There are a lot of starter Pokemon in the franchise now and one of the most important questions for fans worldwide is what is the very best starter? We’ve ranked 10 of the top starters that you can obtain across the different generations.
At the beginning of every Pokemon trainer’s journey is an important decision to make: ‘Which starter should you choose?’ Every generation and region has a trio of adorable ‘mon to decide between that always feature a Grass, Water, and Fire type.
Starter Pokemon will always be special to players as they’re the first creatures to join you on your journey, even if they may not stay in your team for the entire game. Everyone has a favorite starter but what ones are the very best?
We’ve looked into all the starter Pokemon out there and taken into account their stats, moveset, designs, and final evolutions to curate a list of the top 10 best starters in the franchise.
Without further ado, here are the 10 best starter Pokemon of all time.
10. Oshawott
Base Stats
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0501 | Water | 55 | 55 | 45 | 63 | 45 | 45 | 308 |
Evolution Chart
| Dewott (second-stage) | Samurott (third-stage) | Hisuian Samurott (third-stage) |
|---|---|---|
| Level required: 17Type: WaterAbilities: Torrent, Shell Armor (HA) | Level required: 36Type: WaterAbilities: Torrent, Shell Armor (HA) | Level required: 36 (Legends: Arceus only)Type: Water/DarkAbilities: Torrent, Shell Armor (HA) |
Pros and Cons
While many people dislike the design of Oshawott’s final evolution, Samurott is still a strong Pokemon that’s capable of taking down plenty of opponents, with solid 100 Attack and 108 Special Attack stats and decent bulk to carry it through most match-ups.
Throw in a wide-ranging move pool that provides excellent type coverage, and Samurott becomes the most balanced Pokemon in the Black & White starter trio. It does suffer from poor Speed, but Hisuian Samurott went some way to fix that.
9. Treecko
Base Stats
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0252 | Grass | 40 | 45 | 35 | 65 | 55 | 70 | 310 |
Evolution Chart
| Grovyle (second-stage) | Sceptile (third-stage) |
|---|---|
| Level required: 16Type: GrassAbilities: Overgrow, Unburden (HA) | Level required: 36Type: GrassAbilities: Overgrow, Unburden (HA) |
Pros and Cons
Treecko often plays second-fiddle to Mudkip, which is widely regarded as the best Ruby & Sapphire starter, but it can easily stand on its own two feet as a solid Grass-type glass cannon with a huge 120 Speed stat and 105 Special Attack.
It might not have very good bulk or a secondary typing to help it out, but it is one of the fastest creatures in its generation, meaning it can hit fast and hard. The ability to learn False Swipes was also great for catching tricky Pokemon in the wild.
8. Rowlet
Base Stats
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0722 | Grass/Flying | 68 | 55 | 55 | 50 | 50 | 42 | 320 |
Evolution Chart
| Dartrix (second-stage) | Decidueye (third-stage) | Hisuian Decidueye (third-stage) |
|---|---|---|
| Level required: 17Type: Grass/FlyingAbilities: Overgrow, Long Reach (HA) | Level required: 34Type: Grass/GhostAbilities: Overgrow, Long Reach (HA) | Level required: 36 (Legends: Arcsus only)Type: Grass/FightingAbilities: Overgrow, Long Reach (HA) |
Pros and Cons
With the design of an archer and a unique Grass/Ghost-typing, Rowlet’s final evolution Decidueye is definitely one of the most interesting starter Pokemon, with many trainers choosing it based on its design alone.
Decidueye has a 107 Attack stat and a 100 Special Attack stat which means it can focus on either move type, while a 100 Special Defense stat provides some bulk. It was also a great starter in Legends Arceus, where it became a Grass/Fighting-type.
7. Chimchar
Base Stats
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0390 | Fire | 44 | 58 | 44 | 58 | 44 | 61 | 309 |
Evolution Chart
| Monferno (second-stage) | Infernape (third-stage) |
|---|---|
| Level required: 14Type: Fire/FightingAbilities: Blaze, Iron Fist (HA) | Level required: 36Type: Fire/FightingAbilities: Blaze, Iron Fist (HA) |
Pros and Cons
One issue many players have with Diamond & Pearl is the severe lack of decent Fire-types in the wild, which meant choosing Chimchar as your starter was almost a necessity. Fortunately, it’s also one of the best starter Pokemon in general.
104 Attack and 104 Special Attack stats push it above average when dishing out damage, while 108 Speed makes it pretty darn fast. It’s one of the best Pokemon you can have on your team for taking down the Elite Four, too.
6. Bulbasaur
Base Stats
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0001 | Grass/Poison | 45 | 49 | 49 | 65 | 65 | 45 | 318 |
Evolution Chart
| Ivysaur (second-stage) | Venusaur (third-stage) |
|---|---|
| Level required: 16Type: Grass/PoisonAbilities: Overgrow, Chlorophyll (HA) | Level required: 32Type: Grass/PoisonAbilities: Overgrow, Chlorophyll (HA) |
Pros and Cons
As the very first entry in the Pokedex – and the first starter Pokemon that many trainers ever chose – Bulbasaur has a huge following of loyal fans. Even the creators of Pokemon love it, having once said that it “exemplifies what Pokémon is all about”.
