Squirtle

Squirtle, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. It was designed by Atsuko Nishida. Its name was changed from Zenigame to Squirtle during the English localization of the series in order to give it a "clever and descriptive name." Its name is composed of squir- from squirt and -tle from Turtle. In animated appearances, Squirtle is voiced in Japanese by Rikako Aikawa and in English localizations by Eric Stuart, and later Michele Knotz. Squirtle, in the anime, never evolved for reasons which are never truly explained by the creators. In the main series games, Squirtle can evolve into Wartortle at level 16, which can further evolve into Blastoise at level 36. It is known as the "Tiny Turtle Pokémon". It also appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Design and characteristics Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Pokémon series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the Pokémon Red and Blue video games for the Game Boy. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species, or evolve, once they gain enough experience. The ultimate goal of the games is to complete the entries in the Pokémon index (Pokédex), a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain creatures from all Pokémon species. Squirtle was designed as one of the starter Pokémon of Pocket Monsters Red and Green by Atsuko Nishida, who based its design on its final form, a turtle-esque Pokémon that ultimately was scrapped and replaced with Blastoise. Originally called "Zenigame" in Japanese, Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children. Squirtle's English name is a portmanteau of the words "squirt" and "turtle."