You remember that specific feeling. It’s the late 90s, or maybe the mid-2000s, and you’re staring at three colorful sprites on a tiny, dimly lit screen. Your heart is actually racing. Choosing your first companion in a new generation of Pokemon starters isn't just a gameplay mechanic; it’s a personality test that defines the next forty hours of your life.
It's a huge deal.
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The choice between Grass, Fire, and Water is the foundational "Rock-Paper-Scissors" of RPG design, but over nearly three decades, Game Freak has stretched that simple formula into a complex legacy of cultural icons. Honestly, some generations hit way harder than others. While everyone argues over whether Charizard is overrated (he probably is) or if the Quaquaval dance is too much (it might be), the evolution of these trios tells the story of how gaming itself has changed.
The Blueprint: Kanto and the Burden of Perfection
Most people start with Gen 1 because, well, that's where the DNA comes from. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle aren't just monsters; they are the gold standard for silhouette design. Ken Sugimori, the lead designer, kept things simple. If you look at those original 151 designs, they look like creatures that could actually live in your backyard. Sorta.
Bulbasaur is technically the "easy mode" because it wrecks the first two gyms. Brock and Misty don't stand a chance against Vine Whip. But then you have Charmander. Picking the lizard is a masochist’s dream in the early game. You’re fighting a literal rock snake with embers. It makes no sense, but it’s why we love it. The difficulty curve was baked into the choice.
Later generations moved away from this "difficulty selection" model toward a more balanced "flavor selection." By the time we hit the Johto region, Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita were designed to be more or less equal in the early routes. Chikorita gets a bad rap for being "weak," but it’s really just a defensive pivot in a game that rewards hyper-aggression.
The Mid-Era Shift: From Animals to Characters
Somewhere around the jump to the Nintendo DS, the generation of Pokemon starters began to change. They weren't just animals anymore. They started having "jobs" or "archetypes."
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Take Gen 4 (Sinnoh). Infernape is a martial artist. Empoleon is a literal emperor with a steel tuxedo. Torterra is a world-bearing titan. This was a turning point. The designs became busier, more detailed, and far more focused on secondary typing. The Fire/Fighting era—which lasted through Blaziken, Infernape, and Emboar—became a bit of a meme in the community because it felt like Game Freak was stuck on a loop.
But look at Gen 6 and 7. That's when things got really weird (and cool).
In Pokemon X and Y, the starters were based on RPG classes. Chesnaught is the Knight/Paladin. Delphox is the Mage/Witch. Greninja is the Thief/Ninja. It was brilliant. It gave the player a sense of roleplay that went beyond just elemental matchups. Greninja eventually became the most popular Pokemon in the world according to various official polls, proving that "cool" usually beats "cute" once you hit that final evolution stage.
Then came Alola. Decidueye (an archer), Incineroar (a heel wrestler), and Primarina (a siren/singer). This was the peak of "personality-driven" design. Some fans hated it. They wanted "monsters," not "people in fursuits." It's a valid critique. When a Pokemon looks too much like a human standing in a costume, the "wild animal" immersion breaks. But from a marketing perspective? It's genius. These characters are easy to sell as plushies.
The Problem with Recent Generations
Let's talk about the modern era—Switch-era Pokemon.
Sword and Shield gave us the Galar starters, and honestly, Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon felt a bit... lanky? They are very humanoid. Cinderace is a soccer player. Inteleon is James Bond. While they are competitively viable (Cinderace with Libero was a menace in the meta for years), they represent a departure from the "monster" aesthetic of the early generation of Pokemon starters.
Then we have Scarlet and Violet. Meowscarada, Skeledirge, and Quaquaval.
Skeledirge is a masterpiece. It stays on four legs (mostly), it looks like a crocodile, and it has a little fire bird on its nose that turns into a microphone. It’s a perfect mix of the old "weird animal" vibe and the new "character" vibe. Quaquaval, on the other hand, is a flamboyant peacock that never stops dancing. It’s polarizing. You either love the flair or you find it incredibly distracting during a serious battle.
