Starter Pokémon

At the beginning of their quest, s are given a starter Pokémon (Japanese: はじめてのポケモン Beginning Pokémon or のポケモン first Pokémon; known as  the big three among Japanese fans). This will be used to  the first wild Pokémon that the Trainer encounters.

Once another Pokémon is, the starter Pokémon may be retired, but it is often with this Pokémon that Trainers learn friendship and trust. As such, even advanced Trainers may still use their starter Pokémon, and they will often be the most powerful Pokémon on their respective teams.

In the core series games, it is said that the starter Pokémon are extremely rare, giving the player a reason why the Pokémon not chosen can't be found in the wild.

In the games
In the core series (with two exceptions), the player can choose a Fire-, Water-, or  starter Pokémon at level 5. At least one of the player's rivals will also always choose or have a starter Pokémon, typically the one that has a type advantage over the player's.

Kanto
In Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, FireRed, and LeafGreen, Professor Oak will bring Trainers to his lab to give them one of the following to begin their journey:

The player's will then pick the type-advantageous starter Pokémon, and the remaining Pokémon will sit in its Poké Ball on Oak's desk for the rest of the game.

In FireRed and LeafGreen, the choice of starter Pokémon also determines which of the Legendary beasts will roam the Kanto region after defeating Team Rocket in the Sevii Islands—if the player chooses Bulbasaur, will appear,  will appear to those who chose Charmander, and  will appear to those that went with Squirtle.

Professor Oak offers one of this trio of Pokémon to the player in after the player has defeated, making reference to the fact that he gives them out as starter Pokémon in Kanto-based games, suggesting the player will be able to make it to the next town with one of these Pokémon by his or her side.

Professor Sycamore will let the player choose one of these three Pokémon after meeting him in person and beating his team of Kanto starters in. After making their choice, Professor Sycamore will give the player a Mega Stone corresponding to the chosen starter's final evolution; for, / for , and  for. The middle stages of the starters can be found in the Friend Safari.

In, the Kanto starters can be caught in the wild via on Melemele Island.

In, due to being based on the , Oak instead gives out:

In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, players will start with or, depending on which version of the game they are playing. These Pikachu and Eevee are considered special, separate forms commonly referred to by the game as.

Johto
In, Professor Elm will have an errand for the player to run, and will give them one of the following for protection on this errand, which they will then keep after completion:

After the player meets with Mr. Pokémon and receives a Pokédex from Professor Oak, Professor Elm will call the player to tell them that has taken a Pokémon. As the player returns to New Bark Town, he or she will encounter the thief, who will have the stolen Pokémon with the type advantage over the player's own. From this point onward, the thief will be the player's rival, while Professor Elm keeps the Pokémon that was left behind by the thief on his desk for the remainder of the game (in, the last Pokémon mysteriously disappears at some point).

In Generation II, the Pokémon will be holding a when received from Elm, though the rival's stolen starter Pokémon will not.

In, after the player has caught all Pokémon in the Hoenn Pokédex with the exception of and , Professor Birch will offer one of these Pokémon as a reward.

In Pokémon Colosseum, the middle stages of the Johto starters are caught as Shadow Pokémon from a Mystery Troop member. Only one is available for the player to obtain during the main game, while the other two are only available during the post-game. The color of the outfit for the corresponding Mystery Troop member is the same as the type for the Johto starter they have.

In, after the player has cleared the entirety of Mt. Battle without touching a PC or retiring, Battlus will offer one of these Pokémon as a reward. The player can obtain all three Pokémon with consecutive challenges.

In, after the player first enters the Hall of Fame and meets Zinnia, Professor Birch can be found being chased by a on  and the player will be allowed to choose one of the Johto starters.

In, the Johto starters can be caught in the wild via on Melemele Island.

