Bulbasaur

Last updated: 2026-06-03

Bulbasaur Overview

Bulbasaur is a Grass/Poison-type Pokemon introduced in Generation 1 in the Kanto region. It holds the distinction of being the first Pokemon in the National Pokedex at #001. Bulbasaur is one of three starter Pokemon offered to new trainers in Professor Oak's lab, alongside Charmander and Squirtle. It evolves into Ivysaur starting at level 16 and then into Venusaur at level 32.

Bulbasaur is a small, quadrupedal Pokemon with turquoise-green skin, darker green patches, and a plant bulb on its back. The bulb grows throughout Bulbasaur's life, absorbing sunlight for photosynthesis. As Bulbasaur evolves, the bulb blossoms into a large flower. Its Grass/Poison typing gives it resistances to Grass, Electric, Water, and Fairy moves, but leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Psychic, Flying, and Ice.

Battle Strategy

Bulbasaur is rarely used in competitive play at its base form, but Venusaur is a top-tier threat. Bulbasaur in Little Cup can be effective with a Swords Dance or Growth set, but generally outclassed by other Grass-types. The key to using the Bulbasaur line effectively is understanding its evolution's strengths.

Venusaur has two primary competitive sets. The first is a sun sweeper with Chlorophyll, which doubles its Speed in harsh sunlight. Under sun, Venusaur outruns almost everything and fires off Growth-boosted Solar Beams and Weather Ball (which becomes Fire-type in sun). This set was dominant in VGC 2020 when paired with Mega Charizard Y or Torkoal.

The second set is a bulky tank using Thick Fat as its Hidden Ability (or Mega Venusaur's ability). Mega Venusaur gains Thick Fat, which halves damage from Fire and Ice moves, removing two of its biggest weaknesses. With Synthesis, Leech Seed, Sludge Bomb, and Giga Drain, Mega Venusaur becomes an incredibly durable special wall that can recover HP steadily.

Evolution Chain

Competitive Usage

Venusaur, the final evolution of Bulbasaur, is a top-tier competitive Pokemon in formats where its abilities shine. In Generation 9 OU, Venusaur sees usage on sun teams, outpacing the entire metagame under sun with Chlorophyll. Mega Venusaur was a premier defensive Pokemon in Generations 6 and 7 UU and OU, with Thick Fat giving it only three weaknesses (Psychic, Flying, and Psychic). Common checks to Venusaur include specially defensive Heatran (which resists Grass and takes neutral from Weather Ball), Corviknight (immune to Leech Seed), and Tapu Lele (Psychic Terrain blocking priority and hitting hard with Psychic).

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