Ash's Squirtle

Michele Knotz (BW116-present)

**Ash's Squirtle** (Japanese: **サトシのゼニガメ** *Satoshi's Zenigame*) was the fifth Pokémon that Ash caught in the Kanto region, and his sixth overall.

## History

### Original series

#### Kanto

Squirtle first appeared in *Here Comes the Squirtle Squad* as the leader of a gang known as the Squirtle Squad, a group of rogue Squirtle who were deserted by their Trainers. Meowth managed to befriend the Squirtle Squad by convincing them that Jessie and James were his pets. On Meowth's orders, the Squirtle Squad captured Ash and his friends so they could take Pikachu back to Meowth. Ash managed to convince the Squirtle Squad to free him and allow him to get a Super Potion for Pikachu, who was badly injured after an earlier encounter with a Goldeen. The Squirtle Squad allowed Ash to go, but they threatened to execute Misty (bleach her hair in the English dub) if he didn't return by the next day.

When Ash got back with the Super Potion, Team Rocket betrayed the Squirtle Squad and began bombing them after they captured Pikachu. The group ran for cover inside the Squirtle Squad's cave; however, when Ash noticed that the leader was stuck on its shell, he rushed in and shielded Squirtle's body with his own. Dazed and with more bombs en route, Ash told Squirtle to save itself. Touched by Ash's loyalty, Squirtle tearfully carried Ash to the cave and then defeated Team Rocket with Water Gun. However, Team Rocket's bombs had started a forest fire, which the Squirtle Squad worked together to put out. Once it was extinguished, Officer Jenny appointed the Squirtle Squad as the official town firefighters. The leader, however, preferred to join Ash on his journey rather than fight fires alongside his group, as it wanted to repay Ash for saving its life during the bombing. After being accepted, Squirtle ran into Ash's arms, as the Trainer declared he had caught a Squirtle.

During its time with Ash, Squirtle became one of Ash's three most trustworthy Pokémon, next to Pikachu and Bulbasaur, and it was used often. Squirtle's Water type and ability to swim helped Ash a few times, notably during the escape from St. Anne in *Pokémon Shipwreck*.

Squirtle was separated from Ash in *Island of the Giant Pokémon*-along with Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Charmander-after a group of Gyarados sent them flying with Dragon Rage. During the separation, Squirtle remained relatively good-spirited, though was shown to be worried when Bulbasaur suggested they were abandoned. When Ash's Pokémon came across Team Rocket's Pokémon, who were also separated from their Trainers, the two groups of Pokémon joined forces to look for them. The next day, the group came across a group of giant Pokémon and ended up being chased by them straight to Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket, allowing them to reunite.

In *Tentacool & Tentacruel*, Squirtle and Zubat battled a giant Tentacruel, but they were knocked out by Tentacruel's attack.

In *The Flame Pokémon-athon!*, Squirtle served as Pikachu's partner during the Big P Pokémon Race, while Ash took Lara Laramie's place and used her Ponyta. Despite their significant disadvantage due to Squirtle's short legs and Pikachu's weight, they reached the water stage, putting them in the top four with Ash, Misty, and Dario. However, Team Rocket intervened, provoking a battle, and the two were incapacitated by Arbok's Glare.

In *Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon*, Squirtle tried to stop a fuse from detonating explosives, but failed. This resulted in Ash, Pikachu, and Team Rocket being trapped underground with hostile Prehistoric Pokémon. Only Squirtle was rescued from the rubble by Misty and Brock.

In *Beach Blank-Out Blastoise*, Squirtle was instrumental in helping rescue a colony of Squirtle, Wartortle, and a Blastoise from Jigglypuff and later Team Rocket. It donned its signature black sunglasses and bolstered morale amongst the other Turtle Pokémon.

