Squirtle

Squirtle
File:7squirtle.png National Pokédex Charizard - Squirtle (#007) - Wartortle Johto Pokédex Charizard - Squirtle (#232) - Wartortle
Japanese name	Zenigame
Evolves from	None
Evolves into	Wartortle
Generation	First
Species	Tiny turtle Pokémon
Type	Water
Height	1 ft 8 in (0.5 m)
Weight	19.8 pounds (9.0 kg)
Ability	Torrent

Squirtle (ゼニガメ, Zenigame in original Japanese language versions) is one of the Template:Pokenum fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. Squirtle is most famous for being one of the three Pokémon players can choose from at the beginning of their adventure in the Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue (as well as the remakes of these Pokémon Fire Red and Pokémon LeafGreen) versions of the Pokémon series. Its main purpose in the games, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both "wild" Pokémon, which are untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and "tamed" Pokémon that are owned by Pokémon trainers.

The name Squirtle is a portmanteau of squirt, its primary battle technique with water, and turtle. Alternatively, the name could be a fusion of the words squirrel and turtle, as Squirtle has a squirrel-like tail. Its Japanese name, Zenigame, literally translates to pond turtle (銭亀, zenigame).

Squirtle, and its evolutions Wartortle at level 16 and Blastoise at level 36, are often overlooked in general because of their very broad Water-typing, ranked below powerful Pokémon such as Suicune or Water dual-types, such as Lapras, Lanturn or Kingdra. Squirtle also appears frequently in the Pokémon anime, as one of the Pokémon obtained by Ash Ketchum, the protagonist of the series. According to Time magazine, Squirtle was considered one of the “more popular” in the original series.

Biological characteristics

The Pokédex, a fictional Pokémon encyclopedia, says that Squirtle are small, bipedal, blue turtles with brown shells and distinctive clublike tails. Shortly after birth, their backs swell and harden to make them more resilient towards attacks; most objects will bounce right off a Squirtle’s shell when force is applied. The shell’s rounded shape and the grooves on its surface also allow Squirtle to swim at high speeds with minimal resistance. When feeling threatened, Squirtle withdraw their limbs and their long necks into their shells and spray water from their mouth with great force, either to attack their opponent or merely to intimidate it. This ability is also used to stun prey while hunting.

Video games

One of the things consistent among most of the Pokémon games—spanning from Pokémon Red and Blue on the Nintendo Game Boy to the Nintendo DS games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl—is the choice of three different Pokémon at the start of the player's adventures; these three are often labelled "Starter Pokémon". Players can choose a Water-type, a Fire-type, or a Grass-type Pokémon indigenous to the region; an exception to this rule is Pokémon Yellow (a remake of the original games that follows the story of the Pokémon anime), where players are given a Pikachu—an Electric-type mouse famous for being the mascot of the Pokémon media franchise.

In the original titles (Pokémon Red and Blue) as well as their remakes, (FireRed and LeafGreen), Squirtle is the Water-type Starter Pokémon offered to the player at the beginning of their adventure, along with Charmander, the Fire-type choice, and Bulbasaur, the grass-type choice. When an individual takes a Squirtle, the rival trainer will invariably choose Bulbasaur, as Bulbasaur has a type-advantage over Squirtle: Bulbasaur’s Grass attacks are particularly effective against Squirtle's water-type.

In the next game, Pokémon Yellow, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle are not available from the start, as all three have already been taken by other trainers; instead, the player starts with a Pikachu. Squirtle becomes available later in the game, as a gift from an NPC (an Officer Jenny in Vermilion City after beating the Gym Leader, Lt. Surge). This progression is much closer to the storyline of the anime. The three original starters are not available in any of the other games in the series (except serving the same purpose in the enhanced remakes FireRed and LeafGreen). However, Squirtle is one of the random Pokémon available in Pokémon Stadium as a prize for defeating all of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members, the highest level of competition in the game. Squirtle are never found in the wild, and because of their rarity, are a popular choice for in-game breeding and trading with other players.

As a Water-type Pokémon, Squirtle has an advantage over the Pokémon of the first Gym Leader (Brock, who specializes in the Rock type), but has a stalemate type-wise with Misty’s Pokémon, and is vulnerable to the Electric and Grass assaults of Lt. Surge and Erika. Its final evolution, Blastoise, is a powerful Water Pokémon which would probably be more notable if not for the large number of Water-type species in the games.

