Tier list

Pokémon Starters Tier List: All 27 Ranked

By Rank Parade Team · Updated October 2, 2026 · 27 ranked

Nine generations in, and the "which starter do I pick" argument still breaks friendships. We've ranked all 27 starters, from the ones that end up carrying your whole Elite Four run to the ones that quietly become furniture in your box.

This covers every starter trio from Bulbasaur through Quaxly, judged on design, battle usefulness, and that hard-to-fake quality of just being likeable. Fan opinion splits hard on a few of these (looking at you, Chespin and Totodile), so we've picked sides. Disagree? That's what tier lists are for. Make your own case.

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SS Tier: The legends

Charmander

The original hard mode starter and still the one people pick first out of pure loyalty. Charizard's design, the dragon-adjacent flavor, the fact it's on half the merchandise ever made, this is the starter that defined what a starter should feel like.

About Charmander

The Fire starter of Kanto, first introduced in Pokémon Red and Blue. Evolves into Charmeleon then Charizard.

Type: Fire
Region: Kanto
Final Evolution: Charizard

Cyndaquil

Quiet, awkward little fire mouse that becomes Typhlosion, one of the most requested Pokémon for a Mega Evolution that never came. Consistently tops fan polls across generations, and the Hisui form only made people love it more.

About Cyndaquil

The Fire starter of Johto, a small fire mouse Pokémon that later gained a popular Hisuian form.

Type: Fire
Region: Johto
Final Evolution: Typhlosion

Totodile

The dance, the grin, the fact Feraligatr looks like it could end a gym leader's whole career. Totodile wins on charm alone and then backs it up with a genuinely strong final form.

About Totodile

The Water starter of Johto, recognizable for its big jaw and energetic personality.

Type: Water
Region: Johto
Final Evolution: Feraligatr

Froakie

Greninja needs no introduction at this point, it's basically Pokémon's answer to a shonen anime protagonist. Froakie's line went from solid starter to competitive and anime mainstay almost overnight.

About Froakie

The Water starter of Kalos, famous for evolving into the widely popular Greninja.

Type: Water
Region: Kalos
Final Evolution: Greninja

AA Tier: Genuinely great picks

Squirtle

Sunglasses, a squad, and Blastoise's cannon shell. Squirtle doesn't have the flash of Charmander but it's the starter most people say they'd actually want as a pet.

About Squirtle

The Water starter of Kanto, known for its Squirtle Squad appearance in the anime.

Type: Water
Region: Kanto
Final Evolution: Blastoise

Chimchar

Infernape is one of the best designed Fire/Fighting types around, equal parts monkey and martial artist. The early game is rough since Chimchar is fragile, but it repays the patience.

About Chimchar

The Fire starter of Sinnoh, evolving into the Fire/Fighting Infernape.

Type: Fire/Fighting (final form)
Region: Sinnoh
Final Evolution: Infernape

Torchic

Blaziken was so good competitively it ended up banned from standard play in later generations. Torchic itself is a little slow to get going, but nobody complains once it hits its final form.

About Torchic

The Fire starter of Hoenn, whose final evolution Blaziken became a competitive powerhouse.

Type: Fire/Fighting (final form)
Region: Hoenn
Final Evolution: Blaziken

Rowlet

Grass/Flying typing is a trap on paper but Decidueye turned out to be a sniper with an arrow gimmick, and the design stayed lovable the whole way. One of the most memed starters for good reason, that stumbling flight never gets old.

About Rowlet

The Grass/Flying starter of Alola, introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon.

Type: Grass/Flying
Region: Alola
Final Evolution: Decidueye

Bulbasaur

First in the Pokédex and first pick for a lot of people's entire childhood. Venusaur isn't flashy but Grass/Poison typing and reliable stats make it a strong, low-drama choice.

About Bulbasaur

The Grass/Poison starter of Kanto and the first Pokémon in the National Pokédex.

