First partner Pokémon: Difference between revisions

Artwork for the Pokémon 25th Anniversary featuring the player's starter Pokémon from Generations I through VIII (except Eevee)

A starter Pokémon is the first Pokémon that a Trainer owns at the start of their Pokémon journey. This primarily refers to Grass, Fire, or Water Pokémon given to players by a Pokémon Professor at the beginning of the core series Pokémon games (Pikachu or Eevee in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!), but can otherwise be any Pokémon outside of this context.

In the games, the player's starter Pokémon will be used to battle the first wild Pokémon they encounter. Once another Pokémon is caught, their starter Pokémon may be retired, 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.

It is said that the starter Pokémon are extremely rare in the wild, accounting for their uniqueness in each game.

In the creative process, starter Pokémon are the Pokémon from each game that the most work goes into, and usually take significantly more time than other Pokémon in each generation.^[1]

Terminology

Main article: Terminology of first partner Pokémon

The term "starter Pokémon" has been most often officially used. The first use in the core series games was in Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2, where one of the questions from the Passerby Analytics HQ is: "What's your starter Pokémon?" This is also described as "This survey is... a request from a Pokémon Professor. You need to find out the most popular starter Pokémon."

From Generation VI onwards, they are usually known as "starter Pokémon", which is a term used in the core series games, Pokémon Masters EX, Pokémon GO, on Pokémon.com, and the Pokémon Store.

Other Pokémon have been occasionally referred to as starter Pokémon. According to its Pokédex entry in Pokémon Ultra Sun, Poipole is chosen as a starter in its world. In Pokémon Masters EX, Alder's Volcarona and Anabel's Snorlax are said to be their starter Pokémon.

In contrast to the English terminology, Japanese is not known to prefer any single way of referring to starter Pokémon. Most commonly, パートナー (partner) will be used, but occasionally 相棒 (partner) or simply ポケモン (Pokémon) may also be used. This is usually paired with 最初の (first) or 初めての (first), but there may also be some variations on this like 最初に選んだ (that was chosen first) or はじめに選んだ (that was chosen first). Japanese marketing also has fewer promotions highlighting starter Pokémon than English marketing. Among fans, 御三家 (the big three) refers to the Grass, Fire, and Water trios.

Grass, Fire, and Water trios

Most marketing refers exclusively to the standard trios of Grass-, Fire-, and Water-type Pokémon that can be chosen at the start of most core series games.

The Grass, Fire, and Water types handily illustrate the type effectiveness mechanics of Pokémon battles: Fire "beats" Grass (a Fire-type move deals double damage when attacking a Grass-type Pokémon, but a Fire-type Pokémon takes half damage from a Grass-type move), Water beats Fire, and Grass beats Water. This "rock, paper, scissors" relationship was illustrated in the instruction manuals of the original games.

The 27 Grass-, Fire-, and Water-type starter Pokémon are listed below. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott return as starters that can be chosen by the player shortly after they first land in Hisui.

Kanto first partner Pokémon

Bulbasaur

GrassPoison

Charmander

Fire

Squirtle

Water

Johto first partner Pokémon

Chikorita

Grass

Cyndaquil

Fire

Totodile

Water

Hoenn first partner Pokémon

Treecko

Grass

Torchic

Fire

Mudkip

Water

Sinnoh first partner Pokémon

Turtwig

Grass

Chimchar

Fire

Piplup

Water

Unova first partner Pokémon

Snivy

Grass

Tepig

Fire

Oshawott

Water

Kalos first partner Pokémon

Chespin

Grass

Fennekin

Fire

Froakie

Water

Alola first partner Pokémon

Rowlet

GrassFlying

Litten

Fire

Popplio

Water

Galar first partner Pokémon

Grookey

Grass

Scorbunny

Fire

Sobble

Water

Paldea first partner Pokémon

Sprigatito

Grass

Fuecoco

Fire

Quaxly

Water

Interestingly, the Kalos starters also have a more broadly defined triangle in the secondary types of their final evolutions. They all still deal 2× damage offensively (Dark beats Psychic, Psychic beats Fighting, Fighting beats Dark), and most still receive ½× damage defensively (Psychic resists Fighting and Fighting resists Dark); but while Dark does not "resist" Psychic, it is still defensively advantaged since it takes no damage.

Other starters

Aside from the regional trios, a few other Pokémon have been explicitly referred to as starter Pokémon.

Player's first Pokémon

Pikachu and Eevee are given out as starter Pokémon in Kanto by Professor Oak in some media. Pikachu is the first Pokémon given to the player in Pokémon Yellow, while Blue gets an Eevee. The partner Pikachu and Eevee are the first Pokémon caught by the player in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!, respectively, while Trace receives from Oak a standard Eevee in Let's Go, Pikachu! or a standard Pikachu in Let's Go, Eevee!

