At the end of last year we asked you to pick your favourite Fire-, Grass- and Water-type starter Pokémon from across the Pokémon series to discover your three favourites from the 24 starter Pokémon from the mainline games to date, including the Gen 8 starters from Pokémon Sword and Shield on Switch.
A big thank you to the thousands who voted. Here we'll give you the rundown of the top three in each category and reveal your ultimate starter lineup featuring the very best from across the eight generations of Pokémon. Be sure to check out our ranking of the best Pokémon games of all time if you're interested in how the games themselves face-off against one another.
And if you're wondering which of the three starters you should choose before embarking on your journey through the Galar region in Pokémon Sword and Shield, check out our rundown of the Gen 8 starters and their evolutions.
Reckon it's going to be a Gen 1 walkover? Read on to find out...
Fire-type Starter Pokémon - The Top 3 As Voted By You
In reverse order, new boy Scorbunny scored the fewest number of votes. Perhaps more surprisingly, he was closely followed by cute little Tepig in 7th place. Fennekin, Litten and Chimchar took 6th, 5th and 4th places respectively, but the first three generations made up the top 3...
3. Torchic
With 13% of the overall vote, Gen 3 starter Torchic couldn't do enough to rule the roost, but still managed a respectable podium finish.
2. Cyndaquil
24% of your love put Gen 2 Fire ´mon Cyndaquil in second place, which leaves only one possibility for the number one spot...
1. Charmander
Yes, the top 3 fire-places follow their order of release, with Char-Char-Charmander taking the top spot. We can't help thinking his ultimate evolution into the mighty Charizard gave this little fiery fellow a helping hand. However he managed it, it's hard to argue with that face.
Next up, it's the Grass types...
Comments 112
At least Game Freak gave us charizard 😅
It was rigged for gen 1 to win
I'm not surprised at all the Gen 1 love. However, Treecko, Froakie, and Cyndaquil will always be my favorites. It was kind of hilarious that the pattern was Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto as the preferred order and yet Chikorita wasn't there. No love for that one.
Lame, even though I did vote for Squirtle.
wow what a shocking revelation im so surprised by this outcome who would've seen this coming
Yeah this was to be expected. The gen 1 starters are perfect after all.
I called my Blaziken 'Cluck Norris'. I mean...what else do you call a kung-fu chicken?
I'm kinda surprised froakie didn't nab at least 2nd place. I guess ninjas aren't as popular as they used to be
(In the voice of Yoda) "Mmmm, the nostalgia is strong in this one"
THAT is why we get all the gen1 pandering. I voted cyndaquil, froakie and bulbasaur.
Booooring. We all know Blaziken is the best
Squirtle is trash, Mudkip is better.
Ugh Gen 1 nostalgia ruining the poll. Would have been nice for other gens to even get a look in.
Can't help but think people just pick what was familiar to them. Those original starting 3 are hard to forget.
I hate all of you old people who chose gen 1 hahahahaha the list wasn’t even necessary based on the clientele majority of this website!
Wasn't it obvious Gen 1 would win? No need to get mad at people's opinions - let people like what they want and dislike what they want.
To the surprise of almost no one, I'd think.
Also, I gotta agree with Chespin being dead last in the Grass poll. Never cared for its design or evolutions TBH.
Voted for these three. 99% nostalgia, I admit.
This is why GameFreak panders to Gen 1
@Spoony_Tech I tend to agree, seeing as Fire and Water followed the 1-2-3 pattern.
"Why do people like slightly-altered cute animals over the crayon scribbling beast that I grew up with?!" If your comment sounds like this, you're at risk for being the exact Nostalgia-jerk you hate. If you're going to criticize, be objective and critique.
Nice to see a poll like this getting the answer correct 3/3
Treecko, Cyndaquil, Piplup voter rolling in. Not at all surprised by Gen 1 winning out overall but I must admit that I am disappointed.
The results I expected.
