Tentacool resembles a box jellyfish. It has a light blue, clear body with two large, transparent, red crystals on each side of its body, and one small one in the middle. It has two small eyes with black pupils and no visible irises near the base of its body. It has two tentacles laced with stinging cells. The tentacles extend from beneath its round, blue lower body, which has a cape-like formation in the back.
Tentacool absorbs sunlight and refracts it using water inside its body to convert it into beam energy, as seen in the anime. It is also able to control Pokémon it touches with its tentacles. Tentacool can be found throughout the ocean. It will sometimes wash ashore and become shriveled and dehydrated, but may be revived if it is thrown back into the ocean.
In the main series
Major appearances
Tentacool's debut appearance was in the episode Tentacool and Tentacruel.
Minor appearances
A Tentacool appeared in Friends to the End during Ritchie and Assunta's battle. However, it is unknown who it belonged to. In the same episode, another Trainer's Tentacool appeared during the closing ceremonies of the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Multiple Tentacool appeared in Bye Bye Psyduck, The Power of One, Destiny Deoxys and Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction.
A Trainer used a Tentacool in Hook, Line, and Stinker to aid him in the annual Seaking Catching Competition.
A Tentacool appeared in The Joy of Water Pokémon as an inhabitant of Lake Lucid.
A Tentacool also appeared in Celebi: Voice of the Forest.
Two Tentacool appeared in Mantine Overboard!.
A Tentacool was seen at a Pokémon Center in The Legend of Thunder!.
A Tentacool appeared in the opening of Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias. Also, a Tentacool was used by a competitor in the Tour de Alto Mare.
A school of Tentacool appeared in a flashback in A Cacturne for the Worse. May fears them due to being surrounded by them at one point, and her mother attempted to catch her, thinking that she was a Tentacool.
A Tentacool appeared in the opening of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
A Tentacool appeared in Up Close and Personable!.
Multiple Tentacool appeared in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!.
Two Tentacool appeared in Going for the Gold!.
A Tentacool appeared in a flashback/fantasy in Day Three Blockbusters!.
Pokédex entries
Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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EP019
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Tentacool
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Ash's Pokédex
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Tentacool, a Jellyfish Pokémon. 99% of its body is made up of water.
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In Pokémon Origins
A Tentacool appeared in File 4: Charizard. Red caught one after passing by it.
In Pokémon Generations
A wild Tentacool appeared in the waters that surrounded the Seafloor Cavern in The Cavern.
Origin
Tentacool is based on a jellyfish, possibly a species of box jellyfish such as Chironex fleckeri or Carukia barnesi.
Name origin
Tentacool is a combination of tentacle and cool.
Menokurage may be a combination of 目の敵 menokataki (enemy) and 水母 kurage (jellyfish). Alternatively, it may be a pun on the expression 目の毒 menodoku ("poison to the eye", referring to a tempting thing but one that must not be looked at), considering that its evolution's name is ドククラゲ dokukurage.