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Pokémon Starters Tier List Maker
Rank all 27 Pokémon starters from Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle in Generation 1 to the Scarlet and Violet trio. Decide once and for all which region had the best starter lineup.
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Meet every starter (27)
These 27 starters load into the maker above. Each write-up covers what the starter is and what to weigh when you rank it. Facts were last checked on .
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Bulbasaur
Kanto's Grass starter, also part Poison, and the first Pokémon in the National Pokédex. It evolves into Ivysaur and then Venusaur, which has both a Mega Evolution and a Gigantamax form.
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Charmander
Kanto's Fire starter, evolving into Charmeleon and then Charizard. Charizard gains the Flying type, has two Mega Evolutions, and remains one of the most recognizable Pokémon in the whole franchise.
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Squirtle
Kanto's Water starter, a small turtle that evolves into Wartortle and then Blastoise. Blastoise carries water cannons on its shell and has both a Mega Evolution and a Gigantamax form.
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Chikorita
Johto's Grass starter, evolving into Bayleef and then Meganium. It stays a pure Grass type throughout its line, and its hidden ability, Leaf Guard, protects it from status conditions in sunny weather.
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Cyndaquil
Johto's Fire starter, evolving into Quilava and then Typhlosion. Its hidden ability is Flash Fire, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus later introduced a Hisuian Typhlosion that is part Ghost.
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Totodile
Johto's Water starter, a crocodile that evolves into Croconaw and then Feraligatr. Feraligatr's hidden ability, Sheer Force, boosts moves with side effects, suiting its biting and physical style of battling.
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Treecko
Hoenn's Grass starter, evolving into Grovyle and then Sceptile. Sceptile gained a Mega Evolution that adds the Dragon type, which gave this lizard line a memorable upgrade later in the series.
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Torchic
Hoenn's Fire starter, evolving into Combusken and then Blaziken, which becomes Fire and Fighting type. Blaziken's hidden ability, Speed Boost, raises its speed each turn, and it can Mega Evolve.
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Mudkip
Hoenn's Water starter, evolving into Marshtomp and then Swampert, which becomes Water and Ground type. That typing leaves Swampert with only one weakness, to Grass attacks, and it also has a Mega Evolution.
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Turtwig
Sinnoh's Grass starter, evolving into Grotle and then Torterra, which becomes Grass and Ground type. Torterra carries a small tree on its shell, making it one of the more unusual final forms.
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Chimchar
Sinnoh's Fire starter, a monkey that evolves into Monferno and then Infernape, which becomes Fire and Fighting type. Infernape's Iron Fist ability, a hidden option, strengthens its punching moves.
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Piplup
Sinnoh's Water starter, a penguin that evolves into Prinplup and then Empoleon, which becomes Water and Steel type. Piplup is also well known as Dawn's partner in the anime series.
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Snivy
Unova's Grass starter, evolving into Servine and then Serperior. It stays pure Grass type, and its hidden ability, Contrary, reverses stat changes, so lowering moves end up raising its stats instead.
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Tepig
Unova's Fire starter, a pig that evolves into Pignite and then Emboar, which becomes Fire and Fighting type. Emboar was the third starter line to use that Fire and Fighting combination.
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Oshawott
Unova's Water starter, an otter that evolves into Dewott and then Samurott. Samurott stays pure Water type in Unova, while a Hisuian version in Pokémon Legends: Arceus becomes Water and Dark.
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Chespin
Kalos's Grass starter, a hedgehog that evolves into Quilladin and then Chesnaught, which becomes Grass and Fighting type. Its hidden ability, Bulletproof, blocks ball and bomb moves.
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Fennekin
Kalos's Fire starter, a fox that evolves into Braixen and then Delphox, which becomes Fire and Psychic type. Delphox carries a wand and has a magical look that sets it apart.
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Froakie
Kalos's Water starter, evolving into Frogadier and then Greninja, which becomes Water and Dark type. Greninja's hidden ability, Protean, and its starring role in the anime made it extremely popular with fans.
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Rowlet
Alola's Grass starter, an owl that evolves into Dartrix and then Decidueye, which becomes Grass and Ghost type. A Hisuian version of Decidueye in Legends: Arceus becomes Grass and Fighting instead.
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Litten
Alola's Fire starter, a cat that evolves into Torracat and then Incineroar, which becomes Fire and Dark type. Its hidden ability, Intimidate, lowers opposing Attack stats when it enters battle.
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Popplio
Alola's Water starter, a sea lion that evolves into Brionne and then Primarina, which becomes Water and Fairy type. Its hidden ability, Liquid Voice, makes sound-based moves Water type.
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Grookey
Galar's Grass starter, a chimpanzee that evolves into Thwackey and then Rillaboom, which stays pure Grass. Rillaboom's hidden ability, Grassy Surge, creates Grassy Terrain when it enters battle.
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Scorbunny
Galar's Fire starter, a rabbit that evolves into Raboot and then Cinderace, which stays pure Fire type. Its hidden ability, Libero, changes its type to match whichever move it uses.
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Sobble
Galar's Water starter, a shy chameleon that evolves into Drizzile and then Inteleon, which stays pure Water type. Its hidden ability, Sniper, boosts the damage of its critical hits.
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Sprigatito
Paldea's Grass starter from Scarlet and Violet, a cat that evolves into Floragato and then Meowscarada, which becomes Grass and Dark type. Its hidden ability is Protean, shared with Greninja.
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Fuecoco
Paldea's Fire starter, a crocodile that evolves into Crocalor and then Skeledirge, which becomes Fire and Ghost type. Skeledirge's hidden ability, Unaware, ignores the stat boosts of the opposing Pokémon.
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Quaxly
Paldea's Water starter, a duckling that evolves into Quaxwell and then Quaquaval, which becomes Water and Fighting type. Its hidden ability, Moxie, raises Attack after it defeats an opponent.
About Pokémon Starters
Each main Pokémon region offers three starter Pokémon: a Grass type, a Fire type and a Water type. The choice is made at the beginning of the game and usually shapes the early journey.
Fans rank starters by design, evolutions, how well they perform in the story, and how much they love them. Remember that a starter can be great in battle but ranked lower for its final form.
What to consider when you rank starters
- Design of the final evolution
- Performance in the main story
- Typing and movepool
- Nostalgia
- Competitive viability
Pokémon Starters tier list questions
How many starter Pokémon are on this list?
This list has 27 starters: the Grass, Fire and Water trio from each of nine main-series generations, from Kanto in Generation 1 through Paldea in Scarlet and Violet. It does not include Pikachu or Eevee.
Which starter has the best final evolution?
There is no single answer. Fans weigh typing, abilities and battle roles, so Greninja, Blaziken and Swampert often come up for competitive reasons, while others pick favorites by design, anime appearances or nostalgia.
Do the hidden abilities mentioned here change the rankings?
They can. Hidden abilities like Speed Boost, Protean and Libero define how some final evolutions play, so competitive fans often rank starters by ability, while casual players tend to rank by design and personal attachment.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these references on .