Tangela is covered with thick blue vines that obscure its face so only its eyes can be seen. The vines give it a round shape, although it is unknown what it looks like without them. The vines are covered in fine hair. It has a pair of red boot-like feet, but no visible arms.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Tangela's vines never stop growing and are easily replaced if lost or damaged. Tangela can ensnare and entangle its foes with its vines.
Behavior
Its thick blue vines are constantly jiggling and swaying. This appears to be a defensive technique, as the movement unnerves enemies and deters herbivores that might mistake Tangela for a shrub. Any moving object that gets too close to a Tangela will be ensnared by its vines. This also appears to be a defensive technique, because Tangela's vines will snap off easily and painlessly if the target pulls on them, suggesting that the ensnaring is intended to scare off potential predators.
Tangela can usually be found on the edge of many grassy plains, be it near a mountain range or the ocean. However, they can also be found in large forests or the jungle on some occasions. They are most common in Kanto and Johto, and can also be found in the Sevii Islands. They have also been introduced to the Great Marsh in Sinnoh.
Like her counterparts in other media, Erika of Pokémon Adventures has a Tangela in her arsenal. This Tangela goes by the nickname Angela in the English translations, or Mon-chan in Japanese.
In the W Mission Story: Pokémon Ranger - the Comic manga
Tangela is one of the Pokémon Lunick captures in the adaptation ofPokémon Ranger. Lunick uses Tangela's vines to rescue a girl from a burning building.
Tangela's vines snap off easily if they are grabbed. This happens without pain, allowing it to make a quick getaway. The lost vines are replaced by newly grown vines the very next day.
Its vines snap off easily and painlessly if they are grabbed, allowing it to make a quick getaway. The lost vines are replaced by new growth the very next day.
Tangela is probably based on Medusa, a gorgon of Greek mythology, who had a head of snakes and turned any creature that saw her into stone. The tentacles on Tangela, however, are vines. Its Crystal sprite shows it curling into a ball, meaning it may also have design elements from tumbleweed or bird-cage plants. It may also be based on a Green Man, a motif that is represented as a face surrounded by leaves and vines.
Name origin
Tangela may be a combination of tangle and Medusa (referring to its vines resembling a snake hairstyle like Medusa's).
Monjara may be based on もじゃもじゃ mojamoja (shaggy or unkempt). It may also include monster.
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.