Tangrowth is the only remaining resident of the wasteland when Pokémon Pokopia begins. The game opens in a world where the land has withered and humans and most other Pokémon have disappeared. Tangrowth lives alone until Ditto awakens and begins restoring the environment.
Tangrowth later becomes known as Professor Tangrowth. This character introduces the mystery surrounding the deserted world and explains that the disappearance happened long ago. The professor does not know where the missing humans and Pokémon went, giving the story an investigative thread beneath its relaxed building and farming mechanics.
Tangrowth’s role is therefore more than a visual cameo. The character serves as Ditto’s first major guide and establishes the game’s central goal: gradually rebuilding a desolate landscape into a welcoming Pokémon utopia. Players attract other Pokémon by improving habitats, growing vegetables, and creating useful structures.