Squirtle's Gym battle debut came late and its Kanto Gym record was two losses, the first to Blaine's Ninetales in *Riddle Me This*, who Ash believed would be disadvantaged against Squirtle. Ninetales' Fire Spin completely overpowered Water Gun and took Squirtle down in one hit. In *Volcanic Panic*, it was then sent out to fight the fire to cool off Onix, Geodude, and Pikachu with water as they dammed the volcano. The second loss was against Giovanni's Machamp, under the control of Jessie in *The Battle of the Badge*. Squirtle took damage from Machamp's Karate Chop, but the battle was ended when Giovanni's Pokémon defected and Team Rocket was sent blasting off.

Ash used Squirtle during his Indigo Plateau Conference. In *Round One - Begin!*, Ash relied on Squirtle to battle Mandi, but his powerful Kingler took the sweep and Squirtle was unnecessary. However, it won Ash's second round by using Skull Bash to defeat a Nidorino in *Fire and Ice* after it revealed its ability to use Withdraw to absorb the Nidorino's Tackle.

In *Friend and Foe Alike*, Squirtle was sent out to battle Ritchie's Butterfree, nicknamed Happy. However, it was easily put to sleep by Sleep Powder and Ash lost the round.

#### Orange Islands

Squirtle was used more prominently in the Orange Island Gyms, first in competition against Cissy's Seadra in *Fit to be Tide*. Both Pokémon had to shoot cans with Water Gun, but when they hit the final can at the same time, the match resulted in a draw. Though it did not win, Ash still congratulated it on its admirable work.

In *Naval Maneuvers*, it joined Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Ash in steering an ice sled down the mountain, resulting in a win for Ash.

One of Squirtle's most notable battles and its only Gym battle win was in *Misty Meets Her Match*. Earlier, it helped Pikachu and Bulbasaur destroy the targets during the preliminary trial, before coming out third against Rudy's Starmie. Its powerful Water Gun managed to match Squirtle's, and Rudy's music allowed Starmie to dance away from Squirtle's moves and then use Thunderbolt to knock Squirtle into submission. Squirtle then propelled itself away from Thunderbolt, and while using Withdraw, it learned Hydro Pump to become airborne and hit Starmie hard. Closing the battle with Skull Bash, Ash won the battle and his third Orange Island Gym Badge.

In *The Pokémon Water War!*, Squirtle attempted to rescue a warehouse on fire, but when the fire spread, it needed rescuing by Captain Aidan and Team Wartortle. This shot Squirtle's confidence as a firefighter and Ash pleaded with Aidan to allow Squirtle to train with his team for a short period. Squirtle struck up a rivalry with the lead Wartortle, and it eventually proved itself during the training exercises. Team Rocket later trapped Squirtle and Team Wartortle, but Squirtle's thinking allowed the group to escape: they flooded the cabin to allow mobility, and then tricked Meowth into cutting the nets before blasting Team Rocket away. Squirtle then joined the effort at a burning apartment and halted the fire, saving the day.

In *Hello, Pummelo!*, Squirtle was sent against Drake's Onix, who managed to evade Water Gun with Dig and then caught Squirtle with Bind. However, Squirtle broke free with a Withdraw-Hydro Pump combination, then hit Onix with Skull Bash to knock it out. In the next episode, it fought Dragonite, only for its Hydro Pump to be countered by Dragonite's Water Gun. Squirtle was able to use Withdraw in time to evade most of the following Thunderbolt, but was still badly hurt. Squirtle used Bubble Beam to hit Dragonite dead-on, but this was the only successful attack and it was beaten by a slam from Dragonite's tail. Pikachu went on to defeat the exhausted Dragonite and Squirtle earned a place in the Orange Islands' Palace of Victory.

In *Viva Las Lapras*, Squirtle was called out, along with Misty's Goldeen, Staryu, and Poliwag, to help defeat the pirate poachers attempting to capture Lapras's mother and family. It joined the other Pokémon in destroying the pirates' cannons with its Water Gun.

