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Bulbasaur フシギダネ Fushigidane
Artwork from FR/LG
National Dex	#001
Johto Dex	#226
Hoenn Dex	#203
Sinnoh Dex	#—
Fiore Browser	R-001
Almia Browser	R—
Type	Grass / Poison
Species	Seed Pokémon
Height	2′04″ (0.7m)
Weight	15.2 lbs. (6.9kg)
Ability	Overgrow
Egg groups	Monster
	Plant
Time to hatch	5,120 steps
Effort yield	1 SpA
Exp. yield	64 base exp.
Lv100 at	1,059,860 exp.
Gender	12.5% ♀ / 87.5% ♂
Pokédex color	Green
Catch rate	45
On Legendary Pokémon Pokédex: Generation III Generation IV On Pokémon Palace Network Pokédex (Gen. I-III) On Smogon Pokédex: Generation I Generation II Generation III Generation IV On Eevee's Pokédex (Gen. I-IV) On Psypoke Pokédex On Pokecharms Pokédex (Gen. III-IV) On Marriland Pokédex (Gen. IV) On Serebii's Pokédex: Generation I/II Generation III Generation IV On Azure Heights Pokédex (Gen. I) On Pokémon Dungeon Pokédex (Gen. I-II) On Ultimate Pokémon Center Pokédex (Gen. I-IV) Artwork on Bulbagarden Archives

Bulbasaur (Japanese: フシギダネ Fushigidane) is a dual-typed Grass/Poison Pokémon. Along with Charmander and Squirtle, it is one of three starter Pokémon the player can choose to start with at the beginning of Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, FireRed, and LeafGreen, and is the first Pokémon numerically in the Kanto Dex, the National Dex, and the Fiore Browser.

Bulbasaur comes with the ability Overgrow, which increases the power of Grass-type moves used by the Pokémon by 50% once the Pokémon has less than one-third of its maximum HP.

Bulbasaur evolves via level, into Ivysaur starting at level 16, then into Venusaur starting at level 32. It is interesting to note that Bulbasaur is the only one of the original starters to become its third form at twice the experience level of its second form, while both Charmander and Squirtle become their final forms at Level 36 instead. It is also interesting to note that, while many of the starter Pokémon receive additional types upon evolution, Bulbasaur is the only one among them to have two types, Grass and Poison, in its basic form.

Contents 1 Biology 1.1 Physiology 1.1.1 Gender differences 1.1.2 Special abilities 1.2 Behavior 1.3 Habitat 1.4 Diet 2 In the anime 3 In the manga 3.1 In the Pokémon Special manga 4 In the TCG 5 Other appearances 5.1 Super Smash Bros. Melee 5.1.1 Trophy information 6 Game data 6.1 Pokédex entries 6.2 Game locations 6.2.1 In side games 6.3 Base stats 6.4 Type effectiveness 6.5 Learnset 6.5.1 By leveling up 6.5.2 By TM/HM 6.5.3 By breeding 6.5.4 By tutoring 6.5.5 TCG-only Moves 6.5.6 Anime only 6.6 Side game data 6.7 Evolution 6.8 Sprites 7 Trivia 7.1 Origin 7.1.1 Name origin 8 In other languages 9 Related articles 10 External links

Biology

Physiology

Bulbasaur is a reptilian creature resembling a toad or dinosaur. Its most notable feature, though, is the bulb on its back, which grows from a seed planted on its back when it is born. The bulb is similar to Paras and Parasect's tochukaso mushrooms which are also planted at birth. However, Bulbasaur and its bulb share a symbiotic relationship rather than a parasitic one.

Bulbasaur usually walk around on four legs, but in this stage they also have the ability to rise up on their hind legs.

Gender differences

None.

Special abilities

Bulbasaur has a variety of Grass-type abilities granted to it by the bulb growing on its back. Powders, scents, petals, and seeds can come from the very tip of the bulb, and vines and leaves can come from the base. By manipulating these into moves like Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Petal Dance, and Sweet Scent, Bulbasaur has quite an arsenal at their disposal with the bulb.

The bulb also absorbs sunlight. The sunlight can be turned into health through Synthesis or launched at the opponent as a powerful SolarBeam.

