* {{an|May}} caught a Bulbasaur midway through her journey in Hoenn, and was given a {{TP|May|Squirtle}} by Professor Oak when she journeyed to Kanto. Also, May had her Bulbasaur reside at Professor Oak's lab but brought her back during her journey in Johto. Bulbasaur eventually evolved all the way into {{TP|May|Venusaur}} and Squirtle evolved into {{TP|May|Wartortle}} during May's travels through Johto.
* {{an|May}} caught a Bulbasaur midway through her journey in Hoenn, and was given a {{TP|May|Squirtle}} by Professor Oak when she journeyed to Kanto. Also, May had her Bulbasaur reside at Professor Oak's lab but brought her back during her journey in Johto. Bulbasaur eventually evolved all the way into {{TP|May|Venusaur}} and Squirtle evolved into {{TP|May|Wartortle}} during May's travels through Johto.
* May raised an {{p|Eevee}} from a [[Pokémon Egg]], which evolved into {{TP|May|Glaceon}}.
* May raised an {{p|Eevee}} from a [[Pokémon Egg]], which evolved into {{TP|May|Glaceon}}.
* In Sinnoh, Ash caught himself a {{AP|Turtwig}}, who has since evolved into a {{AP|Torterra}}. His rival, [[Paul]], owned a Chimchar that was confirmed to be caught in the wild. He was released, recaught by Ash, and is now an {{AP|Infernape}}. He left both his Torterra and Infernape at Professor Oak's lab before he set off for [[Unova]].
* In Sinnoh, Ash caught himself a {{AP|Turtwig}}, who has since evolved into a {{AP|Torterra}}. His rival, [[Paul]], owned a Chimchar that was confirmed to be caught in the wild. He was released, recaught by Ash, and is now an {{AP|Infernape}}. He left both his Torterra and Infernape at Professor Oak's lab before he set off for Unova.
* {{an|Dawn}} hatched a {{p|Cyndaquil}} during her journey in Sinnoh. It later evolved into {{TP|Dawn|Quilava}}.
* {{an|Dawn}} hatched a {{p|Cyndaquil}} during her journey in Sinnoh. It later evolved into {{TP|Dawn|Quilava}}.
* Like in the [[original series]], Ash caught all of Unova's starter Pokémon, {{AP|Oshawott}}, {{AP|Tepig}}, and {{AP|Snivy}}. However, this time around, he caught them in reverse of the Pokédex order, and Oshawott was a starter Pokémon that Professor Juniper allowed Ash to have after he ran away to be with him. Of the three, only Tepig has evolved, becoming a {{p|Pignite}}. He eventually left all three of the Unova's starters at Professor Oak's lab before he set off for [[Kalos]].
* Like in the [[original series]], Ash caught all of Unova's starter Pokémon, {{AP|Oshawott}}, {{AP|Tepig}}, and {{AP|Snivy}}. However, this time around, he caught them in reverse of the Pokédex order, and Oshawott was a starter Pokémon that Professor Juniper allowed Ash to have after he ran away to be with him. Of the three, only Tepig has evolved, becoming a {{p|Pignite}}. He eventually left all three of the Unova's starters at Professor Oak's lab before he set off for [[Kalos]].
Revision as of 18:39, 12 December 2023
It has been suggested that this article be moved to First partner Pokémon. Please discuss whether or not to move it on its talk page.
The contents of this article have been suggested to be split into List of initial Pokémon. Please discuss it on the talk page for this article.
A starter Pokémon (Japanese: はじめてのポケモンbeginning Pokémon or 最初のポケモンfirst Pokémon; known as 御三家the big three among Japanese fans), officially referred to as a first partner Pokémon since Generation VI, is the first Pokémon that a Pokémon Trainer obtains at the start of their Pokémon journey, most commonly gifted to them by a Pokémon Professor, parent, or teacher, or encountered in the wild near the town in which the trainer begins their journey. This Pokémon will be used to battle the first wild Pokémon that a Trainer encounters.
Once another Pokémon is caught, the starter Pokémon may be retired (though this rarely occurs), but it is often with this Pokémon that Trainers learn friendship and trust. As such, even advanced Trainers may still use their starter Pokémon, and they will often be the most powerful Pokémon on their respective teams.
In the core series games, it is said that the starter Pokémon are extremely rare in the wild, giving the player a reason why the Pokémon not chosen can't be found in the wild in most of these games.
The player's rival will then pick the type-advantageous starter Pokémon, and the remaining Pokémon will sit in its Poké Ball on Oak's desk for the rest of the game.
In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, the choice of starter Pokémon also determines which of the Legendary beasts will roam the Kanto region after defeating Team Rocket in the Sevii Islands—if the player chooses Bulbasaur, Entei will appear, Suicune will appear to those who chose Charmander, and Raikou will appear to those that went with Squirtle.
Professor Oak offers one of this trio of Pokémon to the player in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver after the player has defeated Red, making reference to the fact that he gives them out as starter Pokémon in Kanto-based games, suggesting the player will be able to make it to the next town with one of these Pokémon by their side.