Hoenn
In, , , after Professor Birch is rescued from a or , he allows the player to keep the Pokémon they chose to rescue him with, either:

The player's neighbor, or, already has his or her starter Pokémon, which is always the one with the type advantage. What happens to the starter not selected is unknown. By the end of Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, it seems that the player's nominal rival, the son/daughter of Professor Birch, has stopped being a Trainer, and Wally is actually the true rival, facing the player before he or she can leave and staying there to have rematches with the player later. In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Brendan or May's role as an NPC is slightly expanded, acting as a post-credits battle in which they gain access to Mega Evolution for their starter Pokémon.

In, Steven Stone offers one of these Pokémon to the player after he or she has defeated.

In, the middle stages of the Hoenn starters can be caught in the wild via on Akala Island.

Sinnoh
In, when two attack the player and rival at Lake Verity, to which they travel upon hearing reports of a red , they will choose one of the following from Professor Rowan's briefcase, which he left at the lake:

The player's friend and rival will choose the starter Pokémon that has a type advantage against the player's choice, and the NPC who is the other-gender choice (/) will have the Pokémon weak to the player's choice, and therefore strong against Barry's. After fighting off the two Starly at the lake and returning the briefcase to Rowan, the professor will allow the player and  to keep the Pokémon they used.

In, the player and the rival are stopped by Professor Rowan just as they are about to run through tall grass to get to Sandgem Town to ask the Professor for Pokémon. After some questions about the player and the rival's love for Pokémon, he decides to entrust them with one starter Pokémon each.

In, after the player enters the Hall of Fame for the second time, Professor Birch can be found being chased by his wife on and the player will be allowed to choose one of the Sinnoh starters.

In, the middle stages of the Sinnoh starters can be caught in the wild via on Ula'ula Island.

Unova
In, Professor Juniper leaves a gift with the player's in Nuvema Town to give to him or her, containing the following three Pokémon:

The player's friend Cheren will choose the Pokémon that is strong against the player's choice, while the player's other friend Bianca will choose the one weak to the player's choice. The choice of starter Pokémon affects which of the Gym Leaders of Striaton City will be battled; players who chose Snivy will face Chili, a specialist, players who chose Tepig will face Cress, a  specialist, and players who chose Oshawott will face Cilan, a  specialist. Also, the choice affects the Pokémon given to the player in the Dreamyard. Choosing Snivy gives the player a, Tepig a , and Oshawott a.

In, Bianca takes three starter Pokémon to Aspertia City on Professor Juniper's behalf and offers one of them to the player. The player's friend, Hugh, will have the Pokémon that is strong against the player's choice, having raised it from an. The player character not chosen will have the starter that is weak to the player's choice, but only seen in its second form.

In, after the Delta Episode is completed, Professor Birch can be found being chased by a on  and the player will be allowed to choose one of the Unova starters.

In, the Unova starters' final forms can be caught in the wild via on Poni Island.

Kalos
In Pokémon X and Y, the player, Shauna, and / receive their starter Pokémon in Aquacorde Town from Tierno, who was asked by Professor Sycamore to deliver them.

The player's friend Shauna will choose the Pokémon with a type disadvantage to the player's choice, while the player's other friend / will choose the one with a type advantage to the player's choice. The choice of starter Pokémon affects which Pokémon Shauna will trade with the player after the player enters in the Hall of Fame. Shauna will trade the unevolved form of her starter Pokémon, having received it as an. The choice of starter Pokémon also determines which of the Legendary birds will roam the Kalos region after defeating the Pokémon League—if the player chooses Chespin, will appear,  will appear to those who chose Fennekin, and  will appear to those that went with Froakie. The middle stages of the starters can be found in the Friend Safari.

In, the Kalos starters' final forms can be caught in the wild via on Poni Island.

Alola
In Pokémon Sun and Moon, the player receives their starter Pokémon in Iki Town from Hala and Professor Kukui. In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the player receives one from the Professor on. The player's friend Hau will choose the Pokémon with a type disadvantage to the player's choice. Teacher Emily in the Trainer's School will use the starter that has a type advantage over the player's choice.