Behavior

Most Bulbasaur are domestic Pokémon, raised to be distributed as starters by Professor Oak. As such, they are regarded as well-behaved Pokémon. They are often considered the easiest Pokémon to start with in Kanto since they are strong, not likely to misbehave, and have a type advantage over the first two Kanto Gym Leaders.

They can often have a strong loyalty streak. In The Mystery Menace, a Bulbasaur was abandoned by its Trainer in the sewers, where it lived for many years. When it finally returned to the surface, it was not upset about being abandoned by its trainer. In fact, it was simply glad to see him again.

Habitat

Bulbasaur are scarce in the wild. Sometimes they can be found in secret places such as gardens, plains near large sources of fresh water, or hiding in the forest in hollow logs, but overall they are found far more often in the ownership of Trainers.

Diet

Main article: Pokémon food

Much like most Pokémon, Bulbasaur appears to be an omnivore. However, in times of scarcity, it does not need to eat much food, since the bulb on its back can store energy from the sun.

In the anime

Bulbasaur was mentioned in the first episode of the anime, Pokémon, I Choose You, as one of the three options new trainers in Pallet Town can choose from. Ash dreamed of owning one, and it was his second choice of a starter, after Squirtle. However, when he arrived at Oak's lab, it was too late, as an unnamed Trainer who started the same day had already taken it.

A real Bulbasaur first appeared in Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village, as one of the Pokémon in the Hidden Village. Though initially wary of Ash, the two eventually warmed up to one another, and Bulbasaur challenged him to a battle. Using Pikachu, Ash won the battle, and Bulbasaur was captured. Unlike Charmander and Squirtle, which were captured in the two episodes following that of Bulbasaur, Bulbasaur remained in Ash's party until Bulbasaur... the Ambassador, when Ash sent him to Professor Oak's lab to work as an ambassador between otherwise argumentative groups of Pokémon.

Much later on, when Ash was traveling in the Hoenn region, his companion May captured her own Bulbasaur after being separated from the group in Grass Hysteria. It remained with her throughout the rest of her journey in Hoenn, helping her to compete in the regional Grand Festival. When she traveled to Kanto to continue her journey with Ash in The Right Place and the Right Mime, May too left her Bulbasaur at Professor Oak's lab to learn from Ash's while she and Ash's group traveled throughout the Battle Frontier in Kanto.

A Bulbasaur that used to belong to the Mayor of Trovitopolis appeared in The Mystery Menace. In his childhood, the mayor abandoned his Bulbasaur and sent it into the sewers when it wouldn't evolve into Ivysaur. Aided by Misty and Tracey, Ash found the abandoned Bulbasaur while searching for his own, which had gone missing. After defeating the arrogant mayor and his personal SWAT team, Ash and company left the Bulbasaur, which had grown rather large in its time in the sewers, with Nurse Joy.

In Journey to the Starting Line, Gilbert, the son of the mayor of Pallet Town, was supposed to start his journey as a Pokémon Trainer with one of the three Kanto Starter Pokémon, but they were scared off by Ash's Tauros. Professor Oak, Tracey, Delia and Gilbert set out to find them. The Bulbasaur was the last one to be found and it was stuck in a tree that was surrounded by a group of Primeape. In the end, Bulbasaur was the one that Gilbert decided to start with.

In the manga

In Pokémon PiPiPi Adventure, Pistachio has a Bulbasaur named Danerina. She has a crush on him and is extremely jealous whenever she sees him talking to other females.

Ash's Bulbasaur is shown in several chapters of the Electric Tale of Pikachu.

In the Pokémon Special manga

In the Red, Green & Blue chapter, Red receives a Bulbasaur from Professor Oak in Bulbasaur, Come Home! after helping capture all the Pokémon he accidentally set free. Bulbasaur has since evolved into Ivysaur, and then to Venusaur. It has also been shown in the manga that Bulbasaur also has the ability to suck in air through its bulb (as seen in chapter 14 where it sucked up the mist in the ghost tower as well as the Gastly that made it).

In the TCG

Main article: Bulbasaur (TCG)

Other appearances

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Bulbasaur only appears as a random trophy.