In The Isle of Armor, Honey will let the player choose either Bulbasaur or Squirtle after completing the Master Dojo's first trial. Once fully evolved, these Pokémon will be capable of Gigantamaxing. Honey will keep the Pokémon not chosen by the player, and use it on her team.
In The Crown Tundra, Ivysaur, Charmeleon, and Wartortle can be found in Dynamax Adventures.
Professor Oak has a third unrevealed starter Pokémon as well. According to Professor Oak and Trace's dialogue at the start of the games, Professor Oak used to have two options of starter Pokémon available which he planned to offer to the player and Trace. However, the player caught the wild PikachuP or EeveeE and this Pokémon was stored in a Poké Ball in the laboratory with the other two starters.
Some time after the player and the rival choose Pikachu and Eevee as their starter Pokémon, the third Poké Ball mysteriously disappears from Professor Oak's table, similarly to the third starter Pokémon in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
After the player meets with Mr. Pokémon and receives a Pokédex from Professor Oak, Professor Elm will call the player to tell them that a thief has taken a Pokémon. As the player returns to New Bark Town, they will encounter the thief, who will have the stolen Pokémon with the type advantage over the player's own. From this point onward, the thief will be the player's rival, while Professor Elm keeps the Pokémon that was left behind by the thief on his desk for the remainder of the game (in HeartGold and SoulSilver, the last Pokémon mysteriously disappears at some point).
In Generation II, the Pokémon will be holding a Berry when received from Elm, though the rival's stolen starter Pokémon will not.
In Pokémon Colosseum, the middle stages of the Johto starter Pokémon are caught as Shadow Pokémon from a Mystery Troop member. Only one is available for the player to obtain during the main game, while the other two are only available during the post-game. The color of the outfit for the corresponding Mystery Troop member is the same as the type for the Johto starter Pokémon they have.
In Pokémon XD, after the player has cleared the entirety of Mt. Battle without touching a PC or retiring, Battlus will offer one of these Pokémon as a reward. The player can obtain all three Pokémon with consecutive challenges.
The player's neighbor, Brendan or May, already has their starter Pokémon, which is always the one with the type advantage. What happens to the starter not selected is unknown. By the end of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, it seems that the player's nominal rival, the son/daughter of Professor Birch, has stopped being a Trainer, and Wally is actually the true rival, facing the player before they can leave Victory Road and staying there to have rematches with the player later. In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Brendan or May's role as an NPC is slightly expanded, acting as a post-credits battle in which they gain access to Mega Evolution for their starter Pokémon.
The player's friend and rival Barry will choose the starter Pokémon that has a type advantage against the player's choice, and the NPC who is the other-gender choice (Lucas/Dawn) will have the Pokémon weak to the player's choice, and therefore strong against Barry's. After fighting off the two Starly at the lake and returning the briefcase to Rowan, the professor will allow the player and Barry to keep the Pokémon they used. Rowan originally had four Sinnoh starter Pokémon, as evidenced by the opposite-gender NPC (Lucas or Dawn) having their starter prior to the player and Barry choosing from the remaining trio of starters.
In Pokémon Platinum, the player and the rival are stopped by Professor Rowan just as they are about to run through tall grass to get to Sandgem Town to ask the Professor for Pokémon. After some questions about the player and the rival's love for Pokémon, he decides to entrust them with one starter Pokémon each.
In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, after the player enters the Hall of Fame for the second time, Professor Birch can be found being chased by his wife on Route 101 and the player will be allowed to choose one of the Sinnoh starter Pokémon.
In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the Sinnoh starter Pokémon and, more rarely, their middle stages, can be caught in certain locations, while the final stages spawn as alpha Pokémon. In the Eternal Battle Reverie, choosing the "Future Beginnings" option will summon a challenge against all three fully evolved first partner Pokémon from Sinnoh.
The player's friend Cheren will choose the Pokémon that is strong against the player's choice, while the player's other friend Bianca will choose the one weak to the player's choice. The choice of starter Pokémon affects which of the Gym Leaders of Striaton City will be battled; players who chose Snivy will face Chili, a Fire-type specialist, players who chose Tepig will face Cress, a Water-type specialist, and players who chose Oshawott will face Cilan, a Grass-type specialist. Also, the choice affects the Pokémon given to the player in the Dreamyard. Choosing Snivy gives the player a Panpour, Tepig a Pansage, and Oshawott a Pansear.
In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Bianca takes three starter Pokémon to Aspertia City on Professor Juniper's behalf and offers one of them to the player. The player's friend, Hugh, will have the Pokémon that is strong against the player's choice, having raised it from an Egg. The player character not chosen will have the starter that is weak to the player's choice, but only seen in its second form.