Part of the reason for its popularity was that it could easily take out the first two gym leaders in Red & Blue. It also helps that its final evolution, Venusaur, continues to be a top-tier Grass-type across multiple games, including Pokemon Go.
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5. Torchic
Base Stats
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0255 | Fire | 45 | 60 | 40 | 70 | 50 | 45 | 310 |
Evolution Chart
| Combusken (second-stage) | Blaziken (third-stage) |
|---|---|
| Level required: 16Type: Fire/FightingAbilities: Blaze, Speed Boost (HA) | Level required: 36Type: Fire/FightingAbilities: Blaze, Speed Boost (HA) |
Pros and Cons
There’s been an unusual amount of starter Pokemon that end up Fire/Fighting-type in their third stage, but the adorable Torchic’s final evolution Blaziken is by far the best one around (in our humble opinion).
This is partly because there aren’t many good Fire-types in the Hoenn region, but mainly because it has a brilliant combination of 120 Attack and 110 Special Attack, which allows it to hit incredibly hard with moves like Close Combat and Flare Blitz.
4. Squirtle
Base Stats
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0007 | Water | 44 | 48 | 65 | 50 | 64 | 43 | 314 |
Evolution Chart
| Wartortle (second-stage) | Blastoise (third-stage) |
|---|---|
| Level required: 16Type: WaterAbilities: Torrent, Rain Dish (HA) | Level required: 36Type: WaterAbilities: Torrent, Rain Dish (HA) |
Pros and Cons
As one of the original Kanto starters, Squirtle was always going to be a top contender for a spot on this list. It’s got one of the greatest evolution lines and it’s made several memorable appearances in the anime – who could forget the Squirtle Squad?
While its final evolution may not be quite as popular as Charizard, there’s no denying that Blastoise is one of the coolest Pokemon ever. It’s also very bulky, with 100 Defense and 105 Special Defense, which lets it stick around for longer in battle.
3. Charmander
Base Stats
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0004 | Fire | 39 | 52 | 43 | 60 | 50 | 65 | 309 |
Evolution Chart
| Charmeleon (second-stage) | Charizard (third-stage) |
|---|---|
| Level required: 16Type: FireAbilities: Blaze, Solar Power (HA) | Level required: 36Type: Fire/FlyingAbilities: Blaze, Solar Power (HA) |
Pros and Cons
Decades after it made its debut in Red & Blue in the 1990s, the adorable little Fire-type Charmander remains not just a fan-favorite starter Pokemon, but one of the most popular Pokemon full stop.
There’s a pretty obvious reason for this… its final evolution is Charizard. This fearsome creature is arguably the most iconic Pokemon of all time (after Pikachu), appearing in multiple games and spin-offs including Pokken and Super Smash Bros.
It’s got the stats to back that popularity up, with a huge 109 Special Attack that lends itself well to STAB attacks like Inferno and Air Slash, while a 100 Speed stat means it will often get to attack first. Bonus points are awarded for having one of the best Shinies available.
2. Froakie
Base Stats
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0656 | Water | 41 | 56 | 40 | 62 | 44 | 71 | 314 |
Evolution Chart
| Frogadier (second-stage) | Greninja (third-stage) |
|---|---|
| Level required: 16Type: WaterAbilities: Torrent, Protean (HA) | Level required: 36Type: Water/DarkAbilities: Torrent, Protean (HA) |
Pros and Cons
Okay, so Froakie might not be the most appealing starter in its base form – but when its final evolution is Greninja, who cares! It’s even been voted the world’s favorite Pokemon, in case its popularity was ever in doubt.
Greninja has the highest Speed stat of any starter Pokemon’s final evolution, living up to its ninja-inspired name, which means it can unleash brilliant attacks like ? and ? before your opponent knows what’s happening.
1. Mudkip
| National Pokedex No. | Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Special Attack | Special Defense | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0258 | Water | 50 | 70 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 40 | 310 |
Evolution Chart
| Marshtomp (second-stage) | Swampert (third-stage) |
|---|---|
| Level required: 16Type: Water/GroundAbilities: Torrent, Damp (HA) | Level required: 36Type: Water/GroundAbilities: Torrent, Damp (HA) |
Pros and Cons
As far as starter Pokemon go, Mudkip really does have it all; It’s ridiculously cute, it’s the best one to choose in its parent games Ruby & Sapphire, and it also becomes one of the strongest starter final evolutions of all time.
Yes, we’re talking about Swampert. This powerful Water/Ground-type Pokemon has a really great balance of stats across HP, Defense, and Attack, meaning it has decent bulk and can hit hard with some great moves.
Perhaps the best thing about Swampert is that its unique dual typing leaves it with only one weakness (Grass) which means it can perform well in the majority of scenarios without worrying too much about being taken out.
That’s it for our list of the best starter Pokemon. For more Pokemon content, make sure to check out our guides below:
Fairy-type | Water-type | Grass-type | Fighting-type | Psychic-type | Electric-type | Legendary Pokemon | All cat Pokemon | All dog Pokemon | Creepiest ‘mon | Cutest Pokemon | The rarest and most expensive Pokemon cards | Lucario weaknesses | Steel-type weaknesses | Ice-type weaknesses | Fairy-type weaknesses