During the player's Champion and Title Defense battles, Professor Kukui will use the final evolution of the starter Pokémon with the type advantage to the player's choice. Gladion's will also be holding the memory of the type the player's starter is weak to. Hau's will evolve into the Eeveelution whose type has the advantage to the player's choice. Gladion, in his Title Defense battle in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, will have a fully evolved Kanto Starter whose type is the same as the player's starter.

Other notable in-game starters

 * The rival of, , starts with an originally intended for the player. The Eevee will evolve into a  if the player loses against the rival at the lab and either loses or skips the battle on ,  if the player wins against the rival at both locations, and  if the player wins against the rival once at either location, and loses or skips the other battle.
 * Wally, with the help of the player and their father, will catch a.
 * The player character not chosen in, or , will have a.
 * In Pokémon Ultra Sun, the Pokédex identifies the Ultra Beast as a common choice for a starter Pokémon in its own world.

Orre
In :

A first for the Pokémon games, these starter Pokémon come as a pair as to represent the Double Battle system, and are also different in that they are in the player's possession right at start of play. Umbreon is at level 26, knowing the TM moves and, as well as  which is otherwise only available through  at such a level. Espeon is at level 25, knowing the TM moves (while also starting with maximum friendship) and. Both are always male.

In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness:

This starter Pokémon is in the player's possession right at the beginning of the game. It is at level 10 and knows, which Eevee does not normally know at this level without. At an early point in the game, the player is offered one of five evolutionary items—Water Stone, Thunderstone, Fire Stone, Moon Shard, and Sun Shard—to allow the Eevee to evolve into any of its evolutions that existed in Generation III.

In Pokémon XD, if the player completes the Mt. Battle challenge and defeats all 100 Trainers without quitting or switching Pokémon, Battlus will give one of the Johto starter Pokémon as a reward.

Pokétopia
In Pokémon Battle Revolution, the player's starter Pokémon are determined by the gender specified on their Rental Pass or Custom Pass. They are all at level 50.

Male players start out with the following Pokémon:

Female players start out with the following Pokémon:

Pokémon GO
In Pokémon GO, when the player starts the game,, , and will appear nearby. If the player battles and captures one of them, the others will disappear.

If the player walks away from them, they will reappear near their new location. If they do this four times, will appear in addition to the Kanto starter Pokémon.

Starting Pokémon
While not actually starter Pokémon, these are the first Pokémon available in each of these games.

Pokédex 3D
In Pokédex 3D, all players begin with these Pokémon.

In the anime
Upon their tenth birthday, youths can register for a Pokédex and pick up a starter Pokémon from the local Pokémon Professor or Pokémon Center free of charge. Starter Pokémon are usually raised specifically to be easy to train.

Like in the games, the specific starter Pokémon available vary from region to region, but are the same in each region as the games. That is, Kanto Trainers can only choose Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle; Johto Trainers can only choose Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile; and so on.

In A Mudkip Mission, it was shown where starter Pokémon come from. Each region has special, secret breeding grounds run by a Pokémon Breeder for starter Pokémon. The Pokémon League sends these Breeders the Pokémon Eggs for them to hatch at the breeding grounds. The breeders then hatch, care for, and raise the young Pokémon until they are ready to be proper starter Pokémon for new Trainers. As these young ones are virtually defenseless, the locations of breeding grounds (or even the knowledge of their existence) is a secret unknown to most in the Pokémon world. This is likely to guard against unscrupulous individuals or groups (such as Team Rocket) from poaching the young Pokémon.

However, not all starter Pokémon are raised at these special breeding grounds, with Professor Birch said to catch and raise his own starter Pokémon for Trainers.

Other rookie Trainers may receive their first Pokémon from a friend or relative instead. Others, on the other hand, may befriend a Pokémon in the wild. These mean that Trainers can, in fact, start with any Pokémon.

