Squirtle
Some of the more recognizable Pokemon are the starter’s of the original generation. Due to its unique introduction in the anime, the water type Pokemon Squirtle tends to be remembered quite a lot, probably only second to Charmander due to the popularity of Charizard.
About Squirtle
| First appearance in anime | In the Original Series episode ‘Here Comes the Squirtle Squad’ | |
| First appearance in game | Red, Green, and Blue | |
| Region | Kanto | |
| Evolution | Squirtle-->Wartortle --> Blastoise | |
| 1st Evo level | 16 | |
| 2nd Evo level | 36 | |
| Pokedex Entry | When it retracts its long neck into its shell, it squirts out water with vigorous force. | When it feels threatened, it draws its limbs inside its shell and sprays water from its mouth. |
Squirtle’s Base Stats
| HP | 44 |
| Attack | 48 |
| Defense | 65 |
| Sp. Attack | 50 |
| Ap. Defense | 64 |
| Speed | 43 |
Appearance
Squirtle’s name implies everything about its visual design. It's a water turtle. With a hard brown and pale shell covering its body, Squirtle’s actual body sticks out of its natural armor in the form of stubby blue limbs as well as its large round head. It also has a tail in the same blue color as its head and limbs but it's shaped more like a swirling, stylized wave of water.
Behavior
Squirtle is a very defensive and reactive Pokemon, this is shown both in its Pokedex entries and in its anime appearances. The clearest form of this defensive personalization is best shown in its first appearance in the anime where a Squirtle, soon to be Ash’s Squirtle, is the leader of a Squirtle gang called the Squirtle Squad who all put on a cool and intimidating act in a more abstract form of defense. Their shell defends them physically and their acts defends them socially.
Prominence
Below you can see where this Pokemon has been featured and what roles it has played.
Gary’s Squirtle
In episode 004 Challenge of the Samurai Gary’s Squirtle is seen battling and defeating a Samurai’s Metapod. It was also present in a flashback in episode 001 of the original series when Professor Oak explained to Ash that Squirtle had already been taken. Later in episode 269, The Ties that Bind Gary’s Squirtle was shown to have already evolved into a Blastoise.
Ash’s Squirtle
The protagonist of the Pokemon Series encountered his first Squirtle in episode 012 of the original series Here Comes the Squirtle Squad. In this episode, Ash won the respect of a rogue Squirtle who wanted to travel with Ash. This Squirtle was also seen in episode 147 of the Ruby and Sapphire season, The Fire-ring Squad!. Here Ash’s Squirtle was seen in battle against Brandon, chief of the Battle Frontier’s Battle Pyramid.
May’s Squirtle
May’s Squirtle was first seen in the Ruby and Sapphire season of the anime with episode 133, The Right Place and the Right Mime. She received the Squirtle from Professor Oak and it was seen performing in various contests throughout the season.
Where to Find Squirtle?
Below you can find where Squirtle can be captured or encountered.
In Pokemon Moon
Unfortunately, there is no natural way to encounter Squirtle in Pokemon Moon. You will need to use the Pokemon Home app or utilize trade features in order to use Squirtle in the generation seven games. However, you can encounter Squirtle, in Seaward Cave (Island Scan) found on Melemele island, on Mondays.
In Pokemon Sword
To find a Squirtle in Pokemon Sword will require the use of outside influence like trade or the Pokemon Home app. There is no natural spawn for Squirtle in Pokemon Sword. You will need to use trading features or transfer one of your own Squirtles up into Pokemon Sword to play with Squirtle.
In Pokemon Let’s Go
In both of the Let’s Go games, you can find Squirtle on Route 24 and 25, Seafoam Islands, and in Vermillion City. If you speak to Police Officer Jenny standing near the Pokemon center, she will give you a Squirtle. It is a rare spawn to see Squirtle out in the wild on Seafoam islands or on routes.
In Pokemon Fire Red
In Pokemon Fire Red, the only way to obtain a Squirtle is to pick Squirtle as your starter Pokemon. You can of course trade from generation to generation, but Squirtle 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 Squirtle 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
Being only a single type, Squirtle’s strengths and weaknesses are easy to remember, especially because the water type is one that has very intuitive matchups. Squirtle is strong against fire, water, ice and steel type moves, taking half damage when attacked by these moves. Conversely, it’s weak to electric and grass type moves which deal double damage to the poor turtle Pokemon.
Squirtle Squad
The Squirtle Squad is a group of Squirtles which appear in the Pokemon anime original series episode ‘Here Comes the Squirtle Squad.’ All the Pokemon in the Squirtle Squad were abandoned by their trainers, and because of this, the Squirtle Squad is very defensive and emotionally closed off. They all have an ‘independant tough guy’ act which is a common response to abandonment and the Squirtle Squad shows off how much the anime focuses on the emotional state of the Pokemon it portrays.
Shiny Squirtle
Shiny Squirtle is a rare find and, like most shinies, are most commonly seen in Pokemon Go. Shiny Squirtle and other shiny Pokemon are incredibly rare to find in the wild but Pokemon Go features many special events which increase the rates of shiny Pokemon and shiny Pokemon, including Shiny Squirtle, are more common in Pokemon Go in general. Shiny Squirtle has only a small color change from its normal form, being a lighter blue than a normal Squirtle.
Ash’s Squirtle
Ash’s Squirtle was a member of the Squirtle Squad. In fact, it was the leader of the Squirtle Squad. The boss of a bunch of abandoned Pokemon whose job it was to make sure they relied on each other rather than a trainer. While Ash did befriend this Pokemon and it soon became Ash’s Squirtle instead of just a Squirtle. However, Ash’s Squirtle could never forget its roots and it eventually left Ash to rejoin the Squirtle Squad.
Best Moveset for Squirtle
While Squirtle is a weak Pokemon unevolved, it can still have a strong Moveset, especially when paired with an Eviolite item.
| Muddy Water | Shell Smash |
| Skull Bash | Icy Wind |
How to Catch Squirtle in Pokemon Go?
Squirtle is relatively common in Pokemon Go. Not quite as common as your normal types who appear everywhere but if you hang around a body of water for long enough you’re sure to find a few Squirtle.
Trivia
Squirtle’s evolved forms, Bastoise and Wartortle, were designed first and used as inspiration for the design of Squirtle.
Niue, an Island Country in the South Pacific Ocean, made a commemorative one dollar coin featuring Squirtle on it.
In the anime, a Squirtle appears in a total of four different trainer’s teams, being owned by Ash, May, Gary, and Tierno.
FAQs
Is Squirtle a squirrel turtle?
While Squirtle is clearly turtle inspired, its curled tail may imply an inspiration from a squirrel’s curled tail but this is less clear.
What is Squirtle’s hidden ability?
Squirtle’s hidden ability is Rain Dish, which refills 1/16th of the Pokemon’s health every turn during rain.
What happens to Ash’s Squirtle?
In the original series episode ‘The Fire-ring Squad!’, Ash’s Squirtle decides to leave Ash and return to its friends in the Squirtle Squad. There was a reappearance of this Squirtle in the Ruby and Sapphire series where it returned to help Ash fight Brandon but hasn’t returned since.
Conclusion
Squirtle may not be powerful yet, but it sure is endearing and it evolves easily into quite a powerful Pokemon. While Charizard may be incredibly popular, Squirtle can still compete and that can be confirmed in a number of ways, but possibly best when realizing that Squirtle and Charizard stand side by side in Super Smash Brothers as the representatives of the Pokemon series.
