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Bulbasaur (フシギダネ Fushigidane in Japanese, Bisasam in German and Bulbizarre in French) is a fictional character from the Pokémon franchise. Bulbasaur, a Template:PokemonType/Template:PokemonType-type Pokémon, is one of the first Pokémon a player can have in the first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Blue; Bulbasaur is also a commonly appearing Pokémon in the Pokémon anime. According to CNN and Time magazine, Bulbasaur is considered one of the "lead critters" in the series.

The name Bulbasaur is a portmanteau of "bulb" (from the large bulb on its back) and "sauros" (Greek for "lizard"), creating a name similar to dinosaur. Fushigidane (フシギダネ), the Japanese name for Bulbasaur, is a portmanteau of ふしぎ (fushigi, "mystery") and たね (tane, "seed"). Its French name is Bulbizarre, a portmanteau of bulbe and bizarre. Its German name, Bisasam, comes from the German word, bisam which means musquash.

Appearance

Bulbasaur is a small, squat lizard that moves on all fours. Its body coloration is light green with darker green spots. A Bulbasaur is born without a bulb on its back; instead, it bears a seed which soon grows into a large, floral bulb as the Bulbasaur matures. The bulb can absorb solar energy in order to supply Bulbasaur with nutrients and will grow bigger if it is exposed to sunlight; for this reason, Bulbasaur enjoys taking naps in the sunlit daytime. When in battle, the solar energy that has been stored in the bulb can be used to launch a powerful Solar Beam attack. The bulb also holds seeds that can be launched at an enemy in order to sap health from them in an attack called Leech Seed. Bulbasaur is also able to release two vines from the bulb, which are powerful enough to support a large amount of weight.

In the video games

In the first-generation Pokémon games (Red, Green, and Blue) and the remakes of them (FireRed and LeafGreen), Bulbasaur is one of the three Pokémon, along with Charmander and Squirtle, that the player may choose as his or her first (or "starter") Pokémon. If the player chooses Bulbasaur, the player's rival will invariably choose Charmander, since Charmander has a type advantage over Bulbasaur.

In the next game, Pokémon Yellow, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle are not available from the start as the three of them had already been taken by other trainers; instead, the player starts with Pikachu. Bulbasaur becomes available later in the game as a gift from a Pokémon breeder. This progression much closer to the storyline in the anime. The three original starters, Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur, are not available in any of the other games in the series. However, Bulbasaur is one of the random Pokémon available in Pokémon Stadium as a prize after defeating all the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members. Bulbasaur also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. The player can acquire it through the internal lottery by putting in the Smash Coins earned whilst playing the game.

As Bulbasaur is a grass/poison type, his attacks are particularly effective against ground, rock and water Pokémon, but psychic, fire and flying attacks are particularly effective against it. Poison and grass attacks do little damage to Bulbasaur and Bulbasaur does little damage to other grass and poison types. All other types have no particular advantage over Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur is therefore considered a good first for beginners, as the first two Gym Leaders (Brock and Misty) use rock and water Pokémon respectively. Also, the third and fourth Gym Leaders (Lt. Surge and Erika) use electric and grass Pokémon, and so have no advantage in battle against Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur's reasonably high Special Attack and Special Defense statistics mean that it has strong grass and poison attacks (such as Vine Whip and Razor Leaf) and is strong when attacked with these sorts of attacks. However, its hit points and Physical attacks are quite poor, so Bulbasaur's attacks that involve physical contact are weaker. Nevertheless, Bulbasaur evolves, at level 16, into Ivysaur and then, at level 32, into Venusaur. Venusaur's statistics are all well above average, so the fact that Bulbasaur's statistics are relatively poor is less important.

In the anime

Several Bulbasaur have appeared throughout the anime, although only two as major characters. Pokémon's main character, Ash Ketchum, owns a Bulbasaur through much of the series. Another main character, May, also acquired a Bulbasaur. To evolve, Bulbasaur from all around the world gather in a single place, at which point the bulb on Bulbasaur's back glows and flower suddenly. Humans had never witnessed the ceremony until Ash and his companions saw it.

Ash's Bulbasaur has been around longer than all of his other Pokémon with the exception of Pikachu. Before joining Ash's team, Bulbasaur lived with a girl named Melanie, who took care of abandoned Pokémon. It is unclear whether or not Bulbasaur has been abandoned, but it is shown that Melanie was not its trainer, since Ash is able to catch it after a battle, and characters cannot catch other trainers' Pokémon. Originally, Bulbasaur is pessimistic about Ash, and when Bulbasaur and Ash's other Pokémon are separated from Ash and company, Bulbasaur insists to the other Pokémon that Ash has abandoned them. However, after that episode, Bulbasaur's loyalties begin to improve and Bulbasaur later becomes one of Ash's most loyal Pokémon.

