Biology
Physiology
Squirtle is a light blue bipedal turtle with its most notable feature being the hard shell on its back. This shell forms and hardens on its back after birth. It could perhaps be distantly related to some other turtle-like Pokémon, such as Torkoal and Turtwig, but Squirtle seems to only be closely related to its evolutions.
Squirtle's shell is an extremely helpful defensive tool. It can withdraw into the shell to block physical attacks. Its smooth, hard shell and head also aid it in other ways, such as minimizing its resistance in water to increase its swimming speed, and allowing it to launch attacks like Rapid Spin and Skull Bash.
Squirtle is a natural-born swimmer. However, due to its size, it's easier for it to transport something small (like a Pikachu) than to carry its Trainer.
Its jaws may not look like much, but they are strong enough that a Squirtle can learn to use a Bite attack.
Squirtle's tail resembles a squirrel's tail, which allows it to use moves such as Tail Whip and Aqua Tail.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Squirtle can spray water from its mouth. At first, it may only be able to spray foam and bubbles, but with time it can learn to spray water jets like Water Gun and Hydro Pump. If it withdraws, it can still spray water out the holes in its shell.
It can also be easily taught Template:Type2 moves like Ice Beam and Blizzard.
Behavior
Squirtle are scarce in the wild. Most are domestic Pokémon, raised to be distributed as starters by Professor Oak. As such, they are regarded as well-behaved Pokémon. They are not regarded as the easiest or hardest for a Trainer to raise, since they are not as mild-mannered and easy as Bulbasaur but they are not as rash and hard as Charmander and its evolutions.
They are very loyal to their groups, but they get along better with other Pokémon than with humans, and can sometimes have a bit of an attitude towards humans. It is far from uncommon for them to start or join larger groups, such as the Squirtle Squad in Here Comes the Squirtle Squad and a civilization of Squirtle and its evolutions in Beach Blank-Out Blastoise.
Habitat
Squirtle are scarce in the wild. Sometimes they can be found living on secluded islands in the ocean or swimming in the rivers of deep canyons, but their chief habitat seems to be small freshwater ponds and lakes. Overall they are found far more often in urban settings, usually in the ownership of Trainers. Kanto is the most likely place to find them.
Diet
- Main article: Pokémon food
Their diet is the usual omnivorous diet of a Pokémon. In the wild it may feed on water plants or aquatic invertebrates, shooting water at the latter.
In the anime
Major appearances
The first real Squirtle appeared in Here Comes the Squirtle Squad. The Squirtle Squad were a gang of rogue Squirtle who were deserted by their Trainers. Ash befriended and captured their leader, while the rest of them became a firefighting group. Squirtle stayed with Ash until The Fire-ring Squad!, when it returned to the Squirtle Squad.
May received her own Squirtle from Professor Oak in The Right Place and the Right Mime. May's Squirtle was very young and timid, until evolving before Staging a Heroes Welcome
Other
In Journey to the Starting Line, a set of the three Kanto starter Pokémon in which a boy named Gilbert was supposed to choose from as his starting Pokémon were scared off by Ash's Tauros. Professor Oak, Tracey, Delia, and Gilbert had to split up and find the three missing Pokémon. Squirtle was the second one found. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon was stuck in a tree that was hanging over a cliff. Ash's Bulbasaur managed to catch the Squirtle before it could fall off the cliff.
The main character in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters out of the Gate! special is a Squirtle that claims that he used to be human. He joins Team Go-Getters in their rescue work. While he can't use Water Gun, he is happy to use Bubble because it looks pretty.
Minor appearances
Squirtle was mentioned in the first episode of the anime, Pokémon - I Choose You!, as one of the three starter Pokémon new Trainers in Pallet Town can choose from. Ash dreamed of owning one, and it was his first choice of a starter. However, when he arrived at Oak's lab, he found out it was too late, as another Trainer who started the same day had already taken it. It wasn't until The Ties that Bind that it was revealed that the Trainer who took Squirtle was none other than Gary Oak, Ash's rival. By then, it had already evolved into a Blastoise.
A Squirtle was used by one of the students of the Pokémon Trainer's School in Gonna Rule The School!.
Another Squirtle appeared in Sticking With Who You Know!, falling in love with a Raichu.
Pokédex entries
| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| EP012
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Squirtle
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Ash's Pokédex
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Squirtle. This Tiny Turtle Pokémon draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful.
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In the mangaIn the TCGOther appearances
Squirtle is the first Pokéfloat to appear. Play begins on its head and arms until it slowly leaves off the bottom of the screen. After traveling through all the Pokéfloats, the screen will be empty for a few seconds before Squirtle pops up and the cycle begins again.
Trophy information
Retreating into its shell and spitting water at its foes is Squirtle's trademark response to danger. It's one of the three Pokémon that Trainers can receive from Professor Oak in Pokémon Red and Blue. Squirtle evolves into Wartortle and then Blastoise, ramping up its water powers with each evolution.
Squirtle is a playable Pokémon used by Red. It can use Waterfall to recover from falls as well as Withdraw, in which case it retreats to its shell and shoots water from the back of it propelling him forwards. It also uses Water Gun to push enemies with a stream of water. Squirtle is a lightweight and uses various attacks using its shell and Template:Type2 moves to combat its foes. It uses Hydro Pump in Red's Final Smash, Triple Finish.
