Part of the trio of the iconic first starters ever released to the world was the grass type Pokemon, Bulbasaur. This frog-like grass type pokemon is a solid choice for anyone who enjoys playing patient and using status effects to great abilities. It evolves into Ivysaur at level 16 and Venusaur at level 32. Since it was one of the original 151 pokemon, and a starter at that, Bulbasaur has cemented its place as one of the most memorable pokemon in the franchise.
About Bulbasaur
Bulbasaur was first seen in the anime in the episode Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village. There were many other film appearances with Bulbasaur, including movie screens with Detective Pikachu, but of course many people know Bulbasaur through its role as a starter Pokemon in the red/blue/green/yellow games that kicked off the Pokemon franchise.
| First appearance in anime | Original Series |
| First appearance in game | Red/Green (Japan) Red/Blue (International) |
| Region | Kanto |
| Evolution | → Ivysaur → Venusaur |
| 1st Evo level | 16 |
| 2nd Evo level | 32 |
| Pokedex Entry | A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon. |
Bulbasaur Base Stats
| HP | 45 |
| ATTACK | 49 |
| DEFENCE | 49 |
| SP. ATTACK | 65 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 65 |
| SPEED | 45 |
| TOTAL | 318 |
Appearance
Bulbasaur is a green grass type pokemon that resembles a frog. The designers who made Bulbasaur also drew inspiration from a frog. Its most distinctive feature is perhaps the large green bulb that it carries around on its back. This bulb grows larger as it evolves and eventually opens to become a large flower with Venusaur. It has red eyes and white pupils, darker patches on its skin, and small pointed teeth that are visible when its mouth is open.
Behavior
In the pokemon canon, Bulbasaur is known to be a caretaker. Their defining characteristic is loyalty and they will remember their old trainers long after they have been abandoned. Since they are grass type Pokemon, Bulbasaurs are known to stay in grassy fields to soak up sunlight. Since Bulbasaur is a starter Pokemon, they cannot be found in tall grass in game, but they seem to prefer grassy plains or forests. In the anime, it is seen that Bulbasaurs will congregate together to evolve into Ivysaur together. Despite frog-like appearance, this behavior is more akin to sea turtles as they will venture off to live their own lives, but will remember where their home was.
Prominence
Below you can see where Bulbasaur has been prominently featured in different roles throughout the anime series
Ash’s Bulbasaur
Ash’s Bulbasaur is first seen in episode 10 Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village, of the original series. While a primary companion throughout the original series, it was eventually left with Professor Oak in episode 225 Bulbasaur… the Ambassador!. This Bulbasaur still makes appearances from time to time and has last been featured in episode 068, Advice to Goh!, of the Pokemon Journeys: The Series.
May’s Bulbasaur
During Ash’s travels throughout Hoenn, May had obtained her own Bulbasaur in episode 073 Grass Hysteria!, of the Ruby and Sapphire season. Her Bulbasaur stuck with her throughout the season and eventually evolved into a Venusaur. While this occurred off screen, May’s Bulbasaur was seen as a Venusaur in episode 078 Pruning a Passel of Pals!, of the Diamond and Pearl season of the anime.
Shauna’s Bulbasaur
In episode 039 Summer of Discovery!, in the X and Y season of the anime, it is revealed that Shauna had selected Bulbasaur from Professor Sycamore. It eventually evolves into an Ivysaur during episode 090 Tag Team Battle Inspiration!.
Where to Find Bulbasaur?
Below you can find where Bulbasaur can be encountered or how its pre-evolutions can be found.
In Pokemon Moon
Unfortunately, Bulbasaur is not available without trading in Pokemon Moon. You will need to utilize trade features or transfer one from your Pokemon Home application. Ultra Sun and Moon provided a feature where you could scan QR Codes in exchange for Pokemon (like Bulbasaur) through Island Scan on Route 2. Bulbasaur is available as the Friday Pokemon for Island Scan.
In Pokemon Sword
In Pokemon Sword and Shield, Bulbasaur is not available without utilizing trade. This requires the most recent update of the game and if the game is not correctly updated, the Bulbasaur will not transfer correctly.
In Pokemon Let’s Go
In the Let’s Go games, you can find Bulbasaur spawning in Viridian Forest. You can also find a Bulbasaur from a girl in Cerulean City as long as you have obtained 30 or more Pokemon. Although you can only obtain one Bulbasaur through this method.
In Pokemon Fire Red
In Pokemon Fire Red, the only way to obtain a Bulbasaur is to pick Bulbasaur as your starter Pokemon. You can of course trade from generation to generation, but Bulbasaur does not spawn in the wild and cannot be found at any other location in this game. You will have to pick between Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur.
