Ausuka ranks Pokémon starters (COMPLETE)

[Ausuka]

hi in this thread I am going to rank the starter pokemon starting at #29 and doing three every day until we get to the final 2.

This includes all the fire/water/grass starters from the 9 generations of Pokémon, and also Pikachu and Eevee.

I think I will give outsized influence to their initial forms because that's what makes them starters but their evolutions will certainly play a role in this as well!

Also I'll give justifications but these are just my shitty opinions. I actively encourage dissent because I think discussion about Pokémon is fun and enjoyable and honestly that's the whole point here

Anyway here goes
#29: Fire type from gens 1-5
#28: Starter from Unova
#27: Starter from Galar or Paldea

[Ausuka]

Pikachu is a real starter in my eyes

[Ausuka]

So is Eevee but probably slightly less real

[Ausuka]

My guesses:
#29 Tepig
#28 Snivy
#27 Fuecoco

I was tempted to put Tepig on #28 but then I'd have to guess one of the other four fire starters on #29 and if that's the case I'll riot

ooh interesting, is this based on what you would pick?

[Ausuka]

alright, let's start! pls don't be too mad

#29: Chimchar

This one is going to be very controversial, but I don't like Chimchar!

First of all - its design just isn't good to me? Like, I don't find it to be cute. The little curvy thing on its chest looks weird. Monkeys are like fine - not my favourite animal, but fine? But I just don't like this monkey.

I don't like what it evolves into either. Apart from being a regional form of Blaziken, Infernape just feels overdesigned and not aesthetically pleasing in terms of the different colours and shapes in its design. The more I look at it, the more strange it feels. I just don't understand the APPEAL of Infernape. It's not like... the worst pokemon ever. Not all of them are hits with me. But I like most of the starters, and I feel like Infernape is a miss.

This is also the second Fire/Fighting we had in a row. I actually dislike Infernape more than Emboar in this regard. If you already have two in a row of the same type, you might as well commit to the bit? But in general, I would prefer to have a variety of different type combinations for our starters. And Infernape just sticks uncomfortably close to Blaziken in design for me. While gen 4 is not my favourite gen in general, I think Empoleon is very different to Marshtomp and Torterra is very different to Sceptile, while Infernape feels like the standout of the trio for all the wrong reasons. I also think Infernape in terms of stats plays pretty similarly to Blaziken.

Also - is it just me, or do they try to *force* you to use it? I mean, you can just not run Fire type and I sometimes do that. But was it really necessary to have just Chimchar and Ponyta as our options?

Ponyta

of all things? Really?

#28: Tepig

I actually don't mind this little pig very much. I mean, I've always thought it to be worse than Snivy and Oshawott, but like... it's fine? I'm not a fan of the whole black butt thing, but apart from that it's fairly cute. Not like super great, but fine. But it loses any cuteness once it becomes Pignite, evolves into Emboar, and I just really don't like Emboar? I mean at least it plays differently from Blaziken a bit more than Infernape does, but it's still bipedal fire/fighting version 3, and like Infernape it's just overdesigned. I feel like there's a lot going on there and none of it comes together very well.

Also - I do give it minus points for just being Fire/Fighting. A fire pig is like a cool concept and I like pigs. I feel like it could have gone in a lot of really cool and different directions - fire/ground? or even pure fire works - and like it just didn't. I'm not judging them based on their competitive utility but in-game its movepool doesn't exactly feel fantastic either. I'm not a fan of how it ended up and Tepig is definitely my least favourite starter from Unova.

#27: Scorbunny

I know what you're thinking. "Ausuka, what the fuck have bipedal Fire types ever done to you?" But like shrug, they are just not my taste! I think in terms of 'overdesigned' Scorbunny/Cinderace is a lot better to look at compared to the previous two. Even so, Scorbunny just doesn't appeal to me that much. And I like rabbits! I guess I feel like a rabbit should have four legs? Like, it's just WAY too humanoid for me. And while I don't hate football- it's probably the sport I watch the most, although that's not saying a lot - it's not like particularly my thing either and the whole 'omg it plays soccer' aesthetic just completely falls flat with me. I know all the Galarian starters have jobs - spy, musician, and football player. But I think both Rillaboom and Inteleon feel more natural and do it better comparatively.

Also, idk if it's just me, but it gets a base 120 move, Court Change and Libero? It makes playthroughs of gen 8 easier, I guess, but I tend to like fire types less (don't worry, there will be some at the upper end too, this isn't going to be all Fire at the bottom) and when I feel like it gets favouritism - like with Charizard and Infernape, it sours me a little bit!

[Ausuka]

i hope you liked reading, pls let me know what you think

Hints for tomorrow:
#26: Grass type from Gens 1-5
#25: Starter from Kalos, Alola or Galar
#24: Starter from Kanto, Johto or Hoenn

[Ausuka]

Ego, and the correct answer for the next three is Chikorita/Sobble/Treecko.

Hmmm interesting

[Ausuka]

Well I'll get to talk about grookey and sobble soon enough!

[Ausuka]

alright now, time for round 2!

#26: Turtwig

I like grass types. I like turtles. I should like Turtwig. Why don't I like Turtwig? Firstly, I have to confess that I have a bias against gen 4. It is my least favourite generation. I wasn't around for DP or Platinum - I was barely 2 years old when the games came out - and I've never gotten around to playing it on an emulator. Given my experience with BDSP I'm really not sure I want to - BDSP was by far the least favourite Pokemon game I have ever played. People love to hate gen 6 but compared to BDSP, gen 6 looks like a masterpiece. It's the only game of Pokemon I've ever played that was so thoroughly engaging I didn't want to finish it THE FIRST TIME. That's coming from someone who plays most Pokemon games multiple times. Maybe the bias isn't super rational, since I did pick Piplup and not Turtwig for that game.

