All Pokémon Starters by Generation

It doesn’t matter how old you are or at what point you hopped on the Pokémon hype train; there’s one thing that all players have in common — the joyful experience of picking their first starter. 

Whether you began your Pokémon journey back in the 90s with Red, Blue, or Yellow, or you’re either younger or were late to the party and began your journey later with Sun or Moon, there’s a starter for every player. If you’re dedicated to a certain type of Pokémon, the choice is easy, but if you’re pulled in more by appearance, then the decision gets a little more complicated. 

Regardless, your starter is likely to be by your side every step of the way, so the decision is definitely a weighty one. Catching them all is one thing, but your best buddy will support you through evolutions and you’re inevitably going to end up pretty attached to them, it’s a tough choice.

All Pokémon starters by Generation

There are a total of nine generations of Pokémon. If you’re old like me, you’ll remember a time when there were a total of 151 Pokémon, but those days seem like a different age now. These days, there are 1,025 Pokémon in total, and my aged brain can’t even begin to remember them all. My four-year-old shamefully has me beat on that front. 

But I can remember all of the starters from each generation. Starter Pokémon are always one of three types (Grass, Fire, or Water), and end up being the face of each new era, the stars of trailers, and beloved by their trainers. 

Back in the 90s, Pokémon stole the hearts of youngsters, and it hasn’t ever stopped. The first-ever starters are still beloved to this day, and even in later games, you’ll find that players of a certain age will always strive to have them as part of their Pokémon party far outside the bounds of the Kanto region. Even almost 30 years later (ouch), these three still act as the face of Pokémon and are instantly recognizable to any player. 

This iconic trio were the starters for the following original games:

• Pokémon Red
• Pokémon Blue

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about Pokémon Yellow, but we’re going to circle back to that one.

With the Kanto region and its 151 specimens of Pokémon thrusting the series into worldwide acclaim, Game Freak surged ahead and added the Johto region with an additional 100 Pokémon to find, capture, and train, including these adorable three starters. If you’d already pinpointed a favorite type in the previous games, then this choice was simple, but the cute designs and badass evolutions definitely complicated things somewhat. 

Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile were available as starters in these games:

• Pokémon Gold
• Pokémon Silver
• Pokémon Crystal

With the addition of Hoenn, Orre, and Sevii Islands, another 135 Pokémon were added to the Pokédex, bringing the total number of Pokémon to 386. If I’m totally honest, this is where I started to lose track of who was who and where I was supposed to find them, but I do have fond memories of the three starters from this generation. 

Previously always favoring Fire types, this is where I moved over to Water types thanks to Mudkip’s adorably derpy design, although Torchic’s eventual badass chicken evolution was definitely tempting. And we can’t forget about Treecko, who eventually evolves into Sceptile, dishing out huge damage if you’re up against a Water, Rock, or Ground type Pokémon in battle. 

Anyway, here are the games that give you the choice between these three starters:

• Pokémon Ruby
• Pokémon Sapphire
• Pokémon Emerald

Generation 4 added the Sinnoh region to the world of Pokémon, and all of its additional 107 Pokémon, making the overall total number of Pokémon a slightly daunting 493. There are many fan-favorite Pokémon from this era, including Lucario, and two additional Eeveelutions in Glaceon and Leafeon. 

However, while there are many memorable Pokémon from generation 4, the starters are considered by some to be where things began to go wrong, although I disagree with this deeply, but we’ll get there in good time. Turtwig and Chimchar are absolutely adorable, each turning into their own badass evolutions, but have you seen Piplup? It was the first Pokémon that I was almost tempted to prevent evolving purely because of how utterly adorable it is. Almost. 

This very cute trio was available as starter Pokémon in the following games:

• Pokémon Diamond
• Pokémon Pearl
• Pokémon Platinum

Generation 5 brought players to the new region of Unova and added 156 new Pokémon, the largest addition since the original games, bringing the total up to 649. 