Pokémon Trainers can carry a maximum of 6 Pokémon in their active roster at any one time. Bulbasaur remains on Ash's active roster for much of the series, but was later left with Professor Oak, after other Pokémon in his care start fighting amongst themselves. Bulbasaur is the only Pokémon able to break up these fights, and the fights would resume if Bulbasaur were to leave.

As with many other Pokémon in the anime, Bulbasaur's gender is unknown, but is commonly believed to be male. Bulbasaur typically has a relaxed attitude, rarely being provoked. This is in contrast to its teammate Squirtle, who tends to act rashly in similar situations. Like Pikachu, Bulbasaur has decided it will be best if it does not evolve. Although this decision is not accepted by other Bulbasaur (and evolved forms thereof), it has been a decision that the other Bulbasaur have come to accept.

In the grass field battle of the Indigo League tournament, Bulbasaur defeats two of the opponent's three Pokémon (a Beedrill and a Scyther) by itself, despite rarely fighting as part of Ash's team. Later it is used in the Johto Silver Conference, where it is able to defeat a particularly strong shiny Magneton, and then in the same match duel a freshly rested Meganium to a draw. He also takes part in the Orange League tournament on Ash's team, but in battle is quickly defeated by a more experienced Electabuzz, being the only one on the team to not defeat at least one of the leader's Pokémon. It is one of only two of Ash's Pokémon team members (the other being Snorlax) to appear in the Advanced Generation series. Template:Inote

A Bulbasaur is also the fourth Pokémon caught by May during her Hoenn adventures. While travelling in the Forbidden Forest (a grass Pokémon reserve), she meets Bulbasaur trying to pick flowers. Bulbasaur warmed to her and defended her against the other grass Pokémon, who saw her as a threat. Before May left, Bulbasaur decided to stay with her. In the Japanese version, it is voiced by Miyako Itō. Because of the heart-shaped marks on this Bulbasaur's forehead, it is commonly believed to be female. Like May's other Pokémon, it is a contest Pokémon and therefore it is taught the Petal Dance attack later on in the series. Template:Inote

In other media

Bulbasaur appears in two mangas: Pokémon Adventures and Magical Pokémon Journey. In Pokémon Adventures, Red, the protagonist of the series, receives a Bulbasaur from Professor Oak. In Magical Pokémon Journey, a character named Pistachio has a female Bulbasaur (nicknamed Danerina in the Japanese version), who has a crush on him.

In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Bulbasaur was among the first Pokémon cards with which players were acquainted. Bulbasaur cards have appeared in the Base Set (and Base Set 2 and Legendary Collection), Gym Challenge (as Erika's Bulbasaur), Expedition (two cards), EX Team Magma vs. Team Aqua, EX Firered & Leafgreen (two cards) and POP Series 2. Considering the notability and popularity of Bulbasaur, the Pokémon had relatively few appearances early in the cards' series. In particular, in the Rocket set, there were Charmander and Squirtle cards, but no Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur began to make more frequent appearances in the recent expansions, starting with the Expedition set.

In Japan, McDonald's included Bulbasaur as one of a series of promotional Pokémon cards given away with their Happy Meals. McDonald's did not, however, bring this idea outside Japan. Instead, a rival company, Burger King, took up the idea: their "Power Cards" included a Bulbasaur, alongside Elekid, Charmander, Meowth, Kingler, Snorlax, Lapras, Scyther, Articuno and Pikachu in "Assortment 3".

In a Guardian newspaper satire about Ken Livingstone Mayor of London, the writer describes Bulbasaur as one of the Pokémon Ken wants to trade.

A computer worm named BULBASAUR (also known as BAT_BULBASAUR, VBS_BULBASAUR, HTML_BULBASAUR and VBS.Saur.A) is believed to have appeared in July 2000, and is generally described as a low-risk threat.

Notes

1. "Pokémon banished from another playground," CNN, October 5, 1999; "PokéMania," Time Asia (URL accessed on December 29, 2005).
2. "Guides:Super Smash Bros. Melee," IGN.com. URL last accessed on December 29, 2005.
3. "McDonalds's Pokemon Series I & II," Rita's Pokemon Store. URL last accessed on December 29, 2005.
4. "I'm in the Inner Circle," Ken Livingstone, May 12, 2000.
5. "Worm entry in Symantec". Symantec. January 8. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
6. "Worm entry in Trend Micro". Trend Micro. January 8. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

References

Template:Explain-inote

Books

• Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0439154049.
• Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 130206151.

Websites

• "Statistical analysis of Bulbasaur". PsyPoke. December 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "Individual animé episode summaries". Serebii.net. December 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "May's Bulbasaur". Bulbagarden.net. January 1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

External links

2. Part 2

• Bulbapedia, a Pokémon-centric Wiki's article about Bulbasaur as a species.
  • Bulbapedia's article about Ash's Bulbasaur.
  • Bulbapedia's article about May's Bulbasaur.
• Pokémon Dungeon, full of statistics analysis.