Squirtle also appears in the Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap, in the Valley area. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, a fighting game starring well-known Nintendo characters, Squirtle has a minor cameo, appearing as a trophy which the player can acquire through the in-game by spending coins, known as “Smash Coins”, earned while playing. SSBM players can also get a Squirtle Trophy during the "Snag Trophies" event in the Classic Stage. It can also be seen in the same game as one of the giant balloons that players use as platforms in the Poke Floats arena. Squirtle is the host of the shopping network in the Nintendo GameCube game, Pokémon Channel.

Blue & Red Rescue Team

Squirtle is one of the sixteen characters you can start with in Mystery Dungeon.To be him you have to score jolly in the personality test if a boy, and relaxed if a girl.

In the Pokémon anime

File:Squirtle anime.png

Squirtle as featured in the Pokémon anime.

For some time, Ash Ketchum had a Squirtle on his team. Previously abandoned by another trainer, it had joined up with four other Squirtle to form a criminal gang called the Squirtle Squad (Zenigame-gundan), breaking with the “cute” image pervading the popular perception of this Pokémon. However, the Squirtle Squad were mostly harmless, playing pranks rather than actually harming people. When the Squirtle Squad wound up saving a nearby town from a forest fire (after a vain attempt from Meowth to make them turn to evil by claiming that Team Rocket and Ash were his “pets”), the Squirtle Squad became the firefighting Pokémon of the town – without their leader, however, as it had decided to go with Ash. Squirtle accompanied Ash for much of his journey through Kanto, the Orange Islands, and parts of Johto before rejoining the Squirtle Squad, whose confidence and firefighting prowess had greatly diminished without a leader. As its trainer loyalties lie clearly with Ash, it returned to battle at Ash’s side briefly in the Johto League Silver Conference, accompanied by Officer Jenny.

Ash’s Squirtle has a “tough guy” personality, and sometimes wears a pair of dark glasses (particularly in its capacity as the Squirtle Squad’s leader) which at other times are apparently hidden inside its shell. Squirtle is often characterised as a “act first and think later” character (contrasting with its friends Pikachu and Bulbasaur). Its Water Gun attack is quick and precise, often hitting the same place on a target with consecutive attacks, even if it is upside-down in mid-air. Its Skull Bash attack turns its whole body into a projectile, and is used as a convenient means of escape should it wind up inverted. Squirtle’s best friend is Ash’s Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur was the most reluctant to say goodbye to Squirtle when it left to rejoin the Squirtle Squad, but even as they followed their separate paths their friendship never died.

Various Squirtle have been seen in Professor Oak’s lab. Recently, a small baby individual took a particular shine to May, and it joined her team when she and Ash went to the Battle Frontier.

Ash's Squirtle returned in the episode "Gathering the Gang of Four", where it met May's Squirtle, and was able to defeat Brandon's Ninjask, but lost to his Solrock.

Although it was only shown once in a flashback "Challenge Of The Samurai!", Gary Oak also started out with a Squirtle, which, ironically, was the Pokémon that Ash had first decided to pick.

On one episode of the Kanto region, a Blastoise was made to fall asleep by a Jigglypuff. This Blastoise was a leader of many Wartortle and Squirtle.

Another Squirtle is the protagonist of the half-hour animated special, "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out Of The Gate!". Not technically a Pokémon, this Squirtle is originally a human who, for unknown reasons, has been turned into a Pokémon. He is found by a Charmander and made part of the Pokémon Rescue team, Team Go-Getters. Despite his lack of knowledge about being a Pokémon, Squirtle is more than happy to be part of the team. At first, his attempts to use the Water Gun attack resulted in the much weaker Bubble attack; eventually, however, he is able to use the Water Gun successfully to defeat a vicious Skarmory. This Squirtle is naive and inexperienced, but he is also quite kind and will do what he needs to in order to protect his friends.

Squirtle is voiced by Rikako Aikawa in the original Japanese version, and Eric Stuart in the English version.

Squirtle and his evolutions specifically have moves and behavior in the anime that is directly linked to the movie monster Gamera. Their Rapid Spin technique is identical to Gamera's as they pull into their shell and fly, spinning like a flying saucer, through the air.

In Pokémon manga

Green, called Blue in the original Japanese edition, the original female protagonist in the Pokémon Adventures, (a manga series based on the original games) stole a Squirtle from Professor Oak's laboratory. It was not seen until Chapter 15, "Wartortle Wars", by which point it had evolved into a Wartortle, nicknamed Turtley, which she used to try and escape from another trainer, Red, chasing her.

