Blastoise has been a fan favorite Pokémon since the release of
Pokémon Red and
Blue and one of the best-known Pokémon species according to
Beckett Pokémon Unofficial Collector writer Sean Cooper, who attributed this to its appearance on the cover of
Pokémon Blue.
Polygon writer Ryan Gilliam felt that Blastoise was a "shining beacon" of Water-type Pokémon, praising it for how cool it is, as well as how well it pulls off its shell cannons.
GamesBeat writers Jeff Grubbs and Mike Minotti both felt that Blastoise was a cooler Pokémon than Charizard, Grubbs remarking how powerful it looks. Minotti believed that it, alongside the other two, resembled monsters, comparing it positively to later starter final forms, which he believed were too human-like.
IGN writer Rich felt that, despite enjoying dragons, he found the concept of a "blue turtle with giant cannons" amazing, regarding it as one of the best Pokémon.
IGN Southeast Asia writer Dale Bashir regarded it as one of the most important Pokémon, attributing the popularity of
Red and
Blue in part on Blastoise's design. Blastoise was the subject of a viral
rap song called "Blastoise!" by musician Genwunner which paid tribute to it. This song went viral on
TikTok, with videos produced featuring footage from
Pokken Tournament of Blastoise set to the music.
Kotaku writer Kenneth Shepard lamented how Charizard got more focus than Blastoise and Venusaur from both Nintendo and fans despite receiving some love. He expressed appreciation for the song, as well as it being more popular on TikTok than the rapper's songs for the other two.
Destructoid writer Eric Van Allen found Blastoise's appearance in
New Pokémon Snap to be one of the best moments of the game, considering finding it to be a magical moment and a good way to end the game for him. He felt that the Blastoise flying away contributed to the significance of this moment. Professor João Paulo dos Anjos analyzed the power of Blastoise's water cannons and Hydro Pump attack, estimating that they would have a lot of power, but only be able to produce water for less than 0.118 seconds based on his math and estimations. He believed this was reflected in the lower accuracy of Hydro Pump, stating that a Blastoise would have to be a good shot with its Hydro Pump. He approximated that each shot of a water cannon would have the power of a 1300kg car going 80 km per hour. While analyzing Mega Blastoise's additional water cannon, he came to the conclusion that Hydro Pump by Mega Blastoise would be three times stronger. He also determined that a Blastoise could fly to the height of a 10-story building before the Hydro Pump ran out. In another paper as part of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Science, author Thomas Codd analyzed the three final forms of the starter Pokémon, deducing that Blastoise's water cannons were capable of producing 386,000 joules of energy and was the second strongest, above Venusaur and below Charizard. In games such as
Pokémon Stadium, Blastoise's water cannons shoot water when Blastoise uses certain attacks; according to
Inside Games, this changed in
Pokémon X and
Y where it shoots water from its mouth, a trend that continued until
Pokémon Scarlet and
Violet. The change in
Scarlet and
Violet was met with positive reception from fans. According to
Nintendo of America marketer
Gail Tilden, Blastoise, alongside Charizard, was "by far" the best-selling
Pokémon action figures. The Blastoise presentation card created as a proof of concept for the Pokémon Trading Card Game is among the most valuable Pokémon cards, having sold for 360,000 USD. ==References==