Anyway, onto actual reasoning. I just ... don't find it especially cute? Something about the design doesn't appeal to me. Maybe I just don't like the colour brown? Maybe it's the goofy jaw? Maybe the shell just looks weird? Anyway, while Turtwig does have a little bit of an awkward charm, and it's a Pokemon I would otherwise think is fairly neat - it's a grass turtle with a twig on its head! - it just doesn't measure up to most of the starters, which are generally some of the best Pokemon out there. Moving onto Torterra - it looks cool, frankly. It just does. But in the anime it loses most of the time which I think is kind of underwhelming. And even though it's cool... honestly, the design is underwhelming too. It's called the CONTINENT POKEMON. That's the coolest thing ever. A Pokemon with an actual ecosystem on its back. And I get they can't put too much on there, but one tree? Really? That's such a disappointing waste of an INCREDIBLY cool concept idea. Again, it doesn't need to be overdesigned but... it has spikes on its shell!!! Just put actual plant life there instead! Make it look like it has LIVE GROWTH on its back rather than a single pathetic tree! Turtwig would be a lot higher on this list if Torterra was executed better. Grass/Ground is pretty cool and it can have points for that. Basically, Turtwig was okay but I don't like it because I feel like there's so much potential there and none of it was really materialised.

#25: Chespin

I'm surprised no one guessed this, but I guess as a grass type fan it's weird that the Grass type is my least favourite in two gens so far? But like, I have similar feelings about Chespin to Turtwig. It could have been good and it just isn't and that upsets me. First of all - Chespin is cute. He is just a little guy. The design is simple, but effective. I tend to prefer designs based on cute animals but the nut thing is executed well enough that I find it difficult to complain. It's not my favourite first form starter of all time - it's actually not even my favourite from Kalos - but it's still really good against tough competition. There are lots of good places they could have took Chespin.

Then we got Quilladin. Quilladin is just Chespin in a fursuit but like whatever. It's fine. Middle stages are sometimes awkward. But Chesnaught is the awkward middle stage of final evolutions. I mean, first of all, this thing has been brown this whole time. It's a brown animal. Why is it white? Maybe there's some obscure reason about chestnuts blah whatever, although chestnuts are brown. I don't care. It looks stupid. It should be brown. Second of all, have I mentioned that it looks stupid? Third of all, I get it's supposed to look cool, but it looks like it's living in eternal pain having to carry that shell everywhere on its back. The poor thing is basically hunched over. It even looks upset, when the past two evos were just happy. Letting your Quilladin evolve is morally ambiguous at BEST in my eyes. The yellow, green, white and cream colour scheme is a bad theme which I do not hold in high esteem. Just in general, Chespin deserved better.

Also for whatever reason I just don't like Rollout.

#24: Totodile

This is what I think is the controversial pick for this round, and also the first Water type to be eliminated. And I feel bad for it being Totodile because I do want to like Totodile. We've gotten to the point now where the first stages of these Pokemon appeal to me at least a bit. It's a cute crocodile. Do I think it's amazing? No. I prefer the other Johto starters to it. But it doesn't feel like I should be ranking totodile low. It's a mischievous little thing with personality.

Then it evolves. Croconaw is weird and I don't like it. It has like that caveman belly thing going on which just feels bad to look at. The jaw starts to feel less cute and more awkward. But again, middle evolutions are often the black sheep. So let's look at Feraligatr and... What the fuck? Why does this thing have pockets on its legs? Like, this thing isn't wearing trousers right? I'm like 99% sure it isn't. Why does it have pockets on its knees? And what are those weird, like, arches on its arms? Are these supposed to look good or symbolise something? I just don't see the appeal at all. It is cool? I mean, kind of, but if you told me to take a massive blue crocodile on 2 legs and make it less cool than Feraligatr I think I'd struggle without giving it like a pathetic little meow meow face. Anyway, Totodile is another Pokemon where I just don't like the direction they went with it.

Also - I guess playing the original gen 2s on emulator, having started in like gen 6 with ORAS, I found the physical-special split kind of irritating. Totodile is kinda a perfect example of that. It's a Water type with high attack, which I'm sure at the time felt like a novel idea which would really challenge a player to decide to use STAB or moves which reflected its better stat etc etc etc but I'm just not a fan. There are better ways to give players dilemmas over what moves to use, like special effects and more exclusive movepools etc etc. I feel like it just becomes a case of 'jack of all trades master of none', personally. Which is a bit nitpicky because in the actual game the Gym leaders are pretty vulnerable to getting just swept by a jack of all trades Feraligatr, it's not actually a problem. I guess just somewhere in my soul I approve of Pokemon which can specifically specialise in a certain thing.

[Ausuka]

ok more HINTS and FUN.

#23 - Johto or Hoenn starter.
#22 - Kanto or Paldea starter.
#21 - Fire type starter from gen 6-9

[Ausuka]

sobble is safe for this round even though you people HATE sobble for some reason

[Ausuka]

Firstly, I have to confess that I have a bias against gen 4. It is my least favourite generation.

just fell to my knees in jubilife city

i liked legends arceus?

