Ash's Torterra
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Ash's Torterra (Japanese:サトシのドダイトスSatoshi's Dodaitose) was the secondPokémon thatAshcaught in theSinnohregion, and his thirtieth overall.
In animation
History
Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
Ash originally caught Torterra as a Turtwig inGettin' Twiggy With It!. He had been living in the forest nearClara's home, and he broke up fights amongwild Pokémon in the area. AfterTeam Rocket stoleAsh's Pikachu, theirballoon crashed, and Turtwig defended Pikachu against them. When Ash andhis friends appeared, Turtwig assumed they were trying to wrongfully steal Pikachu too, so he attacked them and ran off with an exhausted Pikachu in tow. The next time they confronted Turtwig, the misunderstanding was explained, and Turtwig apologetically befriended Ash. Ash and his friends began to leave at the end of the episode, and the old woman encouraged Turtwig to go with Ash, so he ran to challenge him to a battle. Ash accepted his challenge, facing him with Pikachu and eventually catching him.
InDifferent Strokes for Different Blokes, Turtwig battledPaul's Chimchar and lost. Although he held his own in battle, he appeared to hesitate upon receiving Ash's command to dodgeattacks.
Overall, he has taken part in five of Ash'sGym battles. As a Turtwig, he defeatedRoark'sCranidos intheir first battle, andin the rematch, defeated the newly-evolvedRampardos, giving Ash his firstSinnoh Badge.
InThe Grass-Type Is Always Greener!, Turtwig was first sent out to rescueCheryl from vines with his Razor Leaf. He stayed out of his Poké Ball and was later found byGardenia, who found him cute. He later battled as Ash's first Pokémon against Gardenia'sCherubi in their unofficial two vs two battle. Turtwig used Tackle, hitting Cherubi, and multiple Razor Leaf attacks. Impressed with Turtwig, Gardenia recalled Cherubi, with Brock speculating that Gardenia used Cherubi to check out Turtwig. Gardenia next used her own Turtwig, who overwhelmed Ash's Turtwig with its superior speed and easily defeated it.
InThe Grass Menagerie!, Turtwig was Ash's first Pokémon in hisEterna Gym battle against Gardenia, going up against her Cherubi again. Turtwig struggled against Cherubi due to its AbilityChlorophyll, so Ash chose to recall him. He later called him out to face Gardenia's Turtwig again. This time, Ash's Turtwig was prepared for his opponent's speedy strategies and was able to defeat it. He next went up against Gardenia's final Pokémon,Roserade. Due to theharsh sunlight present during the battle, Roserade'sWeather Ball turned into aFire-type move, allowing the Bouquet Pokémon to snatch an easy victory.
InGlory Blaze!, Turtwig was used in the quarterfinals of theHearthome City Tag Battle Competition. He was paired up with Paul's Chimchar, who was still weak from earlier training and was up against aZangoose and aMetagross. The two quickly become overwhelmed due to Chimchar being too weak and afraid of Zangoose to make any attacks. The situation worsened when Paul ordered Chimchar to use a friendly fireFlame Wheel on Turtwig, seriously injuring him before getting caught in Zangoose's claws. Turtwig saved it, and Chimchar made up for this by protecting him from aFire Blast on his own accord. Realizing that not even reliving the traumatic event of being attacked by Zangoose could motivate Chimchar to activateBlaze, Paul gave up on him and refused to give him any more commands. Consequently, Ash gave Chimchar commands, and the three went on to win the battle.
After learning Energy Ball fromKenny'sBreloom inTanks for the Memories!, Turtwig didn't battle again until thePastoria Gym battle inA Crasher Course in Power!, where he battledCrasher Wake'sQuagsire. But despite having a major type advantage, he was called back after encountering difficulties with the opponent's supereffectiveIce Beam andSludge Bomb attacks.
Like many of Ash's Pokémon, Turtwig's battle style was based on hisspeed, a factor that Ash focused on even more after seeing Gardenia's Turtwig in action. However, inAiding the Enemy!, Turtwig evolved intoGrotle during a battle againstPaul's Honchkrow. It quickly became apparent that, due to his new body being larger and heavier, Grotle's speed had diminished, and he fumbled and fell down a lot in the battle, ultimately losing. The newly evolved Grotle had high expectations of himself, well exemplified in the same episode. During the night, he went out to try and recover his speed. However, he failed and continued to stumble over. This was initially upsetting, butPaul's Torterra provided some unexpected help by showing Grotle that he could rely ondefense instead.
InJumping Rocket Ship!, it was shown that Grotle became fatigued from walking a lot due to his increased weight. He had to be carried byBrock's Happiny for a portion of the journey.
InA Breed Stampede!, Ash used Grotle to help trainDawn's Piloswine, where he utilized the defensive method Paul's Torterra taught him. ByLeading A Stray!, this training had begun to pay off in battle as Grotle took aSwampert'sFocus Punch on the head and replied accordingly with Razor Leaf, knocking his opponent out.
