#0001
GrassPoison
Bulbasaur
Your first partner
Pokemon Starters
Every starter Pokemon from all nine generations, grouped by region — 27 first partners from Bulbasaur to Sprigatito, each with official artwork, types, and stats.
Every main-series adventure begins the same way: a professor offers three Pokeballs, and you choose the partner that will carry you all the way to the Champion. These starter Pokemon — also called first partners — are the very first favorites most players ever form, and for a lot of fans the starter they picked at age ten is still their all-time number one.
Across nine generations the formula has never changed: one Grass, one Fire, and one Water type, arranged as a perfect rock-paper-scissors so no choice is strictly the strongest. Below is the complete list of all 27 starters, grouped by generation, ready to browse — or use the Favorite Pokemon Picker to crown your favorite.
Starters at a glance
- • 27 starters across nine generations, three per game.
- • Always a Grass, Fire, and Water triangle.
- • Each trio reaches a powerful final evolution around level 32-36.
- • Final evolutions usually pick up a second type for extra coverage.
- • No starter is legendarily strong, so pick with your heart.
Kanto
Gen 1 starters
Johto
Gen 2 starters
Hoenn
Gen 3 starters
Sinnoh
Gen 4 starters
Unova
Gen 5 starters
Kalos
Gen 6 starters
Alola
Gen 7 starters
Galar
Gen 8 starters
Paldea
Gen 9 starters
The choice
How to choose your starter Pokemon
How to choose your starter Pokemon matters more than it looks, because that first partner stays on your team for the entire game. The type triangle keeps the trio balanced, so the deciding factor is not power — it is fit. Match the starter to how you actually play, not to a tier list built for competitive battles you will never fight on a normal playthrough.
The fastest way to choose is to look at the final evolution rather than the cute base form: you spend far more time with the fully evolved Pokemon than the one you met in the first five minutes. Then run the kid test — the starter you picked when you first played is usually still the one you love, because that is where the nostalgia lives. If you still cannot decide, rate all three in the Favorite Pokemon Picker and let the trio fight it out.
Quick starter tells
- • Want a forgiving, bulky run? Lean to the Grass or Water starter.
- • Love raw offense and racing to the finish? Go Fire.
- • Prefer a safe, flexible pick for any gym? The Water starter rarely lets you down.
- • Can't choose? Pick the one whose final evolution you would happily keep forever.
FAQ
Starter Pokemon FAQ
How many starter Pokemon are there?
There are 27 starter Pokemon in total — three first-partner Pokemon for each of the nine generations, from Gen 1 Kanto to Gen 9 Paldea. Each trio is built on the same classic core: one Grass, one Fire, and one Water type.
What is a starter Pokemon?
A starter Pokemon (also called a first partner) is the Pokemon you choose at the very beginning of a main-series game. Professor Oak, Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper, Sycamore, Kukui, Magnolia, and Clavell each offer a Grass, Fire, and Water type, and the one you pick becomes the first member of your team.
Which starter Pokemon is the best?
There is no single best starter — every trio is balanced by the Grass, Fire, Water type triangle, so all three are designed to carry a playthrough. The best starter is normally the one whose final evolution matches how you like to battle: bulky and forgiving, fast and fragile, or balanced and versatile.
Why are starters always Grass, Fire, and Water?
The Grass, Fire, Water triangle is the series' simplest rock-paper-scissors. Each type beats one of the other two and loses to the other, so no starter is strictly the strongest and the first choice teaches the type matchup system from minute one.