The player's friend Shauna will choose the Pokémon with a type disadvantage to the player's choice, while the player's other friend Serena/Calem will choose the one with a type advantage to the player's choice. Serena/Calem will have one of the Eeveelutions on their team depending on the player's choice. They will have Jolteon if the player chooses Chespin, Flareon for Fennekin, and Vaporeon for Froakie. The choice of starter Pokémon affects which Pokémon Shauna will trade with the player after the player enters in the Hall of Fame. Shauna will trade the unevolved form of her starter Pokémon, having received it as an Egg. The choice of starter Pokémon also determines which of the Legendary birds will roam the Kalos region after defeating the Pokémon League—if the player chooses Chespin, Articuno will appear, Zapdos will appear to those who chose Fennekin, and Moltres will appear to those that went with Froakie. The middle stages of the starter Pokémon can be found in the Friend Safari.
In Pokémon Sun and Moon, the player receives their starter Pokémon in Iki Town from Hala and Professor Kukui. In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the player receives one from the Professor on Route 1. The player's friend Hau will choose the Pokémon with a type disadvantage to the player's choice. Teacher Emily in the Trainer's School will use the starter that has a type advantage over the player's choice.
During the player's first battle against Ilima, his Smeargle will know a basic move with a type advantage against their starter Pokémon; Ember, Water Gun, or Leafage. During the player's ChampionSM and Title Defense battles, Professor Kukui will use the final evolution of the starter Pokémon with the type advantage to the player's choice. Gladion's Silvally will also be holding the memory of the type the player's starter is weak to. Hau's Eevee will evolve into the Eeveelution whose type has the advantage to the player's choice. Gladion, in his Title Defense battle in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, will have a fully evolved Kanto starter Pokémon whose type is the same as the player's starter.
In The Isle of Armor, once the player has found 100 of the Hiker's AlolanDiglett, he will give the player the starter Pokémon that is the same type as the player's starter. This Pokémon has its Hidden Ability.
The player's friend Hop will choose the Pokémon with a type disadvantage to the player's choice. Leon takes the remaining Pokémon into his care, eventually using its final form in the Championship Match against the player.
In the Isle of Armor, the player has the option of giving their fully-evolved starter Pokémon Max Soup, giving them the Gigantamax Factor and allowing them to enter their Gigantamax form in battle. Hop will use his starter Pokémon's Gigantamax form in the Galarian Star Tournament.
After completing the main story, Professor Laventon gives the player the two starter Pokémon they did not pick, and all three stages of the starter Pokémon can be caught in Space-time distortions. Starting in the Daybreak update, Rei/Akari will begin using the Sinnoh starter Pokémon with a type disadvantage to the player's starter Pokémon. Additionally, all three Sinnoh starter Pokémon (along with their evolutionary relatives) can be found in the wild as rare spawns in certain areas.
In the Eternal Battle Reverie, choosing the "Hisuian Beginnings" option will summon a challenge against all three fully evolved first partner Pokémon from Hisui.
In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the player receives their starter Pokémon in Cabo Poco from Clavell, the director of NaranjaS/Uva AcademyV. Nemona, a Champion-ranked Trainer, chooses the starter weak to the player's choice to raise for herself. Clavell uses the starter Pokémon with the type advantage to the player's choice.
The rival of Pokémon Yellow, Blue, starts with an Eevee originally intended for the player. The Eevee will evolve into a Vaporeon if the player loses against the rival at the lab, Jolteon if the player wins against the rival at both the lab and Route 22, and Flareon if the player wins against the rival at the lab, and loses or skips the other battle.
In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Alder mentions a Larvesta was his "first partner," this Larvesta eventually evolved into a Volcarona. The term "first partner" in this context predates the more commonly used official term that began usage in Generation VII.
In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Nanu implies that each of the island kahuna give out their own starter Pokémon to beginner Trainers, with Hala giving away Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio. Nanu on the other hand, gives out AlolanMeowth to new Trainers instead, all three Meowth having personalities and attributes that relate to the traditional Grass-, Fire-, and Water-type starter Pokémon.
Hop has a Wooloo that he has owned since before the start of Pokémon Sword and Shield, and uses it in his first battle against the player. Over the course of the story, it evolves into Dubwool.
A first for the Pokémon games, these starter Pokémon come as a pair as to represent the Double Battle system, and are also different in that they are in the player's possession right at the start of play. Umbreon is at level 26, knowing the TM moves Taunt and Snatch, as well as Bite which is otherwise only available through breeding at such a level. Espeon is at level 25, knowing the TM moves Return (while also starting with maximum friendship) and Reflect. Both are always male.
This starter Pokémon is in the player's possession right at the beginning of the game. It is at level 10 and knows Bite, which Eevee does not normally know at this level without breeding. At an early point in the game, the player is offered one of five evolutionary items—Water Stone, Thunderstone, Fire Stone, Sun Shard, and Moon Shard—to allow the Eevee to evolve into any of its evolutions that existed in Generation III.
In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, if the player completes the Mt. Battle challenge and defeats all 100 Trainers without quitting or switching Pokémon, Battlus will give one of the Johto starter Pokémon as a reward.
In Pokémon Masters EX, the player themselves starts with a Pikachu. Upon starting the game, Brock and Misty join the player's roster with their sync partners, Onix and Starmie, to form a team of three.
