Pokémon starters are a controversial topic. It doesn't matter who you are, if you've played any of the games you have an opinion on the best starter. It could be determined by which generation was your first, or a momentous moment in any of the games, but it got locked in your head somehow.
I'm not going to pretend it's an objective list. Part of it depends on how good a Pokémon is in combat, but that's far from the main criteria. There are some that are ranked lower just because I don't like their face, or the generation they came from, or just a vague sense of love or dislike based on my memories of them.
Yet these are my opinions and I stand by them. Without further ado, these are the 25 Best Pokémon Starters.
Germignon
Gen 2 was my starting generation, so you'd think I'd have a bit of nostalgia for those days… and you'd be right. But even with that in mind, Germignon falls flat. In terms of appearance and power, this Pokémon is really disappointing. It starts out cute but subtly ... fake which only gets worse over time, and its combination of being a boring bag of HP and a mono weed type with all the common weaknesses that imply puts it at the bottom of this list. .
Otaquin
I really like Gen 7 starters for the most part, but Otaquin's odd schtick idol doesn't land with me like the other two she shares. This one is really based just on the look of its evolved form and having the water pistol shoot from its nose, which is just gross.
Moustillon
Yeah, I said it. The Electric Mouse is cute and all, but it's weak and a bit over-typed like a real Pokemon rather than a mascot, and I never liked Raichu much either. Alolan Raichu could talk about it for a long time, but still not enough.
Arcko
This one is based on appearance rather than effectiveness. Grass / Fighting is a really cool strike, but I don't like the look of this Pokemon. In addition, I admit a bit of bias here; I've never played Gen 6, so I have no attachment to this Gen's entries.
Gruikui
I don't like his face. Or one of his other faces. The typing of the later forms (Fire / Psychic) would be interesting… if Victini hadn't punched him while having better eyesight.
Viper
"> LaPokémon. His blissful aura taunts me.
Okay, although I like Vipélierre. These are the developments that bother me. The poor man loses his arms because he evolves, which has always horrified me. Plus, this is another mono Grass, a hit that I hate.
La
Tortipouss
La
I like turtles. And this one looks so happy. Plus, its final evolved form (Torterra) is a very cool Pokemon, with a strike that I like (Grass / Ground).
Flambino
La
Flambino is my second favorite Starter Sword / Shield, but I like his two evolutions a lot less than the final forms of his peers, so he gets points tied up. It's a nice Pokemon statistically, like newbies, but it doesn't have much to turn me on. No, not even his stiff and awkward football attack animation.
Bulbizarre
La
Look at him. He is so cute. If he didn't transform into such a monstrously ugly final form, he would be perfect. As it is, although he has Venus ruining Bulbasaur and Herbizarre's perfect progression and being mono Grass, holding him back from being number one in my heart, instead of just the Dex.
Charmander
La
Yes, yes, fire lizard overrated. But Charmander's whole design looks good, it has some solid stats, and let's face it; Charmander was cool in the anime. Overexposure causes a few ankles to drop, but just a few.
Ouisticram
La
I really don't like the creations of Ouisticram and Chimpenfeu, but I can't deny that Simiabraz looks badass. Still, I don't think it's as cool as its Gen 3 predecessor, and drops points for being the same typing twice in a row.
Frog
La
Grenousse is here carried entirely on the back of its final evolution, Amphinobi. Amphinobi is really cool, with great typing (Water / Dark) and a cool ninja theme. A theme that neither Grenousse nor Croâporal's designs telegraph properly, which is part of the reason Grenousse sits a little lower on this list than I would say otherwise.
Larmeleon
La
Larmeleon is in a similar boat to Grenousse, but I think Larmeleon himself is a bit cuter than Grenousse, and I really like Lézargus a lot more than I probably should, so he's a bit rushed.
Carapuce
La
Squirtle is adorable, Carabaffe is cool, and Tortank has built-in cannons. The line has the whole package. to tell you the truth, I couldn't tell you why I put Squirtle a little higher than Charmander. Maybe it's the sleek design, the lack of an awkward mid-stage, the way he completely tramples on Brock, or sometimes I can still hear Charmander screaming and crying for mum after Squirtle bites on her neck, but i just like it a little more.
Tiplouf
La
Tiplouf has the distinction of being one of the only starters, or even Pokémon in general, of which I absolutely adore all three forms. Tiplouf, Prinplouf, and Pingoléon all bring something new and exciting to the table as it evolves, really giving you that feeling of /images/posts/d463d3ac63199cb7033643760c2c00b6-3.jpg I'm wondering what's next ? AWESOME / images / posts / d463d3ac63199cb7033643760c2c00b6-5.jpg every time it evolves. Plus, it also has a really cool water / steel typing and made a pretty solid wall in its Gen 4 debut.
Héricendre
La
Hericendre was my very first Pokémon, and it is very near and dear to my heart. I almost put it at the top of the list because of it, but I couldn't really justify it. Granted, the Hericendre is its weakest form in terms of appearance, and it's sadly far from a powerhouse, with an unfortunately sprawling stats spread and a meh movepool.
I will always love Hericendre, but on repeated sets of Crystal and Heart Gold, I realized that he is outmatched by another:
Kaiminus
La
Kaiminus is really cool. Aligatueur is brilliant. We are not talking about Crocrodil.
He gets a good moveset and a cool appearance, while appearing in a Gen that didn't quite have the insane water saturation that games would have from Gen 3, so squeaks as high.
Poussifeu
La
I think all three forms of Poussifeu look great, and this was part of the first wave of dual type starters. The OG Fire / Fighting starter that started a boring trend is absolute powerhouse, and was actually competitively viable at its peak, making it one of the top five based on power alone.
Gobou
La
… But I would be lying if I said I was no longer lying Gobou. It looks adorable, and Laggron is Gen's coolest starter (and one of the prettiest Pokémon in general), which says a lot given the competition. In addition, I am a sucker for water / soil types; I would put Axoloto on the list if I could.
Toast
La
Normally I don't prefer the weed types, but Gen 7 really brought out the big guns with this powerhouse of adorability. It won me over instantly, because I didn't like the look of Flamiaou or Otaquin, and I've never regretted it. The evolutions gradually won me over more and more, until the incredible Grass / Ghost hit and the Z-Move rad cemented it as what I thought was my all-time favorite starter.
Ouistempo
La
I will be perfectly honest; Ouistempo is entirely because I loved that scene from Gorythmic that had the drums playing in the rock band Pokémon at the end of Sword / Shield. It's so happy to be there.
Flamiaou
La
Brindibou was great, I have never regretted having chosen Brindibou. But seeing Kukui's Inceroar take my Archeduc to Suplex City at the end of my Moon playthrough sold me on the Pokémon instantly. I was watching Tiger Mask W at the time which did even more to sell myself on it as the best starter Pokemon the series has ever concocted, with its clear inspiration from the wrestler (and character from the anime) Tiger the Dark. Over time and its exposure to Ultimate Smash Plus, the Pokémon Company is going to have to work really hard to accurately design a Pokémon more suited to my interests than this mighty cat.