[Ausuka]

I’m here to dissent

don't worry i think you all will be even more angry with the next round

[Ausuka]

#23: Mudkip

This entry is a return to tradition. Instead of the controversial pick being last, it's going first again! Hoenn fans, get out your pitchforks because we are going to be talking about Mudkip, which is without a doubt the best starter to play through the games with and widely considered to be a massive cutie.

And I don't dislike Mudkip! I do actually think it's pretty cute. The 'mud fish' idea for a starter Pokemon is fundamentally a good one, and it has adorable eyes and a cute little tail. I think the orangey-brown whiskers (?) aren't super visually appealing, and they could have been done a lot better. But yeah, I don't know, it's not what I picked when I played ORAS for the first time and it's not what I pick now, but it is by no means bad.

I think its evolutions are pretty questionable, though. Marshtomp's tail fins look pretty good. The whiskers are still weird, but now they're worse because it just looks like a spike and it's super artificial. Also it stands up, which kind of just feels like ... idk why? And the stomach patch thing is just kinda goofy. Then we have Swampert, which everyone loves except me. I mean, like, to be honest I don't want to be too negative about Swampert. It's a cool Pokemon and I like it, but it just doesn't appeal to me as much as the other starters. The whiskers still look like spikes that businesses use to stop birds from sitting on ledges and it's forced to walk around using its hands as feet which I find slightly upsetting.

I tend to like balance in starters, so I find it a bit objectionable if any starter is too bad or too good to play through. I don't care that much about competitive I guess. Swampert falls into the 'too good' category because it's only weak to one type. That type, of course, is Grass, which is totally absent from the elite 4 and the entire gym system, which makes it great to sweep the game with. This has made the Mudkip line beloved to many people, especially speedrunners. Personally I just find it kind of irritating. If you're making a Pokemon with one weakness as strong as Swampert is a starter, that weakness should be prevalent. I don't like 'correct' choices like this!

#22: Quaxly

We're going to see a trend now where I increasingly struggle to find things I can strongly criticise about these Pokemon. I mean, Quaxly is like, just a duck? A pretty cute duck with a hat made of water and a good personality. It's just a good Pokemon. It's probably the least appealing to me of the Paldea starters, but that's not due to anything especially wrong with it. When it evolves, the hat becomes a helmet, which is like meh. The hat on Quaxly looks like it's smiling and they could have done something interesting there, but obviously they didn't want to. Whatever. Anyway, I'm not a massive fan of Quaquaval as far as final evolutions go. First off, it kind of looks very sticklike? I don't mean to be rude, but these proportions feel kind of unrealistic and maaaaybe a bit unhealthy? And its feet just aren't super appealing to me. Ugh I feel like I'm bullying this poor duck now, but it's a Pokemon so I get to judge its aesthetics and it's just not my thing. I guess things that look too elegant often do just end up feeling uncanny to me.

Quaxly should have been water/bug and the bubble on its head is also an organism which like communicates with quaxly. Like a parasite/Paras but their relationship is co-operative and they're friends. I think that would have been cool.

#21: Litten

I like Litten. Is it okay for me to be positive about these Pokemon yet? I mean, it's just a brilliant cat. I actually think it's a better cat Pokemon than Sprigatito is. It's just really super cute, and very catlike. Its personality feels *just right* for a Cat pokemon - it's distant, slightly mean and doesn't like too much affection but is still capable of bonding with its trainer given enough time - eventually, if it trusts you, it will let you pet it without scratching. The Pokedex even says that if you try too hard, it won't get close to you, which I think is appropriate. And the black and red theme, with yellow eyes... I mean, it just *works*. And I think Torracat is actually one of the best middle evo starters out there. It's a perfect extension of what Litten is - bigger, tougher and with new features. It looks cool. It actually has a pouch near its throat containing fire and it behaves like a bell - which is, like, amazing. Aaaaaand then it evolves and it becomes a stupid furry wrestler out of nowhere - litten and torracat have no wrestler qualities - looks like it belongs on a CEREAL BOX and it's another fucking HUMANOID FIGHTER, it becomes a tiger-human which bears like NO resemblence to the kitty it evolved from, and then they put it in SMASH BROS and UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH i fucking hate incineroar

[Ausuka]

hints for next round

#20 - Kanto starter!
#19 - Water type from gens 4-8
#18 - gen 1-3 fire type

[Ausuka]

I'm hoping people will be able to predict my choices more the later the series goes as I explain my thoughts but honestly I don't blame anyone who skips or skims that part

[Ausuka]

#20: Pikachu

Where do I even begin with Pikachu? Well, it's an electric mouse, which is like kind of objectively amazing? It's cute and well designed - it's a little chuby, it stores electricity in its cheeks, it lives in the forest - it's filled with personality. The problem is my appreciation for Pikachu has been worn down a lot from prolonged exposure. Like at some point I stopped seeing it just as a Pokemon and started seeing it as a corporate mascot. I feel like that's really worn down my perception of this Pokemon. Raichu is... fine, but can be slightly frustrating to use compared to like almost any other final evolution in the games.