Pikachu

Electric

Eevee

Normal

Other references

Alolan Meowth is given out by Nanu as a starter Pokémon on Ula'ula Island in Alola. It's also implied that other kahuna give out unique starter Pokémon on their islands.

Poipole's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Ultra Sun refers to it as a popular starter in its world.

Meowth

Dark

Poipole

Poison

For a list of other Pokémon who are Trainers' first Pokémon, see list of characters' first Pokémon.

In the games

Core series games

In the core series games, a rival character often picks the Pokémon that is strong against the one the player chose, nominally setting them up for challenging battles going forward.

The Pokémon in the regional starter trios have several common characteristics, both among each other and between generations. The most obvious commonality is their reliable typing. They all have an Ability that boosts their main type when their HP becomes low: the Grass-types have Overgrow, Fire-types have Blaze, and Water-types have Torrent. They also all have a gender ratio of seven males to one female, generally making breeding them slightly inconvenient. When obtained at the start of a game, they are always level 5 and they start out knowing a Normal-type physical move (Pound, Scratch, or Tackle) and a stat-altering status move (Growl, Leer, or Tail Whip); since Generation VI (with the exception of Generation VIII), they also have an attacking move that matches their main type.

The table below shows the Pokémon that are selectable at the start of each core series game, and which other games they can also be obtained in.

Game(s)	First partners	Also obtainable in
RB/Bᴶ, FRLG		Y, HGSS, XY, USUM, SwSh, BDSP, SV (ID)
Y		Most games
GSC, HGSS		E, Colo, XD, ORAS, SM, BDSP, SV (ID)
RSE, ORAS		HGSS, USUM, SwSh, BDSP, SV (ID)
DPPt, BDSP		ORAS, USUM, BDSP, LA, SV (ID)
BW, B2W2		ORAS, SM, SV (ID)
XY		USUM, SV (ID)
SMUSUM		SwSh (IA), SV (ID)
P		Most games
E		Most games
SwSh		SwSh (IA), SV (ID)
LA		Refer above
SV		None

Other games

Main article: List of the player's first Pokémon

Other games may use one of the classic starter Pokémon, with Pikachu being fairly common; but many games give the player other Pokémon as their first Pokémon.

In the anime

Main series

The Sinnoh starter Pokémon in Professor Rowan's laboratory

In the anime, 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 then hatch, 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. These mean that Trainers can, in fact, start with any Pokémon.

• 

  A poster on Ash Ketchum's bedroom wall depicting the Kanto first partner Pokémon

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  Vincent, Marina, and Jimmy with their Johto first partner Pokémon

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  The Hoenn first partner Pokémon, owned by Brock, Ash, and May from left to right

• 

  A postcard from Professor Rowan depicting the Sinnoh first partner Pokémon

• 

  The Unova region first partner Pokémon in Professor Juniper's laboratory

• 

  The Kalos region first partner Pokémon in Professor Sycamore's laboratory

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  The Alola region first partner Pokémon owned by Ash and Lana

• 

  The Galar region first partner Pokémon in the anime, owned by Goh

• 

  The Hisui region first partner Pokémon in the anime

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 Animated Trailer

Rosa and Serperior in the Black 2 and White 2 Animated Trailer

The Black 2 and White 2 Animated Trailer's extended cut features all three of Unova's starter Pokémon: Nate is shown with an Emboar, Hugh is seen with a Samurott (having picked the opposing type, like most rivals do in the games), and Rosa uses a Serperior to battle Cheren's Stoutland.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer

The Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer also features all three of Hoenn's starter Pokémon, in all forms including their Mega Evolutions. Brendan is shown to have picked a Treecko, while May has both a Torchic and Mudkip.

In the manga

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.

Pokémon Adventures

In Pokémon Adventures, the starter Pokémon featured in the games are 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.

Trivia

• The only two starter Pokémon that are dual-type in their initial form, Bulbasaur and Rowlet, are both Grass-type.
• Each one of the Alola starters' 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 also gives them advantages against Necrozma's Ultra form: Decidueye's Ghost typing and Incineroar's Dark typing are super effective against Ultra Necrozma's Psychic typing, while Primarina's Fairy typing is strong against Ultra Necrozma's Dragon typing.
• As of Generation IX, the only sets of starters without secondary types in any of their final evolutions are the Johto starters and the Galar starters.
  • By contrast, the starters of Sinnoh (including Hisui), Kalos, Alola, and Paldea all have a secondary type present in their final evolutions.
• Both Kanto and Hoenn starters are the only set of starters capable of Mega Evolution.
  • Additionally, both Kanto and Galar starters are the only set of starters capable of Gigantamaxing.
    • This makes the Kanto starters the only set of starters that can both Mega Evolve and Gigantamax.