In Pokémon GO, when the player starts the game, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle will appear nearby. If the player battles and captures one of them, the others will disappear.
If the player walks away from them, they will reappear near their new location. If they do this four times, Pikachu will appear in addition to the Kanto starter Pokémon.
In Pokémon UNITE, when first starting the game, originally all players were given the option between one of 5 Pokémon Unite Licenses to choose from, one for each role in the game:
However, since the version 1.12.1.2 update, this was changed so that instead, the player is always given Pikachu's Unite License and is then given the option between one of 3 Pokémon Unite Licenses to choose from:
Upon their tenth birthday, youths can register for a Pokédex and pick up a starter Pokémon from the local Pokémon Professor or Pokémon Center free of charge. Starter Pokémon are usually raised specifically to be easy to train.
Like in the games, the specific starter Pokémon available vary from region to region but are the same in each region as the games. That is, Kanto Trainers can only choose Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle; Johto Trainers can only choose Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile; and so on.
In A Mudkip Mission, it was shown where starter Pokémon come from. Each region has special, secret breeding grounds run by a Pokémon Breeder for starter Pokémon. The Pokémon League sends these Breeders the Pokémon Eggs for them to hatch at the breeding grounds. The breeders hatch the eggs and then care for, and raise the young Pokémon until they are ready to be proper starter Pokémon for new Trainers. As these young ones are virtually defenseless, the locations of breeding grounds (or even the knowledge of their existence) is a secret unknown to most in the Pokémon world. This is likely to guard against unscrupulous individuals or groups (such as Team Rocket) from poaching the young Pokémon.
However, not all starter Pokémon are raised at these special breeding grounds, with Professor Birch said to catch and raise his own starter Pokémon for Trainers.
Other rookie Trainers may receive their first Pokémon from a friend or relative instead. Others, on the other hand, may befriend a Pokémon in the wild. This means that Trainers can, in fact, start with any Pokémon. Also, as revealed in Pokémon Horizons: The Series, students at a school, such as Indigo Academy, can receive a starter Pokémon from all the different regions.
Pokémon Professors that give out starter Pokémon are not limited to giving out starters to only new trainers as there have been instances where the starter Pokémon take a liking to a trainer who already is well into their journey. Examples of this are Ash's Oshawott and his Froakie and May's Squirtle who were received from their region's Pokémon Professor.
Goh initially wanted his starter Pokémon to be a Mew like the one he met when he was six, but he changed his mind after befriending a wild Scorbunny in Galar, choosing it as his partner instead. It has since evolved into a Cinderace.
Roy started with a Fuecoco, which he caught after previously befriending it.
Brock receiving Onix as his starter
May choosing Torchic as her starter
Dawn choosing Piplup as her starter
Iris choosing Drilbur as her starter
Serena choosing Fennekin as her starter
Lillie choosing Snowy as her starter
Mallow receiving Bounsweet as her starter
Goh choosing Scorbunny as his starter
Liko choosing Sprigatito as her starter
Roy choosing Fuecoco as his starter
Caught in the wild instead
Ash caught a Bulbasaur, a Charmander, and a Squirtle, who he originally wanted to start with as his first Pokémon, in quick succession in the Kanto region. Of the three, only Charmander evolved, becoming a Charmeleon, and later a Charizard, being very disobedient to Ash in both forms until an incident in the Orange Archipelago, after which he served Ash as he had when he was a Charmander. Bulbasaur was also going to evolve, but decided against becoming an Ivysaur in Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden. Ash left his Charizard to train at Charicific Valley until he brought him back during his journey in Unova. Charizard now resides in Professor Oak's lab. Also, Ash had his Squirtle rejoin his old Squirtle Squad and had Bulbasaur reside at Professor Oak's lab in order to keep the peace.
Ash also caught the three Johto region starter Pokémon, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile, of which Chikorita and Cyndaquil evolved into Bayleef and Quilava, respectively. Ash left the three starters at Professor Oak's lab before he traveled to Hoenn.
Ash caught a Treecko in Hoenn, while Brock captured a Mudkip. Treecko evolved twice, becoming Sceptile before Ash left it at Professor Oak's lab, while Brock's Mudkip evolved into Marshtomp, who he left at home before he traveled to Sinnoh. Along with May's Torchic, the traveling trio had the three starter Pokémon of Hoenn.
May caught a Bulbasaur midway through her journey in Hoenn, and was given a Squirtle by Professor Oak when she journeyed to Kanto. Also, May had her Bulbasaur reside at Professor Oak's lab but brought her back during her journey in Johto. Bulbasaur eventually evolved all the way into Venusaur and Squirtle evolved into Wartortle during May's travels through Johto.
In Sinnoh, Ash caught himself a Turtwig, who has since evolved into a Torterra. His rival, Paul, owned a Chimchar that was confirmed to be caught in the wild. He was released, recaught by Ash, and is now an Infernape. He left both his Torterra and Infernape at Professor Oak's lab before he set off for Unova.