But it doesn't really matter what I think of Raichu, because this is a starter ranking. For the uninitiated, Pikachu is the starter in 'Pokemon Yellow' from Gen 1 and 'Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu' from gen 8 - it can only be chosen in games exclusively designed for it, and is not available as a starter in most Kanto playthroughs. And the Pikachu you get can't evolve. In Pokemon Yellow, which is based on the anime, it presumably just rejects the Thunder Stone like the anime Pikachu, and in Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu, well, it's the mascot and it won't let you evolve it. Personally, I think not evolving at all just holds a starter back. Seeing it change forms is fun, it feels like your partner is growing along your journey, and on a more practical level it's going to make the early game trivial and will be squishy

at best

in the late game. Both games have some way to mitigate this - in Yellow, you face Brock with only Normal and Electric moves, and both of his Pokemon are Ground/Rock type and can easily withstand Pikachu's attacks. In Let's Go,

they just let pikachu sweep the entire game

you learn new moves throughout a game, in locations where they are most convenient, in order to keep Pikachu growing in strength. Let's Go gives Pikachu boosted stats to allow it to be a lategame team member. Even so, I can't say I find the experience preferable to having a regular starter.

I think seeing so much 'special treatment' given to Pikachu has also soured my opinion of it. It's a good Pokemon, but it's not that good - I don't need to have All Pikachu All The Time, and it just makes me want to use one of the franchise's other amazing Electric pokemon.

I do have to say I enjoy that choosing Pikachu allows you to catch all of Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur, though. I think those are three really excellent Kanto pokemon.

#19: Froakie

I can already hear the outcry that I'm eliminating a frog this early, and I mean fair. I think Froakie does have some charm? But it doesn't click for me in a way my ideal frog starter would. It does get bonus points for being a frog though. Anyway, why is its default position squatting? I think it looks kind of ridiculous. Something about the shape of its like, bubble fur? rubs me the wrong way too. Also it looks like it would tell the teacher they forgot to set homework. Frogadier is actually awesome and easily the best Pokemon in this evolution line. I think Greninja is supposed to be cool, and clearly objectively a lot of people think it is. And I see why - it's a frog, it has a nice colour scheme, and it has an unique style of being sneaky and a 'thief' or whatever. However, it looks way too much like Sonic the Hedgehog but more froglike. I'm not sure how to explain it, that's just how I feel when I see Greninja.

Greninja getting its 'Ash Greninja' form and a Smash slot and everything bothers me a bit too. I mean, as I've said over and over, I like when the starters are treated equally!

#18: Charmander

It's finally time to talk about Charmander! I'm not even sure if I want to rank this thing so low. I mean, I genuinely REALLY like Charmander. Its design as a fire lizard is cute, simple and effective. Lots of people love the little thing, and for good reason. Charmeleon is meh but like whatever. Charizard is like, good? It's a fairly cool fire dragon with a cool aesthetic even if it looks a little goofy sometimes. Overall, it's a good starter line. I liked its appearance in the anime too - I would have liked if it got some more time as Charmeleon or whatever, and its whole betrayal thing was kind of sudden, but overall Charizard is a pretty cool character and has a heartbreaking origin story with Damian. I don't have that much negative to say about the line itself, except I prefer some of the other starters and Vulpix is probably slightly better than Charmander is in terms of Kanto fire types (design wise). I guess Charmander, and sort of Charizard, feel a bit on the underdesigned side of things, and Charizard's batman wings and posture make it feel silly in a way a dragon possibly shouldn't be. But it's still good, just not great to me.

I really resented when it got two Mega evolutions and it soured my feelings on the line as a whole pretty severely. I get it, everyone loves Charizard, but a lot of people love Blastoise and Venusaur too! Charmander appearing in gen 6 was good - I think they should have made it optional, but like I don't hate the idea, and they put in Squirtle and Bulbasaur alongside it. It being Leon's ace in gen 8 felt totally unnecessary when Squirtle and Bulbasaur were literally locked behind DLC. And again, just how do you justify it getting two mega evolutions, when so many great Pokemon - AND THE STARTERS OF THE GAMES THEMSELVES - didn't get any. The lack of Mega Chesnaught, Mega Greninja or Mega Delphox in favour of nostalgia bait Lucario and Charizard forced down your throat is one of the worst things about gen 6, and whether it's fair or not, my mind associates the whole thing with Charizard and how it gets treated. Oh, and also in gen 9, Charizard is in the main game with the Tera raid spotlight, again, while Squirtle and Bulbasaur are left for the DLC. Again. Wow.

[Ausuka]

Hints for next time around
#17 - Kanto or Johto starter
#16 - Fire type (sorry)
#15 - gen 5-8 grass type

[Ausuka]

#17: Eevee

Let's start with the obvious - Eevee is adorable, and one of my favourite Pokemon of all time. What animal is Eevee? A fox, a dog, maybe a cat? It's not anything, it's just Eevee! That feels like ideal for a Pokemon mascot, and it's also just really cute and well designed. Its fur, its tail, its ears - everything about it makes you want to reach out and pet it. And of course, it also has a fantastic gimmick - it can evolve into a bunch of different types. In gen 1 we got fire, water and electric and since then we've added psychic, dark, grass, ice and fairy.

However, it's a starter in one game. That's Pokemon Let's Go Eevee, and in that game Eevee is cute as ever but like. It can't evolve. It's literally called the Evolution Pokemon! I guess in canon the reason is like, it doesn't want to evolve or whatever, but to me it just feels like it goes against the whole Eevee identity! Pikachu is much more well-suited to the idea of not evolving. It's also kind of a starter in Pokemon Yellow but like not really because you can't choose it. And like... the issues with having Eevee as a starter for the entire game I went over in the Pikachu entry.

So while Eevee is an amazing Pokemon, can it really be considered a good starter? Meh.

