Pokemon fans are continuing the age-old debate about which generation of the monster-battling RPG had the best set of starters. With nine mainline pairs of games under its belt and a few spin-offs with starters of their own, there are now more than 30 little monsters that Pokemon fans can pair up with to start their journeys, so opinions on the best of the best abound.
The first generation of Pokemon games was released in Japan in 1996 and made its way west about two and a half years later. Pokemon's Kanto starters — Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle — have always been among the franchise's most popular and are still in the debate for the best starter trio, but they're not at the top.
Pokemon: Every Generation's Worst Starter, Ranked
If players want to be the very best, like no one ever was, they are going to want to avoid the worst Pokemon starters in every Generation.
The Best War Games's analysis of a recent Reddit thread with more than 400 comments found that the starters of Pokemon Gen 3 are far and away the favorite trio in the franchise's nearly 30-year history. Fans listing their favorite trio, and not just individual starters, picked Gen 3 as the best or tied for the best 82 times at the time of this writing. That's far above the second-place trio from Gen 1, which garnered 61 responses, and Gen 4, which came in with 59. While not all players are fans of Blaziken's design, most seem respectful of its raw power, and Sceptile's versatility, coupled with Swampert's nigh-invincible Water and Ground-type defenses, are big reasons why these three are at the top.
Pokemon's Most Beloved Starter Generations Determined by Fans
- Gen 3 - Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip
- Gen 1 - Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle
- Gen 4 - Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup
- Gen 7 - Rowlet. Litten, and Popplio
- Gen 2 - Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile
- Gen 9 - Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly
- Gen 6 - Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie
- Gen 5 - Snivy, Tepig, Oshawatt
- Gen 8 - Grookey, Scorbunny, Sobble
But when it comes to the generation people seem to like least, the starters from Gen 8 take home the booby prize. While the recent conversation has been mostly positive, more people had bad things to say about Sobble, Grookey, and Scorbunny than good. And while they're getting a little more love, the Gen 5 grouping of Oshawott, Snivy, and Tepig is still getting grumbles from fans. It's not all bad, though, as the Hisuian variant of Samurott from Pokemon Legends: Arceus got a little attention thanks to the addition of Dark typing, with one fan calling it "what Samurott should have been from the get go." In addition, these two generations were also the least talked about.
Generations 2 and 7 also put up some respectable numbers, but the Johto starters of Pokmeon Gold and Silver fell pretty far behind their counterparts from the franchise's early days, with nearly a quarter of mentions in the best-vs-worst debate falling to the latter. Like with Oshawatt, a lot of players weren't fans of the single typings that the final evolutions of Totodile, Cyndaquil, and Chikorita received, though Squirtle came out of the debate relatively unscathed thanks to a healthy dose of self-admitted nostalgia.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
- Released
- October 16, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
WHERE TO PLAY
LIVE THE LIFE OF A POKÉMON TRAINER IN THE STREETS OF LUMIOSE CITY
Whether you’re a die-hard Pokémon fan or about to toss your first Poké Ball, the Pokémon Legends: Z-A game has plenty to offer for Trainers of all types. Experience classic gameplay with modern twists that are sure to revolutionize your Pokémon RPG experience.
CATCH, BATTLE, AND MEGA-EVOLVE—ALL IN REAL TIME!
Step onto the battlefield and command your Pokémon directly—there are no turns! For the first time in the Pokémon RPG series, Trainers and their Pokémon can both move around in real-time battles, and your Pokémon will unleash their moves when you tell them to. Strategically swapping out your Pokémon and accounting for each move’s timing and area of effect will greatly help you in this new style of battle.
HARNESS THE POWER OF MEGA EVOLUTION
When Trainers have a strong bond with their Pokémon, a Key Stone worn by the Trainer resonates with a Mega Stone held by their Pokémon, allowing Mega Evolution to take place.
ROGUE MEGA EVOLUTION
Rampaging Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon are threatening Lumiose City. These Pokémon are extra tough to beat, but if you do manage to defeat them, you'll receive valuable Mega Stones as a reward.
RISE THROUGH THE RANKS OF THE Z-A ROYALE
You’re invited to join the Z-A Royale, a competition for Pokémon Trainers to test their skills and determine who’s strongest.
Each night, a battle zone for the competition will appear. Prepare yourself by spending the day in wild zones, catching and training Pokémon, then venture into the battle zone and take on other Trainers.
Be strategic and complete bonus card challenges as you battle to speed up your climb from Rank Z to Rank A. Can you climb the ranks and reach the top?
WELCOME TO LUMIOSE CITY
Visit shops, restaurants, and more, all centered around Prism Tower. An urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon.
BATTLE WITH TRAINERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
With a Nintendo Switch Online membership*, you can battle up to three other Trainers at once, locally or online, in frenetic real-time battles!
- Franchise
- Pokemon
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- October 16, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- October 16, 2025
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
