-Nelson Mandela
The start of any Pokémon game is always a special thing. As a bright-eyed kid in a brand new town, all you know is an adventure is about to unfold in front of you, but finding out how that adventure is packaged is just at your fingertips. With your new surroundings feeling alien, it’s easy to be dwarfed by the unknown and endless possibilities that lie at your door. However, with all Pokémon games, you’re introduced to the friendly Professor of the town (and their tree-themed name), who is there to settle you in and guide your way. In some shape or form, you’ll end up helping the Professor who then kick-starts your journey by letting you select one of three Pokémon.
These Pokémon are always a fire type, water type and grass type (no one look at Pokémon Yellow!), and will set the foundations for how you build the rest of your team. They’ll impact those opening gym battles and, more than likely, build the strongest bond as you adventure with them from the very outset. These starter types go on to evolve into very strong Pokémon, but it’s that initial choice that’s most important – although the final evolution packs the power, the first form of these Pokémon packs the persuasion. For some generations, it’s an easy choice. Yes, I’m biased towards fire types, but as mentioned in my Top 10 Water Pokémon blog, there’ve been occasions where choosing the fire type was more out of loyalty than want, so I’ve packed in my playthrough and started again with a water-type (or chosen a grass type on my second playthrough).
With that said, I wanted to see what makes these Starter Pokémon so good and what it takes to make you pick them! Sometimes it’s design, sometimes it’s knowing what the final evolution will be. There’s also wild Pokémon to consider – for example in Red and Blue, there are so many Water Pokémon I never chose Squirtle in that particular generation (that doesn’t mean he’s not going to make the list!). Here are my Top 10 Starter Pokémon.
Did You Know?
- Bulbasaur and Rowlet are the only starters with dual typing.
- Johto & Galar starters keep a pure, single type throughout their evolutionary chain!
- The design of every fire starter ‘mon is based on a sign from the Chinese Zodiac.
10) Cyndaquil
This list won’t be dominated by fire types, I promise! But kicking off the list is Generation II’s Cyndaquil. With a lot of starter Pokémon it’s easy to see the real-world influence that’s contributed to their design – but that’s not the case with Cyndaquil. Resembling an echidna (like Knuckles), it’s hard not to love Cyndaquil’s happy-go-lucky, cute face. Whilst his eyes make it look like he’s loving life, the feracious flames on his back are a stark reminder that this Pokémon can hold his own. The Pokédex entries often point towards Cyndaquil’s timidness and if it weren’t for that singeing behind, I’d pick him up and let him know it’s all going to be ok…probably.
9) Chimchar
Honestly, it won’t be dominated by fire types…but here’s one more. Chimchar is one of the starter Pokémon in the Sinnoh region, and this jolly monkey always stood out for me. Chimcahr’s flame tail always felt like a homage to Charmander, so it was an easy choice over Turtwig and Piplup (who never really grabbed my attention). Also knowing that Chimcar would eventually become Infernape – a very strong fire/fighting type – solidified that decision. Alongside being jolly, the cheeky-Chimcar is also described to be mischievous and you can tell from that look on his face he’s just planning a prank or shenanigan that’s gonna pay off in the heat of battle!
8) Squirtle
See – a water Pokémon! I know in my introduction that I said I never chose Squirtle in Red/Blue due to the abundance of water types, and that’s true. But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t love this water-dwelling turtle. I’ve had many teams outside of Pokémon Red/Blue where I’ve had this lovable starter Pokémon in my team. Pokémon Yellow is one of these examples – after having started with Pikachu, Squirtle just felt like the natural water type choice. Also, who can forget the Squirtle squad episode in the anime series, which is without a doubt one of my favourites. Throw in that this bad-boy is also playable in Smash Bros. and you’ve got an affluent starter Pokémon that’d be at home on any team (whether you choose him at the start or not!).
7) Mudkip
Moving onto the Hoenn water starter, I absolutely adore Mudkip. This axolotl designed ‘mon is adorable – just look at that little face! I’m currently playing through an Omega Ruby Nuzlocke and chose Mudkip as my starter to help me survive all the nerve-wracking pressure ahead. Mudkip’s final evolution is also no joke – Swampert is a powerhouse, with a great water/ground typing which comes with very few bad match-ups! Hoenn’s starter Pokémon are all really solid, and although Mudkip is the only one that makes my list it was tough not including Treecko or Torchic.