#16: Torchic

I'm starting to get to the point where it feels difficult to eliminate Pokemon. Torchic isn't my first ever Pokemon, but I did use it quite a lot as a kid playing Pokemon Alpha Sapphire. It's a pretty cute little bird. I don't think it's like... as cute as the entries higher on the list, is the big issue here for me. I guess the thing on the top of its head is a bit goofy? Its eyes are really cute though and I enjoy the orange and yellow theme. Blaziken really kicked off the trend of the bipedal humanoid animal Fire starter which is designed to look cool, but its legs look like a fried food mascot and its hair just looks strange. Even so, at least it holds some nostalgia for me, which raises where it goes on this list! And I do think the idea of a fire-type chicken is conceptually pretty funny. I also don't think it gets as much favouritism as some other Fire starters I could mention.

#15: Grookey

Of all the monkey starters, Grookey is by far the best. It looks simple and cute. I like how it has its stick and it can use it to grow plant life and stuff. That's really neat. Its personality is happy, and in the starter introductory scene, it comforts Sobble when it starts crying, which is absolutely adorable. Thwackey is, uh, yes, and Rillaboom is a big beast which is also a drummer which I find kind of cool? In general, though, I think it just lacks qualities that really make it stand out. It's solid, even good, but I don't think it's great, which limits how high I can put it on the list - there is really stiff competition here!

[Ausuka]

#14 - Alola, Galar or Paldea starter.
#13 - Water starter
#12 - Sinnoh, Unova or Kalos starter

[Ausuka]

i will speak my truth

[Ausuka]

I am questioning your ability to act as a representative for this site

I am questioning your ability to guess which pokemon I am going to eliminate

[Ausuka]

tbh I thought this would be the least controversial round yet

I mean I know people like torchic but we're really not in 'bottom of the list' territory anymore

Is it because I compared blaziken to a fast food mascot

[Ausuka]

blame the pokemon company smh

[Ausuka]

[Ausuka]

#14: Sprigatito

I'm generally a fan of Sprigatito. I mean, I love the grass type, and I love cats. If anything I should love Sprigatito more than I do. It's pretty adorable, but uh, it's definitely a stoner. Look at that leaf and the red eyes. Which I mean, sure, but it's not especially my thing. I also do not love how it immediately goes bipedal? Although if you ignore that part, Floragato is excellent. Meowscarada is slightly too 'evil grandma' for my tastes, and its fur genuinely seems intended to give it the appearance of a human woman, but I really like the leaves extending from its sides. I would rank it higher if they called Meowscarada the Girlboss Pokemon. Seriously though, I think this Pokemon had so much potential if it evolved into some kind of lioness-inspired creature.

#13: Squirtle

I really enjoy Squirtle. It's a cute little water turtle. It feels like the definition of what a Water type should be. I also think its middle evolution, Wartortle, has the rare distinction of being actually good. Blastoise, too, is super cool - a turtle with back cannons. It's just unfortunate that it doesn't seem to make use of them? Obviously, there were technical limitations at the time of its implementation, but I am a bit surprised the Kanto starters never got retroactively given unique moves. I like how in gen 1, it's good, but not so obviously better than Charizard or Venusaur as to make the choice uninteresting. I think Squirtle is overall the best choice for Kanto fwiw for speedrunning especially, although Bulbasaur is better casually in the sense of having a type advantage for the first 3 gyms - it's worse later, but at that point you have had many opportunities to catch a strong Water type.

I do think a potential weakness is that in Kanto you basically just get a Lapras and water-type Fossil handed to you. It's not really that important though because you get both at very low levels. I've used both before but not really sure it's worth it given the time investment and how they're... not really better than over water types.

#12: Fennekin

Fennekin itself is actually one of the best Pokemon of all time. It's an adorable fox!!! Just look at it! It's excellent. The fur in its ears is very aesthetically pleasing, its orangey theme in general just feels like the right way to do a cute Fire type, and it has that SUPER CUTE tail. It's just the best and I choose this every time from gen 6. Then it evolves into furry bait.

I even like Braixen! Its magic stick is super cool. The way its fur in its ears grows out feels appropriate and cool as well. Same with the massive bushy tail. I'm not that massive of a fan of it being bipedal but I can get over that. But like... Again, Fennekin is just a fox. And this thing is CLEARLY a humanoid. Like... where is this grey fur coming from? Anyone could tell you it's meant to look like a skirt and tights. Which, again, why does the fur look like that? It's just like a human fox woman and while I gladly have not seen too much of it, I know there is a lot of NSFW stuff out there. And I mean, it's cool that the furries have Pokemon and all, but why is Fennekin this? Why does it keep happening to these Pokemon like Ralts and the starters which get pushed by the game? Meh. At least with Lucario I feel like, with Riolu, it's obvious what the idea behind it is and what direction it's supposed to go in. And I like feminine Pokemon - they're often cute, like Fennekin, but they do not need to look like actual human girls.

Anyway Delphox is cool you guys are just mean. I mean, it's not as good as Fennekin, but it's about on par with Braixen to me. It doesn't need patches on its fur dress, but like whatever. I like the fire stick and most of its design elements. It's a pretty cool fire magician. Touching on the last point, I do like having feminine coded starters as well - inclusivity is good! Overall this is definitely my favourite gen 6 starter and is generally underrated. Also I like foxes.