List of starter Pokémon in the anime

 * started with a, which he received from.
 * started with an, which he received from and who now stays with his brother, Forrest, with whom it evolved into a.
 * started with, , and ; however, it's unknown how she got them or which one she acquired first.
 * started with a, which he received from Professor Oak and who later evolved into a.
 * James started with his pet, Growlie; however, he left it at home when he ran away.
 * Jessie started with an, which she received for (a birthday present in the dub), and who later evolved into an.
 * Sakura started with an, which later evolved into an.
 * started with a, which she received from Professor Elm and who later evolved into a.
 * Zackie (A Bout With Sprout) started with a, which he accidentally caught in Violet City when trying to catch Ash's Pikachu, which he thought was a wild Pokémon.
 * (The Legend of Thunder!) started with a, which he received from Professor Elm and who later evolved into a.
 * started with a, which she received from Professor Elm and nicknamed Wani-Wani, and which later evolved into a.
 * Vincent started with a, which he received from Professor Elm and who later evolved into a.
 * started with a, which he received from Professor Birch and who later evolved into a.
 * started with a, which she received from Professor Birch and who later evolved into a.
 * Nicholai started with a, which later evolved into a.
 * started with a, which later evolved into a.
 * (Having a Wailord of a Time) started with a, which she received from Nurse Joy at the Slateport City Pokémon Center.
 * Stephanie's father started with a, which he received at the same time.
 * (Judgment Day!) started with a, which later evolved into a.
 * Xander's (Caterpie's Big Dilemma) was implied to be his starter Pokémon in the episode, as he mentioned that his Caterpie was his first Pokémon, albeit it was "not caught".
 * (Journey to the Starting Line!) started with a, which he received from Professor Oak.
 * started with a, which she received from Professor Rowan.
 * Yuzo said that he started his Pokémon journey with a.
 * Paul started with a, which later evolved into.
 * started with a, which later evolved into an.
 * Tyler (The Thief That Keeps on Thieving!) started with a, which he nicknamed "Pippy", who he received from an unknown location in eastern Sinnoh.
 * Zoey started with a, which she raised after it was abandoned.
 * Max intends to begin his journey with the, which he met in Do I Hear a Ralts?.
 * started with a.
 * Khoury started with a, which later evolved into a.
 * 's first Pokémon is currently unknown, but it was hinted in Stopped in the Name of Love! that his first Pokémon might be his, which he received as a.
 * Volkner started with a, which later evolved into a.
 * Trip started with a, which he received from Professor Juniper, who later evolved into a.
 * started with a, which she saved from falling off a cliff when she was a little girl, who later evolved into an.
 * started with a, which he has had since childhood.
 * Burgundy started with an, which later evolved into a.
 * started with a, which later evolved into an.
 * Emmy started with her, which she received from her father when she started her journey.
 * Virgil started with an, which later evolved into an.
 * Nanette started with a, which she received from Professor Juniper.
 * started with a, which she received from Professor Sycamore, which has since evolved into.
 * Mairin started with a, which she received from Professor Sycamore. She nicknamed it Chespie.
 * started with a, which she received from Professor Sycamore, which evolved into.
 * started with a, which he received from Professor Sycamore and later evolved into.
 * started with a, which he received from Professor Sycamore, which evolved into . It can Mega Evolve into a Y.
 * Sawyer started with a, which he received from Professor Birch and later evolved into . It can Mega Evolve into a.
 * Alain started with a, which he received from Professor Sycamore, and which evolved into . It can Mega Evolve into a X.
 * started with an Alolan that hatched from an . She nicknamed it Snowy.
 * started with a.
 * started with a, which she met in the forest behind the Pokémon School, and who later evolved into a.
 * started with an, which later evolved into an.
 * The alternate version of from I Choose You! started with a, which he received from Professor Oak.
 * The alternate version of Gary from I Choose You! started with a Squirtle, which he received from Professor Oak.
 * Alternate versions of and  from I Choose You! started with a Bulbasaur and Charmander, respectively, both received from Professor Oak.

