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[Former PokéPOTW] Favorite and Least-Favorite Starters

324
Posts
11
Years
  • Seen Sep 1, 2023
With all the talk of the Kalos starters, I thought it'd be cool to revisit previous generations and discuss which starter Pokémon are our favorites, and which ones are our least favorites.

I'll start first.

Favorites: Its a tie between Typhlosion and Samurott, with Infernape as a close second favorite

  • Cyndaquil was the first starter I ever chose back in Pokémon Silver. Therefore, its a special one to me. I also like the rest of the Johnto starters, but Typhlosion was a beast. I remember being 9 years old and calling up my best friend at the time to tell him how my Quilava had just evolved into a Typhlosion. Ah, good times.
  • Samurott is also one of my favorites just...because. His design is awesome. I find it so cool that a starter that everyone thought was the ugliest of them all (Oshawott) turned out to have the coolest final form out of all the Unova starters. He's also a very reliable battler. Pretty much a very dependable powerhouse.
  • Infernape. I love the design. That cool flaming Hanuman style. Plus, Chimchar is just...so unique among the starters, in my opinion. I would never have imagined a starter Pokémon based on a chimp or monkey. I would have thought that any sort of primate was too human-like for them, as the starters were traditionally based on animals a little lower on the evolutionary tree like lizards, turtles, chickens, and crocodiles.

Least Favorites: Venusaur and Emboar

  • I know Venusaur gets a lot of love, but its not one of my favorites. Its not bad at all, but its just...okay. I'd much rather have Charizard or Blastoise. I think the real problem I have with Venusaur is that the Bulbasaur evolutionary family shows the least transformation along its evolutionary line of any of the Kanto starters. I mean, Venusaur is really just a bigger, fatter, more intimidating version of Bulbasaur, with a big flower on its back instead of a bulb. Charizard and Blastoise at least show marked change from their original forms, changing in color, size, and even basic body structure.
  • Emboar just looks ridiculous and its not that reliable of a battler. It looks like it should be a powerhouse, but its not. Plus the fact that its the THIRD Fire/Fighting starter doesn't really endear me to it either.
 
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53
Posts
10
Years
  • Seen Feb 13, 2015
my favorites are charmander,squirtle,the jhoto starters and my least faveorites are the 4th and 5th gen ones really. i think mainly for 1st and 2nd gen starters were really good with good evolutionary line and i think they were good in the anime too. tepig and oshowot for me are not that great in terms of looks and in the anime find them annoying.i completly agree with your view on Venasaur although i still find it better than emboar.i think cyndaquil is really good too. i think as the generations have gone on they have gradually got worse in my opinion.as im still not sold on the x and y starters.i have warmed to them and accepted them but froakie and chespin i think are very basic designs,lets draw a frog now add white bubbles round its neck increase the eye size there done and chespin lets just add a green hat on to indicate it is a grass type.
 
2,305
Posts
13
Years
  • Age 25
  • Seen Dec 16, 2022
Anything that isn't Charizard or Gen 5 starter crap is fine by me. My favourite would be the gen 3 starters due to how useful they are in battle.
 

Firox

eepz, come help pwease!
2,585
Posts
11
Years
My favorite starters are a tie between Oshawott (and it's evolutions) and Mudkip (and it's evolutions). It's their design that most captures my attention. Both can learn my favorite attacks, which happen to be water type attacks.

My 2 least favorite are also a tie between Chikorita's evolution and Torchic's evolutions, when I saw them they didn't seem to catch my attention (design wise).
 
8,571
Posts
14
Years
I'm going to move this over to Pokemon Voting Polls, since it isn't really a discussion thread so much as looking for people's quick opinions.

My favorite starters would have to be the Sceptile family and the Empoleon family. Pokemon Sapphire was one of the first Pokemon games that I completely invested myself into (even though I'd played previous ones), and Sceptile was such a huge presence in my party. It was one of the few times I actually enjoyed using a Grass type Pokemon, and I still have that Sceptile on my HeartGold. As for Empoleon, I wasn't a big fan of any of the Sinnoh starters, but I hadn't used a Water one in a while, so I decided to pick Piplup. To be honest, I had no idea it would evolve into a part-Steel type, which seemingly made Empoleon indestructable, and the key component to my Platinum team.

As for my least favorites, I'd go with the Johto starters, the Torterra line and the Emboar line. These are more design based than anything, but still enough to make me not want to use them. That's why any time I play a Johto game, I usually ditch my starter as early as I can, even if they're my best Pokemon for a while.

MOVED.
 

Crunch Punch

fire > ice
1,374
Posts
11
Years
Definitely Typhlosion. Cyndaquil was my first ever starter in my first ever Pokemon game (Crystal) and because of that Typhlosion is just like more awesome to me compared to other starters.

