Tropius

Introduced in generation three, with the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire games, Tropius is a dual type grass and flying Pokemon. It is a standalone Pokemon, which means that it does not evolve from or into any other Pokemon. Tropius is classified by the Pokedex as the “Fruit Pokemon” which may be a nod to its general design and delicious fruit. This guide will showcase Tropius’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Tropius.

About Tropius

As a generation three Pokemon, Tropius first appeared in the Ruby and Sapphire season of the anime in the episode From Brags to Riches. It was used by Trainer Dominick against Ash in a double battle. Tropius is a standalone Pokemon, and it does not evolve from or into any other Pokemon. The Pokedex mentions how Tropius began to grow fruit around its neck, and how Tropius itself will enjoy the fruit that grows off of it from time to time.

Tropius Base Stats

Appearance

Tropius is a large, quadrupedal, sauropod-like Pokemon that looks like a cross between a long-necked dinosaur and a palm tree. While it is a large dinosaur-like Pokemon, it is capable of flight with its four large palm frond-like wings. Most of its body is brown, but its wings and head are green and there are small fruits growing from underneath its chin. Tropius is a large Pokemon at 6 feet and 7 inches, or 2 meters, tall.

Behavior

Tropius are typically farmed by people in the Pokemon universe as their mild mannerisms and the delicious fruit that they grow make them ideal livestock for ranches. However, it can only survive in warm and humid areas like the Alola region or in tropical jungles. Tropius were specifically chosen as they seem to love the fruit they grow themselves while people treat the fruit as a delicacy. The Pokedex mentions their living behavior as well as how desirable the fruit around their necks are.

Strengths and Weaknesses

As a standalone Pokemon, Tropius can be menacing to face in the early game, but quickly gets outperformed by other Pokemon near the end game. Its health pool is considerable, and its defensive stats match that, but it does not compare to a fully built Pokemon. As a dual type flying and grass Pokemon, Tropius takes 2x damage from flying, poison, rock, and fire type moves, but takes 4x damage from ice type moves. It is immune to ground type moves and is resistant against fighting, water, and grass type moves.

Best Moveset

While Tropius does not perform excellently in competitive play, it can be considered a bulky defensive Pokemon. With a good move pool and making use of its Harvest ability, it becomes even more bulkier than it actually is. Use a Sitrus Berry, as a held item, along with Harvest to give it a much larger health pool. Consider running Leech Seed, Substitute, Air Slash, and Protect/Toxic. Leech Seed will work nicely with its prolonged battle strategy, Substitute will take a much stronger hit for you, Air Slash can function as its STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) move, and Protect/Toxic are interchangeable depending on whether you prefer a more defensive or offensive option respectively.

How to Catch Tropius in Pokemon Go

If you would like to obtain a Tropius in Pokemon Go, you will likely need to travel. Tropius is a region-locked Pokemon and can only be encountered in Africa, the Levant, Malta, and Southern Spain. In these regions, it will spawn in the wild at a boosted rate near parks, farmlands, forests, hiking trails, gardens, and other grassy areas. While you can hatch a Tropius from 5 km eggs, these eggs have to come from its respective region in order to hatch into a Tropius. Tropius has not appeared as a raid boss at Pokemon Gyms, so you will need to find one in the wild or from hatching eggs. Since Tropius does not evolve into or from any Pokemon, you can save any candies to power up your Tropius instead of evolution.

Trivia

1. In generation four, Tropius was exclusive to Pokemon Platinum, and is the only Pokemon to have this exclusion rule.
2. The inspiration for Tropius’s design is a combination of a sauropod dinosaur and a banana plant.
3. The name Tropius is a combination of the words tropical and saurus (Greek for lizard).

Explainer Video

FAQ

What evolves into Tropius?

Tropius is a standalone Pokemon and thus it does not evolve from or into any other Pokemon. Once you have encountered and obtained a Tropius there are no other evolutions in its line to concern yourself over. It simply does not evolve from or into any other Pokemon.

Is Tropius a good Pokemon?

While Tropius can function as a defensive Pokemon, there are many better alternatives to consider instead. It can function as a defensive Pokemon thanks to its health pool as well as its move pool, but it lacks the raw stats in order to succeed in competitive environments. It is best to utilize Tropius for casual play instead of competitive play.

Where can I find Tropius?

Starting with generation three, you can find Tropius spawning on Route 119. In generation four, it was only available in Pokemon Platinum at the Great Marsh. With generation five, you could find Tropius spawning on Route 14. In generation six, you could only find Tropius in Flying type Friend Safaris. In generation seven, you will need to trade a Tropius up, and it is unobtainable in generation eight.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Fruit Pokemon”. While Tropius has not made the biggest impact on competitive play, it can still function well in casual play as a defensive Pokemon. Its access to powerful tools and its ability Harvest can extend battle and inflate its health pool much more than most Pokemon. Reserve a slot on your team for Tropius if you want a grass and flying type defensive Pokemon.