Several characters have also caught Pokémon in the that are, in the games, only available as starter Pokémon.
 * Ash caught a, a , and a in quick succession in the Kanto region. Of the three, only Charmander evolved, becoming a , and later a , both of which were very disobedient to Ash until an incident in the Orange Archipelago, after which it served Ash as it had when it was a Charmander. Bulbasaur was also going to evolve, but decided itself against becoming an  in Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden.
 * In the alternate continuity of I Choose You!, only caught a Charmander, which also went on to evolve.
 * Ash also caught the three Johto region starter Pokémon,, , and , of which Chikorita and Cyndaquil evolved into and , respectively.
 * Ash caught a in Hoenn, while Brock captured a . Treecko evolved twice, becoming  before Ash left it at Professor Oak's lab, while Brock's Mudkip evolved into . Along with May's, the traveling trio had the three starter Pokémon of Hoenn.
 * caught a Bulbasaur midway through her journey in Hoenn, and was given a by Professor Oak when she journeyed to Kanto. Bulbasaur evolved all the way into  and Squirtle evolved into  during May's travels through Johto.
 * In Sinnoh, Ash repeated himself by catching, which has since evolved into a . His rival, Paul, owned a Chimchar that was confirmed to be caught in the wild. It was released, recaught by Ash, and is now an.
 * Dawn a  during her journey in Sinnoh. It later evolved into.
 * Ash reused his pattern from the original series of catching all starter Pokémon in Unova:, , and . However, this time around, he caught them in reverse of the Pokédex order rather than following it as he did in the original series, and Oshawott was in fact a starter Pokémon that Professor Juniper allowed Ash to have after it ran away to be with him. Of the three, only Tepig has evolved, becoming a.
 * Gary Oak had an at least since Ash was traveling in the Orange Archipelago. As it was revealed to be under his ownership before his Blastoise, it caused many to hearken back to, where the player starts with , like Ash, and the rival starts with Eevee. Either way, it was disproven that this was the case when Gary finally revealed his Blastoise to Ash. His Eevee eventually evolved into.
 * Ash caught a in Kalos, which used to belong to several other Trainers before being abandoned or abandoning the Trainer. It has since evolved into a.
 * obtained a in Kalos. It originally belonged to Professor Sycamore as a starting Pokémon for new Trainers.
 * is revealed to have caught a in Alola. Popplio was rescued from being abused by members of Team Skull.
 * While Ash was in Alola, he caught a who was living in a flock of, a , and a . Ash also encountered a  a few times before finally earning its trust and capturing it. Litten has since evolved into a.

In the Be the Best! Pokémon B+W manga
Monta, Bianca, and Cheren received a, , and Tepig respectively as their first Pokémon. They ended up evolving into their final stages later on.

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, unlike the anime from which the manga was based on, new Pokémon Trainers do not appear to be given any sort of starter Pokémon. is not shown residing at his laboratory handing out starter Pokémon to new Trainers, as in the anime, rather, he travels the Kanto region conducting research, often accompanied by Bill. Trainers in The Electric Tale of Pikachu must obtain a license before they can purchase Poké Balls or otherwise capture and train Pokémon. found under the floorboards of his home, keeping it as his first Pokémon. It is not currently known what Gary Oak's first Pokémon was in the manga.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
In Pokémon Adventures, the starter Pokémon featured in the games are reserved for the few people who hold a Pokédex. produces three Pokédexes for each region, and gives out the three starter Pokémon in each region along with the Pokédex to Trainers he thinks are talented. He has colleagues and friends like Professor Birch do this for him in regions in which he isn't present. In the Unova region, two sets of starter Pokémon are given out to six Trainers, but still with only three Pokédexes. Professor Oak also gave Red's Pikachu as a special starter to Yellow.