[Ausuka]

#11 - Fire type starter
#10 - Water type starter
#9 - Hoenn, Sinnoh or Unova starter

[Ausuka]

#13: Squirtle

She can't keep getting away with this

That's the top half what more do you want from me!!!

[Ausuka]

bulbasaur is #1

intriguing feedback. I'll think about it

[Ausuka]

mudkip isn't low!!! it's like mid

[Ausuka]

ok maybe it's a bit low

There's stiff competition ok

[Ausuka]

Nobody knows about my lifesize sobble plushie

[Ausuka]

I am going to contest the sobble placement

[Ausuka]

gen 6 was my first gen sobs

[Ausuka]

it's much more of a fox than a rabbit imo

[Ausuka]

i'd rank it fox > dog > rabbit > cat > other potential influences

anyway eevee is great i love eevee it's just not good as a starter pokemon based on what we've got

[Ausuka]

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[Ausuka]

#11: Cyndaquil

So uh, Cyndaquil is cute right? It's an adorable little mouse thing with fire on its back. The blue and tan colour scheme fits with it really well. And, like, the back flame being a consistent thing along the evolution line is really excellent and I think makes it feel like a really essential Fire type. It's kind of wild how it goes from being 2 legs to 4 legs to 2 legs, and it's not the kind of weirdness I tend to like, but whatever.

I think Typhlosion is underdesigned. It's got nothing going on with most of its body which is like I guess kinda realistic but not super aesthetically pleasing. I actually think the Hisui variant does it better with the ghost necklace which feels Misdreavus style.

Anyway I appreciate this evo line. It's good, but not too good in its game, it's cute and overall aesthetically pleasing. Definitely a good choice for the Johto games, and one I find myself making most of the time I play these games. I don't think it wows me as much as some other Pokemon though.

#10: Oshawott

This little otter is like super cute. Look at those little ears!!! Look at the blue and white colour scheme! Look at those freckles. It's an amazing design for a first stage Water type. The shell on its tummy also looks super cool and unique. This is also a Pokemon which looks good when it evolves - Dewott is definitely a good middle-evo. It continues to be a cute looking blue otter, and it really looks the part of 'martial artist'. I appreciate otters, as an animal, a lot in general, which helps.

I do think Samurott is slightly out of left field, but I still like it. It's a really cool and strong looking otter with a spike on its head! Which is great. But it *does* sort of feel like it could have been a different evolution line. Like, apart from the FIGHTING aesthetic, which like it isn't even Water/Fighting, it doesn't follow from Dewott especially well. The 4 legs thing doesn't help.

Anyway Oshawott has the advantage of being clearly the best Water type in Unova as well. I've obviously ranked it lower than Snivy, but I think this is a good choice for the gen 5 games and deserving of the top 10 spot I've given it here.

#9: Piplup

Similar to the previous entry - I adore penguins, just like I adore otters. That makes Piplup a great Pokemon for me, and it's just obviously adorable. Look at those eyes. Look at the BEAK. It evolves into Prinplup and Empoleon and both of those are great too - I like the spin on the 'emporor penguin' and the Steel dual typing is new but it works. It's not too strong but it's not weak either. I picked it for BDSP and that game was awful so I do kind of associate Piplup with that. It benefits from competing against Chimchar and Turtwig which are starters I personally consider weak, but it's a great starter in its own right and deserves to make the top 10. A penguin Water starter was an excellent idea and it was always going to be difficult to screw that one up.

[Ausuka]

#8 - Water type starter.
#7 - Treecko, Snivy or Rowlet
#6 - Fuecoco, Bulbasaur or Chikorita

[Ausuka]

#8: Sobble

To eliminate Sobble hurts my heart. If I'm being honest, I think I've grown significantly fonder of it during the course of this project. But we are in the final 8, and everyone has their time. This is Sobble's time.

Let's start with the obvious. Sobble is adorable. The sky blue and ocean blue go together really well. And I mean, just look at those eyes. I want to PROTECT it. I want to see it grow up strong and healthy. This lizard inspires incredible protective feelings in me. The tail is also just a really good design.

Drizzile being an emo kid is something a lot of people don't like. Personally I think it's absolutely hilarious. Why is it purple and green??? It's so jarring and a bit discordant and it kind of hurts Sobble's position on the list. On the other hand, it's just like objectively really funny that Sobble turns into an emo teenager with green hands and purple hair. The Pokedex even describes it as 'extremely lazy'! As the kids would say, it is just like me fr fr.

Inteleon isn't very aesthetically pleasing to me tbh. It's just so sticklike. The fact it's supposed to be aerodynamic makes it better, but still. I do enjoy the spy theme, though!

#7: Treecko

Treecko was the first ever Pokemon I had, when I played Pokemon Alpha Sapphire for the first time as a child. It will always have a fond place in my heart for that reason. Unusually for a first stage Pokemon, it tries to be cool instead of cute, but it totally lands. Treecko is just indifferent enough that it looks cool but not annoying. It really feels like an ideal partner for a Trainer starting their journey. I also just like lizards and think Treecko is a good execution of 'grass lizard' simply enough. Grovyle is like, not super visually appealing to me, but I can at least see what they were going for? It just doesn't quite land for me. Sceptile doesn't wow me and that prevents this line from being higher on the list, but Sceptile is a good mon in its own right. That tail is really cool and it overall fits together quite well. It's just... not my favourite I guess. Well deserving of a top 10 spot, though.