#### Johto

Squirtle accompanied Ash to Johto as well; the final time it would serve as a permanent member of his team. In *Don't Touch That 'dile*, Squirtle was used against Team Rocket with Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Charizard. Combining its Water Gun with their attacks, it fired directly on Team Rocket's Pokémon. In *The Double Trouble Header*, it was sent out to battle against Team Rocket along with Bulbasaur after they captured Pikachu and Casey's Chikorita.

During its time with Ash, Squirtle and Bulbasaur showed concern for their Trainer on occasions, such as when Ash, Pikachu, and his soon to be caught Chikorita were lost in a snowstorm in *The Chikorita Rescue.*

In *Once in a Blue Moon*, a Quagsire stole the GS Ball and swam away. Ash tried to run after it but ended up sending out Squirtle to chase it down. After failing to wrestle it out of the Quagsire's mouth, Squirtle used Water Gun, causing the GS Ball to slip out of Quagsire's mouth, and allowing Pikachu to catch it on the shore. While both Quagsire and Squirtle were using Water Gun against each other, Misty tried once again to catch it, but before throwing the Poké Ball, Officer Jenny stopped them and arrested them for violating the Quagsire Preservation Restrictions.

In *The Fire-ing Squad!*, it competed in the annual Fire and Rescue Grand Prix, a firefighting competition. Officer Jenny and the Squirtle Squad planned to compete, but they were confused without their leader. Ash's Squirtle led the Squirtle Squad to win the Grand Prix, and afterwards Squirtle returned to the Squirtle Squad for further training as an elite firefighting team. It said goodbye to his friends, and Bulbasaur extended a vine to its long-time friend, shaking solemnly.

Squirtle returned briefly to battle in the Silver Conference after Kingler was badly injured by a group of renegade Voltorb. Squirtle joined Totodile and Phanpy against the Fire-type Trainer Macy. It was Ash's last Pokémon, faced with an advantaged Electabuzz. However, Squirtle proved much faster and managed to hit Electabuzz with a series of Water Guns before it could launch any Electric-type moves. A Skull Bash was enough to knock out Electabuzz and even up the match for Ash, leaving just Quilava left. Squirtle used an explosion of moves to cover a stealthy Water Gun, but was hit and knocked on his back by Quilava. As Macy went in for the knockout, Squirtle used Hydro Pump to hit Quilava with water and his own body, sealing the victory for Ash. Squirtle stayed around to watch Ash's Silver Conference battles, and then returned to Officer Jenny and the Squirtle Squad in *Johto Photo Finish!*

### Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

#### Hoenn

While Squirtle made no appearances during the Hoenn arc of *Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire*, it did make an appearance, along with the rest of the Squirtle Squad, in *Of Meowth and Pokémon (Part 2)*. Squirtle and two other members of the Squirtle Squad ambushed Smoochum and attacked her with a Water Gun, sending her flying.

#### Kanto Battle Frontier

In *Gathering the Gang of Four!*, Squirtle returned to help Ash with his final battle against Brandon at the Battle Pyramid, meeting May's Squirtle in the process. It expressed happiness in seeing Pikachu and Bulbasaur again and departed with the two, Ash, and Charizard for the woods. Though tension between the group began to erupt, they settled their differences and sat as Ash recalled his meetings with the four of them. After Pikachu was captured by Team Rocket, Squirtle participated in saving its teammate.

In *Pace - The Final Frontier!*, Squirtle battled Brandon's Ninjask. Squirtle's Rapid Spin successfully deflected Aerial Ace, but Ninjask gained the upper hand by stalling Squirtle with Double Team and hitting with Aerial Ace. Squirtle managed to escape Sandstorm with Hydro Pump, but became blinded by Sand Attack, leaving it exposed to Ninjask's attacks. While the next Hydro Pump missed, the water was able to clear Squirtle's eyes. Squirtle then swiftly unleashed Skull Bash, knocking Ninjask out of the battle. Squirtle was then matched up against Brandon's Solrock. In this battle, all of Squirtle's moves were dodged or blocked by Solrock's Psychic moves. A missed Rapid Spin saw Squirtle crash into the wall, and it was flattened by Solar Beam, causing it to lose the battle. After Ash defeated Brandon, Squirtle returned to the Squirtle Squad.