Trophy information

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 the three Pokémon available at the beginning of Pokémon Red and Blue. It evolves into Ivysaur.

Game data

Pokédex entries

Gen	Game	Pokédex entry
I	Red	A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon.
	Blue
	Yellow	It can go for days without eating a single morsel. In the bulb on its back, it stores energy.
	Stadium	The bulb-like pouch on its back grows larger as it ages. The pouch is filled with numerous seeds.
II	Gold	The seed on its back is filled with nutrients. The seed grows steadily larger as its body grows.
	Silver	It carries a seed on its back right from birth. As it grows older, the seed also grows larger.
	Crystal	While it is young, it uses the nutrients that are stored in the seeds on its back in order to grow.
	Stadium 2	The seed on its back is filled with nutrients. The seed grows steadily larger as its body grows.
III	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.
	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.
	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.
	FireRed	There is a plant seed on its back right from the day this Pokémon is born. The seed slowly grows larger.
	LeafGreen	A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon.
IV	Diamond	For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back.
	Pearl	For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back.

Game locations

Gen	Game	Rarity	Location
I	Pokémon Red and Blue	One	Starter Pokémon from Professor Oak in Pallet Town
	Pokémon Yellow	One	Received from a girl in Cerulean City if Pikachu's happiness is high enough
II	Pokémon Gold and Silver	None	Trade
	Pokémon Crystal	None	Trade
III	Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire	None	Trade
	Pokémon Emerald	None	Trade
	Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen	One	Starter Pokémon from Professor Oak in Pallet Town
	Pokémon Colosseum	None	Trade
	Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness	None	Trade
IV	Pokémon Diamond and Pearl	None	Pal Park
	Pal Park		Field

In side games

Game	Location
Pokémon Stadium	Gym Leader Castle
Pokémon Snap	River
Pokémon Channel	Bus Stop
Pokémon Trozei	Phobos Train Endless level 16 Trozei Battle Mr. Who's Den
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon	Starter Pokémon Joyous Tower (1F-5F)
Pokémon Ranger	Lyra Forest

Base stats

HP:	45
Attack:	49
Defense:	49
Special:	65
SpAtk:	65
SpDef:	65
Speed:	45

The Special stat was used only in Generation I; it was later split into Special Attack and Special Defense.

Type effectiveness

Weakness	Resistance
Flying: 2× Fire: 2× Psychic: 2× Ice: 2×	Fighting: ½× Grass: ¼× Water: ½× Electric: ½×	Normal: 1× Poison: 1× Ground: 1× Rock: 1× Bug: 1× Ghost: 1× Steel: 1× Dragon: 1× Dark: 1×

In Generation I, the effectiveness of Bug-type moves is 4×.

Learnset

Bulbasaur is capable of learning the following moves.
Moves in bold are damage moves to which STAB apply.

By leveling up

Generation I Level Move Type Start Tackle Growl 7 Leech Seed 13 Vine Whip 20 PoisonPowder 27 Razor Leaf 34 Growth 41 Sleep Powder 48 SolarBeam

Generation II Level Move Type Start Tackle 4 Growl 7 Leech Seed 10 Vine Whip 15 PoisonPowder Sleep Powder 20 Razor Leaf 25 Sweet Scent 32 Growth 39 Synthesis 46 SolarBeam

Generation III Level Move Type Start Tackle 4 Growl 7 Leech Seed 10 Vine Whip 15 PoisonPowder Sleep Powder 20 Razor Leaf 25 Sweet Scent 32 Growth 39 Synthesis 46 SolarBeam

Generation IV Level Move Type Cat. Start Tackle 3 Growl 7 Leech Seed 9 Vine Whip 13 PoisonPowder Sleep Powder 15 Take Down 19 Razor Leaf 21 Sweet Scent 25 Growth 27 Double Edge 31 Worry Seed 33 Synthesis 37 Seed Bomb

By TM/HM

Generation I # Move Type TM03 Swords Dance TM06 Toxic TM08 Body Slam TM09 Take Down TM10 Double-Edge TM20 Rage TM21 Mega Drain TM22 SolarBeam TM31 Mimic TM32 Double Team TM33 Reflect TM34 Bide TM44 Rest TM50 Substitute HM01 Cut