Other favourites include Serperior (totally great design) and Sceptile (again great design and found his Leaf Blade totally badass hack in Emerald).

Least favourite starter? I don't have one. I love all of them :p
 
2,138
Posts
11
Years
Most Favorite to Least Favorite:

Serperior, Meganium, Venusaur, Samurott, Blazekin, Torterra, Charizard, Infernape, Typhlosion, Feraligtr, Sceptile, Blastoise, Emboar, Empoleon, Swampert,

I only go by aesthetics for favorites.
 
12,284
Posts
11
Years
  • Seen Oct 22, 2023
Squirtle is my favorite starter Pokémon. It was the first Pokémon that I've ever had, and it looks simply astonishing when it finally evolves into a Blastoise. The canons on its back are amazing, and I love the way how it's able to take them in and out of its shell so quickly. Battling-wise, this Pokémon isn't so bad. It may not be used too often, but it has decent defensive stats and it's a great user of Rapid Spin. If it had a few recovery moves in its arsenal, maybe people would have used it more. Charizard is my favorite as well. I'm a big fan of its design. (:

My least favorite starter Pokémon would have to beeee... Sceptile. xD" It does have good Attack, Special Attack, and Speed stats, and some people are able to utilize this Pokémon quite nicely, but I'm certainly not one of those people.
 

Boilurn

Scald Pokémon
612
Posts
11
Years
Samurott, Blaziken and Torterra are my three favorite Starter Pokemon according to type. A kicking chicken that can launch fire-type moves is such a cool idea. Torterra's unusual typing (Although not a great typing competitively) inspires me to vote for him. Samurott's general all around excellence, wonderful looks and unpredictability captures my vote.

As for a least favorite I'd be thinking Meganium and Emboar. Meganium looks uninspiring and boring, and really should be a Grass/Dragon for its design. Emboar is a cool name, but the horrible design, and the fact that it's the third consecutive Fire-Fighting starter explains why.
 
50,218
Posts
13
Years
My most fave starter line of all time is obviously Oshawott and its evolution line due to that awesome samurai theme they have, and not to mention my fave of the starter types, Water! None of the Water-types have ever disappointed me, maybe Froakie did when it was first revealed but its design grew on me. 6th Gen's starters all look pretty awesome in general so I'm hoping they get awesome evolutions, especially Froakie due to my preference for Water.

Least fave, definitely Charmander's line. The reason? Charizard is soooooo overrated and also didn't like the way he was handled in the anime, especially the disobeying Ash part. The others aren't too bad though, I don't even mind Emboar or Meganium but they didn't live up to my expectations, at least I loved most starter designs.
 

Synerjee

[font=Itim]Atra du evarinya ono varda.[/font]
2,901
Posts
11
Years
Favourite: Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil and its evolutions really captures my attention in terms of battle potential and its incomparable adorableness in its Cyndaquil stage and awesomeness in its fully evolved stage. :3

Least-favourite: Treecko. I just don't really have a lot of sentimental connections with the Treecko family I guess, that's why it's not on the top of my list. I do like Grovyle though! I think it looks the best amongst the three of them. Also, thanks to PMD for that. :P
 
37,467
Posts
16
Years
  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
Charmander and Bulbasaur and Chikorita might be my first choices for non-evolved starters, just because I feel like it. Middle line, I like most of the starters actually, and fully evolved it's probably Blaziken or Infernape.

In general, I prefer fire starters and like grass starters the least. But then there's Chikorita and Bulbasaur, so there is no fully functional rule in me for that. I also like bipedal starters more than four legged, so Samurott and most grass pokémon fall behind on that account.
 
324
Posts
11
Years
  • Seen Sep 1, 2023
I also like bipedal starters more than four legged, so Samurott and most grass pokémon fall behind on that account.

Although, Samurott, like Swampert, is a starter that can alternate between being quadrupedal and bipedal. I just think some people, such as myself, thinks it looks cooler as a quadruped.
 

KorpiklaaniVodka

KID BUU PAWAA
3,318
Posts
10
Years
Favorite: Sceptile. He looks so cool and I like the "king of the forest" idea, and he's pretty good too.
Least favorite: Definitely Charizard because he's overrated(3% raw usage in OU!!!!!) and sucks horribly competitively thanks to its weakness to Stealth Rock, common weaknesses, Solar Power making it even more sensible in the sun, and Politoed and Tyranitar. I'm pretty sure Mega forms are going to be banned in OU so Charizard is still gonna be horrible.
 

