While Venusaur does have 100 for Special Attack and Special Defense, this is not the full story. Blastoise has a higher physical defense than it’s leafy contemporary, thus giving better overall defenses. Their other base stats all hang out around 80, and while Venusaur’s base stats are more evenly spread, Blastoise actually has a slightly higher point total: 530 base stat points altogether, versus Venusaur’s 525.
Finally, whereas Blastoise, being single type, is only weak to electricity and grass, Venusaur has the most type disadvantages of the three starters, by nature of being both Grass- and Poison-type; it’s weak against Fire, Ice, Flying and Psychic attacks.
In conclusion, while all three starters have tactical merits and situational advantages, to assert that Venusaur is the strongest overall is an oversimplification, and to think it’s defenses are on-par with Blastoise’s is largely incorrect.
There are two factors which make this a different story:
Mega Venusaur gets Thick Fat upon mega evolving, neutralizing its weaknesses to Fire and Ice (with weaknesses as though it were a Fighting-type). As a Poison-type, it is also resistant to Fighting and Fairy. Blastoise is resistant to four types (Water, Ice, Fire, and Steel), of which only three are normal attacking types, whereas Venusaur is resistant to five. Until Gen IV, the only weakness Venusaur had which was physical was Flying, which wasn’t a major component in matches until Gen III (barring the occasional Hidden Power). Defense is handy, true, but it matters most with typing. Further, Blastoise’s Special was its lower stat (85) in Gen I, when it mattered most.
Venusaur’s base speed is higher; though it is only two points higher, it is enough to give Venusaur several advantages. First, Venusaur is a status platform, so Speed is necessary; because Venusaur already has a good Special Attack and Special Defense, it’s easy to invest in Speed and HP on one. Blastoise is your basic bulky Water: it’s got offensive moves and Withdraw, but it’s not a status user. On a Blastoise, you also need to invest in Attack and/or Special Attack for it to be useful, and to take advantage of its defenses you need tp invest in HP, which means it will be slow. Mega Evolution solves many of these problems, but Mega Blastoise still doesn’t have a good HP stat and can’t use Leftovers, so it’s nearly a waste. Second, in Gen I 80 was high enough to always get a crit off of a high crit chance move – like Razor Leaf. Thus, Venusaur was and is rather defensive while using its offense effectively.
Blastoise has a third disadvantage: nearly every trainer will get a Water-type for Surf and there are (and always have been) much better Water-types.
Those are all valid points, (I think? Kind of lost actually, I haven’t touched a Pokemon game since Gen 2) but definitely not what the comic was implying.
Also, as far as shoot goes, I will totally concede that Bulbasaur and it’s line are valid for gameplay purposes (honestly a little OP for PvE, because of the way the early Gyms are structured), I just don’t like the ‘saurs nearly as much as character designs. Bulb is cute, and Ivysaur looks the best of the intermediates (because it’s just Bulbasaur again) but Venusaur is so ugly and bland! Blastoise looks like friendly Bowser, the Squirtle squad are badasses, and that’s enough for me to be team water (not to mention Totodile is also my favorite starter in Gen 2, for very similar reasons).
Watchman I thought we were friends
We are friends. That doesn’t mean I have to like the Swamp Frog.
This is everything I hoped for and more
I’m dead, don’t cast resurrect
Guys, you’re missing the easiest point.
Venusaur mops the floor with Blastoise.
I like how there are huge ass walls of texts explaining how Venusaur isn’t the best while the simple common sense literally says that Venusaur has both speed and type advantage meaning Blastoise might not even see the 2nd turn against Venusaur.
While a Venusaur surviving the first hit can destroy Charizard with HP Rock which is 4x strong against Charizard.
Susiron 