Generation II # Move Type TM02 Headbutt TM03 Curse TM06 Toxic TM10 Hidden Power TM11 Sunny Day TM12 Sweet Scent TM13 Snore TM17 Protect TM19 Giga Drain TM20 Endure TM21 Frustration TM22 SolarBeam TM27 Return TM31 Mud-Slap TM32 Double Team TM34 Swagger TM35 Sleep Talk TM40 Defense Curl TM44 Rest TM45 Attract TM49 Fury Cutter HM01 Cut HM05 Flash

Generation III # Move Type TM06 Toxic TM09 Bullet Seed TM10 Hidden Power TM11 Sunny Day TM17 Protect TM19 Giga Drain TM21 Frustration TM22 SolarBeam TM27 Return TM32 Double Team TM36 Sludge Bomb TM42 Facade TM43 Secret Power TM44 Rest TM45 Attract HM01 Cut HM04 Strength HM05 Flash HM06 Rock Smash

Generation IV # Move Type Cat. TM06 Toxic TM09 Bullet Seed TM10 Hidden Power TM11 Sunny Day TM17 Protect TM19 Giga Drain TM21 Frustration TM22 SolarBeam TM27 Return TM32 Double Team TM36 Sludge Bomb TM42 Facade TM43 Secret Power TM44 Rest TM45 Attract TM53 Energy Ball TM58 Endure TM70 Flash TM75 Swords Dance TM78 Captivate TM82 Sleep Talk TM83 Natural Gift TM86 Grass Knot TM87 Swagger TM90 Substitute HM01 Cut HM04 Strength HM06 Rock Smash

By breeding

Move	Type	Cat.	Father
Amnesia			Slowpoke, Slowbro Snorlax
Charm*			Shroomish, Breloom
Curse			Slowpoke, Slowbro, Slowking Turtwig, Grotle, Torterra
GrassWhistle			Sunkern, Sunflora Roselia Snover, Abomasnow
Ingrain			Tangela, Tangrowth Sunkern, Sunflora Roselia Cacnea, Cacturne Carnivine Snover, Abomasnow
Leaf Storm			Victreebel Exeggutor Bellossom Sunflora Grovyle, Sceptile Shiftry Tropius Turtwig, Grotle, Torterra
Light Screen			Chikorita, Bayleef, Meganium
Magical Leaf			Chikorita, Bayleef, Meganium Roselia, Roserade Tropius Cherubi, Cherrim
Nature Power			Lotad, Lombre, Ludicolo Seedot, Nuzleaf
Petal Dance			Venusaur Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume Meganium Sunflora Roselia Cherrim
Safeguard			Lapras Chikorita, Bayleef, Meganium
Skull Bash			Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise
*Indicates moves only available through chain breeding.

By tutoring

Move	Type	Cat.	Version
Body Slam			FR	LG	E
Double-Edge			FR	LG	E
Mimic			FR	LG	E
Substitute			FR	LG	E
Swords Dance			FR	LG	E
Defense Curl					E
Endure					E
Fury Cutter					E
Mud-Slap					E
Sleep Talk					E
Snore					E
Swagger					E

TCG-only Moves

• Bite

Anime only

Move	Pokémon
Tickle	Ash's Bulbasaur
Whirlwind	Ash's Bulbasaur
Dig	Ash's Bulbasaur

Side game data

Pokémon Pinball
	Acquisition: Catch
Pokémon Trozei!
	Rarity: Common
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
Body size: 1	Recruit Rate: 12.5%	Friend Area: Beau Plains
Phrases
51%-100% HP	I'm going to make a big flower bloom!
26%-50% HP	I'm down to about half my HP now.
1%-25% HP	I'm about to keel over...
Level Up	I did it! My level went up!
Partner Phrases
51%-100% HP	Let's try to do our best, <name>!
26%-50% HP	This is getting a bit hard...
1%-25% HP	Urgh... Can't keep this up... <name>, help...
Level Up	Yes! I leveled up!
Pokémon Ranger
Group:	Loops: 3	Minimum Experience: 12
Poké Assist: