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Bulbasaur(JP) is a species of Pokémon in the series of the same name. It is a dual-type Grass/Poison First partner Pokémon that made its first appearance in the first generation games Red and Blue.
Physiology and Behaviour
Bulbasaur is a primary reptilian creature, but it also shares several traits with amphibians. It has a blue-green body, with several spots in a darker shade of the same color. The most prominent feature is the big flower bulb on its back, apparently originating from a seed planted there at birth. The bulb is vital for Bulbasaur's growth, by providing it with the nutrients needed, and it also grows along with Bulbasaur by using the energy from the rays of the sun. Because of this, it enjoys laying in the sunlight. Bulbasaurs have red eyes and are often seen smiling, revealing two small fangs, one on each side of the mouth. There is no noticeable differences between male and female Bulbasaurs.
Bulbasaurs appear very scarce in the wild, at least in regions inhabited by Pokémon Trainers, where they are regarded as rare and coveted. The few Bulbasaurs that appear here are breed to be given to new trainers as their first Pokémon. In other regions however, such as the Pokémon Ranger inhabited regions, they are more common. Here Bulbasaurs live in areas such as forests and plains, or along fresh rivers.
Appearances
Main Pokémon games
Bulbasaur is one of the three First partner Pokémon in the Kanto region. It thus appears rarely outside of the games taking place there. In Pokémon Red and Blue, as well as Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Bulbasaur can be received as the player's first Pokémon. It can also be gotten in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, where Kanto can be visited in the later half of the game. Here Professor Oak lets the player choose one of the three Kanto first partners after having defeated the strongest trainer. In Pokémon Yellow, a game based on the anime, Bulbasaur can be received in a slightly different way. As the player starts with a Pikachu, similar to Ash Ketchum, the protagonist in the anime, Bulbasaur is instead given to the player by a girl in Cerulean City. She does however require the player's Pikachu to be happy enough. In Pokémon X and Y, Professor Sycamore will give Bulbasaur after defeating him.
Other Pokémon games
Bulbasaur appears more frequently in the side games, where first partner Pokémon don't appear in the same fashion. In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games Bulbasaurs appear in the wild in addition to being one of the possible first partners. Bulbasaur can also be seen in the wild in Pokémon Snap as well as in Pokémon Ranger and Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Sign. Moreover, it can be seen as a toy in Pokémon Rumble and a type of block in Pokémon Trozei!.
Super Smash Bros. series
Bulbasaur has only appeared in the Super Smash Bros. series as a trophy, though both in Melee and Brawl. Its evolved form, Ivysaur is playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Trophy descriptions
Bulbasaur (Melee)
- "Bulbasaur is a cute Pokémon born with a large seed firmly affixed to its back; the seed grows in size as the Pokémon does. Along with Squirtle and Charmander, Bulbasaur is one of three Pokémon available at the beginning of Pokémon Red & Blue. It evolves first into Ivysaur and ultimately into Venusaur."
Bulbasaur (Brawl)
- "A Seed Pokémon. From birth, Bulbasaur carries a large plant seed on its back. It uses the nutrients from the seed to grow bigger and bigger. Extended exposure to the sun will cause its body and seed to grow in size. Some say that once, when the seed was much lighter, Bulbasaur was able to get around on two legs. Bulbasaur evolves into Ivysaur."
In the anime
Ash Ketchum's Bulbasaur
Bulbasaur has appeared and continues to appear frequently in the anime, most importantly it has owned by two main characters. Ash Ketchum caught one early in the series, and it remained an important member of his team until late in his Johto adventures and made subsequent guest appearances ever since. This Bulbasaur was raised in a village that cared for abandoned Pokémon and grew up to become their protector. After joining Ash, he continued to be a responsible leader, and would eventually leave Ash's team to help out at Professor Oak's laboratory. Bulbasaur is, next to Pikachu, the Pokémon that has stayed with him the longest, and they have a close bond. Interestingly, Bulbasaur refused to evolve even though the process had begun.
