also known to bark at anyone who gets near it while sleeping.
Hisuian Form
In Hisui, Growlithe looks drastically different—dark reddish-orange fur with a light gray mane and tail, and a tan muzzle. Its coat is made of igneous rock components, and it sports a small, fragile rock horn on its head. The mane covers its eyes and extends down, curling at the ends, while its ears are rounded and square-shaped with orange-red interiors.
This regional variant evolved due to volcanic exposure in Hisui's coastal highlands. The rock-infused fur actually keeps it warm in cold climates. Though the horn looks intimidating, it's brittle and breaks easily, so Hisuian Growlithe only uses it when necessary. They live in pairs and are vigilant territory guardians, but they're much slower to trust humans since they've historically kept their distance from people.
Evolution
Growlithe evolves into Arcanine. Hisuian Growlithe evolves into Hisuian Arcanine.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
