This article's contents will change as more information becomes available, perhaps abruptly. Please be cautious when adding information to this article, as rumors and speculation can often be confused with facts. Avoid any information on this subject which is not confirmed by reliable sources.
Tsutarja is a reptilian Grass-type Pokémon. Most of its body is green in coloration, while it has a cream-colored underside. A yellow stripe runs down the length of its back and tail, and it also has yellow markings around its large eyes. Yellow, curved structures protrude from its shoulders and bend backwards. These structures resemble leaves or small wings and give Tsutarja the appearance of wearing a collar. In spite of being snake-like in appearance, it has fully-developed limbs. Its slender arms are the same green color as the rest of its body and have three fingers, while its tiny feet match its underside in coloration and have no digits whatsoever. It has a large, palmate leaf with three prongs on the end of its tail.
Gender differences
None
Special abilities
It absorbs energy in the sunlight to grow more powerful.
Tsutarja is also featured along with the other starter Pokémon in the Pokemon Adventures manga as one of the starters in Profressor Araragi's lab. While talking on the phone to Mamako, Pokabu spilled some Berry Juice on Tsutarja, causing it to fight with Pokabu. Eventually Mijimaru joined in on the commotion until the three starter Pokémon had managed to make a mess of her office, after which Araragi returned them to their Poké Balls, commenting that she was worried that the three might be too much for their future Trainers.
Tsutarja and its fellow Black and White starters 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, Tsutarja received the fan-made moniker, "Smugleaf". This name was picked up on and published in an article on video gaming-focused blog Kotaku and later in an issue of Official Nintendo Magazine Australia and New Zealand.
Ken Sugimori has said that Tsutarja's personality was meant to be similar to that of European (particularly French) royalty, specifically mentioning The Rose of Versailles anime as inspiration. The Rose of Versailles was also the inspiration for two characters of the day in the anime.
Tsutarja is the first Grass-type starter that is not listed as the first Pokémon in its regional Pokédex, although it is still #001. It is also the only Grass-type starter so far that is not the first Pokémon of its generation in National order.
Tsutarja has the lowest base stats of all Grass-type starter Pokémon.
Tsutarja is the only Grass-type starter not in the monster egg group.
Origin
Tsutarja may be based on Oxybelis fulgidus, a slender snake with a pointed head that inhabits Central America and South America. Its color scheme resembles Opheodrys aestivus, the North American grass snake that is likely the namesake of Tsutarja's species designation. The Pokémon's combination of snake- and lizard-like features is also similar to that of the skink, more specifically the Neoseps. Neoseps heavily resemble snakes but have small, stubby legs. Its head and general body shape, as well as its protrusions on its shoulders, may be based on the birds of paradise flowers or false birds of paradise. Tsutarja and its evolutionary line may also be based off of the Serpent in the Garden of Eden story from the Old Testament. God had cursed the serpent to crawl on its belly and lose its legs for leading mankind to sin. Tsutarja's Dream World ability also suggests this.
Name origin
Tsutarja's name is possibly derived from 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.