In Pokemon Yellow
For Pokemon Yellow it is very similar to Pokemon Red. You will need to select Bulbasaur as your Starter instead of finding it in the wild or from another NPC. You will be faced with picking between Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Bulbasaur is not a particularly fast or aggressive Pokemon. A lot of successful strategies end up using it as a wall and using status effects to slow down the opponent’s Pokemon. Set up moves like leech seed, sleep powder, and sunny day are beneficial for Bulbasaur’s stat line. Of course as a grass/poison Pokemon, you will want to avoid having Bulbasaur tank fire, psychic, ice, and flying moves. On relatively even playing fields, you can expect to win with Bulbasaur in battles of attrition. Using absorb or mega/giga drain will help you maintain your health while dealing damage, and on top of status effects and field effects you can expect to outlast your opponents in most cases.
Mega Ivysaur
Mega Ivysaur unfortunately does not exist as it is the midline evolution. You can only expect to find mega evolutions of Pokemon at their end evolutionary stage. While Mega Ivysaur would be interesting to be a special case, instead of Mega Ivysaur, you can look for Mega Venusaur.
Mega Venusaur allows you to employ different lines of strategy against your opponents. When you mega evolve Venusaur into Mega Venusaur with a Venusaurite, it gains the ability thick fat, which removes two of its type weaknesses. In generations before Sword and Shield (5-7) you can gain the speed boost from chlorophyll, transform into Mega Venusaur, and still maintain the speed boost with thick fat active. This gives you access to using Venusaur as a sweeper rather than a wall. You will want to run moves like sludge bomb/solar beam, growth, giga drain, and weather ball with this tactic. Running Mega Venusaur also grants you a psychological edge as many players would expect Venusaur to be a wall rather than a dedicated sweeper.
Ash’s Bulbasaur
Since there is no Ash’s Bulbasaur in the games themselves, let’s focus on the appearances of Ash’s Bulbasaur in the media. During Ash’s journey in the anime, bulbasaur was the third Pokemon Ash had managed to catch. Like most Pokemon throughout the journey, Ash’s Bulbasaur was originally hostile towards the group. It was after some heroic acts of saving the Pokemon that Ash’s Bulbasaur began to warm up to the group. Ash’s Bulbasaur appeared in eleven episodes of the original series: Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village, Pokemon Scent-sation!, The Ninja Poke-Showdown, Ditto’s Mysterious Mansion, Who Gets to Keep Togepi, Bulbasaur’s Mysterious Garden, Princess vs Princess, Battle for the Badge!, The Fourth Round Rumble, and Pallet Party Panic. Bulbasaur ended up being a mainstay throughout the other series, all the way up to Pokemon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire.
Best Moveset
While Bulbasaur alone is not the best pick for competitive strategies, you ought to consider moves that will add the biggest impact throughout your battle. Sludge bombs can poison, giga drain will trade efficiently, hidden power (fire) will help with type issues, and sleep powder can be a solid choice in disabling their sweeper. You can also consider moves like growth, solar beam, and weather ball (with sunny day set up).
| Sludge Bomb | Giga Drain |
| Hidden Power (Fire) | Sleep Powder |
How to Catch Bulbasaur in Pokemon Go?
The best way to obtain Bulbasaur in Pokemon Go is to hatch 2km eggs. Spin some Pokestops to find these eggs and walk enough distance for them to hatch. You can also catch Bulbasaur in the wild nearby hiking trails, forests, and farmlands. Essentially in grassy areas while it is sunny out. Since Bulbasaur is also a poison type Pokemon, you can also find Bulbasaur in industrial areas. If none of these seem to be working for you, the best option is to hatch 2km eggs and hope for the best.
Trivia
- Niue released a line of $1 coins that featured Bulbasaur engraved into the coin. Currently this sold out coin retails for 80 USD.
- Out of all the starter Pokemon, Bulbasaur is the only Pokemon to also have the poison type.
- You cannot trade a Bulbasaur without a nickname on the GTS in Pokemon Black and White as its name unfortunately fell into the automatic censor of its offensive names.
FAQs
Is Bulbasaur a Frog or a Turtle?
Bulbasaur is actually based on a frog. According to the designer, Atsuko Nishida, she drew inspiration for the pokemon by modeling bulbasaur after frogs. While the bulb on bulbasaur’s back seems like a turtle shell, its mouth and general design appears to be more akin to frogs. On top of this, squirtle is the obvious turtle animal of the pokemon world.
Why is Bulbasaur hated?
Bulbasaur is the least popular of the starter pokemon of generation one. While more people were drawn to the designs or movesets of charmander and squirtle, the little leaf frog can still hold its own. However, in terms of popularity, many players chose the fiery dragon or the turtle with cannons on its back.
Is Bulbasaur a Plant or an Animal?
Bulbasaur is identified as a plant pokemon by Professor Oak. It should be considered to be a plant for the most part, but of course, it still maintains an animal-like behavior. On top of this, bulbasaur was modeled after frogs so the argument could be made that it is an animal. Nevertheless, the pokemon professor himself classifies bulbasaur as a plant. This could just be translation issues, as in the international release, bulbasaur is simply classified as a grass pokemon.