Okay, look, I know some people think that this is where Game Freak began to lose their way. The designs of the starter Pokémon for generation 5 weren’t quite their best ideas, but I don’t think it’s fair to discount them completely. Oshawott might look like a creepy little clown-cross-otter, but I think that’s part of its appeal, and while Snivy is guilty of a constant side-eye and Tepig looks overly happy, they’re all undeniably cute in their own ways. 

If you think even the weirdos deserve love too, you can pick between these three in the following games:

• Pokémon Black 
• Pokémon White
• Pokémon Black 2
• Pokémon White 2

Generation 6 took players to the region of Kalos, with its European aesthetic, and added in the most recent new Eeveelution, Sylveon. It was among 72 new additions, bringing the total number of Pokémon up to 721. 

I’ll admit it, generation 6 was a weird time for me. I abandoned my now long-running dedication to Water type starters due to Froakie’s bizarre fluffy frog appearance (I mean, imagine a fluffy frog and tell me that you don’t get slightly perturbed by the idea, I dare you), and rather than switching back to Fire types, I shifted entirely to Grass. 

Chespin stole the show in terms of the cutest generation 6 starters, but all of them had their strengths, and you can find them in the following games:

• Pokémon X
• Pokémon Y

Players were welcomed to the Hawaii-inspired area of Alola in generation 6, which added a whole new 88 Pokémon to the ever-expanding Pokédex, bringing the total up to 809. 

Generation 7 saw a huge number of people making the switch (or switching back, in my case) to a Fire type starter, all thanks to the adorable little kitty cat Litten. With most starters, Rowlett and Popplio included, their cute original form is somewhat lost as they evolve, but Litten somehow manages to remain cute even as it transforms into its final badass Incineroar form. 

Rowlett, Litten, and Popplio take center stage in the following titles:

• Pokémon Sun
• Pokémon Moon

Traveling to the regions of Galar and Hisui, generation 8 added 96 new Pokémon, dragging that total number up to 905. We’re nearing the 1,000 Pokémon mark at this point, and a long way from the very memorizable original 151. 

The starters from this generation are definitely an odd mix, with a little green monkey, an overly sporty rabbit, and a tadpole that looks like it got stuck in its transition to frog and adopted a permanent “shocked Pikachu face” as a result. However, you can’t deny that all of them are cute, and although their evolutions might leave something to be desired, their original forms are definitely memorable. 

If you want to choose between them, you can in the following games:

• Pokémon Sword
• Pokémon Shield

We’ve finally caught up to the present era of Pokémon, and generation nine has taken us to Paldea and Kitakami. With these new regions, the total number of Pokémon in the Pokédex rises to that eye-watering number of 1,025, forcing many of us to forget that some even exist, but the starters remain in our memories forever. 

It’s obvious why Sprigatito quickly became the fan-favorite starter in Generation 9. I mean, the little grass cat is utterly adorable, but the other two are just a little odd-looking, although no less charming in their own ways. Fuecoco is perpetually happy and looks like it would be happy to set fire to anything to keep its trainer happy, and Quaxly is just utterly fabulous with an enviable hair structure. 

These three are your choice when playing the following titles:

• Pokémon Scarlet
• Pokémon Violet

Was Pikachu ever a starter Pokémon?

If you can remember a time when you were handed Pikachu as your starter Pokémon and felt like I was trying to gaslight you with this list, I promise you that’s not the case. When the original two games (Blue and Red) were released in 1996, the trio listed at the start of this list were the basic starter choices. 

However, the success of the game provided the baseboard for the now beloved and long-running TV animation series, and that then turned into an opportunity for Game Freak to capitalize on the love for Pikachu by releasing a third generation 1 title in 1998 — Pokémon Yellow.

Rather than having a choice, Pokémon Yellow thrusts Pikachu at you as your starter Pokémon, much like Ash’s own Pikachu was thrust upon him in the series. You could still get your hands on Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle as you progressed through the game, but Pikachu definitely took center stage and Yellow has become a favorite game for many of that generation's players. 

Sadly, Pikachu has only ever been a starter again once, in Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu, with the trusted Grass, Fire, and Water choice remaining steadfast through every other game.

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