The Most Important Decision in Pokémon
You know the moment. You’re in a professor’s lab — or a town square, or a briefcase, depending on the game — and three Poké Balls are sitting there waiting. Three options. Fire, Water, or Grass. It is, objectively, the most important choice in Pokémon, because you’re stuck with it until the credits roll (or until you trade, but that’s cheating and you know it).
Nine trios. Twenty-seven base starter Pokémon — eighty-one if you count every evolutionary stage. Some of them are genuinely iconic. Some of them are deeply questionable. And a few — we’re looking at you, Emboar — feel like the designers had a deadline to hit. This piece runs through all of them, generation by generation, with our takes on each. Then it hands control over to you.
Gen I — Kanto: The Originals
Whatever you think about the rest of the franchise, Kanto’s trio set the template so thoroughly that every generation since has been measured against it. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are the reason starter reveals get the coverage they do. Thirty years on, they’re still recognisable to people who haven’t touched a Pokémon game since 1999.
Bulbasaur is criminally underrated for a first playthrough. It has a type advantage over the first two Gyms, learns Leech Seed early, and its final form Venusaur is bulky enough to take hits that would flatten Charizard. Charmander is the hardest early pick — it’s weak to the first two Gyms — but Charizard’s combination of fanbase adulation and in-game power at the later stages makes the payoff feel earned. Squirtle is the balanced, consistent choice: Blastoise is solid throughout the game, and Wartortle is quietly one of the more charming middle evolutions in the series.
Gen II — Johto: The Sleeper Hits
Johto’s trio tends to get overlooked in starter discussions, which is a shame. Cyndaquil is genuinely beloved — Typhlosion placed 4th among Johto Pokémon in the 2020 global Pokémon of the Year poll — and Typhlosion’s design is clean and powerful. Totodile has one of the best base Speed stats of any water starter at its stage, and Feraligatr aged well. Chikorita is the generation’s punching bag, struggling against the first five Gyms in Gold and Silver, but Meganium has a dedicated fanbase who will go to bat for it every time.
Cyndaquil was one of the three starters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus — alongside Rowlet (Alola) and Oshawott (Unova) — and all three received Hisuian final evolutions with new secondary types. Typhlosion’s Ghost secondary was divisive, but hard to forget.
Gen III — Hoenn: Peak Design Era
If you ask a sample of competitive players which generation has the strongest starter trio overall, Hoenn comes up consistently. Blaziken received Mega Evolution and Speed Boost in Gen VI, making it one of the most feared sweepers in competitive history. Swampert is a Water/Ground type, which means it has a single weakness (Grass) and extraordinary coverage. Sceptile is the one that got away — its stats are solid, Mega Sceptile gained Dragon, and its design is legitimately excellent.
Gen IV — Sinnoh: The Fan Favourite Generation
Sinnoh is the generation a significant portion of the community considers their favourite, and its starters are a big part of that. Turtwig and its line are slow but remarkably bulky; Torterra’s Grass/Ground typing is underutilised but unique. Chimchar is one of the most straightforward starter experiences — fire starts fast and Infernape’s Fire/Fighting type made it dominant in Diamond and Pearl’s metagame. Piplup is the penguin, which in Pokémon terms means it’s extremely popular and Empoleon’s Water/Steel typing gives it excellent resistances.
Gen V — Unova: The Controversial Trio
Unova’s starters divide opinion more than any other generation. Snivy has clean, confident design and a devoted fanbase despite below-average stats at final evolution. Tepig’s line — culminating in Emboar, a Fire/Fighting type for the third consecutive generation — drew significant criticism at the time for the apparent lack of imagination. Oshawott is the sleeper of the generation: Samurott is underrated, and its Hisuian form in Legends: Arceus (Water/Dark) is arguably the best execution of any Johto or Unova starter alternative.
Gen VI–IX: The Modern Era
Kalos gave us Greninja, the Water/Dark ninja frog that won the Japan-only Pokémon General Election 720 in 2016 and then topped the global 2020 Pokémon of the Year Google poll, beating out Arceus, Mewtwo, and Charizard. Greninja’s Ash form in the XY anime cemented it as a cultural phenomenon. Fennekin’s line is elegant if unspectacular; Chesnaught is a tank that the competitive community never quite found a consistent home for.
Alola’s trio is arguably the generation’s strongest in terms of final-form design. Decidueye (Grass/Ghost) is striking and unique; Incineroar is a professional wrestler heel who became a mainstay in competitive Doubles and a Super Smash Bros. fighter; Primarina (Water/Fairy) is simply beautiful and remains one of the more competitively sound water starters.
Galar’s Scorbunny line is the most straightforward of the modern era: it’s a rabbit who runs fast and sets things on fire. Cinderace is extremely popular and extremely accessible. Galar’s water starter Sobble deserves special mention for being the most anxious starter ever designed — the character work in the games made it the internet’s adopted sad son for several years. Inteleon is sleek and polarising.
Paldea rounds out the nine generations with perhaps the most design-forward trio: Sprigatito’s Meowscarada is a Grass/Dark magician; Fuecoco’s Skeledirge is a Fire/Ghost singer; and Quaxly’s Quaquaval is a Water/Fighting flamenco dancer. Three secondary types that feel genuinely considered. Whether the final forms live up to the starter designs is, as always, a matter of enormous personal opinion.
All 9 Trios at a Glance
| Generation | 🔥 Fire | 💧 Water | 🌿 Grass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen I — Kanto | Charmander |
Squirtle |
Bulbasaur |
| Gen II — Johto |  Cyndaquil |
 Totodile |
 Chikorita |
| Gen III — Hoenn |  Torchic |
 Mudkip |
 Treecko |
| Gen IV — Sinnoh |  Chimchar |
 Piplup |
 Turtwig |
| Gen V — Unova |  Tepig |
 Oshawott |
 Snivy |
| Gen VI — Kalos |  Fennekin |
 Froakie |
 Chespin |
| Gen VII — Alola |  Litten |
 Popplio |
 Rowlet |
| Gen VIII — Galar |  Scorbunny |
 Sobble |
 Grookey |
| Gen IX — Paldea |  Fuecoco |
 Quaxly |
 Sprigatito |
Build Your Own Tier List
Enough of our opinions. The tiers below are yours to fill. Drag any starter from the pool on the right into a tier, or click to pick a tier from a menu. Filter by evolution stage or type. When you’re done, hit Export Image to download a shareable PNG.