#6: Chikorita

Once upon a time, Chikorita was my favourite Pokemon. When I first got it in the postgame of Alpha Sapphire I immediately loved it. It's just adorable. I love its little petal necklace. I love the leaf on its head. I love how it manages to look clean and not overdesigned, while still having cute features. I also liked its appearance in the anime for whatever that's worth! When it evolves into Bayleef, I continue to like it. Maybe I'd have kept it green but the leaf on its head and the petals around its neck continue to look amazing. Meganium feels like a good climax to the line - it has a flower around its neck which is super pretty and elegant, and I like its antannae too! There is only one issue here.

As a starter it has been ABSOLUTELY FUCKED OVER by game freak. In Johto, there is a grand total of ZERO gyms the Grass type is strong against. Elite 4 members? Nope. I get the idea was they want to use the types Kanto didn't use, but frankly if anything that makes me think the grass type is underpowered. It certainly didn't need ANOTHER nerf going into gen 2 in the form of the steel type! Chikorita just has no use in Johto. In terms of practical use it is THE WORST starter of all time. Worse - it probably will be forever because I can't see them fucking up that badly ever again. Just... why? They even gave it bad stats. It's a mixed attacker, which means it's fairly bad but not awful at both - 82 atk and 83 spatk. Its speed is also mediocre. It has good defenses, but it's weak to a lot of things, and tanky builds just aren't that amazing outside competitive. Especially mono Grass tanks. Like... It just needs a decent attack stat. You know what has a higher special attack in gen 2 than meganium? Stantler. Gloom. Weepinbell. Omanyte. SMOOCHUM. It also has worse attack than Ponyta, if you care about that. Oh, and particularly in the original gen 2 games... while Cyndaquil gets Flamethrower (eventually) and Totodile can learn Surf and whatever, Meganium is literally just stuck with Razor Leaf forever. It has 55 power, but it's the strongest move Meganium can learn. Giga Drain actually has 60 power in these games but has slightly worse damage output because of crits. Anyway, it's like they just designed Chikorita in a lab to suck ass. And I used to overlook this because it's cute and it's a hard mode or whatever. But you just end up catching better Pokemon while you play through gen 2 anyway. Like, it's not even that impossible to win with Meganium, but battles do take a lot longer and feel a lot more annoying. So, I'm sorry Chikorita. The game has been rigged against you from the start and in terms of the best starters, I feel obligated to take that into account. You're just not fun to use, and that's the sad truth.

[Ausuka]

Bulbasaur, Fuecoco, Popplio, Rowlet, Snivy

3 grass types. 1 fire type. 1 water type.

I will reveal that there will be 1 grass type finalist and 1 non-grass type finalist. That is the only hint I feel I can give given the narrow constraints of this situation. I'll be impressed if anyone gets the order of the final 5 right. I do have it in my head where everyone is going to go.

[Ausuka]

#5: Rowlet

Okay, so first of all, this is literally an owl with a bow tie. I think that's enough said. Really though, Rowlet is an adorable little thing. The bird starter was pretty innovative and it went right in the best way. I liked it having a dual typing from the start - which I believe wasn't done since Bulbasaur - but also *changed* its dual typing. Maybe I wouldn't like it if it was done regularly, but when it's rare it can be a treat. A lot of people love Rowlet and I would definitely count myself among them. Everything about it is cute and aesthetically pleasing, while also having dorky vibes. To me that's an accomplishment. It kind of looks like there are no thoughts behind those eyes. It is truly one of the owls of all time.

It becomes Dartrix, and to be honest Dartrix is a bit of a poor man's Drizzile. It looks awkward and weird, and if they were going in that direction, they could have been more creative with it. Decidueye is... Not *super* aesthetically pleasing, but makes up for it by being cool. An owl archer is just a fantastic Pokemon concept and it's executed well. Those eyes look DANGEROUS, and it's so cool how its wings are like 'arrow quills'.

#4: Fuecoco

This adorable little crocodile monster is easily the best Fire starter of all time to me. I'm sorry to all you geriatric fire type fans reading this. I know that, deep in your heart, you hold love for Charmander, Cyndaquil, Torchic, and Chimchar, and do not believe one of these newfangled Digimon could ever hope to compete. And yet, Fuecoco not only competes, but shatters the glass ceiling and reveals the true potential of Fire starters.

I wanted to say that generation 9 is the first ever generation where I tend to pick the Fire starter. This actually isn't true, but only because generation 6 has kind of a terrible starter selection, and I prefer Fennekin out of the three despite it being... not really first choice standard? Anyway, Fuecoco is the first Fire type starter which I'm passionate about liking and I think it makes a perfect entry to the top 5. This crocodile does 'goofy starter' right and manages to be extremely cute in the process. That little grin is just amazing and full of personality. I love the little pips on top of its head as well.

Skeledirge gets Torch Song. I might say it's too strong, but Skeledirge isn't exactly a fantastic Pokemon without it, so I feel like it works out in the end? A Pokemon with better stats would be OP with that move though. Since it's not super strong - it's UU in Smogon - it's difficult to hold that against it! Skeledirge is also just a pretty cool crocodile; it's different from Fuecoco, but that's okay. It feels... wise, I guess. It has a purple tongue and the red, white and purple colouring just *feels* right for something with very high temperatures.

Also crocalor has a goofy hat

#3: Snivy

Snivy was close to being #2 here. I really love this snake! It's smug and that gives it personality. I think it's also super easy on the eyes,with the sleek design. It has a leaf tail which is pretty cool. It has red eyes which is, again, pretty cool. Its yellow and slight tan accents make for a very good colour scheme. It's just a great Pokemon design in general.

