Ah, Bulbasaur. Good ol' Bulbasaur! 

This entire evolutionary line is the definition of hardy and dependable. If you have a Pokémon from the Bulbasaur line on your team, you have a friend for life. This evolutionary line is full of steadfast, sturdy Pokémon that will help you breathe a sigh of relief in any tough battle!

Type Factor:

The type combination in this line is a pretty useful one, in my opinion. The addition of the poison type to the conventional grass type allows this evolutionary line to have a unique defense that plain grass types cannot claim: it knocks out an entire type weakness! 

That's right, Bulbasaur and its following evolutions have less type weaknesses to worry about compared to plain grass types. Normally, grass types are weak to bug, fire, flying, ice, and poison. But combined with a poison type, Bulbasaur knocks out two of these weaknesses: bug and poison. Although the poison type also means Bulbasaur picks up a weakness to psychic moves, the benefits outweigh the losses, in my opinion.

Design Factor: 

Look at Bulbasaur. Really look at it. I mean, really, really look at it. You can't tell me that it isn't adorable! Look at those wide eyes! See that toothy smile! Bulbasaur is like a sweet little gumdrop that grows up into... a sweet BIG gumdrop! Ivysaur and Venusaur might be bigger and tougher looking, but they never lose that Bulbasaur charm. Also, the slow blooming of Bulbasaur's bulb into a massive and gorgeous tree is a wonderful sight to behold! Overall, I'd say this design is enjoyable and interesting all around!

Lore Factor: 

Bulbasaur's line has some interesting information in the Pokédex, no doubt about it. For instance, due to the bulb on its back, Bulbasaur can go days without eating. The nutrients from the bulb is sufficient to care for it for a long time. As this bulb begins to bloom in later evolutions, Ivysaur and Venasaur's plants begin to emit a pleasant aroma. Venusaur's aroma is known to calm people down, even in the heat of battle! How useful would that be? If you're stressed about your next test, just call up Venusaur to help you out! 

What I like the most about these Pokédex entries is that they keep the focus on Bulbasaur's greatest asset: its bulb. The bulb can do a lot for Bulbasaur and for others around it, and seeing that narrative drawn out through the entire evolutionary line is really interesting!

Stats Factor: 

By the time your Bulbasaur has evolved fully into a Venusaur, it will have some decent stats that will make it a tough competitor in battle. The strongest stats your Venusaur will have will be its special attack and special defense, so be sure to teach it a lot of long range moves! 

The weakest stats will likely be its HP and its speed, but this isn't too surprising. Venusaur is a big Pokémon! It's not gonna be able to move that fast! Have patience with Venusaur if it doesn't move quickly in battle, and trust that it will make up the difference with a killer Solarbeam!

Evolutionary Factor: 

As far as evolutionary lines go, I feel that Bulbasaur's is fairly basic. The designs remain largely the same throughout, with the same body shape, color, and general design. The central focus of Bulbasaur's evolutions is the gradual growth of the bulb on its back. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that there isn't all that much interesting to comment on other than that. 

But I suppose that falls into line with Bulbasaur's character, right? Dependable and steadfast, with no surprises!

Conclusions:

Overall, I think Bulbasaur is an excellent Pokémon. It has a great type match up, an adorable design, a nice Pokédex narrative, and dependable stats. It's a shame that Bulbasaur seems to be shunted aside in favor of its more popular Kanto starter counterparts. In my opinion, more people should have Bulbasaur and its evolutionary line in their team. So what are you waiting for? Go on out there and get yourself a Bulbasaur! 

To my fellow researchers: 

I'm dying to know your thoughts on the Bulbasaur line. Do you think that Bulbasaur is underrated? Or do you think that this line gets the attention it deserves? Why or why not? Please leave all your thoughts in the comments, I would love to have a conversation about this!