Romaji: Bassrao) is a species of Pokémon in the series of the same name. It is a Water type Pokémon that made its first appearance in the fifth Pokémon generation in the Black and White games. It has three forms; Red-Striped, Blue-striped and White-Striped though, the only difference is game availability and one of the abilities. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, it gained an evolution called Basculegion only for the White-Striped. Red-Striped Basculin and Blue-Striped Basculin cannot evolve.
Basculin is a green aquatic Pokémon that comes in two forms. The bodies of both the Red- and Blue-Striped Forms are the same. They have a green, ovoid body, tapering off in the rear to a trapezoidal tail fin. A thick black stripe covers the top of their body from mouth to tail and a white, dorsal fin with four protrusions resembling spikes. Their lower jaw juts ahead of their upper jaw, with a small indent near the edges of their mouth. Both forms have three black dots on both sides of their body, behind their pectoral fins.
The main difference between the two forms of Basculin is the color of the stripe that separates the black and green on their body. Both forms of Basculin have fins in the same places, with one on top of their body ahead of the tail fin, one below the body ahead of the tail fin, and two side fins. The Red-Striped Form has jagged fins that resemble tridents, whereas the Blue-Striped Form has smooth fins all around. The Red-Striped Form have circular, red eyes, while the Blue-Striped Form have narrower, blue eyes.
Red- and Blue-Striped Basculin are extremely hostile, especially towards their opposite form. They generally start fighting each other on sight for territory. However, on rare occasions, one form may swim with the other's school. Basculin is full of vitality and reproduces quickly. When a school of Basculin appears in a lake, Pokémon other than Corphish and Crawdaunt flee. It competes with Carvanha for food.
In Hisui and Kitakami, White-Striped Basculin has a similar appearance to the other two forms of Basculin. Despite its descriptor, the stripes above its eyes are actually a very pale shade of light blue, as are its irises. Its pectoral fins are smooth like Blue-Striped Basculin, but larger. Its dorsal fins are spiky and it has wide eyes, like Red-Striped Basculin. Its lower jaw is smaller than the jaws of either Red- or Blue-Striped Basculin, and both its lower and upper jaws have beak-like protrusions at the front.
Unlike the other two forms, White-Striped Basculin are known to be gentle, with an ecology different enough from other Basculin to spawn recent theories of it being a separate species. They are known to travel upstream; the journey is often perilous for the species, and many of them don't survive. As a result, the souls of the deceased White-Striped Basculin are often left behind in the waters of Hisui. However, when an injured White-Striped Basculin survives, it can unite with the souls in order to achieve the unique evolution into Basculegion.
Basculin has often been referred to as "the thug of the lake" or "Thug of the River", and uses its jaws, which are strong enough to leave bite marks in iron sheets, to devour everything in its way. However, despite their fierce reputation, Basculin become prey to stronger organisms, such as Bombirdier and Dondozo. Basculin were once also consumed by humans, and were considered very delicious. The meat of Blue-Striped Basculin has an inoffensive, light flavor, while the meat of Red-Striped Basculin is fattier, and was more popular with the youth. Basculin is a popular Pokémon with anglers due to its resistance. Many people release Basculin into lakes illegally, causing its population to grow abundant.
Though it differs from other Basculin in several respects, including demeanor—this one is gentle—I have categorized it as a regional form given the vast array of shared qualities.
Routes 1, 3, 6, 11, and 14, Striaton City, Wellspring Cave, Pinwheel Forest, Dragonspiral Tower, Challenger's Cave, Victory Road, Village Bridge, Giant Chasm, Abundant Shrine, and Lostlorn Forest(Surfing or fishing) Blue-Striped Form is available in rippling water
Routes 1, 3, 6, 11, and 14, Striaton City, Wellspring Cave, Pinwheel Forest, Dragonspiral Tower, Challenger's Cave, Victory Road, Village Bridge, Giant Chasm, Abundant Shrine, and Lostlorn Forest(Surfing or fishing) Red-Striped Form is available in Rippling Water
Routes 1, 3, 6, 11, 13, 14, 19, 20, 22 and 23, Aspertia City, Floccesy Ranch, Relic Passage, Clay Tunnel,
Dragonspiral Tower, Striaton City, Wellspring Cave, Pinwheel Forest, Undella Town, Humilau City, Victory Road, Village Bridge, Giant Chasm, Abundant Shrine, Nature Preserve and Lostlorn Forest(Surfing or fishing) Blue-Striped Form is available in rippling water
Routes 1, 3, 6, 11, 13, 14, 19, 20, 22 and 23, Aspertia City, Floccesy Ranch, Relic Passage, Clay Tunnel,
Dragonspiral Tower, Striaton City, Wellspring Cave, Pinwheel Forest, Undella Town, Humilau City, Victory Road, Village Bridge, Giant Chasm, Abundant Shrine, Nature Preserve and Lostlorn Forest(Surfing or fishing) Red-Striped Form is available in rippling water
Routes 15, 16 and 21, Laverre City, Frost Cavern, Couriway Town, Pokémon Village, Victory Road (Good Rod for Blue-Striped) (Super Rod for (Red-Striped)
Routes 15, 16 and 21, Laverre City, Frost Cavern, Couriway Town, Pokémon Village, Victory Road (Good Rod for Blue-Striped) (Super Rod for (Red-Striped)