Bulbasaur
| Bulbasaur | |
|---|---|
| File:1bulbasaur.png National Pokédex None - Bulbasaur (#001) - Ivysaur Johto Pokédex Celebi - Bulbasaur (#226) - Ivysaur | |
| Japanese name | Fushigidane |
| Evolves from | None |
| Evolves into | Ivysaur |
| Generation | First |
| Species | Seed Pokémon |
| Type | Grass / Poison |
| Height | 2 ft 4 in (0.71 m) |
| Weight | [convert: invalid number] |
| Ability | Overgrow |
Bulbasaur is a fictional character from the Pokémon franchise. Bulbasaur, a Template:PokemonTypeGrass/Template:PokemonTypePoison-type Pokémon, is notable as one of the first Pokémon a player can have in the first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Blue, as well as one of the most-commonly-appearing Pokémon in the anime.
Bulbasaur can be construed as a portmanteau of "bulb" (regarding the large bulb on its back) and "sauros" (lizard in Greek). Fushigidane (フシギダネ), the Japanese name for Bulbasaur, can be construed as a portmanteau of ふしぎ (fushigi - mystery) and たね (tane - seed). Bulbizarre in French can be construed as a portmanteau of bulbe meaning bulb, and bizarre meaning strange.
Characteristics
Bulbasaur is a small, squat lizard, which moves on all fours. Most of its body is green, with the rest of it being patches of a darker shade of green all over its body. Bulbasaur is able to release two vines from its body, which are powerful enough to hold up a large amount of weight. When a Bulbasaur is born, it does not have anything resting on its bare back, but rather an unusual seed that has materialized in the back of the Pokemon. The seed soon grows into a large, floral bulb as Bulbasaur matures, and this bulb can absorb solar energy in order to supply Bulbasaur with nutrients. When in battle, the solar energy that has been stored in the bulb can be harnessed by Bulbasaur to launch a powerful Solar Beam attack. This bulb is also able to hold seeds, which can be launched at an enemy in order to sap health from them. The bulb itself will grow bigger if it is exposed to sunlight and for this reason, Bulbasaur enjoys taking naps in the sunlight.
In the video games
In the first-generation Pokémon games (Red, Green, and Blue) and the remakes of same (FireRed and LeafGreen, Bulbasaur is one of the three Pokémon, along with Charmander and Squirtle, that the player may choose as his or her first, "starter", Pokémon. If the player chooses Bulbasaur, the players rival will choose Charmander, as Charmander has a type advantage to Bulbasaur.
In the next game, Pokémon Yellow, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle are not available from the start, as the three of them had already been taken by other trainers, and instead, the player gets a Pikachu. However, Bulbasaur is available later in the game as a gift from a Pokémon Breeder. The three original starters are not available in any other games.
Bulbasaur is also one of the random Pokémon available as a prize after defeating all the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members in Pokémon Stadium. Other Pokémon available are Squirtle, Charmander, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Eevee, Kabuto and Omanyte.
Bulbasaur is considered a good starter Pokémon for beginners due to its effectiveness against the two first Gym Leaders, Brock, an expert in the Rock type, and Misty, an expert in the Water type. The third and fourth Gym Leaders also have no type advantage to Bulbasaur, as Lt. Surge uses Electric-type Pokémon and Erika, who uses Grass-type Pokémon. It also grows in level faster than Squirtle and Charmander.
In terms of stats, Bulbasaur has a reasonably high Special Attack, Special Defense and Special, but low Hit Points and physical properties.
Bulbasaur appears as a Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, which is acquired through the Lottery.
In the animé
Several Bulbasaurs have appeared in the anime, although only two of them are major characters. One of them is one of the first Pokémon Ash Ketchum acquires, and the other one is one of May's team members.
Ash's Bulbasaur has been around longer than all of Ash's other Pokémon with the exception of Pikachu. Like many other Pokémon in the anime, Bulbasaur's gender is unknown, but is commonly believed to be male. Bulbasaur typically has a relaxed attitude, rarely being provoked. This is in contrast to its team mate Squirtle, who tends to act rashly in similar situations.
Before joining Ash's team, Bulbasaur lived with a girl named Melanie, who took care of abandoned Pokémon. It was unclear whether or not Bulbasaur was abandoned, but it was shown that Melanie was not its trainer, enabling Ash to catch it after a battle. Originally, Bulbasaur was pessimistic about Ash, but when Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle are separated from Ash and company, Bulbasaur was often the one that insisted on Ash having abandoned them, with Charmander and Pikachu providing more optimistic outlooks. However, after that episode, Bulbasaur's loyalties have started to improve, and ironically, Bulbasaur was one of Ash's most loyal Pokémon while Charmander had evolved into Charmeleon (and later Charizard), and began to frequently disobey him.
Bulbasaur would remain on Ash's active roster for much of the series, leaving it in Professor Oak's lab after Pokémon there started fighting among themselves. Bulbasaur was the only Pokémon able to break up these fights, and these fights would often resume if Bulbasaur leaves the lab. After leaving Ash's active roster, Bulbasaur appeared as a main character in Housoukyoku, and made one brief appearance in Advanced Generation after May acquires a Bulbasaur of her own.
Like Pikachu, Bulbasaur had decided it would be best if it does not evolve. Although this decision was not accepted by other Bulbasaurs (and evolved forms therein), it has been a decision that others have come to accept. Bulbasaur has also shown traits not unlike those of Fighting-typed Pokémon in one episode, perhaps due to its calm nature.
Interestingly, in the Grass Field battle of the Indigo League tournament, Bulbasaur defeated two of the opponent's three Pokemon (a Beedrill and a Scyther) by itself. It is one of only two of Ash's other Pokémon team members (the other being Snorlax) to appear in Advanced Generation.
May befriended a Bulbasaur, who is now a member of her team. Because of the heart-shaped marks on this Bulbasaur's forehead, it is commonly believed to be female. Like May's other Pokémon, it is a contest Pokémon. It learns Petal Dance later on in the series.
In other properties
In the manga
In Pokémon Adventures, Red receives a Bulbasaur from Professor Oak, and in Magical Pokémon Journey, a character named Pistachio has a female Bulbasaur (nicknamed Danerina in the Japanese version), who has a crush on him.
In the card game
In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Bulbasaur was among the "first" Pokemon cards that players were aquainted with. Bulbasaur cards have appeared in all of the following sets:
- Base Set (and Base Set 2 and Legendary Collection)
- Gym Challenge (as Erika's Bulbasaur)
- Expedition
- Expedition
- EX Team Magma vs. Team Aqua
- EX Firered & Leafgreen
- EX Firered & Leafgreen
Considering the notability and popularity of Bulbasaur, the Pokemon has had a relatively low amount of appearances early in the cards' series. In particular, in the Rocket set, there were Charmander and Squirtle cards, but no Bulbasaur. It has only made many appearances in the recent expansions, starting with Expedition.