Pokémon’s New Transforming Charmander Figure Creates a Non-Canon Evolution
Bandai has revealed the next addition to its growing POKÉMON CHANGE transforming toy series, giving fans a new way to recreate a unique take on Charmander’s evolution into Charizard through an inventive transformation mechanism.
The latest release continues the line’s focus on bringing Pokémon evolution to life by combining display-worthy designs with interactive play features that allow figures to repeatedly transform between two different stages.
The POKÉMON CHANGE series uses expandable joints and concealed internal components to recreate the evolution process while preserving the recognizable proportions of each Pokémon in both forms.
The new Charmander and Charizard release begins with an accurately sculpted Charmander, faithfully capturing the Fire-type Pokémon’s rounded proportions and familiar appearance.
Unlike the traditional evolution line seen in the games and anime, this figure skips the intermediate Charmeleon stage, instead presenting a direct transformation from Charmander to Charizard that creates a unique, non-canon evolutionary path.
By opening the outer shell and unfolding the concealed internal wing components, the figure smoothly transforms into the fully evolved Charizard without sacrificing the design accuracy of either form.
The engineering has been designed to encourage repeated transformations, allowing collectors to recreate this reimagined evolution sequence whenever they choose.
Bandai has also announced a companion release featuring Riolu and Lucario, expanding the POKÉMON CHANGE lineup with another fan-favorite evolutionary pair.
Like the Charmander set, the Riolu figure transforms by expanding its outer shell and repositioning the internal joints before additional parts are attached to complete Lucario’s signature arm spikes.
Despite its intricate transformation mechanism, both Riolu and Lucario retain accurate proportions and faithfully reproduce the distinctive appearance of each Pokémon before and after evolution.
Together, the two releases continue Bandai’s approach of blending clever engineering with faithful character designs, creating collectibles that appeal equally to Pokémon fans and toy enthusiasts.
The POKÉMON CHANGE Charmander / Charizard set is priced at ¥2,420 (approx. $16 USD / £12 GBP), while the POKÉMON CHANGE Riolu / Lucario set is priced at ¥2,310 (approx. $16 USD / £12 GBP), with both scheduled for release on July 25, 2026.
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