Apart from Mudkip getting 3rd it's how I expected it go, I find it really odd Froakie missing.
Gen 1 took all first places
Gen 2 took 2 out of 3 second place
Gen 3 took all 3rd places
I voted Scorbunny, Snivy and Piplup.
@Spoony_Tech
A poll asked for most useless starters lately. All 3 original starters placed near the top, somehow. Charmander is understandable for type disadvantages, but Squirtle and especially Bulbasaur both have favorable matchups for the first several gyms.
People will vote for what they recognize regardless of what the poll is actually asking for. Of course, in this case it's a popularity poll so w/e.
Of course gen 1 is the best, it is the pokemon that everyone grew up with that established the brand.
Can't judge others nostalgia when two of my votes were for Bulbasaur (first starter, best starter <3 ) and totodile, which is so adorable before evolving that I beated HeartGold without letting him evolve in Croconaw XD
Thought my fire pick was Fennekin, that little fox is way too cute to ignore it!
I find it super strange that Turtwig didn't make the top 3. Torterra was #21 in the Japanese pokemon poll.
i am against all this gen 1 pandering, but if the majority of the fans want more gen 1, that is what gamefreak will keep giving the fans
Good to see common sense prevail. 150 true Pokémon, and they’re evidently running out of ideas. Wouldn’t be surprised if next time, they quietly rehash some of the deleted mid-gen Pokémon under new names hoping nobody notices.
So am I the only one who voted for oshawott...I couldn't pick between treecko and bulbasaur and I voted charmander bc I'm basic I guess... We're I going with nostalgia I'd have voted Cynda as it was my first starter and I still like it
That's a boring result.
Couldn’t be any other way
As Chikorita not only didn't win, but didn't even place within the grass category, I hereby declare you all to be chronically wrong and morally deficient. You can see yourselves out.
There should be a legendary Pokemon vote.
@Jacob1092 Chikorita literally looks like a turd with leaves stuck to it. . .
Well, that was almost as bad as I was expecting. I wasn't expecting Grookey (or any Gen 8) to place, but I'd hoped for my other votes of Oshawott and Chimchar to stand a chance. Been playing since Gen 1 though, so I knew better.
@DockEllisD Amazing ^^
It was to be expected, even 2nd and 3rd places. Now, I'd trash everything, throw my phone at the wall, all while shouting MAAAADDNESSS if Bulbasaur wasn't first place. I'm that mature
Charizard is over rated
It’s funny how Popular Rowlett is and popular Chikorita isn’t.
Mine were
Torchic
Treeko
Oshawott
More gens we get, the forgettable those designs (and names) go. Thats why GF should have added less mons each game and focus on making the games bigger, open and more exploreable. No one can remember 800 different names on pokemon that start to look like past gen ones. Thats why ppl remember the first ones they saw. And maybe the majority of us started with red n blue.
Lol all these people mad about gen 1. You can say a lot about RBY but you can't deny the starters are fantastic.
And you people wonder why Game Freak always over represents Gen 1 in their games. Lol
I do wonder if the results would have been different if they had used final forms. Often they are graded by completely different criteria than the beginning forms.
@GrailUK
KFC?
@CheepCheepAngler LOL! (I'm happy I asked the question ^^ )
Totodile 2nd? I don't agree at all.
I'd almost expect Gen 1-3 nostalgia topping this.
I'd have accepted it, except that you people let that ball with legs in over Chikorita! (okay, you didn't vote Snivy in its place.)
I went Charmander, Treecko, Froakie
@AnnoyingFrenzy That's pretty much my favorite 3 as well.
To all those people saying this is why there's so much Gen 1 pandering, I'd like to point out that an overwhelming majority of people did not choose Gen 1 as their favorite in every case. Which means even this poll shows that repeatedly applying Gen 1 isn't going to satisfy the majority of the fanbase (at least on this website).
Thought Froakie would get in, greninja is just so damn awesome. I did vote Gen 1 for fire and grass though (I mean charmander was my very first on Pokemon red) and always like Bulbasaur as well.