Game data
Pokédex entries
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation I.
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| Generation I
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| Red
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After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. Powerfully sprays foam from its mouth.
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| Blue
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| Yellow
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Shoots water at prey while in the water. Withdraws into its shell when in danger.
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| Stadium
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It takes time for the shell to form and harden after hatching. It sprays foam powerfully from its mouth.
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| Generation II
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| Gold
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The shell is soft when it is born. It soon becomes so resilient, prodding fingers will bounce off it.
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| Silver
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The shell, which hardens soon after it is born, is resilient. If you poke it, it will bounce back out.
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| Crystal
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When it feels threatened, it draws its legs inside its shell and sprays water from its mouth.
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| Stadium 2
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The shell is soft when it is born. It soon becomes so resilient, prodding fingers will bounce off it.
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| Generation III
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| Ruby
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Squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and the grooves on its surface help minimize resistance in water, enabling this Pokémon to swim at high speeds.
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| Sapphire
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{{{sapphiredex}}}
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| Emerald
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Its shell is not just for protection. Its rounded shape and the grooves on its surface minimize resistance in water, enabling Squirtle to swim at high speeds.
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| FireRed
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When it retracts its long neck into its shell, it squirts out water with vigorous force.
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| LeafGreen
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After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. Powerfully sprays foam from its mouth.
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| Generation IV
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| Diamond
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It shelters itself in its shell, then strikes back with spouts of water at every opportunity.
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| Pearl
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{{{pearldex}}}
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| Platinum
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{{{platinumdex}}}
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| HeartGold
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The shell is soft when it is born. It soon becomes so resilient, prodding fingers will bounce off it.
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| SoulSilver
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The shell, which hardens soon after it is born, is resilient. If you poke it, it will bounce back out.
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Game locations
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation I.
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In side games
Held items
Stats
Base stats
| Stat
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Range
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| At Lv. 50
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At Lv. 100
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44
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104 - 151
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198 - 292
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48
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47 - 110
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90 - 214
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65
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63 - 128
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121 - 251
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50
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49 - 112
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94 - 218
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64
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62 - 127
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119 - 249
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43
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43 - 104
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81 - 203
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Total: 314
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Other Pokémon with this total
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- Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and (if applicable) a hindering nature.
- Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and (if applicable) a helpful nature.
- This Pokémon's Special base stat in Generation I was 50.
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Pokéathlon stats
Type effectiveness
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation V, this Pokémon is:
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Learnset
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| style="text-align:left" | water
| style="background:#2980EF" | water
| style=" background:#FFF" | 4
| style=" background:#FFF" | 1
| style=" background:#FFF" | Squirtle
| style="display:none; background:#FFF" | {{{6}}}
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|- style="background:#74ACF5"
| colspan="13" | Bold indicates a move that gets STAB
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only from an evolution of this Pokémon
A colored initial indicates that the move is not available to be tutored in this game,
while a colored background indicates that the move is available.
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TCG-only Moves
Side game data
Evolution
Sprites
Trivia
- As a species, Squirtle has been trained the most of all Kanto starters by main anime Trainers, with Ash, May, and Gary each owning one.
- Squirtle had a short appearance in the Robot Chicken episode Junk in the Trunk, as an animated toy.
- In the US TV show, Malcolm in the Middle, a Squirtle doll can sometimes be seen sitting on one of the beds, alongside a Charmander doll.
- Squirtle is the first Template:Type2 Pokémon in National Pokédex order.
- Statistically, Squirtle is the slowest Pokémon out of the three Kanto starters, and in Super Smash Bros. Brawl it does have the slowest running speed of all of Pokémon Trainers Pokémon though its attacks are generally faster than Pokémon Trainer's other two Pokémon, these two being Kanto starter evolutions.
- Squirtle's family (Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise) is the only Pokémon family that can learn Bubble and cannot learn BubbleBeam, except in Generation I, where BubbleBeam was a TM.
Origin
Squirtle is based on a turtle. Some claim its tail resembles a squirrel's.
Name origin
Squirtle's name is a combination of "turtle", for its turtle-like appearance, and "squirt", which can mean either a verb as in to spray water, or a noun as in a nickname for someone who is tiny in comparison to others. It can also be a corruption of "squirrel", pointing to its squirrel-like tail, but that is unlikely. Zenigame is simply the Japanese word for pond turtle, 銭亀.
In other languages
- German: Schiggy - From Schildkröte (turtle or tortoise).
- French: Carapuce - From Carapace (shell) and puce (flea, in reference to its height). Puce can also be a term of affection, maybe because of its cute look.
- Korean: 꼬부기 Kkobugi - Portmanteau of kid and turtle.
- Chinese (Taiwan): 傑尼龜 Jíe Ní Guī - An onomatopoeic reference to Squirtle's Japanese name, Zenigame. The last character in the name means turtle.
- Chinese (Hong Kong): 車厘龜 Chē Lí Guī - Possibly cherry turtle as 車厘子 "Chē Lí Zi" is cherry in Cantonese.
Related articlesExternal linksNotes
For other sprites and images, please see Squirtle images on Bulbagarden Archives.