6) Charmander
The very first starter Pokémon that I chose (and have used in a lot of my teams to date) is Charmander. Now, whilst I don’t think Charmander is the best starter from the Kanto region, his final evolution (which also happens to be my favourite Pokémon) is always the driving force behind my decision. Whilst Charmander is better than Charmeleon in my opinion, I always picked him and ended up looking forward to Charizard. Charmander’s also a bit of a problem when it comes to the opening two gym battles in Kanto – which are rock and water respectively. But get past these gyms with this little guy in tow and you’ll have some clutch moments strengthening that already solid bond.
5) Rowlet
First of all, let’s just address the most amazing thing about Rowlet – he’s an Owl with a bowtie. Really, I don’t need to say anymore, but I’ll go on. I always thought the Alolan starters (well not Popplio) were well designed, and what Rowlet has over the other two options is a dual typing (Grass/Flying) right off the bat. Interestingly, the Flying part of Rowlet disappears as he evolves into Decidueye, resulting in an awesome Grass/Ghost typing. So far, to date, it’s the only way to get a Ghost typing from a starter Pokémon, which I really like. You can also play as Decidueye in Pokkén Tournament DX, and I was pleased to see the beloved Owl get some more airtime!
4) Bulbasaur
My favourite of the Kanto starters has always been Bulbasaur. This adorable frog dons a bulb on his back that eventually flowers as he reaches Venusaur, his final evolution. My first playthrough of Red/Blue started off rough with Charmander as mentioned earlier. However, my second playthrough couldn’t have been more different – Bulbasaur tore through the rock and water gyms like a hot knife through butter. Where Charizard outshines Charmander, I always felt that Bulbasaur was the best designed ‘mon in his evolution chain and for that reason, for me, he places highest out of the original starter Pokémon of the series.
3) Litten
I’m a big cat fan – growing up my parents had four in the house (I know!), and we now have a cat at home. So it’s no surprise that I was overjoyed when the Alolan starter Litten, a cat and fire type, was available for picking. All of Litten’s evolution chain ‘mon are well designed – you go from cute cat Litten, to fierce cat Torracat, to outright rebel Incineroar. As well as also being in Smash Bros. Incineroar is still making waves in competitive Pokémon teams today thanks to its ability Intimidate, as well as access to “Parting Shot”. The great thing about Alola is its use in Sun & Moon and Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, meaning you can mix up your starters over the two games and get to enjoy Litten and Rowlet (again, not you Popplio).
2) Froakie
I’ve mentioned before my dilemma with the Kalos starters. I initially started a playthrough with Fennekin (again, loyalty to the fire type), but spent the first few gyms with Froakie living in my subconscious, rent-free. Well after the second gym, I pondered on my choice, reset my playthrough and started again with Froakie. Partially, that was due to the final evolution Greninja, my favourite water Pokémon – but it was also due to just how great Froakie looked. I especially love how he’s often seen with his hand raised like a little salute – I often think that salute is Froakie’s way of saying “well done nin10dave, restarting with me was the best choice you’ve ever made”…and he’s not wrong.
1) Grookey
Here it is, my favourite starter Pokémon and guess what – it’s not a fire type. The most recent batch of starter Pokémon for me provided the best starter ‘mon there is – Grookey. I absolutely love this little guy and immediately chose him for my Sword & Shield team. Although Sword & Shield didn’t deliver on what could have been an incredible first home console Pokémon game, Grookey made the experience incredibly joyful. Grookey also goes on to become Rillaboom – a mammoth ‘mon. With a combination of the ability “Grassy Surge” and the move “Grassy Glide”, Rillaboom is a fiend on the battlefield. Chuck in the Gigantimax ability and you know that choosing the adorable and playful Grookey was the best choice you could’ve ever made.
So far in the Pokémon series, there’s been 24 starter Pokémon to choose from – and despite only a small handful of duds, each ‘mon is usually well designed creating all sorts of difficult decisions for the player. Some of those decisions have haunted me throughout my playthroughs, and other decisions have been absolute no-brainers. But whoever you choose, remember, the bond that’s created between you and that Pokémon is stronger than any Top 10 blog ever will be.