Dawn hatched a Cyndaquil during her journey in Sinnoh. It later evolved into Quilava.
Like in the original series, Ash caught all of Unova's starter Pokémon, Oshawott, Tepig, and Snivy. However, this time around, he caught them in reverse of the Pokédex order, and Oshawott was a starter Pokémon that Professor Juniper allowed Ash to have after he ran away to be with him. Of the three, only Tepig has evolved, becoming a Pignite. He eventually left all three of the Unova's starters at Professor Oak's lab before he set off for Kalos.
Much like Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, Ash caught himself a Froakie, which used to belong to several other Trainers before being abandoned or abandoning the Trainer. It has since evolved into a Greninja and was capable of becoming Ash-Greninja through Bond Phenomenon, but he formally released it into the wild in order to protect Kalos, while Clemont obtained a Chespin. It originally belonged to Professor Sycamore as a starting Pokémon for new Trainers. Along with Serena's Fennekin, the traveling trio had the three starter Pokémon of Kalos.
Lana is revealed to have caught a Popplio in Alola. Popplio was rescued from being abused by members of Team Skull. It has since then evolved into Primarina and can use an exclusive Z-Move.
Lana caught a wild Eevee, which she nicknamed Sandy.
During his second visit to Wyndon, Goh caught a Sobble. It has since evolved all the way into Inteleon.
Goh caught a Pikachu in Kanto, which quickly evolved into a Raichu after she was exposed to a Thunder Stone and left her under Professor Cerise's care after he decided to travel around Kanto.
Ash, Dawn, and Goh briefly caught one of the Hisui region starter Pokémon as part of a game arranged by Cynthia for the Sinnoh Festival.
Goh caught a Froakie during his fifth visit to Kalos, which later evolved into Frogadier and he left it under Professor Cerise's care after he decided to travel around Kanto.
Leon obtaining the three Galar starters is currently unknown, but he may have raised them from a Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble, as they evolved into a Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon. Also, his Rillaboom and Cinderace Gigantamax into a Gigantamax Rillaboom and Cinderace.
Zander's (Caterpie's Big Dilemma) Caterpie was implied to be his starter Pokémon in the episode, as he mentioned that his Caterpie was his first Pokémon, albeit it was "not caught".
Stephanie and her father choosing Mudkip and Treecko as their starters
Gilbert choosing Bulbasaur as his starter
Nanette choosing Tepig as her starter
Alternate movie continuity
I Choose You!, a movie that started a continutity separate from the main anime series, focused on the developing friendship between Ash and the Pikachu he received from Professor Oak. Ash also caught a Charmander, which went on to evolve. However, unlike the main anime series, Charmander as a Charmeleon and Charizard consistently obey Ash and used to be Cross's Pokémon rather than Damian's.
In this continuity, Gary also started with a Squirtle, while the Oak's Bulbasaur and Charmander were revealed to have been picked by alternate versions of Marina and Tierno, respectively. Verity started with a Piplup as her first Pokémon.
In The Power of Us, Ash and Pikachu helped Risa catch a wildEevee that eventually became her starter Pokémon. Also, a wild Totodile was following Harriet, but she let it stay along with seven others permanently.
In Blossom's Dream, Blossom sought to catch her own starter Pokémon. Eventually, this Pokémon ended up being the Nidoran♂ she bonded with through the episode.
In Pokémon Adventures, the starter Pokémon featured in the games are mostly reserved for the few people who hold a Pokédex. Professor Oak produces three Pokédexes for each region, and gives out the three starter Pokémon in each region along with the Pokédex to Trainers he thinks are talented. He has colleagues and friends like Professor Birch do this for him in regions in which he isn't present. In the Unova region, two sets of starter Pokémon are given out to six Trainers, but still with only three Pokédexes. Professor Oak also gave Red's Pikachu as a special starter to Yellow.
Most characters in the manga do not start out with one of the Pokédex-related starter Pokémon. Instead, they usually have a Pokémon they were given by their parents when they were infants that they use as their starter Pokémon. Occasionally, it is not directly stated which Pokémon was their starter Pokémon in the manga, but in profiles of their teams, their starter Pokémon is marked with a star and is among the highest level in the party, even if they acquired more than one Pokémon at first.
List of starter Pokémon in Pokémon Adventures
Red's first Pokémon was a Poliwag he had since his childhood, which has evolved into a Poliwrath. His "starter Pokémon" was a Bulbasaur given to him by Professor Oak, which he nicknamed "Saur". He became a Venusaur in his travels.
Blue's first Pokémon was a Scyther, now a Scizor, he took to the training with Chuck. His "starter Pokémon" was a Charmander given to him by his grandfather, which evolved twice into a Charizard.
Green's first Pokémon was a Jigglypuff, now a Wigglytuff, she received from the Masked Man. Her "starter Pokémon" was a Squirtle she stole from Professor Oak, which she nicknamed "Blasty". He later evolved into a Blastoise.