@dougphisig Ah, I see you're a person of culture as well.
@GrailUK I approve. In Sun and Moon, I called my Incineroar "Nyangief". Of course, because it is a wrestler cat!
Personally though,
I love Froakie and Mudkip to death
my favorite grass is Snivy (although Grass is usually my last pick of starter). Fire is probably any Fire-type honestly, they all have handy attributes. However, only the Fire/Fighting types are really OP. Look no further than Infernape on that one (2 words Hammer Arm).
Kind of upset that Rowlet beat out Chikorita while the other 2 all the gen 2 starters were in second place. I used Rowlet in Sun and i hate it so much.
Wow, just wow. Well done people 🤦♂️
When will you learn
The Gen 1 bias is unfortunate. Looking at the water starters (which I always pick) Squirtle has never been my favorite as I like Mudkip, Totodile, and Piplup more.
@Kriven It's a very powerful sorcery called Nostalgia. The older they are, the more nostalgia there is for them.
@GrailUK Wing Chun
oh boy, The results of this survey are serious ?, really this is..., well, I do not want to say the words but seriously, this results are because they are the favorite Pokemon for liking or nostalgia?.
As mentioned there, seriously, many people are complaining that they want novelty in the franchise, that there should not be much nostalgia, and that includes new creatures to appreciate; but it seems that many want to be engaged in the first generation ?, oh boy..., Sorry..
@Justifier You aren't the only one voting though..
My biggest take away from this is how Rowlett is the only one cool enough to overpower nostalgia.
I've always been a Water-starter user since Pokémon Blue and since I was into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ('Hero' for us 90s gen in the UK), it was a natural choice for me to pick the turtle (and name him Kamehameha😁). But in the anime and merch I always thought the design was overrated but got better with Wartortle and Blastoise🐢. BUT, Totodile is still my fav all-round hence my vote here🐊. Froakie 🐸and Popplio are too simple and that's a bit of a grip I have with the 3DS versions. Oshawott🐚 and Chespin🌰 are just too random to have a good connotation and Piplup🐧 was just a wee too boring to get going on it. Mudkip is prob the most common starter that I harvest egg-wise.
Basic and gross. Very disappointing honestly.
People talking about Sw/Sh: We're so sick of Charizard!
Also: charmander wins most popular first starter.
For all you "nostalgia" haters out there, if our generation didn't fall in love with Pokemon in the first place, then you wouldn't have your favorite starters and there would be no poll.
Nice to see Gen 3 getting some love.
@NESlover85 that's neither here nor there. The nostalgia obsession is annoying.
All my gen 3ers made it so I'm happy
@Judal27 If it were the final evolutions competing, then maybe, but Froakie itself is no ninja and is rather ugly.
So many people crying about "nostalgia blindness" - this is literally a popularity contest. It is literally about nothing more than what people like the most. If people happen to like the gen 1 starters most, regardless of the reason, then they deserve to win.
(For the record, my votes were Charmander, Totodile, and Treecko).
Nice to see Grookey not being last
It's interesting that Gen 1 is still generally considered the 'nostalgia' generation, given how old it must be now. Guess the fanbase, at least here, hasn't really changed much.
On another note, it's nice to see Rowlet defy the overall trend and end up in a high spot.
@NESlover85 As someone who grew up starting with gen 1, I'm getting sick of the nostalgia blindness. Not to say gen 1 can't be your favourite game, but all the people shutting down the newer Pokemon games saying "Gen 1 is the best, the new games/pokemon suck" are pretty annoying. The designs of the original 151 aren't the holy grail people make them out to be.
Apparently only people who like Gen 1 starters can be nostalgia biased according to this comment section...
@NESlover85
I am not a Nostalgia Hater and I started playing Pokemon since generation 1 like many of them here.