InThe Lonely Snover!, in order to save aSnover, Grotle surpassed his limits and learned Rock Climb through his willpower alone, which allowed him to regain some of the speed he had as a Turtwig.
InSliding Into Seventh!, he was Ash's first Pokémon in his Gym Battle againstCandice, going up against herSneasel. Grotle was able to withstand Sneasel's supereffective attacks and defeated it before being recalled. He later went up against herAbomasnow and went in for a Rock Climb, but this was countered byWood Hammer, which knocked him out.
InPedal to the Mettle!, Grotle was used in theFull Battle between Ash and Paul. He was sent out againstElectabuzz, but had an Energy Ball blocked byLight Screen before Paul substituted it for Honchkrow, pitting the two against each other once again. With Grotle's apparent determination to redeem himself afterlosing before, Ash decided not to switch. However, Honchkrow proved far too powerful with its type advantage on top of Electabuzz's Light Screen still being active. A badly timedSynthesis gave Honchkrow an opening to unleash aSky Attack, and Grotle was defeated as a result.
InUncrushing Defeat!, Grotle, along with the rest of Ash's Sinnoh team, was under the care ofNurse Joy in theLake AcuityPokémon Center, suffering bodily repercussions from the rough Full Battle loss against Paul. Later, he helped rescue Pikachu fromTeam Rocket by knockingJessie's Yanmega out with a single Energy Ball, before blasting them off with another one.
InChallenging a Towering Figure!, he was used to battlePalmer'sRhyperior in theFestival Battle Challenge. With Rhyperior'sSolid Rock Ability, increased speed fromRock Polish, and powerfulRock Wrecker andSandstorm attacks, Grotle struggled at first but was able to make a comeback after healing himself with Synthesis and accidentally swallowing his own Energy Ball, which caused the bushes on his back to radiate a green aura and grant him a huge power boost. Said boost made him strong enough to push Rhyperior back with Rock Climb. However, this position left Grotle vulnerable to another Rock Wrecker, which was enough to knock him out despite putting up a good fight.
InDressed for Jess Success!, Grotle helpedDawn's Mamoswine train for theLilypad TownPokémon Contest. During the training, Grotle demonstrated the strategy he learned in the battle with Palmer's Rhyperior of swallowing his own Energy Ball to gain power. Mamoswine mirrored the motion by swallowing its ownIce Shard, which caused ice to form on its back as an appeal.
InThe Fleeing Tower of Sunyshore!, Grotle was used in Ash's first Gym battle againstVolkner'sLuxray where, despite having the type advantage, it started to get overwhelmed, before the battle was canceled due to theGym losing power. Later, Grotle was called out to battle Team Rocket inside theSunyshore Tower, and he quickly evolved into aTorterra. Along with his new and more powerful form, Torterra immediately learned Leaf Storm and sent Team Rocket blasting off.
InAn Elite Coverup!, Torterra battledBertha'sHippowdon. Despite managing to predict where Hippowdon wouldDig up to resurface and landing a supereffective Leaf Storm on him, Torterra was eventually overwhelmed by thatElite Four-level Pokémon and got defeated by a supereffectiveFire Fang.
InThe Eighth Wonder of the Sinnoh World!, Ash used Torterra as his first Pokémon during his rematch with Volkner, sending him against Volkner'sElectivire. Despite Torterra's massive type advantage, Electivire could counter almost all of his moves and defeated him with a powerfulIce Punch.
Ash used Torterra as his fifth Pokémon in his battle against Paul inA Real Rival Rouser!. He was sent out against Paul'sDrapion, whoseToxic Spikespoisoned him instantly. He battled well and was able to cause Drapion some damage with his Energy Ball and Leaf Storm attacks, but his Rock Climb attack was stopped cold by Drapion, who knocked him down withPoison Fang. Torterra healed himself with Synthesis, but despite this, he was immediately defeated by Drapion'sPin Missile barrage.
Ash left Torterra atProfessor Oak's Laboratory when he decided to go toUnova.
Pokémon the Series: Black & White
Torterra was reunited with Ash inThe Dream Continues!, where it and the rest of Ash's Pokémon posed in a group photo with him.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Torterra appeared in a flashback of Ash's Gym battle with Volkner inUltra Exciting from the Shocking Start!.
Torterra, along with the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab, reunited with Ash inFriends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!. During the visit, he was seen relaxing withScraggy and later watched the battle between Ash and Paul. Before Ash left, he posed with the rest of Ash's Pokémon in a group photo with him.
FromBattling as Hard as Stone! onwards, Torterra watched Ash'sMasters Eight Tournament matches againstSteven,Cynthia, andLeon. InPartners in Time!, Torterra appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle againstLeon's Charizard.
InHeroes Unite!, Torterra, along with the rest of the Pokémon at the lab, welcomed Ash back to Pallet Town after his victory over Leon.
InRide, Lapras, Ride!, Torterra was shown to have rejoined Ash's team. During the episode, he was called upon to help free a trappedWailord. Using hisFrenzy Plant, Torterra grabbed hold of Wailord and was able to help free it, receiving help from Team Rocket's submarine.
