Tangrowth is the only resident found in Pokémon Pokopia’s wasteland at the start. The solitary Pokémon lives in the withered world before Ditto begins restoring habitats and attracting more Pokémon.
Tangrowth later becomes known as Professor Tangrowth and serves as an important guide for Ditto. The character explains that humans and other Pokémon disappeared long ago, although Tangrowth does not know where they went. This gives the opening area a mystery as well as a practical purpose: players gradually turn an empty, damaged landscape into a welcoming Pokémon community.
Tangrowth is sometimes confused with a human professor because of the title “Professor.” In Pokémon Pokopia, the professor is still a Pokémon, and the name reflects the character’s role in guiding the investigation. The early setting is therefore not an abandoned town populated by humans; it is a wasteland occupied by one lonely Tangrowth.