Which is the best Pokémon starter is an argument as old as the series itself. As long as there are new Pokémon games, there will be skirmishes over which starter to choose. There are also generations where every starter is top tier and others where, well, they’re not.
It’s practically impossible to rank the Pokémon starters in 1-27 order, so we’ve created a tier list to group the winners and losers together. There are basically an infinite number of ways to rank Pokémon, but we’ve gone with a mixture of design, personality, and staying power for each tier.
Pokémon starters tier list
- S-Tier – Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Totodile, Tepig, Fuecoco.
- A-Tier – Cyndaquil, Mudkip, Piplup, Oshawott, Chespin, Grookey.
- B-Tier – Chikorita, Torchic, Snivy, Litten, Scorbunny, Sprigatito.
- C-Tier – Turtwig, Chimchar, Fennekin, Froakie, Popplio, Sobble
- D-Tier – Rowlet, Treecko, Quaxly.
S-Tier
Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle
There’s no getting around it. The original three starters of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle set the standard all the way back in 1998 (or 1996 in Japan). Little did we know then that every subsequent generation would be compared to the now iconic trio.
All three are prime examples of what a grass, fire, and water type starter should be. It’s perhaps the only generation where every evolution of each starter is truly top tier. Although we have other S-Tier starters on this list, no generation of Pokémon has been as consistently awesome as the first.
Totodile
The only second generation starter to make the S grade, Totodile is right up there with Squirtle as the best water type starter. He’s sassy, cute, and aggressive all at the same time. Not to mention that if you choose him in Pokémon Gold and Silver, you’re set with a super powerful Pokémon for your entire playthrough.
Tepig
Pokémon Black and White weren’t a high point for mainline Pokémon games, but that’s not for the lack of Tepig trying. Probably the best fire starter Pokémon since Charmander himself, Tepig has it all. The looks, the charm, and the fighting ability. Just look at that face. You can’t not smile when looking at that face.
Fuecoco
Fans of fire Pokémon aren’t spoiled for choice when it comes to the series’ starters. Although three of our S-Tier starters are fire types, the majority of them land in the bottom half of this list. Fuecoco saved fire fans from nearly a decade of mediocrity in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and boy, was he worth the wait. This happy little apple Pokémon comes straight from the Tepig school of smiles and can’t wait to be your friend.
A-Tier
Cyndaquil
Not quite interesting enough to make it to the S-Tier, Cyndaquil is the epitome of an A-Tier Pokémon. Much better than the average starter, but without that little bit extra to push over into S territory. Still, you could do a lot worse than Cyndaquil, as you spend hundreds of hours in a game.
Mudkip, Piplup, and Oshawott
A-Tier is where water Pokémon really come in strong. Between S and A, over half of the water starters make an appearance, which means water fans, on average, have had it best over the years. Mudkip, Piplup, and Oshawott perfectly represent the consistency that water fans have enjoyed. As part of generations 3-5, these little guys stole the show. So much so that it’s difficult to pick a favorite.
Chespin
The only Pokémon X and Y starter to make it into the top half of our list, Chespin brought it home for team green in the sixth generation games. The cutest, best designed, and most excited of the three starters, Chespin is everyone’s biggest cheerleader.
Grookey
BABY MONKEY!
B-Tier
Chikorita
The B-Tier of the list is where we get to the “average” Pokémon. At least, average for starters, where the standards are much higher. Chikorita is arguably the first underwhelming starter in the series, but that’s largely due to trying to live up to the standard set by Totodile and Cyndaquil. Poor Chikorita never stood a chance.
Torchic
Let’s be honest: Torchic is a bland Pokémon. He only ranks as high as B-Tier because if you stick it out, the payoff is Blaziken, one of the best final evolution starters. A real ugly duckling situation here.
Snivy
Snivy has a good design and an interesting evolution path, which bumps him up a little. But why does he look so smug? Saturday morning cartoon villain vibes mean Snivy needs to be brought down a peg. Not cool, Snivy.
Litten
Litten has a strong start. What’s not to love about that adorable little fire cat? However, Incineroar lets the side down as a weird anthropomorphic mess.
Scorbunny
Another starter with a promising first evolution that’s ultimately let down by a very forgettable final evolution. There might be a lot of Scorbunny plushies on sale for years to come, but I doubt we’ll see many Cinderaces.
Sprigatito
Just look at that face. If we pretend that starter Pokémon don’t have evolutions, then Sprigatito is undoubtedly S-Tier. But that’s not the world we live in, and cute little Sprigatito turns into Meowscarada, a creepy Pokémon.
C-Tier
Turtwig
Turtwig is the go to for bland Pokémon designs. He’s just Bulbasaur, but not as good. Even his final evolution, Torterra is just Venusaur on questionable substances. But he is a little turtle, and that keeps him off the bottom tier.
Chimchar
Another bland design. If Chimchar wasn’t a starter Pokémon, he’d have been long forgotten by now. His final evolution, Infernape, is doing some heavy lifting to keep him as high as C-Tier.
Fennekin
Why does the Pokémon Company hate fire types? Why does Fennekin turn into a weird fire fox wizard hybrid? Fennekin is best staying where it is, completely forgotten.
Froakie
Like Fennekin, Froakie suffers from being completely forgettable. That’s strange because Greninja is probably one of the better remembered final stage evolutions. Maybe enough to keep Froakie off the bottom row, but not enough for him to make it up to another tier.
Popplio
Popplio is a cute little seal Pokémon who just wants to play. However, the final form Primarina wants to haunt my nightmares. Sorry, Popplio, but keep Primarina away from me.
Sobble
Why is Sobble so sad? Probably because he knows Inteleon is his future.
D-Tier
Rowlet
The only thing Rowlet has going for it is that sweet bowtie. Otherwise, he looks like the generic bird Pokémon that you get fed up with fighting as you go through every single Pokémon game. Unfortunately, with Decidueye being a terrible final evolution, the bowtie isn’t enough to lift Rowlet off the bottom tier.
Treecko
Pokémon Sapphire and Ruby were a real mixed bag, with Mudkip being A-Tier, Torchic B-Tier, and Treecko unquestionably D-Tier. It’s kind of impressive how unbalanced the three starters are. As for Treecko, a boring grass type starter with a completely forgettable final evolution is a bad combo.
Quaxly
Quaxly is a toupée wearing duck with one of the worst starter evolution paths. The final form, Quaquaval, besides being hard to say, is a humanoid dancer Pokémon. It might just be me, but I’ve never found the idea of a dancing human/duck hybrid all that appealing. In 10 years, when there are 60 starters, nobody will remember Quaquaval, and that’s probably for the best.
