Ranking every generation of starter Pokémon

What you choose at the start of a Pokemon campaign can sometimes be make or break for your Pokemon Trainer career. It's the difference between decimating the Pokemon League champion with a Charizard or giving them a little tickle with a Meganium.

But which generation has the best set of starter Pokemon? Here's what we think:

(Note: this will be updated to include the Galar starters from Sword and Shield once the game is released.)

7. Alola

I'm not sure what it is about the Alola starters, but I really just feel like they never did much for me. Incineroar, the final evolution of Litten, was decent, but neither Rowlet or Popplio really felt like worthy starter Pokemon, especially when you compare them to generations prior.

6. Johto

Perhaps a controversial opinion to the old-school Pokemon players, I've got to be honest: the Johto starters are the epitome of disappointing. I can't even look back on them with rose-tinted glasses. What were they thinking when they created Chikorita? Even as far as Grass-type Pokemon go, Chikorita just isn't good at all. Totodile is alright but there is a huge chasm between he and the other water starters.

5. Unova

Maybe I'm using the wrong ranking criteria but I'm a big fan of how these starters look. Even Snivy is somewhat cool. I think Tepig is one of the better starters, but compared to the other Fire-types he just isn't as enticing. Oshawatt's final evolution, Samurott, looks great though.

4. Kalos

I'll be honest, Kalos gets hard-carried by Froakie and his final evolution, Greninja. Greninja is without a doubt the best starter Pokemon and could easily walk into any team. I also like that Chespin wears a grass hat.

3. Hoenn

I think this opinion could change on any given day, but Hoenn has some great starters. Mudkip is one of my personal favourites and Torchic is a great Pokemon to have, especially at the start of the Ruby/Sapphire campaign. And as far as Grass-types go, Treecko is pretty good too, especially with the Grass/Dragon-type Mega Sceptile.

2. Sinnoh

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl will forever be the most underrated games in the series. They all look great throughout all their evolution stages, and become genuinely brilliant Pokemon when they're fully evolved and levelled up. Turtwig especially stands out, with its final evolution Torterra being a Grass/Ground-type hybrid that looks like a force of nature. Infernape is reminiscent of Hoenn's Blaziken, which made him a little boring at first, but Piplup/Empoleon is also a fantastic choice.

1. Kanto

Of course, Kanto is where it all started and overall gave us the best generation of starters. Maybe it's the nostalgia talking, but there are so few drawbacks to any of them that it's hard to explain why they're simply better than all the others.

What do you think of our list? Anything you would change? Let us know in the comments!

All images courtesy of Bulbapedia.