Almost every main Pokémon game since 1996 has offered a Grass, a Fire and a Water starter. From Generation 1 to Generation 9 there are 27 of them, nine of each type. Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko, Turtwig, Snivy, Chespin, Rowlet, Grookey and Sprigatito are the Grass ones. The Fire and Water ones are in the tables below.
The official name is "first partner Pokémon". "Starter" is what most players say. The three types form a circle: Fire beats Grass, Water beats Fire and Grass beats Water. Bulbapedia compares it to rock, paper, scissors, and it is the first type lesson most players ever get.
Grass starters
| Gen | Region | First partner | Evolves into | Final type | Final total | Best stat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanto | Bulbasaur | Ivysaur (Level 16), Venusaur (Level 32) | Grass/Poison | 525 | Sp. Atk 100 |
| 2 | Johto | Chikorita | Bayleef (Level 16), Meganium (Level 32) | Grass | 525 | Defense 100 |
| 3 | Hoenn | Treecko | Grovyle (Level 16), Sceptile (Level 36) | Grass | 530 | Speed 120 |
| 4 | Sinnoh | Turtwig | Grotle (Level 18), Torterra (Level 32) | Grass/Ground | 525 | Attack 109 |
| 5 | Unova | Snivy | Servine (Level 17), Serperior (Level 36) | Grass | 528 | Speed 113 |
| 6 | Kalos | Chespin | Quilladin (Level 16), Chesnaught (Level 36) | Grass/Fighting | 530 | Defense 122 |
| 7 | Alola | Rowlet | Dartrix (Level 17), Decidueye (Level 34) | Grass/Ghost | 530 | Attack 107 |
| 8 | Galar | Grookey | Thwackey (Level 16), Rillaboom (Level 35) | Grass | 530 | Attack 125 |
| 9 | Paldea | Sprigatito | Floragato (Level 16), Meowscarada (Level 36) | Grass/Dark | 530 | Speed 123 |
Grass starters are the only ones that can have two types from the very start. Bulbasaur is Grass and Poison, and Rowlet is Grass and Flying. Four Grass finals stay pure Grass: Meganium, Sceptile, Serperior and Rillaboom.
Fire starters
| Gen | Region | First partner | Evolves into | Final type | Final total | Best stat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanto | Charmander | Charmeleon (Level 16), Charizard (Level 36) | Fire/Flying | 534 | Sp. Atk 109 |
| 2 | Johto | Cyndaquil | Quilava (Level 14), Typhlosion (Level 36) | Fire | 534 | Sp. Atk 109 |
| 3 | Hoenn | Torchic | Combusken (Level 16), Blaziken (Level 36) | Fire/Fighting | 530 | Attack 120 |
| 4 | Sinnoh | Chimchar | Monferno (Level 14), Infernape (Level 36) | Fire/Fighting | 534 | Speed 108 |
| 5 | Unova | Tepig | Pignite (Level 17), Emboar (Level 36) | Fire/Fighting | 528 | Attack 123 |
| 6 | Kalos | Fennekin | Braixen (Level 16), Delphox (Level 36) | Fire/Psychic | 534 | Sp. Atk 114 |
| 7 | Alola | Litten | Torracat (Level 17), Incineroar (Level 34) | Fire/Dark | 530 | Attack 115 |
| 8 | Galar | Scorbunny | Raboot (Level 16), Cinderace (Level 35) | Fire | 530 | Speed 119 |
| 9 | Paldea | Fuecoco | Crocalor (Level 16), Skeledirge (Level 36) | Fire/Ghost | 530 | Sp. Atk 110 |
Three Fire starters in a row became part Fighting: Blaziken, Infernape and Emboar. The next Fire final, Delphox, went Psychic instead. Only Typhlosion and Cinderace stay pure Fire.
Water starters
| Gen | Region | First partner | Evolves into | Final type | Final total | Best stat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanto | Squirtle | Wartortle (Level 16), Blastoise (Level 36) | Water | 530 | Sp. Def 105 |
| 2 | Johto | Totodile | Croconaw (Level 18), Feraligatr (Level 30) | Water | 530 | Attack 105 |
| 3 | Hoenn | Mudkip | Marshtomp (Level 16), Swampert (Level 36) | Water/Ground | 535 | Attack 110 |
| 4 | Sinnoh | Piplup | Prinplup (Level 16), Empoleon (Level 36) | Water/Steel | 530 | Sp. Atk 111 |
| 5 | Unova | Oshawott | Dewott (Level 17), Samurott (Level 36) | Water | 528 | Sp. Atk 108 |
| 6 | Kalos | Froakie | Frogadier (Level 16), Greninja (Level 36) | Water/Dark | 530 | Speed 122 |
| 7 | Alola | Popplio | Brionne (Level 17), Primarina (Level 34) | Water/Fairy | 530 | Sp. Atk 126 |
| 8 | Galar | Sobble | Drizzile (Level 16), Inteleon (Level 35) | Water | 530 | Sp. Atk 125 |
| 9 | Paldea | Quaxly | Quaxwell (Level 16), Quaquaval (Level 36) | Water/Fighting | 530 | Attack 120 |
Swampert has the highest total of all 27 finals, 535. It's also one of the toughest. As a Water and Ground type it has only one weakness, Grass, and that one is 4×.
How the three types compare
These are averages of the nine final evolutions of each type, worked out from our data.
| Type | HP | Attack | Defense | Sp. Atk | Sp. Def | Speed | Pure finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grass | 82 | 98 | 89 | 84 | 87 | 88 | 4 |
| Fire | 86 | 99 | 78 | 100 | 80 | 89 | 2 |
| Water | 83 | 95 | 83 | 101 | 86 | 81 | 4 |
The differences are small. Every final evolution has a base stat total between 525 and 535, so no type is stronger overall. In our opinion, the choice should come down to which Pokémon you like. As a rough guide from the averages, Fire finals lean towards Attack and Speed, Water finals towards Special Attack, and Grass finals towards Defense. The gaps are only a few points, though.
The most common second type across all 27 finals is Fighting, with five (three Fire, one Grass and one Water). Next come Dark with three, and Ground and Ghost with two each.
The Kalos twist
The Kalos trio has a hidden second circle. Chesnaught is part Fighting, Delphox is part Psychic and Greninja is part Dark. Fighting beats Dark, Dark beats Psychic and Psychic beats Fighting, which mirrors the Grass, Fire and Water circle. Bulbapedia points this out on its first partner page.
Starters from other games
Some games mix things up:
- Pokémon Yellow and Let's Go, Pikachu! give you a Pikachu. Let's Go, Eevee! gives you an Eevee.
- Legends: Arceus offers Rowlet, Cyndaquil and Oshawott, a mix from older regions.
- Legends: Z-A offers Chikorita, Tepig and Totodile.
- Pokémon Winds and Waves, planned for 2027, has three new partners announced: Browt (Grass), Pombon (Fire) and Gecqua (Water). With them, Bulbapedia counts 30 Grass, Fire and Water first partners.
For the same starters sorted by region and game, read starter Pokémon by generation. To learn how the three types beat each other, the type chart for kids starts with this exact circle. Our Pokémon School also has a lesson on first partners of every region.