Guide: The Best Starters for Every Generation of Pokémon

Choosing a starter Pokémon is a decision you'll carry with you throughout the entire game. It's not just a matter of strategy, but also a matter of preference, personality, the Pokémon's charisma, and, more recently, math and statistics about the creatures that may or may not be the best companions when starting the game.

If you choose right, the game will be pure joy. If you choose wrong, you'll have trouble facing trainers, wild Pokémon, and gyms. Sometimes, you'll prefer to restart the game rather than keep your Pokémon. But there are monsters that help you from the very beginning and make your journey through the world's regions much easier.

Here, we'll say that, to be considered the best starter, your Pokémon must easily carry you through at least three gyms. So, let's go visit all the regions and find out who should be with you until the end of the game. If you have any questions, leave a comment.

As much as people love Charizard, let's be honest: playing Pokémon Red & Blue with Bulbasaur at the beginning is basically playing on Easy Mode! Bulbasaur, besides having well-balanced base stats, has the added bonus of evolving into Venusaur, which is also a Poison-type, giving it a nice advantage over Professor Oak's other two options.

It easily wins Brock's first gym, has no trouble against Misty, Lieutenant Surge, or Erika (it might take a while since most of their attacks will be "Not very effective," but it won't be difficult either), and will only be at a disadvantage in the eighth gym, against Blaine, the Fire-type Pokémon trainer!

In other words, you can easily beat about four gyms with just your starter Pokémon, and by the time you reach a gym master who gives you a hard time, you'll probably already have your entire team ready to face the Elite Four.

There are a few problems a Bulbasaur trainer will have to face, not least the many Pidgeys and Spearows you'll encounter in the tall grass, whose Flying attacks will be an issue for those trying to reach a high level early in the game. Fortunately, the abundance of Ground and Rock types in caves will provide opportunities for your Bulbasaur to exterminate entire Pokémon faunas to earn some EXP. There are frequent encounters with Blue, your rival, whose Pidgeot and Charizard should be a consistent problem, but nothing that a Water type on your team can't solve.

Choosing a starter Pokémon in the Johto region of Generation Two is one of the easiest decisions to make. Totodile might hold its own well enough throughout the journey, but it's not enough. And Chikorita… It’s a disaster competitively. Now, Cyndaquil is the clear choice for players who want the best starter in this generation.

Cyndaquil, and later Typhlosion, fare well against most gyms and are also strong contenders when it comes to facing the Elite Four. Choosing Cyndaquil comes with its drawbacks. There will be plenty of Rock and Ground Pokémon pestering you with random cave encounters, and Lance's team containing a Charizard and a Gyarados will require some thoughtful strategy to overcome, but the drawbacks you'll face with this starter are way less compared to what you'll face with Chikorita and Totodile.

Cyndaquil seems to be the most beloved of the three when it comes to fan opinion, so there's really no downside to this starter.

You might choose Mudkip because you think it's cool, but the reasons to go with the Water-type for your Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire run are a bit more technical. In terms of gyms, the Water-type Mudkip has little advantage over the Grass-type Treecko, as both are super effective against three of the eight gyms. Both have an advantage in Roxanne's and Tate & Liza's Rock/Ground-type gyms, while Mudkip will be better suited to Flannery's Fire gym and Treecko will be better suited to Wallace's Water gym.

By the time you reach Wallace, Treecko will most likely have evolved into Sceptile, as Sootopolis City is home to the final gym. This shouldn't be underestimated, as Treecko's Grass-type is at a disadvantage in battles with the Fire-type Flannery and Winona's Flying-type lineup. Mudkip, on the other hand, will struggle with only one gym—Watson's Electric-type gym at the start of Mauville City. Your third option, Torchic, isn't really worth it, as Fire-types aren't super-effective against any of the gyms, and Fighting (a type gained by Torchic's third form, Blaziken), is super-effective against only one, not to mention that it’ll be at a significant disadvantage in the battle against Wallace.

Another consideration may be the amount of water present in the Hoenn region, which means random encounters may be a bit more challenging, but Mudkip shows enough advantages in other areas to overcome this obstacle. Bonus points for being the cutest of the bunch.

In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, we have Chimchar, a Fire-type, with an advantage over Turtwig, the Grass-type, and Piplup, the Water-type. Being super-effective against at least three gyms is a prerequisite to outperforming its peers, and Chimchar helps overcome Gardenia's Grass-type gym, as well as the sixth and seventh gyms, which are run by Byron's Steel-type gym and Candice's Ice-type gym.

Chimchar faces stiff competition from Turtwig, which can easily clear Roark's Rock and Crasher Wake's Water gyms. After evolving into Torterra, it also gains the Ground type, making it immune to Electric attacks, allowing it to easily navigate Volkner's final gym. While these may seem good, many of Turtwig's strengths are best used in the early stages of the game, while Chimchar's abilities set it up for late-game success.

Chimchar's final evolution, Infernape, is perfect for countering Aaron's Bug-type Pokémon, which would be super effective against Torterra, but the Grass-type would arguably be the best for dismantling Bertha's Water and Ground-types. Piplup, despite evolving into the very resilient Empoleon, doesn't have a significant advantage over many of the Gym Leaders or the Elite Four to make a difference here.

Apparently, the Pokémon Company really likes Fire-type Pokémon, giving it the crown of best starter once again, making Tepig the smartest choice. Grass-type Snivy isn't really a worthy choice, having only one gym advantage, nor any significant advantages over any of the Elite Four, and being plagued by the numerous Bug and Flying types in the tall grass of the Unova region.

