Pokémon players are handed a single monster at the start of every journey. These are known as starter Pokémon. At least three starters are introduced in every generation; a grass starter, a fire starter, and a water starter. Occasionally there is an additional starter option.
This list will be discussing the best starter Pokémon from each generation. Designs, competitive viability, inspiration, and other aspects will all play a role in which starter gets crowned the best in their region.
Charizard
Generation 1’s starters are all extremely iconic, but one has always stood out from the rest when it comes to popularity. Charizard is a mighty fire/flying-type Pokémon with a dragon-like design. It’s by far the most visually ferocious of the three Kanto starters.
Charizard.
Charizard has consistently been an important part of the franchise. It was Ash’s first fully evolved start in the anime, it got two Mega Evolutions in Gen 6 instead of just one like most Pokémon got, and even somewhat recently it was the first Kanto starter to get a Gmax form. While all these Kanto starters are fantastic, it’s hard to deny how relevant Charizard is to the franchise as a whole.
Pokémon Yellow adds Pikachu as a starter. While Pikachu is the mascot of the series, it’s not exactly the best when it comes to being a starter due to it being weaker than other options, and the fact that Pikachu can be found in the wild.
Typhlosion
Cyndaquil is a strange creature that starts off seemingly as an anteater before evolving into a sort of honey badger inspired Pokémon. This monster is a fantastic starter option since it’s capable of dealing massive damage to a lot of early game opponents. Trainers can easily get through early routes, Bellsprout Tower, and conquer both the second and sixth gyms with this Pokémon.
Typhlosion.
Sceptile
Sceptile may not be the starter that can carry you through the story the fastest, but it certainly stands out when it comes to design and personality. This slick reptile has the best design out of all grass-type starter Pokémon. Add in the fact it added the signature move Leaf Blade, and has a part dragon-type Mega Evolution.
Sceptile.
Empoleon
From the adorable Piplup to the mighty Empoleon, this Pokémon will surely be a great asset to any Sinnoh team. Water/steel is a very unique type combination that compliments this French monarch inspired penguin quite well. This excellent type combination gives Empoleon a defensive advantage over 11 of the 18 types. Only 3 of the remaining 7 types have an advantage over Empoleon.
Empoleon.
Emboar
Not every entry on this list made it here purely based on how they do competitively, but when it comes to the Unova starters that have mixed reception designs, competitive viability matters a lot. Emboar has consistently been the best of the Unova starters in the competitive scene thanks to its devastatingly high 123 base attack stat. Opponents would not want to get hit by this Pokémon ‘s Flare Blitz or Hammer Arm attacks.
Shiny Emboar.
Emboar also has sone beat inspiration behind it’s design. All three Unova starters are based on various cultures to symbolize how New York (the city Unova is based on) has a lot of diversity. Emboar is specifically me at to be a summon wrestler. As an additional bonus, this Pokémon also has an incredible blue flame shiny form.
Delphox
Fire and psychic have both been high tier offensive types in Pokémon for a very long time, and Delphox is the second Pokémon to ever have access to both types at once. Its high speed and special attack stats, alongside the moves Flamethrower and Psychic, allow Delphox to swiftly take out many foes with ease. Delphox’s type combination even resists the fairy-type which was introduced in Gen 6. Being able to resist one of the most plentiful types in the Kalos region makes this Pokémon a great asset to player’s teams.
Delphox.
Primarina
This musical water/fairy-type has a type and moveset advantage over a lot of opponents within Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon’s main storyline. It can easily take out most Kahunas and half the Elite Four with moves like Hydro Pump and Moon Blast. Being outright immune to Ultra Necrozma’s dragon moves is especially beneficial since that’s one of the hardest boss battles in the entire series. Primarina’s design also embodies the Hawaii inspired setting of Alpha quite well.
Primarina.
Hisuian Typhlosion
Generation 8 has not one but two sets of new starters, albeit the second set is mostly older starters gaining new forms. Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s starters do gain access to Gmax forms in the DLC, but otherwise are some of the most tame starter options the series has ever had both in terms of design and competitive play. Pokémon Legends Arceus gives Typhlosion, Samurott, and Decidueye brand new forms. Hisuian Decidueye is a bit of a downgrade when compared to the original Decidueye, and Samurott doesn’t look too different from before. Meanwhile, Typhlosion gets quite a nice change.
Hisuian Typhlosion.
It’s now a mixed fire/ghost-type which makes it much more interesting than it was before. Its special attack stat has also been increased which means moves like Eruption, Flamethrower, and Shadow Ball can deal devastating damage. This Pokémon is not just the best starter from Gen 8, but also manages to one up the original Typhlosion in multiple aspects.
Skeledirge
Skeledirge is a Pokémon with many inspirations. It is a fire/ghost-type crocodile that knows how to sing. Dirge us a type of song played for the dead which is why it is a ghost-type. The fire bird on its nose can turn into a microphone which it can sing into.
Skeledirge.
This bird symbolizes the symbiotic relationship that some crocodile and bird species have in nature. All of these different design elements blend together spectacularly into a single Pokémon concept. No other starter Pokémon in the entire franchise has symbolism this thought out, and for that reason Skeledirge is the best Gen 9 starter.