### Pokémon the Series: Black & White

In *The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!*, Ash recalled the night he was stuck in a snowstorm, and Squirtle, along with the rest of its teammates, helped keep Ash warm.

### Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

Squirtle and some of its fellow Squirtle Squad members reappeared in *Alola, Kanto!*, where they were photographed by Rotom.

### Pokémon Journeys: The Series

In *Partners in Time!*, Squirtle appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle against Leon's Charizard.

In *Heroes Unite!*, Squirtle appeared in a fantasy while Ash reminisced about the Pokémon he'd caught on his journey.

In *A Squad's Worth of Passion!*, Team Rocket was revealed to have become the Squirtle Squad's managers, using their fame to earn money through firefight shows and merchandise. When Team Rocket prevented Ash from meeting Squirtle, it mistook Ash walking away as him not caring about it and became upset. Ash tried to greet it at a hotel later, but the meeting only resulted in it getting into a fight with Bulbasaur and Charizard. When a warehouse caught fire, Squirtle led the Squirtle Squad to the scene. With Ash joining in to fight the fire, he and Squirtle were able to reconcile and put out the flames. It then turned out that Team Rocket had taken the Squirtle Squad without Officer Jenny's permission, and she took them back under her care, though not before Squirtle shared one more heartfelt hug with Ash.

## Personality and characteristics

Squirtle is one of Ash's most trustworthy Pokémon, but it is by no means perfect. Compared especially with its closest friend, the very serious Bulbasaur, it comes across as immature and mischievous, particularly during its time with the Squirtle Squad, where it led the gang to commit various pranks and other acts, and how it embarrassed itself trying to intimidate a Snubbull in *Pikachu's Vacation*. However, through Squirtle's travels with Ash, it matured considerably, and his behavior when it reunited with the Squad later on had a noticeable difference. Although very loyal to Ash after the latter saved its life, it was somewhat cynical at times. This was best demonstrated during the events of *Island of the Giant Pokémon*, where, while searching for their Trainers, Squirtle briefly speculated that their Trainers may have been eaten by the local wildlife.

Mature or not, Squirtle is a born leader and prefers to wear his signature dark sunglasses when faced with tough situations. It donned them while investigating Jigglypuff's presence on an island in *Beach Blank-Out Blastoise*, and also when it competed against Team Wartortle to prove itself, after his firefighting spirit hurt by his inability to put out the fire that Team Wartortle had extinguished. While prideful, Squirtle has proven adaptable in most situations and prefers collaboration over rivalry.

Squirtle's nimble movements and defensive shell make it a tough competitor. After rejoining the Squirtle Squad as their team leader in *The Fire-ing Squad!*, Squirtle's battle skills were overhauled. Its performance during the Silver Conference revealed that it was able to see through thick smoke. It is also able to overcome getting stuck on its shell by using Hydro Pump.

## Moves used

 A **†** shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

* Ash told Squirtle to use Bubble in *Enter The Dragonite*. This was a dubbing error. In the original, it was commanded to use Bubble Beam.

## Trivia

* Squirtle is the first Water-type Pokémon owned by Ash.
* Squirtle is the only member of Ash's original team of six (Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, Charizard, and itself) that has neither evolved nor ever explicitly refused to evolve.
* Squirtle is the first of Ash's Pokémon to have been placed in a Poké Ball off-screen, the others being Mr. Mime and Lapras.
* Squirtle's gender was hinted at in the Japanese version of *Island of the Giant Pokémon*. In the subtitles, it refers to itself as おれ  *ore*, which is a pronoun normally used by males, also used by characters such as Ash, Brock, and James in the Japanese version.
* Squirtle is the only Pokémon owned by Ash to have used a move for the first time in a movie.
* The way Ash's Squirtle uses Hydro Pump in the anime is a reference to Gamera's spinning flight.