Snivy is a bipedal, reptilian Pokémon with a slender build. Most of its body is green with a cream underside. A yellow stripe runs down the length of its back and tail, and it has yellow markings around its large eyes. Two curved yellow structures that resemble leaves or small wings protrude from its shoulders and bend backwards. Its slender arms have three fingers, while its tiny feet have no digits whatsoever. It has a large, palmate leaf with three prongs on the end of its tail. This tail is capable of performing photosynthesis, which allows Snivy to move more quickly. However, the tail will begin to droop when Snivy loses energy. This Pokémon has a calm, collected demeanor.
Ash's Snivy first appeared in Snivy Plays Hard to Catch!. She knows Attract, much to the dismay of Ash, who tried to catch her, but failed because most of his team was male. She was defeated by Pidove due to both of them having the same gender and Ash successfully captured her.
Snivy is also featured along with the other starter Pokémon in the Pokémon Adventures manga as one of the starter Pokémon in Professor Juniper's lab. While talking on the phone to Fennel, Tepig spilled some Berry Juice on Snivy, causing it to fight with Tepig. Eventually Oshawott joined in on the commotion until the three starter Pokémon had managed to make a mess of her office, after which Juniper returned them to their Poké Balls, commenting that she was worried that the three might be too much for their future Trainers. Snivy was given to Cheren by Bianca because she thought it resembled him.
Professor Cedric Juniper's Snivy was supposed to be given to new Trainers, but was liberated by N. Snivy went with N, and evolved into a Servine while with N, and was then given to White.
NA: Along with Ekans and Onyx, this Pokémon is considered to be a snake Pokémon, even though it has two legs. When it evolves into Serperior, however, it sheds those legs. In Smash Bros., Snivy unleashes Razor Leaf on fighters, sending sharp leaves flying and damaging anything in range.
PAL: Like Ekans and Onix, Snivy is known as a snake Pokémon. Unlike those Pokémon, it has two legs. When it eventually evolves into Serperior, though, it loses them. It attacks using Razor Leaf, which sends super sharp leaves flying into fighters in front of it, potentially hitting them over and over again.
Game data
Snivy as seen in PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond
As the Player
Snivy appears as one of the player character in PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond. She is the daughter of Queen Serperior, which makes her Princess of the Arbor Area. Much to her mother's dismay, she is quite rambunctious, and prefers playing and getting dirty than being elegant and proper. Upon hearing of Pikachu and Oshawott's task to save the PokéPark, she helps them to open the portal in the Arbor Zone, on the condition that they take her with them.
Snivy and the other Black and White starter Pokémon were first revealed as silhouettes on the May 9, 2010 episode of Pokémon Sunday. They were later revealed in full in the June 2010 issue of CoroCoro.
Shortly after its release, much like many other Generation V Pokémon newly introduced, Snivy received the fan-made moniker, "Smugleaf". This name was picked up on and published in an article on the video gaming-focused blog Kotaku and later in an issue of Official Nintendo Magazine Australia and New Zealand, as well as its United Kingdom counterpart.
Snivy is the only Grass-typestarter Pokémon that is not listed as the first Pokémon in its regional Pokédex, although it is still #001; this is because the Pokémon before it has a Pokédex number of #000. It is also the only Grass-type starter Pokémon that is not the first Pokémon of its generation in National Pokédex order.
Snivy has the lowest base stat total of all Grass-type starter Pokémon.
Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott are the only starter Pokémon to evolve at an odd-numbered level: 17.
Origin
Snivy may be based on a variety of green vine snake species with a pointed snout, including Oxybelis fulgidus, Ahaetulla nasuta, and Ahaetulla prasina. Snivy's color scheme is similar to its species' possible namesake, the grass snake. The Pokémon's combination of snake- and lizard-like features is also similar to that of the Florida sand skink, a lizard that resembles a snake with small, stubby legs. The shape of its head, body, and the protrusions on its shoulders may be based on the bird of paradise or false bird of paradise flowers. Ken Sugimori has said that Snivy, Servine, and Serperior are based on French royalty, specifically mentioning the anime The Rose of Versailles as inspiration.
Name origin
Snivy is a combination of snake and ivy. It may also involve snide, sly, snark (a snide remark), or snicker (a sly or snide laugh).
Tsutarja may be a combination of ツタ tsuta (Japanese ivy) and 蛇 ja (snake).
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.