Yellow's first Pokémon was a Rattata that Red taught her to catch, which has evolved into a Raticate. Later, she borrowed Red's Pikachu, and after Red took him back, caught her "starter Pokémon", a female Pikachu for herself which she nicknamed "Chuchu". Like the Pikachu in Yellow, neither evolved.
Gold's first Pokémon was his Aipom, now an Ambipom, that his mother gave him. He borrowed his "starter Pokémon", a Cyndaquil, from Professor Elm, and was later allowed to keep the Cyndaquil which he nicknamed "Exbo". He later becomes a Typhlosion alongside the other two Johto starter Pokémon.
Silver's first Pokémon was the Sneasel, now a Weavile, that Giovanni gave to him as a child. He later stole his "starter Pokémon", a Totodile from Professor Elm, as well as the first Pokédex of Johto. His starter Pokémon evolved twice into a Feraligatr.
Crystal's first Pokémon is officially her Smoochum, although she acquired many wild Pokémon that lived as a family while she was in the wild. Chikorita later ran away from Professor Elm to go with her, and became her "starter Pokémon" nicknamed "Megaree". He became a Meganium midway into their journey.
Ruby and his first Pokémon from the left to the right: Rara, Kiki and Nana
Ruby's first Pokémon were the Poochyena, Skitty and Ralts that he received from his father, all of them having evolved into Mightyena, Delcatty and Gardevoir respectively. Later, he got his "starter Pokémon" from Professor Birch; a Mudkip which he nicknamed "Mumu". He evolved into a Swampert from the battles he underwent.
Sapphire's first Pokémon was the Aron, now an Aggron her father gave her. Later, he gave her her "starter Pokémon", a Torchic, which she nicknamed "Chic". She has since evolved twice under her Trainer's care into a Blaziken.
When Emerald arrived in the Battle Frontier, he had no Pokémon on hand. Then he challenged the Battle Factory using only rental Pokémon, nearly at the end of the challenge, he noticed something suspicious about a Sceptile so he decided to steal him from the facility and kept him afterward, it is later is revealed that the Sceptile was supposed to be his in the first place, making him his "starter Pokémon". He evolved from his Grovyle stage in the wild, after evolving once in Wally's care. Except for Sceptile, the first Pokémon he captured were Sudowoodo and Dusclops.
Diamond's first was his Munchlax, and later he received his "starter Pokémon", a Turtwig from Platinum because of a misunderstanding. He has since evolved to Torterra alongside the others.
Pearl's first was his Chatot, and later he received his "starter Pokémon", a Chimchar from Platinum. The Chimchar has since evolved twice into an Infernape.
Platinum's first Pokémon was her Ponyta, now a Rapidash, and later she received her "starter Pokémon", a Piplup from Professor Rowan. She has since become an Empoleon under her care.
Black started with a Rufflet that he captured with the help of a wild Munna he had befriended, and later acquired his "starter Pokémon", a Tepig from Professor Juniper which later evolved into an Emboar. Initially, he was nicknamed "Tep", but the nickname was changed to "Nite" and eventually "Bo", making Black the only main character so far to change his Pokémon's nickname.
White's first Pokémon was a Tepig named Gigi. She later acquires her "starter Pokémon", a Servine, which later evolved into a Serperior. This Servine, which White nicknamed "Amanda", was with N until Gigi decided to leave White to follow N. It was later revealed that Amanda was a Snivy that was going to be given out to new Trainers by Professor Cedric Juniper but was liberated by N. Except for Gigi and Amanda, her first Pokémon she captured was Deerling.
X's first known Pokémon is a Kangaskhan. He later got a Chespin, nicknamed "Marisso", as his "starter Pokémon" after he accepted him as a member of his team. He has since become a Chesnaught under his care.
Y's first known Pokémon is a Fletchling. She later got a Froakie, nicknamed "Croaky", as her "starter Pokémon" after she accepted him as a member of her team. He has since become a Greninja under her care.
Moon's first Pokémon is unknown, as she caught a Grubbin, AlolanGrimer, and Mareanie around the same time. She is later given a Rowlet as her "starter Pokémon" from Professor Kukui. He has since become a Decidueye.
Casey's first Pokémon is unknown, as she was shown owning an Arrokuda, Toxtricity, Falinks, Galarian Stunfisk, and Eiscue prior to her introduction. She is immediately shown as well with a Scorbunny as her "starter Pokémon". It has since become a Cinderace and is named Bit.
Pokémon Pocket Monsters
In Pokémon Pocket Monsters, Professor Oak is depicted distributing the choice of one out of three starter Pokémon - Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle - to Pokémon Trainers as they begin their journeys, much like in other media. Green chooses Charmander as his starter Pokémon, and while Red was offered the choice as well, he decided to keep a Clefairy that he met on his way to Professor Oak's lab as his starter instead.
