Introduced in generation four as the grass type representative starter, Torterrra is a dual type ground and grass Pokemon. Unfortunately for fans of the grass type starter lines, Torterra has not proven to be a strong pick for any team. Since Torterra’s inclusion, in the middle of the franchise’s currently released games, it has not aged well with the new releases. While its competitive battle capabilities are not the best, its design has been the subject of awe among fans of the franchise. This guide will showcase Torterra’s appearances in the anime, its capabilities in battle, as well as other general facts about Torterra.
About Torterra
Torterra first made an appearance in the Diamond and Pearl season of the Pokemon series with the episode The Fleeing Tower of Sunyshore!. Luckily for fans of Torterra, Ash had kept Torterra on his team while exploring the Sinnoh region. Despite being the final evolution of the grass type starter of generation four, it is not particularly powerful in any regard. It evolves from Grotle at level 32 and is the final evolution of Turtwig. Perhaps the best selling point of Torterra is in its design. The Pokedex states that smaller Pokemon will occasionally gather on its back to begin living with Torterra.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Diamond and Pearl The Fleeing Tower of Sunyshore! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Diamond and Pearl |
| Region | Sinnoh |
| Evolution | Final Evolution of Turtwig, evolves from Grotle |
| 1st Evo level | 18 |
| 2nd Evo level | 32 |
| Pokedex Entry | Small Pokémon occasionally gather on its unmoving back to begin building their nests. |
Torterra Base Stats
| HP | 95 |
| ATTACK | 109 |
| DEFENCE | 105 |
| SP. ATTACK | 75 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 85 |
| SPEED | 56 |
| TOTAL | 525 |
Appearance
One of the most interesting Pokemon in terms of its scale, Torterra is quite massive. While most of the media did not fully capture the absolutely massive scale that Torterra exhibits, the movie Detective Pikachu features giant masses of land that are actually Torterra migrating. At 7 feet and 3 inches, or 2.2 meters tall, it seems that even official designers of the games have trouble determining exactly how large they want Torterra to seem. Torterra is a large turtle with what appears to be its own island on its back, sporting a fully grown tree growing off its back as well.
Behavior
The Pokedex refers to Torterra as a migratory Pokemon, constantly in search of water. While it moves, many people of the Pokemon universe mistake Torterra for a moving forest. While Torterra’s scale is not fully clear, it is large enough that some Pokemon are born on Torterra’s back and spend their entire life with Torterra. For the scale of the anime, it is used as a bulky grass representative in battle.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Torterra is one of those Pokemon that look intimidating but there is nothing within its stat spread or moveset that sets it apart from other Pokemon. It has a respectable physical attack and defense stat, with a decent health pool to back it up, but unfortunately it is just outclassed by other Pokemon. Torterra did not age well with the release of newer generations and with a 2x weakness to flying, bug, and fire type moves it has not been utilized in competitive environments often. Torterra also suffers from a 4x weakness to ice type moves, so there is not much to say about Torterra’s strengths and much more to say about its weaknesses.
Mega Torterra
While Mega Torterra would be a welcome addition to help Torterra’s inclusion in newer generations, Mega Torterra does not exist in any of the mainline games. Torterra’s statline is just barely not good enough to make the cutoff into usable, and the 100 stat boost of Mega Torterra would certainly push it over the edge. Unfortunately, it does not seem like Mega Torterra will ever be released into the game as the developers are moving away from mega evolutions entirely.
Best Moveset
Torterra’s one moment in the spotlight was within its own generation in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Here, Torterra is powerful enough to be placed in the UU (Under Used) tier, but any newer generation sees it weak enough to warrant being placed in untiered. To have the best time playing Torterra, consider running it in generation four brackets. In terms of moveset, you will want Rock Polish, Earthquake, Wood Hammer/Seed Bomb, and Stone Edge. Rock Polish gives it the chance to sweep in the first place, Earthquake benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Wood Hammer and Seed Bomb are interchangeable as Torterra’s primary grass move, and Stone Edge can help cover its weaknesses against flying Pokemon. To give your Torterra the best chance to One Hit KO opponent’s Pokemon, you will want to use a Life Orb as its held item.
| Rock Polish | Earthquake |
| Wood Hammer/Seed Bomb | Stone Edge |
How to Catch Torterra in Pokemon Go
If you want to obtain a Torterra in Pokemon Go, your best bet will be obtaining enough Turtwigs to eventually evolve into Torterra. You can find Turtwigs anywhere you can find grass type Pokemon spawning. Parks, hiking trails, and garden locations will give you the best chance at getting a Turtwig to spawn. Since it is part of a starter line, it is more uncommon than other spawns, but still not too bad to locate. In order to evolve your Turtwig into Grotle, you will need 25 Turtwig candies, and another 100 candies in order to evolve it into Torterra. If you want to skip this process, Torterra has appeared as a tier four raid boss in the past. Keep your eyes peeled for a Torterra raid near you to skip the candy grind.
Trivia
- Torterra is one of the few Pokemon to share an epithet with a legendary Pokemon. Both Torterra and Groudon are both known as the continent Pokemon.
- While Torterra is not particularly powerful in battle, it does sport a unique type combination of grass and ground. This type combination is not found with any other Pokemon in the games.
- The name Torterra is a portmanteau of the words tortoise and terra (Latin for ground).
FAQ
Why is Torterra weak?
While Torterra is not particularly weak looking at its base stat totals, it is simply outclassed by many other Pokemon. If you need a grass type Pokemon, there are faster and more offensive options and some of the strongest Pokemon in the game are ground type. Its stat distribution just means that it does not fit any particular role perfectly and other options are more powerful.
Is Mega Torterra real?
Mega Torterra is not official in any of the mainline games. This means you cannot encounter a Mega Torterra in any of the official Nintendo released games. There are certainly some fangames where Mega Torterra exists, but in terms of the actual franchise, Mega Torterra is not real.
Is Torterra a Good Pokemon?
As explained above, Torterra is just simply outclassed by other Pokemon. It does not excel at anything in particular and just about any other reasonable candidate can likely pull off what Torterra is capable of, but better. Torterra is not a particularly strong Pokemon, but do not let that dissuade you from running Torterra on your team in casual Pokemon playthroughs.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this continent Pokemon. Torterra is one of those Pokemon that did not do well with age. With newer Pokemon being released, crazier strategies, and more access to powerful tools, Torterra just could not stand the test of time. While its competitive battling is relatively limited, Torterra’s design does wonders for the world building of Pokemon. Its design is quite literally a living continent that is large enough to house some Pokemon for the extent of their lives. While its value in battle is not particularly high, Torterra is a welcome addition to the franchise.