A great thing about Snivy, though, is that every Pokemon in the evolution design is about as good! That's rare. Servine is a really good middle evolution. It's still aesthetically pleasing, makes total sense as a continuation of Snivy, and it even looks kind of like it has a yellow sword. I really like the leaves going down its back, too. One thing I do question about Servine is how its leaves can't be used in photosynthesis if they're dirty, but they travel along the ground? Seems miserable. Maybe you should have evolved, like, opposable thumbs or something. Serperior loses its limbs which a lot of people lambast but it's a snake sooooo I don't care? Its hair and the little hood thing look SUPER regal, and ditto with the pattern along its skin. I think it's a great final design. Of course, it gets Contrary Leaf Storm, which I think is fun to use and it's still not that overpowered despite it. Partially because leaf storm has 8 PP and grass kind of sucks as a type. Its stats are also pretty bad - similar to Meganium it's a 'mixed attacker' which means it sucks at both. It has worse attacking stats - both attacking and special - THAN FUCKING MONFERNO. Monferno. Why? But at least it does have that redeeming quality and also gets Glare and Coil so whatever.

[Ausuka]

We now have our final two!

Who will win - the grass type Bulbasaur, or the water type Popplio?

Find out tonight!

[Ausuka]

#2: Popplio

It won't come as any surprise at this point, but I love Popplio. I love seals in general and ... obviously Popplio is a seal! And for a seal starter, it's really good. Sure, it's blue and seals aren't blue, but that's the kind of artistic license we know and love from Pokemon - not every seal pokemon needs to be, well, Seel. It has a cool nose and is clearly circus themed, and it performs its job pretty well.

It evolves into Brionne, which is a really good middle evolution. The design is obviously meant to invoke a ruffled skirt, but I don't mind that - I actually like it, and think it looks good. I think I only really have an issue with it if the design is otherwise clearly humanoid, and Brionne is obviously a seal and isn't really furrybait. The blue, white and pink colour scheme works very well. Primarina completes the transition from circus clown to pop idol, and it's literally a mermaid seal!!! That is, like, the coolest thing ever. And it ties its hair with pearls, and it has the pink star on its head... I just think it's neat. I think the line's status as 'performer' is done really well - it has personality from the start, but the specifics shift over time. I also like how they're not afraid to make a Pokemon which is 87.5% male so decisively feminine.

I think Popplio really suffers from stiff competition within its own generation. Rowlet is such a strong contender, and even Litten is REALLY REALLY good - although its evolutions *strongly* falter. Gen 7 is the strongest generation starter wise and the end result is that Popplio struggles to stand out. And while gen 1 is also a strong generation, gen 7 doesn't have the same cult following as the other Pokemon. The amount of people who are devoted to Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur helps boost all of them, but particularly gives Bulbasaur an edge over Popplio.

#1: Bulbasaur

Of course, the winner is Bulbasaur. I think some people saw this coming from the start, and now it has come true. This thing is so adorable - I love the 'leaf sprouting on its back into a flower' theme that progresses through the evolution tree. The frog/toad/lizard thing is also really appealing to me, as someone who's a big fan of all those animals but especially frogs. Ivysaur has a budding flower, and ivy-looking leaves growing out on the sides - it's a good continuation of Bulbasaur and a great Pokemon in its own right. I had Ivysaur as my avatar for a long time. Venusaur is just really cool - I especially love the flower tree that grows on its back. It feels more like... at the risk of sounding pretentious, it's less designed to *look cool* and feels more *actually cool* compared to Charizard and Blastoise. All the Pokemon in this line are amazing and the progression is great. It has everything I want in a starter.

Bulbasaur benefits from being a classic and culturally relevant. People will look at you confused if you ask them if they prefer Litten, Popplio or Rowlet. Everyone knows Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur and it's always a fun experience to find a fellow Bulbasaur enjoyer.

The oddish -> vileplume line is also good, and the exact same dual typing, in the exact same generation. Even their flowers look pretty similar!! So Bulbasaur suffers a bit from that, but frankly I don't think it's enough to knock it off the #1 slot where it rightly belongs. #1 in the Pokedex and #1 in my heart. Enjoy the crown, Bulby.

[Ausuka]

Complete Ranking

1. Bulbasaur
   
2. Popplio
   
3. Snivy
   
4. Fuecoco
   
5. Rowlet
   
6. Chikorita
   
7. Treecko
   
8. Sobble
   
9. Piplup
   
10. Oshawott
    
11. Cyndaquil
    
12. Fennekin
    
13. Squirtle
    
14. Sprigatito
    
15. Grookey
    
16. Torchic
    
17. Eevee
    
18. Charmander
    
19. Froakie
    
20. Pikachu
    
21. Litten
    
22. Quaxly
    
23. Mudkip
    
24. Totodile
    
25. Chespin
    
26. Turtwig
    
27. Scorbunny
    
28. Tepig
    
29. Chimchar

[Ausuka]

SO TRUE

[Ausuka]

but I'd be happy if this thread became a thread for rankings like pink balls! it's interesting to see what people think. I think there is at least a weak correlation between our lists, although I can't approve of Popplio's placement

[Ausuka]

schadd_ you need to log into your pink ball alt before you post that

[Ausuka]

Ok but have you considered that chikorita is extremely cute and squirtle is kind of cute