Ditto meets Tangrowth as the only remaining resident at the start of Pokémon Pokopia.
When Ditto awakens in the Withered Wasteland, the world has withered and humans are gone. Tangrowth lives alone in the wasteland and becomes the first important guide for Ditto’s rebuilding project.
Tangrowth later becomes known as Professor Tangrowth. After Ditto and Tangrowth discover a Pokédex, they begin restoring Pokémon habitats, which gradually attracts more Pokémon back to the area.
Tangrowth is therefore more than a background character: it introduces the central restoration premise and hopes that humans might eventually return. Players may confuse this character with Ditto’s later encounters, such as the trapped Onix or the rain-bringing Slowpoke.