The Electric Tale of Pikachu
In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, unlike the anime from which the manga was based on, new Pokémon Trainers do not appear to be given any sort of starter Pokémon. Professor Oak is not shown residing at his laboratory handing out starter Pokémon to new Trainers, as in the anime, rather, he travels the Kanto region conducting research, often accompanied by Bill. Trainers in The Electric Tale of Pikachu must obtain a license before they can purchase Poké Balls or otherwise capture and train Pokémon. Ash found Pikachu under the floorboards of his home, keeping it as his first Pokémon. It is not currently known what Gary Oak's first Pokémon was in the manga, although he is at one point seen owning a Venusaur.
Arata is having trouble deciding which Pokémon he should choose from Bianca as his starter, only for two Team Plasma grunts to steal all three of the starter Pokémon. Luckily Arata managed to swipe one of them when the grunts attacked him. This Pokémon ended up being Oshawott, who would serve as his starter Pokémon and later evolve into Samurott.
In Pokémon Horizon, Akira first Pokémon is Rockruff, which has a unique ability to evolve into Lycanroc and then devolve into Rockruff again, thanks to the strange red stone on its neck. It also has the ability to change between its Midday and Midnight Forms while being evolved. Mana's first Pokémon is Rowlet which later evolved into Decidueye.
Trivia
Junichi Masuda has stated that starter Pokémon are among the Pokémon that take the longest to implement during development due to their relative importance.[1]
Ken Sugimori has described starter Pokémon as fulfilling different roles in their personalities, such as by characterizing Tepig as funny, Snivy as cool, and Oshawott as serious.[2]
The only two starter Pokémon that are dual-type in their initial form, Bulbasaur and Rowlet, are both Grass-type.
As of Generation IX, the Fighting-type and Dark-type are the only two secondary types which have at least one representative corresponding to each of the main three primary types of starters.
In the games
All starter Pokémon in the core series besides Pikachu have a gender ratio of seven males to one female.
Due to this, as well as the way in which gender and Shininess were determined, it was impossible to have a Shiny female starter Pokémon in Generation II, as the lowest Attack IV a Shiny Pokémon could have was 2, while the highest Attack IV a female Pokémon in that gender group could have was 1.
Kanto's and Sinnoh's starter Pokémon are the only starter Pokémon where all of the members appear in more than one regional Pokédex: Kanto's, Johto's, and Kalos's for the Kanto starters; Sinnoh's and Hisui's for the Sinnoh starters.
In the core series, when a starter Pokémon is first obtained, all are at level 5. Each one of them knows one Normal-typephysical move (either Tackle, Scratch, or Pound) and a stat-lowering status move at this level, except for Pikachu, which has Thunder Shock instead of a Normal-type move. In Generations VI, VII, and IX, the starter Pokémon also have an attacking move of their type at level 5.
All starter Pokémon and their evolved forms have either Overgrow, Blaze, or Torrent as their primary Ability.
Fennekin is the only unevolved starter Pokémon with a unique base stat total.
The lowest base stat of a non-Mega Evolved fully evolved starter Pokémon is Torterra's Speed, at 56. The highest base stat of a non-Mega Evolved fully evolved starter Pokémon is Primarina's Special Attack, at 126.
The Kalos starter Pokémon's secondary types in their final forms (Fighting, Psychic, and Dark) almost form another type-advantage triangle (where one type deals 2× damage to and receives ½× damage from another type), only being broken by the Dark-type being completely immune to rather than resistant to the Psychic-type.
Both the primary and secondary types, however, fit a more generally defined triangle that only requires one type to be offensively and defensively advantaged against another. For example, just as Water has the offensive and defensive advantage against Fire, so does Dark against Psychic.
Interestingly enough, a similar pattern can be seen with the Hisuian starter Pokémon's secondary types in their final forms, though the main difference is that the Fire-type starter's secondary typing is Ghost instead of Psychic; while the Ghost type does not deal additional damage to the Fighting type, thus breaking the offensive triangle advantages, it is still immune against its attacks so the defensive advantages are retained here.
Paldea's fully evolved starter Pokémon follow a similar pattern but with the secondary typings providing advantages and disadvantages in an opposite direction; Meowscarada's Dark type beats Skeledirge's Ghost type, Skeledirge's Ghost-type provides no offensive advantage but is immune to Quaquaval's Fighting-type, and Quaquaval's Fighting-type beats Meowscarada's Dark-type. This pattern contrasts Kalos and Hisui's starter Pokémon whose secondary typings gave them another advantage over the Pokémon whose primary typing they already had an advantage over.
With the exception of Hisuian Decidueye having a higher base stat total than Hisuian Samurott, no fully evolved Grass-type starter Pokémon has a higher base stat total than either of its two counterparts.
Contrarily, no unevolved Grass-type starter Pokémon besides Chespin has a lower base stat total than either of its two counterparts.
Similarly, no unevolved Fire-type starter Pokémon has a higher base stat total than either its counterparts, and no fully evolved Fire-type starter Pokémon besides Blaziken has a lower one.
Each one of the Alola starter Pokémon's final evolutions has an immunity. Decidueye, being part Ghost-type, is immune to Normal and Fighting; Incineroar, being part Dark-type, is immune to Psychic; and Primarina, being part Fairy-type, is immune to Dragon.