How Typing Evolution Changed the Meta
In the beginning, secondary types were rare for starters. Charizard got Flying, Venusaur got Poison. Blastoise? Just Water. Boring.
As we moved into newer generation of Pokemon starters, the secondary typing became a way to fix the traditional weaknesses.
- Swampert (Gen 3): Water/Ground. Only one weakness (Grass). It became a competitive staple because it was so hard to kill.
- Empoleon (Gen 4): Water/Steel. An incredible defensive profile.
- Hisuian Decidueye (Legends Arceus): Grass/Fighting. A complete departure from its original Ghost typing.
These shifts aren't just for show. They dictate how you build your team. If you pick a Fire/Fighting starter, you don't need a Machamp. If you pick a Water/Dark Greninja, you've already got your speedster covered. This allows for more creative team building in the late game, which is where the real depth of Pokemon lies.
What Actually Makes a "Good" Starter Generation?
Expert players usually judge a trio based on three specific pillars:
- Visual Cohesion: Do the three look like they belong in the same game? Gen 1 and Gen 3 do this best.
- Competitive Utility: Does the final evolution have a niche in VGC (Video Game Championships) or Smogon tiers?
- The "Middle Stage" Awkwardness: Does the second evolution look like a natural transition or a weird teenage growth spurt? (Looking at you, Quilladin).
There is also the "H-factor"—Hidden Abilities. For years, starters were stuck with Blaze, Torrent, and Overgrow. They were fine, but predictable. Once Hidden Abilities like Protean (Greninja), Grassy Surge (Rillaboom), and Unaware (Skeledirge) were introduced, starters became top-tier threats in the competitive scene. They aren't just for the journey anymore; they are for the endgame.
Ranking the Impact
If you look at historical usage data and fan surveys, Gen 3 (Hoenn) often comes out on top for "all-around best." Sceptile, Blaziken, and Swampert are all A-tier designs. They are distinct, they are powerful, and none of them feel like a "dud" choice.
Compare that to Gen 2, where Meganium is almost universally considered a "handicap" choice for a casual playthrough because of its poor matchup against Johto’s gyms. Or Gen 5, where Samurott's sudden shift from a bipedal otter to a quadrupedal sea lion confused a lot of players back in 2011.
Navigating Your Next Choice
If you are jumping into a new game or revisiting an old one, don't just look at the cute first form. That's a trap. You’re going to spend 5% of the game with that cute little guy and 95% of the game with a giant, fire-breathing beast or a tactical ninja frog.
Check the final evolutions first. Look at the move pools. If you're playing Pokemon Violet, Skeledirge’s signature move, Torch Song, raises its Special Attack every single time it hits. That is broken. It’s essentially a built-in cheat code for the main story.
Consider the regional dex. If the region is full of good Water-types (like Hoenn or Alola), maybe don't pick the Water starter. You can find a Gyarados or a Wishiwashi later. Rare Fire-types are usually the bottleneck in most games, which is why Charmander, Chimchar, and Fuecoco are so popular—they fill a hole in your team that is otherwise hard to plug.
Don't ignore the "Bad" ones. Sometimes playing with a Chikorita or a Snivy provides a unique challenge that makes the victory feel earned. Efficiency is cool, but the stories we remember are usually the ones where we struggled a bit.
The generation of Pokemon starters you choose effectively acts as the lens through which you see the region. It's your partner. Your anchor. Whether you're a "fire-type only" loyalist or a strategic grass-type tactician, the evolution of these creatures mirrors our own evolution as players. We grew up, and the designs grew up with us—sometimes for better, sometimes for weirder.
To get the most out of your next playthrough, research the Hidden Abilities and secondary types of the final evolutions before you hit "A" at the professor's lab. Use resources like Serebii or Smogon to see which starters have transitioned into the current competitive meta. If you're playing the most recent titles, focus on the "Signature Moves" added in Gen 9, as they define the power ceiling for modern starters more than base stats alone. Check the regional Pokedex for early-game coverage to ensure your chosen starter isn't walled by the first two gyms.