Mid-stage Pokemon like Bulbasaur rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Venusaur, which is where the real potential kicks in. An original Gen 1 pick. Only weak to Fire, Ice, Flying, and Psychic.
An unusually even spread gives Bulbasaur flexibility. Sp. Atk barely edges ahead. But HP isn't far off. Tough to catch and follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve. Yields 1 Sp. Atk EV.
For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back.
Bulbasaur Weakness
VulnerableFire, Ice, Flying, and Psychic-type moves hit Bulbasaur for super-effective damage. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Standard number of weaknesses for the Grass/Poison typing.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Three stages ahead. Bulbasaur grows into Ivysaur, then pushes on to Venusaur. Check the evolution methods below. For breeding, average hatch time with a decent partner pool via two egg groups. The evolved forms gain up to 207 total stats over Bulbasaur.
How to Evolve
Breed Bulbasaur easily with 45 breeding partners from the Plant and Monster egg groups. Pass egg moves like Amnesia, Charm, Curse and 9 more to offspring.
Bulbasaur leads with Focus Sash insurance. Even if it can't take a hit naturally, it'll survive long enough to deal early damage. Max HP and Sp. Atk EVs go all-in on offense since bulk doesn't matter here.
Best Build
Best Bulbasaur Moveset
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Energy Ball
- Solar Beam
Recommended Teammates
Don't skip the egg moves. Bulbasaur picks up Amnesia and Charm only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Leaf Storm and Solar Beam while Normal and Fighting coverage adds range.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Bulbasaur can't be caught in Diamond & Pearl. Bring it over from Red, Yellow, or Brilliant Diamond instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
Bulbasaur is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Receive as a gift in:
Then trade to Diamond & Pearl.
Also found in:
Bulbasaur is meant to evolve into Ivysaur. At 318 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
Watch for Arcanine (Fire), Lapras (Ice), and Aerodactyl (Flying) when using Bulbasaur. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Psychic-type attackers are also a problem.
Bulbasaur evolves into Ivysaur at level 16. Bulbasaur is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.
Chlorophyll is what you want on Bulbasaur. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Overgrow) work on paper but Chlorophyll is what makes Bulbasaur worth using.
Base 45 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Bulbasaur is leaning toward the special side (base 65 Sp. Atk). Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits.
Bulbasaur appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
One of the original 151, Bulbasaur has appeared in 21 games — nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A