Interestingly, this gives each fully-evolved Alolan starter Pokémon a type advantage against Necrozma's Ultra form with their secondary typings; Decidueye's Ghost typing and Incineroar's Dark typing have advantages against Ultra Necrozma's Psychic typing while Primarina's Fairy typing has advantages against Ultra Necrozma's Dragon typing.
As of Generation IX, the only sets of starter Pokémon without secondary types in any of their final evolutions are the Johto starters and the Galar starter Pokémon.
By contrast, the starter Pokémon of Sinnoh (including Hisui), Kalos, Alola, and Paldea all have a secondary type present in their final evolutions.
All fully evolved Water-type starter Pokémon can learn the HM moves Surf, Dive, and Waterfall.
Additionally, with the exception of Quaquaval, every Water-type final form that is dual-type is immune to at least one type: Swampert, being part Ground, is immune to Electric; Empoleon, being part Steel, is immune to Poison; Greninja and Hisuian Samurott, both part Dark, are immune to Psychic; Primarina, being part Fairy, is immune to Dragon.
Both Kanto and Hoenn's starter Pokémon are the only set of starters capable of Mega Evolution.
Additionally, both Kanto and Galar starter Pokémon are the only set of starters capable of Gigantamaxing.
This makes the Kanto starter Pokémon the only set of starters that can both Mega Evolve and Gigantamax.
The Kalos starter Pokémon are the only set of starters whose Hidden Abilities are solely composed by Abilities introduced in the same generation as their debut.
The Hoenn Starter set is the first set in which all three Pokémon evolve under the care of the main characters who own them.
Since Pokémon the Series: Black & White, no Grass-type starter Pokémon owned by a main character has evolved, as Snivy, Chespin, Rowlet, and Grookey all remain in their basic forms.
Squirtle and Turtwig are both based on turtles and were the starter Pokémon of two of Ash's rivals, Gary and Paul.
Torchic and Piplup are both based on birds (chicken, penguin). They were also both owned by the anime's resident Pokémon Coordinators.
Both May and Dawn have a second starter Pokémon from a previous generation with a type disadvantage to their first. These starter Pokémon are both from two generations prior to their owner's introduction and featured in the anime likely due to the same-generation remakes.
In the Diamond and Pearl series, there have been two major appearances of each fully evolved starter introduced in Generation IV: Ash and Paul's Torterra, Ash and Flint's Infernape, and Barry and Kenny's Empoleon.
Every Fire-type starter obtained by a main character has evolved at least once.
Froakie is the only Water-type starter that has ever evolved under Ash's ownership.
The Kanto starters are the only ones to have all been owned by both Ash and one of his friends at some point in their evolutionary lines: May owns a Venusaur and a Wartortle, while Kiawe owns a Charizard.
The Johto starter set is the only full starter set that Ash has obtained where none of the members were previously owned by another Trainer or a Pokémon Professor, as all of them were caught in the wild.
Conversely, the Kanto starter set is the only full starter set that Ash has obtained where every member was owned by a previous Trainer (excluding Professors).
The Galar starter set is the only full starter set during Ash's time as a main character in which he owned none of its members.
The Kanto starter Pokémon in the anime
The Johto starter Pokémon in the anime
The Hoenn starter Pokémon in the anime
The Sinnoh starter Pokémon in the anime
The Unova region starter Pokémon in the anime
The Kalos region starter Pokémon in the anime
The Galar region starter Pokémon in the anime
The Hisui region starter Pokémon in the anime
The Paldea region starter Pokémon in the anime
Brock receiving Onix as his starter
May choosing Torchic as her starter
Dawn choosing Piplup as her starter
Iris choosing Drilbur as her starter
Serena choosing Fennekin as her starter
Lillie choosing Snowy as her starter
Mallow receiving Bounsweet as her starter
Goh choosing Scorbunny as his starter
Liko choosing Sprigatito as her starter
Roy choosing Fuecoco as his starter
Ash after catching Squirtle
Ash after catching Chikorita
Ash after catching Cyndaquil
Ash after catching Totodile
Brock after catching Mudkip
May after catching Bulbasaur
May obtaining Squirtle
May obtaining Eevee
Dawn obtaining Cyndaquil
Clemont obtaining Chespin
Serena after catching Eevee
Lana after catching Popplio
Goh after catching Grookey
Jimmy choosing Cyndaquil, Marina choosing Totodile, and Vincent choosing Chikorita as their starters
Cynthia obtaining Gible as her starter
Alain choosing Charmander as his starter
Tierno choosing Squirtle as his starter
Shauna choosing Bulbasaur as her starter
Trevor choosing Charmander as his starter
Sawyer choosing Treecko as his starter
Ann choosing Oshawott as her starter
Dot choosing Quaxly as her starter
Stephanie and her father choosing Mudkip and Treecko as their starters
Gilbert choosing Bulbasaur as his starter
Nanette choosing Tepig as her starter