The Water-type Oshawott isn't as bad as Snivy, making it the best choice for Clay's Ground-type gym and resistant to Brycen's Ice-type Pokémon, which are super effective against Snivy. But, like the Grass-type, there are no members of the Elite Four who have any major disadvantages against Oshawott or its evolutions.

However, Tepig's Fire abilities and its final form, Emboar, also a Fighting-type, allow it to have a smoother journey through Unova. First of all, the Bug-type Burgh gym and Brycen’s gym are easy for a Fire-type, with Ice being the second-to-last gym in the game. Need some alternatives to get past Clay's Ground-type gym? Sure! But the same can be said for Oshawott when you reach Elesa's Electric gym.

Also working in Emboar's favor are its strong attack stat and the presence of Team Plasma, which has a ton of Steel-type Pokémon in its pockets.

Froakie is one of the best starters in the entire series, making it the clear choice among the three Kalos Pokémon. Froakie evolves into Greninja, a notoriously capable Pokémon in battle. It's strong against several gyms: Grant (Rock), Valerie (Fairy), Olympia (Psychic), and Wulfric (Ice).

Its usefulness in the battle against the Elite Four can’t be overlooked. Greninja has access to the hidden ability Protean, which makes it one of the most powerful Pokémon in the franchise's history.

Protean's effect changes Greninja's type to the type of the move it’ll use before the move is executed. It can surprise enemies and inflict several super-effective status effects.

So, the champion here is arguably Froakie, as its combination of absurd speed, ranged attack, potential with the Protean ability, and utility in almost every stage of the game make it a superior choice. Chesnaught and Delphox are decent choices, but in the final battle, they fall short. Delphox shows promise with its type advantages, but it can't compete with Greninja in the long run. Chesnaught is simply a very underwhelming Pokémon.

When it comes to the best starter in the Alola region, Popplio has an undeniable advantage over the other two starters. In practice, Popplio—and specifically its final evolution, Primarina—has a strong set of resistances and very few weaknesses, along with strong stats like a base Special Attack of 126 and a good base Special Defense of 116.

This is extremely useful in battle and gives players an edge over their opponents. Popplio makes quick work of most Kahuna Islands, being strong against three of the four Kahunas: Hala (Fighting), Olivia (Rock), and Nanu (Dark), and in Grand Trials throughout the game. As it evolves within its line, Popplio will also gain an additional typing, Fairy, which can be very useful in battles against Dragon-type Pokémon, which are notoriously powerful.

Popplio has the best answers to Alola's main challenges, excellent final typing, and coverage. Litten performs decently, but Popplio has the advantage in most key matchups and has more overall utility.

Scorbunny is easily the best choice among the Galar region's starter Pokémon. The fire rabbit doesn't just win you over with its stylish and energetic appearance—it delivers serious combat performance.

From its earliest levels, it displays above-average speed and a solid physical attack, giving it an advantage in early battles. As it evolves, it becomes even more impressive, culminating in Cinderace, a final form that combines strength, agility, and presence on the field. With moves like Fireball, which are not only visually striking but also cause considerable damage, Scorbunny becomes a key component of any well-built team.

Its performance against Gym Leaders is solid. It fares very well against Grass, Rock, Ice, and Dark-type specialists—all of whom have a strong presence throughout the journey. Even in matchups where it's at a disadvantage, its speed allows him to act first, often securing a knockout before the opponent has a chance to react. This makes it not only useful but also fun to use. It combines charisma and efficiency.

Sobble, the Water starter, also has its merits. It's fast, hits well with special moves, and can have good moments, especially against opponents vulnerable to this style. Grookey, a Grass-type, even helps in the early stages of the game, but loses prominence as the campaign progresses. Ultimately, neither can maintain the same consistency and impact that Scorbunny demonstrates in practically every stage of the adventure. It's smart, strong, efficient—and stylish to boot. For those who want a safe journey full of good times in Galar, Scorbunny is the right choice.

While Pokémon Scarlet and Violet offer players unprecedented freedom—allowing us to freely choose the order of gyms, Team Star bases, and even wild encounters—this doesn't prevent it from having a clear favorite among the starters: Fuecoco.

The structure of the Paldea region, even with the lack of level scaling in gyms, seems to favor it from the beginning to the final challenges. The two weakest gyms are Bug- and Grass-type, both vulnerable to Fire-types. Among the most difficult are the Psychic/Fairy and Ice gyms, types that Skeledirge, Fuecoco's final form, easily handles due to its Fire/Ghost combination.

Meanwhile, Quaxly, a Water-type, has a slower progression. It only truly gains prominence when it becomes Quaquaval, a Water/Fighting-type, which helps it occasionally at Larry's Normal Gym. Sprigatito even has a good moment when it evolves into Meowscarada, with its Grass/Dark typing, useful against Psychic and Ghost-types, but still, in terms of overall impact, it lags behind Fuecoco.

Team Star's bases further reinforce Fuecoco's advantage. Several of them feature Bug-, Fighting-, and Fairy-type Pokémon, against which Skeledirge excels with immunities or resistances. Even in the finale, facing the Elite Four, Skeledirge maintains its relevance: while Quaquaval and Meowscarada fare well against Rika, Skeledirge largely excels from Poppy's Steel-type team, staying several steps ahead of the other two starters until the end of the journey.