Victreebel's Bro

The Day Is My Enemy
66
Posts
10
Years
In order from favourite to least favorite:
Feraligatr, Blaziken, Blastoise, Swampert, Sceptile, Torterra, Typhlosion, Serperior, Emboar, Infernape, Charizard, Venusaur, Empoleon, Meganium, Samurott
 

classiccartoonsftw

Nintendo is for awesome people
9,225
Posts
12
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  • Seen Jan 18, 2017
Favourite first stages: All Water starters (sans for Oshawott), Bulbasaur, Treecko, Snivy, Charmander, Torchic, Chimchar, and Fennekin.
Least favourite first stages: Tepig and Chespin. I don't really like their designs.

Favourite second stages: All gen 1 ones, all gen 3 ones, Croconaw, Servine, Dewott, Braixen, and Frogadier.
Least favourite second stages: Probably Quilladin. In my opinion, it's design was kind of a downgrade to Chespin's.

Favourite final stages: All gen 1 ones, all gen 3 ones, Feraligatr, Infernape, Delphox, and Greninja.
Least favourite final stages: Emboar. I don't like it that it's the third Fire/Fighting starter in a row.

EDIT: The Kalos starter lines are now known, so I decided to add them. Also, Charizard is once again one of my favourites.
 
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Nolafus

Aspiring something
5,724
Posts
11
Years
My favorite starter is obviously Serperior, although, other favorites are Empoleon, Samurott, Sceptile, Venusaur, and Swampert.

My least favorite is Emboar as I don't really like its design all that much.
 
8,571
Posts
14
Years
With all the talk of the Kalos starters, I thought it'd be cool to revisit previous generations and discuss which starter Pokémon are our favorites, and which ones are our least favorites.

I'll start first.

Favorites: Its a tie between Typhlosion and Samurott, with Infernape as a close second favorite

  • Cyndaquil was the first starter I ever chose back in Pokémon Silver. Therefore, its a special one to me. I also like the rest of the Johnto starters, but Typhlosion was a beast. I remember being 9 years old and calling up my best friend at the time to tell him how my Quilava had just evolved into a Typhlosion. Ah, good times.
  • Samurott is also one of my favorites just...because. His design is awesome. I find it so cool that a starter that everyone thought was the ugliest of them all (Oshawott) turned out to have the coolest final form out of all the Unova starters. He's also a very reliable battler. Pretty much a very dependable powerhouse.
  • Infernape. I love the design. That cool flaming Hanuman style. Plus, Chimchar is just...so unique among the starters, in my opinion. I would never have imagined a starter Pokémon based on a chimp or monkey. I would have thought that any sort of primate was too human-like for them, as the starters were traditionally based on animals a little lower on the evolutionary tree like lizards, turtles, chickens, and crocodiles.

Least Favorites: Venusaur and Emboar

  • I know Venusaur gets a lot of love, but its not one of my favorites. Its not bad at all, but its just...okay. I'd much rather have Charizard or Blastoise. I think the real problem I have with Venusaur is that the Bulbasaur evolutionary family shows the least transformation along its evolutionary line of any of the Kanto starters. I mean, Venusaur is really just a bigger, fatter, more intimidating version of Bulbasaur, with a big flower on its back instead of a bulb. Charizard and Blastoise at least show marked change from their original forms, changing in color, size, and even basic body structure.
  • Emboar just looks ridiculous and its not that reliable of a battler. It looks like it should be a powerhouse, but its not. Plus the fact that its the THIRD Fire/Fighting starter doesn't really endear me to it either.
Congrats on being selected as the first Poll of the Week here in Pokemon Voting Polls! This is the type of thread that suits PVP perfectly- asking a multi-answer question that gives members a good chance to talk about their likes and dislikes, but gives them a chance to expand on that as well.
 
37,467
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16
Years
  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
Although, Samurott, like Swampert, is a starter that can alternate between being quadrupedal and bipedal. I just think some people, such as myself, thinks it looks cooler as a quadruped.
Yeah, I guess. I'm just partial to bipedal pokémon. Not sure why! I think maybe I'm imagining them fighting more easily and freely.

In order from favourite to least favorite:
Feraligatr, Blaziken, Blastoise, Swampert, Sceptile, Torterra, Typhlosion, Serperior, Emboar, Infernape, Charizard, Venusaur, Empoleon, Meganium, Samurott
That's quite the list! Care to give an explanation for why you like some more than the others?

Congrats on being selected as the first Poll of the Week here in Pokemon Voting Polls! This is the type of thread that suits PVP perfectly- asking a multi-answer question that gives members a good chance to talk about their likes and dislikes, but gives them a chance to expand on that as well.
Indeed~

Maybe we could add the Kalos starters to this talk too now? Since they have one evo each for now which gives us a little more feeling for what they are meant to turn out to be.
 
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