Blastoise

Blastoise (カメックス) are one of the fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. Blastoise are famous for evolving from one of the three species of Pokémon the player can choose at the start of their adventure in Pokémon Red and Blue. The purpose of Blastoise in the games, anime and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon, untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers.

Blastoise’s name is a combination of “blast” and “tortoise”, though it is pronounced. Its Japanese name, Kamex, is a play on the word 亀 (kame, “turtle”) and the English word "extra". Also a blastoid is an ancient sea dwelling echinoderm with a protective shell.

Biological characteristics
Blastoise is a very large, blue, bipedal turtle that can extend cannon-like spouts from the top of its shell. The cannons are used to fire blasts of pressurized water at foes, and can spray with enough force to pierce concrete walls and thick steel. They are also highly accurate, allowing Blastoise to hit small targets at distances of over 160 feet. However, Blastoise is unable to aim at short distances as this handicap was shown in the battle between Ash's Charizard and Gary's Blastoise. They can pump out enough water to fill 3 Olympic swimming pools within one minute. In order to withstand the recoil of its fire, Blastoise positions its feet and plants itself with its considerable weight, which it has cultivated for this purpose. The ferocity of its attacks has caused Blastoise to be described as a “brutal”, and even its normal attacks, like waterjet-assisted tackles and crushing heavyweight body slams, are completely devastating, even though the creature is reasonably lightweight and fast compared to the "real" heavyweighters of Pokémon. When it does feel threatened by something, it withdraws into its shell for protection. Blastoise is a Pokemon that is very strong, no matter what, and will sacrifice its life to save a trainer (Note: This does not occur in any of the Pokemon games.)

Video games
Blastoise is well-suited for use as a “staller” or “sponge” Pokémon when used in battle. It can learn many attacks such as Yawn, Haze, Mirror Coat, Counter, Refresh, Roar, Rest, Seismic Toss and Rapid Spin, all of which are typical attacks for stallers and sponges. Blastoise is often seen as the definitive Water-Dark type Pokémon, but is less popular than Venusaur or Charizard, probably because of the abundance of Water-types. In FireRed and LeafGreen, Blastoise is also capable of learning Hydro Cannon, an extremely powerful attack that is essentially a Water-type counterpart to Hyper Beam, from the Cape Brink move tutor. Like Hyper Beam, Hydro Cannon has a very high attack power, but requires skipping one turn of battle after its use. Blastoise is one of only 4 Pokémon which may know the powerful Water-type move. Like Meganium, Blastoise can be primarily used as a defensive tank. Like all pure Water types, Blastoise has only two weaknesses, Electric and Grass. Fortunately for trainers, Blastoise can learn two moves that cover those weaknesses: Ice Beam, which covers its weakness to Grass types and Earthquake which covers its weakness to Electric.

Blastoise can be obtained only by evolving Wartortle. Wartortle only evolves from Squirtle. Because none of the evolutionary family are found in the wild, they are prized for their rarity, and popular for breeding and trading.

Blastoise has minor cameos in the Super Smash Bros. series, first appearing in Super Smash Bros. as a Pokémon which may emerge from thrown Pokéballs to blast the opponent with Hydro Pump, then reprising that role in Super Smash Bros. Melee while also appearing as a trophy.

Blastoise is also the leader of a Bronze-level rescue team named Team Hydro in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. His team includes Swampert and Feraligatr, making his team the toughest of all rescue forces found in Makuhita's Dojo. In the game, he forms a temporary rescue team with Octillery and Golem to save Alakazam's team from Magma Cavern, but fails shortly after. Later, he teams up with Charizard from Alakazam's team to explore the Western Cave, but the pair is soundly beaten by Mewtwo after Blastoise accidentally woke the Genetic Pokémon up.

Pokémon anime
Blastoise was first seen on the Island of Giant Pokémon, although it later turned out to be a robot. The first “real” Blastoise was seen in “Beach Blank-Out Blastoise”, ruling over a group of Squirtle and Wartortle. It had mysteriously fallen asleep and would not awaken, and Ash Ketchum endeavored to find out why.

Blastoise was finally revealed as the evolved form of Gary Oak’s starter Pokémon during the Johto League championships. Despite its type disadvantage, Ash's Charizard was able to defeat it.

Blastoise are also owned by Cissy, a member of the Orange Crew; and Brock’s mother Lola, who turned the Pewter City Pokémon Gym into a Water Gym until Brock defeated her and restored the Rock Gym (in Pokémon Chronicles). Another Blastoise (who was cloned by Mewtwo) was featured in the first movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back, along with a "real" Blastoise owned by a trainer by the name of Neesha invited to Mewtwo's castle whom she nicknamed Shellshocker. In Hoenn, a Blastoise was seen in the Verdanturf Town Pokémon Contest, and Ash and friends watched a Wartortle evolve on an island just off the coast near Lilycove City.

Later on in Hoenn, an Officer Jenny mentions that "this looks like a job for my Blastoise", but a Nurse Joy warns her that it might put out the flame Team Rocket stole.

Pokémon manga
Blastoise is the fully-evolved form of the Squirtle that Green stole from Professor Oak in the Pokémon Adventures manga. As Green is terrified of bird Pokémon, she has no Pokémon that Fly, and must use other methods to engage in aerial combat (and for aerial transport). One of these methods involves Blastoise propelling itself upward by aiming a Hydro Pump attack from the cannons on its back toward the ground.

Pokémon Trading Card Game
Blastoise comes close to Charizard as one of the most prolific Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, making appearances in the Base Set (included in Base Set 2), Team Rocket (as Dark Blastoise twice, one of which was included in the Legendary Collection), Expedition (three times), Pokémon *VS (as Clair’s Blastoise, a basic Pokémon), The 7th Movie Half Deck (as Shota’s Blastoise, a basic Pokémon), EX FireRed & LeafGreen (as Blastoise EX), the POP3 promo set, and EX Crystal Guardians (as both Blastoise and the Fighting/Steel-type Blastoise δ). Its first appearance in the Base Set was a staple in Water-themed decks, because it has an extremely strong Pokémon Power, Rain Dance (which probably inspired the GB game technique in the second generation.). Rain Dance allows the player to attach as much Water energy as desired to his/her Water Pokémon during his/her turn. (Normally, players are restricted to attaching more then one Energy card per turn.) Blastoise EX has a similar Poké-Power, Energy Rain, which allows the player to attach Water energy to any of his/her Pokémon, but does 10 damage for each Water energy attached.

Blastoise in other media
Blastoise also featured in a YouTube video, in which a kid becomes over-excited upon receiving a pack of Pokémon cards