Green then joined with Red, who received a Bulbasaur from Professor Oak, and Blue, who received a Charmander, to defeat the Team Rocket strong hold of Saffron City, using Turtley to defeat Sabrina's Kadabra in Chapter 32, "A Little Kadabra’ll do it", and to destroy Team Rocket's Zapmolcuno (a merged form of Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno) in Chapter 33, "The Winged Legends", destroying their control on Saffron City, splitting the three birds in the process.

Turtley then was used by Green in Chapter 39, "Just a Spearow Carrier", in the ninth Pokémon League semi-final, against "Doctor O", a pseudonym of Professor Oak. Doctor O originally battled Green's Jigglypuff, using Agility to escape its Sing attack. As Spearow flies high into the air, Professor Oak releases a Dodrio and a Pidgeot, remembering that Green has a fear of birds, being kidnapped by one at a young age. Green knows that despite not having any Flying-type Pokémon, she can still battle in the air. She releases Turtley, ordering it to use Hydro Pump, launching itself into the air. Doctor O commands Spearow to use Mirror Move, knocking out Turtley and winning the match.

In the Pokémon: Pikachu Shocks Back manga, which loosely parallel the storyline of the anime, when Pikachu is separated from Ash temporarily it meets a cynical Squirtle, who believes Ash has abandoned Pikachu. Together they travel (with a Bulbasaur and a Charmander) to a secret Pokémon village in the mountains. Later, Ash has caught a Squirtle of his own, which he uses to battle Team Rocket. It accompanies Ash thought his journeys in the Orange Islands, and is instrumental in defeating Rudy. Squirtle eventually fights on Ash’s team in the final showdown with Drake, the Orange Crew Supreme Gymleader, but it is dispatched by Drake’s Dragonite.

In Magical Pokémon Journey, a male Squirtle befriends Almond and seems to regard him as a brother.

Pokémon Trading Card Game

File:Squirtle tcg.jpg

Squirtle in the Pokémon Trading Card Game (Base Set).

The Pokémon Trading Card Game is a collectible card game similar in goal to a Pokémon battle in the video game series; players must use cards (with individual strengths and weaknesses) in an attempt to defeat their opponent by "knocking out" all of his cards. The game was first published in North America by Wizards of the Coast in 1999, until Nintendo USA started publishing the series in 2003.

In this capacity, Squirtle was among the first Pokémon cards with which players became acquainted. Most Squirtle cards are typical, Basic Pokémon cards, and are primarily used to play stronger cards (such as Stage-1 Pokémon, like Raichu, or Stage-2 Pokémon, like Charizard). Squirtle cards have appeared in the Base Set (and Base Set 2 and Legendary Collection), Team Rocket, Expedition (2 cards), Team Magma vs. Team Aqua, EX FireRed & LeafGreen (2 cards) sets. Many Squirtle cards employ chance, in the form of coin flipping, to paralyze the opponent, a special condition that forces the Defending Pokémon to not attack or retreat for one turn.

Squirtle in other media

In an episode of The Norm MacDonald Show, Norm uses a Squirtle to battle a kid's Pikachu. Notably, this Squirtle claims "I have a rash, and it hurts when I squirtle."

On Robot Chicken, a Squirtle appears with a Pikachu, and after Pikachu spoke using only his name, Squirtle began with his name but changed his mind and cursed in English at his anger that they only speak their names.

References

• The following games and their instruction manuals: Pokémon Red and Blue; Pokémon Yellow; Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2; Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

Notes

Publications

• Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
• Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Snap Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 1999. ASIN B000CDZP9G
• Nintendo Power. Super Smash Bros. Melee Official Nintendo Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 2001. ISBN 1-930206-19-4
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed Version & Pokémon LeafGreen Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
• Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4

Manga volumes

• Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Pikachu Shocks Back Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, December 6 1999. ISBN 1-56931-411-X
• Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Electric Pikachu Boogaloo Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, April 5 2000. ISBN 1-56931-436-5
• Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Surf’s Up, Pikachu Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, June 2000. ISBN 1-56931-494-2
• Kusaka, Hidenori, & Mato. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 2: Legendary Pokémon. VIZ Media LLC, December 6 2000. ISBN 1-56931-508-6
• Kusaka, Hidenori, & Mato. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 3: Saffron City Siege. VIZ Media LLC, August 5 2001. ISBN 1-56931-560-4

DVDs

• Pokémon, Vol. 9 - Fashion Victims Viz Video., September 199. ASIN B00000JSIA

External links

• Official Pokémon website
• Bulbapedia’s article about Ash’s Squirtle
• Bulbapedia’s article about May’s Squirtle
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