May would eventually catch a Bulbasaur as well. This female Bulbasaur had a gentler personality than Ash's and was a bit clumsy. It would eventually evolve all the way into Venusaur during her travels without Ash.
In Pokémon Generations, Red's Bulbasaur was sent out to battle a wild Pikachu, which Red successfully caught.
A Bulbasaur appeared in The Gathering of Stars, under the ownership of Honey.
Bulbasaur made cameos in Pokétoon and Pokémon Evolutions.
Multiple Bulbasaur appeared in the Detective Pikachu movie. After Detective Pikachu was injured in the garden of giant Torterra, they and a group of Morelull escorted Tim Goodman, Lucy, and Pikachu to Mewtwo, who healed it.
Multiple Bulbasaur appeared in the music video for Celestial by Ed Sheeran.
Origin and inspiration
Bulbasaur does not seem to have any single specific source of inspiration. The relationship between Bulbasaur and the bulb on its back might however be based on the concept of symbiosis. The seed supplies Bulbasaur with nutrients when young, and acts as en energy reserve for its host. In turn Bulbasaur acts a mean of protection. Based on its habit of napping in the sunlight, it may thus also guarantee the plant to be in the direct sunlight, so that it can store energy and grow. Bulbasaur's appearance seems to be inspired by several different types of animals. It shares traits with reptiles, amphibians as well as mammals.
In-game information
Pokédex entries
| Title | Entry |
|---|---|
| First Pokémon generation | |
| Pokémon Red and Blue | A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon. |
| Pokémon Yellow | It can go for days without eating a single morsel. In the bulb on its back, it stores energy. |
| Pokémon Stadium | The bulb-like pouch on its back grows larger as it ages. The pouch is filled with numerous seeds. |
| Second Pokémon generation | |
| Pokémon Gold | The seed on its back is filled with nutrients. The seed grows steadily larger as its body grows. |
| Pokémon Silver | It carries a seed on its back right from birth. As it grows older, the seed also grows larger. |
| Pokémon Crystal | While it is young, it uses the nutrients that are stored in the seeds on its back in order to grow. |
| Third Pokémon generation | |
| Pokémon Ruby | Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger. |
| Pokémon Sapphire | Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger. |
| Pokémon Emerald | Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger. |
| Pokémon FireRed | There is a plant seed on its back right from the day this Pokémon is born. The seed slowly grows larger. |
| Pokémon LeafGreen | A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon. |
| Fourth Pokémon generation | |
| Pokémon Diamond | For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Pokémon Pearl | For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Pokémon Platinum | For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Pokémon HeartGold | The seed on its back is filled with nutrients. The seed grows steadily larger as its body grows. |
| Pokémon SoulSilver | It carries a seed on its back right from birth. As it grows older, the seed also grows larger. |
| Fifth Pokémon generation | |
| Pokémon Black | For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Pokémon White | For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Pokémon Black 2 | For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Pokémon White 2 | For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Sixth Pokémon generation | |
| Pokémon X | A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon. |
| Pokémon Y | For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Pokémon Omega Ruby | Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun’s rays, the seed grows progressively larger. |
| Pokémon Alpha Sapphire | Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun’s rays, the seed grows progressively larger. |
| Seventh Pokémon generation | |
| Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu |
It can go for days without eating a single morsel. In the bulb on its back, it stores energy. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Eevee |
It can go for days without eating a single morsel. In the bulb on its back, it stores energy. |
| Eighth Pokémon generation | |
| Pokémon Sword | There is a plant seed on its back right from the day this Pokémon is born. The seed slowly grows larger. |