Personality and characteristics
As a Turtwig, Torterra was very brave. Similarly toAsh's Bulbasaur, he helped care for sick or injured Pokémon and kept the peace between them. If there was a feud between other Pokémon, Turtwig would be the mannered one and break them up. He could sometimes be a little reckless, ignoring Ash's commands to dodge inDifferent Strokes for Different Blokes. He was quite stubborn and would not give up, no matter how hard the challenge, another trait he shared with Bulbasaur. Despite the initial reluctance to dodge attacks when commanded to, Turtwig would quickly become an integral part of Ash's team in Sinnoh.
He was a brave yet kind Pokémon with high confidence even when he was still small for his size. He had a strong jaw, as he was often seen latching himself onto people and Pokémon's heads, tails, hats, and appendages to attack or show affection. He often latched onto Ash's head prior toevolving. He has also been shown to be both incredibly fast and quite strong, such as the time when he managed to BiteRoark's Rampardos on its tail and threw theHead Butt Pokémon into a rock, after whichBrock said, "Big things come in small packages!"
After evolving into Grotle, he became less active due to his weight gain, still battling well but taking things slowly. This Evolution was initially a source of distress when he struggled to dodge attacks because of his lowered speed, which damaged his confidence untilPaul's Torterra independently helped him learn the new battling style of taking an opponent's attacks while waiting for a chance to strike. This advice would be put to good use in some later battles, and ultimately he was able to recreate some of his lost speed whenever he used Rock Climb. As he grew and evolved further, Torterra would become rather stoic in his actions while nonetheless remaining loyal and determined.
As a Grotle duringThe Lonely Snover!, he became capable of growing nuts on his trees. The gang noted at this point that it meant Grotle had completely adjusted to his Evolution from Turtwig.
Appearance
| As aTurtwig | As aGrotle |
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Moves used
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| A† shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||
Moves improvised
| Picture | First Used In | Moves Involved | Partnered With |
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 | Challenging a Towering Figure! | Energy Ball | None |
| Description: As a Grotle, he swallows his Energy Ball to power up hisGrass-type moves. He used it again inDressed for Jess Success!, to help Dawn's Mamoswine use the technique withIce Shard in theLilypad Town Contest. However he never used it in any more of his battles. | |||
Artwork
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| Early poster forPocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl | Poster forPocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl | Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl |
 |  |  |
| Artwork from the 2009 McDonald's Pokémon Calendar | Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl | Poster for Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master |
In the games
In the spin-off games
Intellectual Training Drill Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Letter and Number Intelligence Game
Turtwig appears inIntellectual Training Drill Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Letter and Number Intelligence Game.
In the manga
Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl
Ash's Torterra appears inPocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl. He first used him as a Turtwig inPDP06 to try and rescue aPachirisu that was stuck in a trap. After making several more appearances as a Turtwig, he was later shown to have evolved into Grotle inPDP29.
Moves used
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| A† shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | ||||||||||
Movie adaptations
Ash's Torterra appears in the manga adaptation ofThe Rise of Darkrai as a Turtwig. He was seen playing with the other Pokémon.
Trivia
- TheProfessor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia featured at the end ofDP016 is about Ash's Turtwig. He writes thissenryū about him: 「ナエトルは あたまにはっぱ はえとるぞ」 "Naetle has leaves growing on its head."
- Torterra, as a Turtwig, is the first of Ash's Pokémon toevolve while battling one of hisrivals.
- Grotle's Evolution into Torterra was first revealed inThe Greatest - Everyday!.
- After fully evolving, Torterra was defeated in every battle he participated in without defeating any opposing Pokémon, with the exception of battles againstTeam Rocket.
- DuringPokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, Ash used Torterra (or one of his previous forms) in four of his six battles againstPaul. Despite this, Torterra is the only Pokémon Ash used against Paul in those battles that has never knocked out any of Paul's Pokémon. This also makes Torterra the Pokémon that Ash has used against Paul the most times.
- Torterra is Ash's first:
- Pokémon to learn anHM move.
- Dual Grass-type Pokémon since hisBulbasaur, which he caught inBulbasaur and the Hidden Village, 622 episodes earlier.
- Pokémon to be used against anElectric-type Gym Leader's Pokémon other thanPikachu.
- Torterra is the only:
- Pokémon inPokémon the Series to have used the moveRock Climb.
- Pokémon belonging to a main character to useone of the elemental variations of Hyper Beam.
- Grass-type first partner Pokémon owned by a main character to have been confirmed male.
- Torterra is the lastGrass-typefirst partner Pokémon to evolve under a main character's ownership duringPokémon the Series.
- Out of all of Ash's first partner Pokémon, Torterra took the longest amount of episodes to reach his final form, at 161.
References
- ↑Confirmed in theProfessor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia segment ofDP016, whereProfessor Oak says that Turtwig is "like a big brother".
Related articles
For more information on this Pokémon's species, seeTurtwig,Grotle, andTorterra.
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 | This article is part ofProject Anime, aBulbapedia project that covers all aspects ofPokémon animation. |
