Introduced in generation two, with the Pokemon Gold and Silver games, Meganium is a monotype grass Pokemon. It is the final evolution of Chikorita and evolves from Bayleef, and they are the grass starter line from the generation two games. Meganium is classified as the “Herb Pokemon” by the Pokedex. This guide will showcase Meganium’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Meganium.
About Meganium
Meganium is the final evolution of the grass starter line of generation two which starts with Chikorita. It will evolve into Bayleef from level 16 onwards, and subsequently will evolve into Meganium from level 32. Meganium made its first appearance in the anime with the original series in the episode Here’s Looking at You, Elekid!. The Pokedex mentions Meganium’s proficiency with floral abilities, revealing that it can revive dead grass and plants, the fragrance from its flower is soothing and calming, and it is capable of disabling aggressive Pokemon.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Original Series: Here’s Lookin’ at You, Elekid |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Gold and Silver |
| Region | Johto |
| Evolution | Final evolution of Chikorita, evolves from Bayleef |
| 1st Evo level | 16 |
| 2nd Evo level | 32 |
| Pokedex Entry | In battle, Chikorita waves its leaf around to keep the foe at bay. However, a sweet fragrance also wafts from the leaf, becalming the battling Pokémon and creating a cozy, friendly atmosphere all around. |
Meganium Base Stats
| HP | 80 |
| ATTACK | 82 |
| DEFENCE | 100 |
| SP. ATTACK | 83 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 100 |
| SPEED | 80 |
| TOTAL | 525 |
Appearance
Meganium resembles a green sauropod dinosaur with a pink rose petal ornament around its neck. It has two antennae on top of its head and it walks around on four legs. Most of Meganium’s body is green, but its flower is pink and orange, its claws are white, and its eyes are yellow with black pupils. It is fairly taller than most Pokemon at 5 feet and 11 inches, or 1.8 meters, tall.
Behavior
Despite Meganium’s preferred method of soothing aggressive Pokemon, Meganium itself is a fierce battler. It is known to share a close bond with its trainer, a trait typical of starter Pokemon. In the anime, Meganium is shown to be quite proud and will develop rivalries with other grass type Pokemon. The Pokedex mentions its ability to soothe and sedate other Pokemon, even breathing life into dead plants and flowers, however, Meganium’s personality in the anime is much less flowery.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Meganium has a fair share of bulk but unfortunately it is, more accurately, a Pokemon that has been a victim to power creep. Newer generations have provided us with stronger statlines and more centralized strategies with specific Pokemon. Thus Meganium’s stat line makes it appear a lot weaker than most other Pokemon but as a monotype grass Pokemon, it is weak to flying, poison, bug, fire, and ice types. It resists ground, water, grass, and electric type moves.
Mega Meganium
While a Mega Meganium would certainly help boost Meganium back to relevancy, Mega Meganium is not an official mega evolution. It is not likely that Mega Meganium comes to fruition anytime soon, as the developers have moved away from mega evolutions entirely. While Mega Meganium would help Meganium’s viability in competitive play, it is not likely Mega Meganium will be officially released.
Best Moveset
Since its release, Meganium has peaked as a mid tier bracket Pokemon in competitive play. As newer generations become released, Meganium fell as low as untiered, marking it as a nearly unusable Pokemon. To see any amount of success with Meganium, consider running it for its defensive capabilities. With the Leftovers, as a held item, you can get away with running a supportive build for Meganium. Consider the moves Aromatherapy, Synthesis, Giga Drain, and Dragon Tail/Toxic. Aromatherapy can keep disabling effects off of your team, Synthesis can help make use of Meganium’s bulky stats, Giga Drain can function as a damaging move, and Dragon Tail and Toxic are interchangeable for type coverage options.
| Aromatherapy | Synthesis |
| Giga Drain | Dragon Tail/Toxic |
How to Catch Meganium in Pokemon Go
If you want to obtain a Meganium in Pokemon Go, it is easiest to catch its base evolution Chikorita before you eventually evolve it into a Meganium. Like most final evolutions, encountering their base evolutions is a lot more common as compared to encountering its final evolution in the wild. You will need to gather 25 Chikorita candies in order to evolve into Bayleef, and another 100 candies in order to evolve into Meganium. Unfortunately, it does not seem as if Meganium has appeared as a raid boss in the past.
Trivia
- Meganium is very comparable to Venusaur in terms of base stats, but their defense and special attack stats are swapped.
- The flower on Meganium’s neck resembles a daylily with flared edges.
- The name Meganium is a combination of the words mega and geranium, a bright purple flower.
FAQ
How good is Meganium?
While Meganium’s bulky statline is respectable, it is unfortunately weaker than many other grass type Pokemon. When built right, Meganium can be a wall against many powerful Pokemon but its grass monotyping makes it difficult to survive the more aggressive Pokemon. It’s why Meganium has consistently been in the lower ranks of competitive play.
What plant is Meganium based on?
Meganium’s flower is likely based on a daylily with more flattened petals. The name Meganium is also a combination of the words mega and geranium, another flower that could be the inspiration for the flower around Meganium’s neck. Unfortunately, there is no official answer from the developers but it is a logical assumption that the flower is based on either a geranium or a daylily.
Is Meganium Fairy type?
Meganium is a monotype grass Pokemon. While its flowery behavior and capabilities to revive dead plants and flowers seems very fairy-like, its release in generation two likely made reworking the Pokemon into a dual type contentious. The only starter to have fairy typing is Primarina’s evolution line.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Herb Pokemon”. Meganium never had much impact on the competitive scene, however, it was the companion Pokemon to many characters in the anime including Casey and Vincent. It also provided a comfortable base line of what you can expect from a wall strategy Pokemon. With self-sustainability, access to disabling moves, as well as a statline that encouraged a longer battle, Meganium is a simple Pokemon to understand.