My point is that, although, there are people who like 1 Generation Pokemon, if it is because they like it for their favorites, everything would be fine, but many are for nostalgia, and that causes them to "despise" (a way to say it) to the new Pokemon that have appeared, literally, are obsessed with the "original" and leave no opportunity to see if the new ones like it, Hey!, in each new generation it is the same as always, most of the new Pokemon they are classified as ugly, and many "still prefer the first generation"; Of course not everyone thinks so, and this survey should not reflect most of those who play Pokemon or who likes the characters of the series, but even so, the trend that marks these results is incredible, and that is what I mentioned does little while; We/They want new things to the franchise, but it seems to cling to everything from the first generation, that's weird.
The important thing is not to despise the classic, but, also not the new; to give the new things a chance, at the end of the day, "for tastes, colors". ^.^
@GrailUK I named mine Flamenco, as a nod to its fire typing and a sweet punch out reference.
I guess Rowlet is the only surprise. Pretty interesting to see the placings line up with the generations though.
The Kanto Pokemon won all 3... shocker.
Ah, should have known Charmander was too strong for Litten or Fennekin. I love fire starters.
Damn no Turtwig love
Oh come on that's BS. I've been playing since red and blue but I don't agree having all 3 original starters as best.
Yeeeeeaaaah boy! My man Jazz!! (My first Squirtle/Pokemon)
Chimchar, Mudkip, Rowlet would have been my picks for this, as much as I love the gen1 starters I think they've been dethroned at this point...
@Ryu_Niiyama Ha! Awesome
@Aerona Oh that name defo suits!
Well can we see the numbers for the other starters?
... Why is it that Charizard is everywhere!? I really don't get it!
Also, really guys? Gen 1 again? THIS is why we keep getting the Gen 1 pandering.
Charizard is my all time favorite.
@BENDsli 🙄 Philistines, I'm surrounded by philistines...
Those are the most boring results possible. Good job!
edit: for the record, I've still never gotten around to playing a Pokemon game, but it's not like I haven't been totally in the dark for the last 300 years or however long they've been going on. 400 years? Anyway, I voted entirely based on looks (which is and always has been how I choose my characters in video games, whether I know better or not) and seeing the classic Pokemon all end up at #1 of their respective categories tells me that just maaaaaybe not everyone else voted that way, too.
Seriously? gen 1, 2, and 3....all in order too
Not surprised the nostalgia bait got all three 1st places.
I can agree with squirtle. But where is litten? C'mon 5th place?
@Laxus No one cares child
The headline made me think you had compiled a list of the best starters from each gen, as in which of the three starters in each generation is the best.
And now I'm disappointed as that would have been far more interesting of a poll considering the fact that the results of this poll didn't surprise me one bit. Oh well.
I’ve been playing since gen one but lost interest due to them becoming ridiculous, personally I preferred the starters in gen 2
For old Fans like me, all we need is a fully 3D remake with first person view of the first or second gen
Too bad people are prejudiced against Gen8, as Scorbunny is cute as a button!
My personal ranking would have been:
Bulbasaur, Rowlet, Snivy
Charmander, Cyndaquil, Fennekin
Totodile, Squirtle, Froakie
So it's always gen 1>gen2>gen3 and screw the others...that's basically why the pokemon games are so bad nowadays...it NEVER moves foward, the company and the fans
My dream starter team: Cyndaquil, Bulbasaur, Oshawatt. Runner ups: Charmander, Rowlett, Froakie
@SmaggTheSmug agreed but the evolutions are uninspired and not memorable. Rillaboom and Inteleon are much better
3rd gen is 3rd
2nd gen is 2nd
1st gen is 1st
lol
the #1s are so boring I'm sorry.
gen 1 is iconic and the original three are classic of course, but I really don't think design wise they are the best that's ever happened - on the contrary they're sort of uninspired and too similar looking to one another.
Why is this article back? 🤔 Didn't we get the results long ago?
The original three will always win. They are too iconic.
I can't remember for whom my non-Gen1 vote was. Popplio, I think.
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