Type: Grass/Poison
Region: Kanto
Final Evolution: Venusaur

Mudkip

Became an internet meme so large it briefly overshadowed the actual Pokémon. Swampert, underneath all the "so I herd u liek" jokes, is genuinely one of the best defensive starters in the series.

About Mudkip

The Water starter of Hoenn, famous for its meme popularity in the mid-2000s.

Type: Water
Region: Hoenn
Final Evolution: Swampert

Turtwig

Torterra is the rare starter that becomes a slow, tanky landmass with trees growing on its back, and that's exactly the appeal. Sinnoh fans have a soft spot for how weird and grounded this line is.

About Turtwig

The Grass starter of Sinnoh, introduced in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

Type: Grass
Region: Sinnoh
Final Evolution: Torterra

BB Tier: Solid, no complaints

Piplup

Stubborn, proud, constantly announcing it doesn't need help. Empoleon looks fantastic but the Water/Steel typing and slower movepool keep it from matching the top tier starters in actual battle.

About Piplup

The Water starter of Sinnoh, known for its proud, stubborn personality in the anime.

Type: Water
Region: Sinnoh
Final Evolution: Empoleon

Fennekin

Delphox split the fanbase the moment it evolved, some love the fox-wizard look, others think it lost the charm Fennekin had as a baby. Competitively it's fine, not spectacular.

About Fennekin

The Fire starter of Kalos, a fox Pokémon that evolves into the fire-wizard Delphox.

Type: Fire
Region: Kalos
Final Evolution: Delphox

Sprigatito

Meowscarada is slick and stylish, no argument there, but Grass/Dark was a divisive choice and some fans still wanted a straight Grass cat. Early game, Sprigatito is also noticeably squishy.

About Sprigatito

The Grass starter of Paldea, introduced in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Type: Grass/Dark (final form)
Region: Paldea
Final Evolution: Meowscarada

Litten

Incineroar became a Smash Bros regular and a wrestling-themed menace, which bought it a lot of goodwill. Litten itself as a baby form is a little generic looking compared to what it becomes.

About Litten

The Fire starter of Alola, evolving into the wrestling-themed Incineroar.

Type: Fire
Region: Alola
Final Evolution: Incineroar

Quaxly

Quaquaval brought dancing and a fighting typing nobody saw coming, and most fans came around on it fast. Quaxly as a starting point is cute but unremarkable, it's the glow-up that sells the line.

About Quaxly

The Water starter of Paldea, a duck Pokémon that evolves into the dancing, fighting-type Quaquaval.

Type: Water/Fighting (final form)
Region: Paldea
Final Evolution: Quaquaval

Treecko

Sceptile has the cool factor locked down, sleek and fast, but the early stages are frail and the Grass typing leaves it fighting an uphill battle through most of Hoenn's gyms.

About Treecko

The Grass starter of Hoenn, introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.

Type: Grass
Region: Hoenn
Final Evolution: Sceptile

Snivy

Serperior has the aesthetic of a starter that should be top tier, regal and smug in equal measure, but its stat spread and movepool never quite matched the attitude. Fans disagree on this one more than most.

About Snivy

The Grass starter of Unova, introduced in Pokémon Black and White.

Type: Grass
Region: Unova
Final Evolution: Serperior

Grookey

Rillaboom turned out to be a surprise competitive powerhouse thanks to Grassy Surge, which bumped it up in a lot of rankings after launch. Grookey itself, the little drummer monkey, is pleasant but not a standout.

About Grookey

The Grass starter of Galar, introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Type: Grass
Region: Galar
Final Evolution: Rillaboom

Scorbunny

Cinderace became a competitive staple fast, fast enough that some tournaments had to deal with it directly. Scorbunny the starter is likeable but a bit by-the-numbers as a design.

About Scorbunny

The Fire starter of Galar, evolving into the competitively notable Cinderace.