| Pokémon Shield | While it is young, it uses the nutrients that are stored in the seed on its back in order to grow. |
| Pokémon Brilliant Diamond | For some time after its birth, it grows by taking nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Pokémon Shining Pearl | For some time after its birth, it grows by taking nourishment from the seed on its back. |
| Ninth Pokémon generation | |
| Pokémon Scarlet | For some time after its birth, it uses the nutrients that are packed into the seed on its back in order to grow. |
| Pokémon Violet | It carries a seed on its back right from birth. As its body grows larger, the seed does too. |
| Pokémon Legends: Z-A | A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon. |
| Pokémon Pokopia | It carries a seed on its back right from birth. As its body grows larger, the seed does too. |
Game Locations
Evolution
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Base Stats
| HP | 45 |
| Attack | 49 |
| Defense | 49 |
| Sp. Attack | 65 |
| Sp. Defense | 65 |
| Speed | 45 |
| Total | 318 |
Moveset
Gallery
| Main article: Bulbasaur/gallery |
Sprites
Reception
Bulbasaur has been largely praised by critics for its appearance, especially in the Pokémon anime. Pedro Hernandez of Nintendo World Report called it his favorite Pokémon, noting that it represented a number of firsts for him: his first episode of the anime, his first Pokémon, and the first one he saw in 3D. Calling Bulbasaur the reason he became interested in the Pokémon series, he stated that he was "deeply touched" by how it refused to evolve in the anime in order to "prove his self-worth as his un-evolved form". IGN editor "Pokémon of the Day Chick" also praised Ash's "attitude-packing Bulbasaur" in the anime, and Official Nintendo Magazine's John Vekinis attributed his "love of Grass-type Pokémon" to Bulbasaur in spite of the Grass type's weaknesses. Chris Plante of Polygon called Bulbasaur the best Pokémon; while he felt it and its evolutions "comparably dull", they were "the most true to life" as it looked more "leathery and aged" as it got older in comparison to the other first partners. Bulbasaur was ranked the 3rd best first partner Pokémon in a poll of Japanese Pokémon fans by ITmedia. The staff felt that the popularity of Bulbasaur derived from the anime, particularly Ash Ketchum's Bulbasaur, who at the time was the Pokémon that was with Ash for the longest time besides Pikachu, spanning four-and-a-half years. They speculated that this led to fans feeling attached to Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur has been noted to be less popular than Charmander and Squirtle. Nerdist attributed it to a lack of attention to the line early in the series because of Venusaur's omission from game box art in non-Japanese releases of the game. This led to one Twitter user creating an account named BulbaGanda to spread support for the Pokémon, which was met with considerable popularity.
Trivia
- Bulbasaur was the first unevolved dual type first partner Pokémon. The second was Rowlet.
- Niue released a one-dollar coin featuring Bulbasaur as part of a commemorative promotion for the Pokémon franchise, with Bulbasaur on one side and the nation's coat of arms on the other.
- In Brazil, Bulbasaur is sometimes called Bulbassauro by the fans.
Names in other languages
| Names in other languages | |
|---|---|
| Language | Name |
 Chinese (Simplified)
|
妙蛙種子 / 妙蛙种子 |
 Chinese (Traditional)
|
妙蛙種子 |
 French (Canada)
|
Bulbizarre Bulbasaur (until the late 2000’s) |
 French (France)
|
Bulbizarre |
 German
|
Bisasam |
 Japanese
|
フシギダネ |
 Korean
|
이상해씨 |
External links
- Bulbasaur at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Bulbasaur at Pokémon Wiki, the Fandom wiki on Pokémon
| First partner Pokémon | |
|---|---|
| Generation I | Bulbasaur • Charmander • Squirtle • Pikachu (Yellow and Let's Go Pikachu!) • Eevee (Let's Go Eevee!) |
| Generation II | Chikorita (also in Legends: Z-A) • Cyndaquil (also in Legends: Arceus) • Totodile (also in Legends: Z-A) |
| Generation III | Treecko • Torchic • Mudkip |
| Generation IV | Turtwig • Chimchar • Piplup |
| Generation V | Snivy • Tepig (also in Legends: Z-A) • Oshawott (also in Legends: Arceus) |
| Generation VI | Chespin • Fennekin • Froakie |
| Generation VII | Rowlet (also in Legends: Arceus) • Litten • Popplio |
| Generation VIII | Grookey • Scorbunny • Sobble |
| Generation IX | Sprigatito • Fuecoco • Quaxly |
| Generation X | Browt • Pombon • Gecqua |