In the games

• In Generation II, it was impossible to have a Shiny female starter Pokémon, due to the mechanics of how gender and Shininess were determined. The lowest Attack IV a Shiny Pokémon could have was 2, while the highest Attack IV that a female Pokémon in their gender group could have was 1.
• Kanto's starter Pokémon are the only stater Pokémon where all of the members appear in more than one regional Pokédex: Kanto's, Johto's, and Kalos's.
  • The Charmander line also appears alone in the Galar regional Pokédex, while the Bulbasaur and Squirtle lines appear in the Isle of Armor regional Pokédex.
• 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.
• Since both starter Pokémon in Pokémon Colosseum are always male, this had the outcome of preventing players from obtaining Eevee in Generation III (by trading with Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and breeding) until the release of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
• The Pikachu featured in Pokémon Yellow & Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and the Eevee in Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! are the only starter Pokémon that cannot evolve in the game in which they are starter Pokémon.
  • Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!'s respective starters are also the only ones that cannot be traded to other games.
• Charmander is the only Fire-type starter Pokémon that is not a member of the Field Egg Group.
• Oshawott is the only Water-type starter Pokémon that is not a member of the Water 1 Egg Group.
• 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.
  • By contrast, with the exception of Blaziken having a lower base stat total than Swampert, no fully evolved Fire-type starter Pokémon has a lower 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 has a higher base stat total than either its counterparts and no fully evolved Fire-type starter besides Blaziken has a lower one.
• All fully evolved Water-type starters can learn the HM moves Surf, Dive, and Waterfall.

In the anime

• For DP001, Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia is about the starter Pokémon of Sinnoh. He writes this senryū about them: 「シンオウで　たびがはじまる　ポケモンと」 "In Sinnoh, a journey begins with Pokémon."
• For BW003, Professor Oak's Pokémon Holo Caster is about the starter Pokémon of Unova. He writes this senryū about them: 「パートナー　みず・くさ・ほのお　まよっちゃう」 "Partner, Water, Grass, Fire, I can't decide."
• Ash has owned all but two of the Grass-type starter Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko, Turtwig, Snivy, and Rowlet. The Grass-type starter from Kalos, Chespin, is instead owned by Clemont, and the Grass-type starter from Galar, Grookey, is instead owned by Goh.
• Each Water-type starter Pokémon obtained by a main character was not battled: Ash's Squirtle, Oshawott, and Froakie chose to join his team, while Ash fought and won against Misty for his Totodile. Brock's Mudkip chose to join him. May received her Squirtle from Professor Oak, Dawn received her Piplup from Professor Rowan, Lana rescued her Popplio from Team Skull, and Goh caught his Sobble without battling it.
• 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 from which Ash owns none of its members.

In other languages

starter Pokémon

Language Title Czech Startovní Pokémon Danish Begynder-Pokémon Dutch Starter Pokémon Finnish Aloitus-Pokémon French Pokémon de départ German Starter-Pokémon Hungarian Kezdő Pokémon Italian Pokémon iniziale Korean 파트너 포켓몬 Partner Pokémon Norwegian Førstegangs-Pokémon Polish Pokémon Starter Portuguese Brazil Pokémon inicial Pokémon iniciante (BW116) Portugal Pokémon inicial Russian Стартовый покемон Startovy Pokémon Spanish Pokémon inicial Swedish Nybörjar-Pokémon Thai โปเกมอนเริ่มต้น Pokémon Beginning Turkish Başlangıç Pokémon'u Vietnamese Pokémon khởi đầu Pokémon khởi hành

starter Pokémon

Language Title Danish første Pokémon-partner (JN001) første Pokémon-makker (JN049–)

See also

• List of characters with starter Pokémon
• List of the player's first Pokémon
• Game mascot

References

First partner trios

Kanto

Bulbasaur

Charmander

Squirtle

Johto

Chikorita

Cyndaquil

Totodile

Hoenn

Treecko

Torchic

Mudkip

Sinnoh

Turtwig

Chimchar

Piplup

Unova

Snivy

Tepig

Oshawott

Kalos

Chespin

Fennekin

Froakie

Alola

Rowlet

Litten

Popplio

Galar

Grookey

Scorbunny

Sobble

Paldea

Sprigatito

Fuecoco

Quaxly

See also: player's first Pokémon