Type: Fire
Region: Galar
Final Evolution: Cinderace

CC Tier: Fine, but you'll hear complaints

Tepig

Emboar gets saddled with Fire/Fighting typing and ends up looking more like an afterthought than a finale. It's not bad in battle, it's just that the pig-to-boar pipeline never fully lands as a design.

About Tepig

The Fire starter of Unova, evolving into the Fire/Fighting Emboar.

Type: Fire/Fighting (final form)
Region: Unova
Final Evolution: Emboar

Chikorita

Beloved for its personality in the anime, rough in actual gameplay. Meganium's movepool and typing leave it struggling against Johto's early gyms, which is most of the reason it sits lower here.

About Chikorita

The Grass starter of Johto, introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver.

Type: Grass
Region: Johto
Final Evolution: Meganium

Oshawott

Samurott looks the part, sword and all, but the stats underneath are middling and the early forms read as a little too cute for their own good. Consistently ranks in the lower half of fan surveys.

About Oshawott

The Water starter of Unova, known for the scalchop shell it uses as a weapon.

Type: Water
Region: Unova
Final Evolution: Samurott

Popplio

Primarina is genuinely strong and the singing mermaid concept is creative, but Popplio and Brionne are the stages most fans say they have to push through rather than enjoy.

About Popplio

The Water starter of Alola, a sea lion Pokémon that evolves into the singing Primarina.

Type: Water
Region: Alola
Final Evolution: Primarina

Fuecoco

Skeledirge has one of the best signature moves in recent memory with Torch Song, but Fuecoco itself is a slow, squat little guy that divides people right down the middle on looks alone.

About Fuecoco

The Fire starter of Paldea, known for its signature move Torch Song.

Type: Fire/Ghost (final form)
Region: Paldea
Final Evolution: Skeledirge

DD Tier: Tough sell

Chespin

Chesnaught is stocky and defensive, which in practice means slow and a little boring to use. This line consistently lands near the bottom of Kalos rankings, with fans split mostly between indifference and mild dislike.

About Chespin

The Grass starter of Kalos, introduced in Pokémon X and Y.

Type: Grass
Region: Kalos
Final Evolution: Chesnaught

FF Tier: Sorry, Sobble

Sobble

Adorable in the trailers, a liability in the actual game. Sobble's whole gimmick is crying and hiding, which sums up its battle performance too, and Inteleon never quite lives up to the hype its reveal generated.

About Sobble

The Water starter of Galar, known for its shy, crying personality.

Type: Water
Region: Galar
Final Evolution: Inteleon

How we ranked them

We weighed final evolutions and movesets, how useful each starter actually is through its own game's gyms and story, overall design and fan favorite status across forums and polls, and the elemental typing it gets stuck with. A starter that's great to look at but terrible to use won't outrank one that's plain but reliable. Where fandom is genuinely split, we say so and explain which way we leaned.

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FAQ

What is the most popular Pokémon starter?

Across fan polls and forums, Charmander and Cyndaquil consistently come out on top, with Charmander winning mostly on brand recognition and Cyndaquil on pure character design.

What is the worst starter Pokémon?

Sobble tends to rank lowest among fans and reviewers, mostly because its signature gimmick of crying when startled doesn't translate into a fun Pokémon to actually use.

Which starter has the best final evolution for competitive battling?

Greninja (from Froakie) and Blaziken (from Torchic) are usually cited as the strongest competitively, both having seen bans or restrictions in official formats at various points.

Is Charizard the best starter final evolution?

It's the most famous, but fans are split on whether it's the strongest. Many point to Greninja, Infernape or Blaziken as better performers in battle, even if Charizard wins on popularity.

Which generation has the best starter trio overall?

This is one of the most argued points in the fandom. Kanto gets the nod for legacy and nostalgia, Johto for Cyndaquil and Totodile's popularity, and Gen 6 or 7 for raw design quality, depending who you ask.

More rankings

Image credits

ScorbunnyCover: Wikipedia · Source
FuecocoCover: Wikipedia · Source