Most characters in the manga do not start out with one of the Pokédex-related starter Pokémon. Instead, they usually have a Pokémon they were given by their parents when they were infants that they use as their starter Pokémon. Occasionally, it is not directly stated which Pokémon were their starter Pokémon in the manga, but in profiles of their teams, their starter Pokémon is marked with a star and is among the highest level in the party, even if they acquired more than one Pokémon at first.

List of starter Pokémon in Pokémon Adventures

 * 's first Pokémon was a Poliwag he had since his childhood, which has evolved into a . His "starter Pokémon" was a Bulbasaur given to him by Professor Oak, which he nicknamed "Saur". He became a  in his travels.
 * 's first Pokémon was a Scyther, now a, he took to the training with Chuck. His "starter Pokémon" was a given to him by his grandfather, which evolved twice into a .
 * 's first Pokémon was a Jigglypuff, now a, she received from the Masked Man. Her "starter Pokémon" was a Squirtle she stole from Professor Oak, which she nicknamed "Blasty". He later evolved into a .
 * 's first Pokémon was a Rattata that Red taught her to caught, which has evolved into a . Later, she borrowed Red's Pikachu, and after Red took him back, caught her "starter Pokémon", a female Pikachu for herself which she nicknamed "Chuchu". Like the Pikachu in, neither evolved.
 * 's first Pokémon was his Aipom, now an, that his mother gave him. He borrowed his "starter Pokémon", a Cyndaquil, from Professor Elm, and was later allowed to keep the Cyndaquil which he nicknamed "Exbo". He later becomes a  alongside the other two Johto starter Pokémon.
 * 's first Pokémon was the Sneasel, now a, that gave to him as a child. He later stole his "starter Pokémon", a  from Professor Elm, as well as the first Pokédex of Johto. His starter Pokémon evolved twice into a .
 * 's first Pokémon is officially her, although she acquired many wild Pokémon that lived as a family while she was in the wild. Chikorita later ran away from Professor Elm to go with her, and became her "starter Pokémon" nicknamed "Megaree". He became a  midway into their journey.
 * 's first Pokémon were the Poochyena, Skitty and Ralts that he received from his father, all of them having evolved into, and  respectively. Later, he got his "starter Pokémon" from Professor Birch; a Mudkip which he nicknamed "Mumu". He evolved into a  from the battles he underwent.
 * 's first Pokémon was the Aron, now an her father gave her. Later, he gave her her "starter Pokémon", a Torchic, which she nicknamed "Chic". She has since evolved twice under her Trainer's care into a .
 * When arrived in the Battle Frontier, he had no Pokémon on hand. Then he challenged the  using only rental Pokémon, nearly at the end of the challenge, he noticed something suspicious about a  so he decided to steal him from the facility and kept him afterwards, it is later is revealed that the Sceptile was supposed to be his in the first place, making him his "starter Pokémon". He evolved from his  stage in the wild, after evolving once in Wally's care. Except Sceptile, his first Pokemon he captured were Sudowoodo and Dusclops.
 * 's first was his, and later he received his "starter Pokémon", a Turtwig from Platinum because of a misunderstanding. He has since evolved to  alongside the others.
 * 's first was his Chatot, and later he received his "starter Pokémon", a Chimchar from Platinum. The Chimchar has since evolved twice into an .
 * 's first Pokémon was her Ponyta, now a Rapidash, and later she received her "starter Pokémon", a Piplup from Professor Rowan. She has since become an  under her care.
 * started with a Rufflet that he captured with the help of a wild Munna he had befriended, and later acquired his "starter Pokémon", a Tepig from Professor Juniper which later evolved into an . Initially he was nicknamed "Tep", but the nickname was changed to "Nite" and eventually "Bo", making Black the only main character so far to change his Pokémon's nickname.
 * 's first Pokémon was a Tepig named Gigi. She later acquires her "starter Pokémon", a, which later evolved into a . This Servine, which White nicknamed "Amanda", was with N until Gigi decided to leave White to follow N. It was later revealed that Amanda was a Snivy that was going to be given out to new Trainers by Professor Cedric Juniper, but was liberated by N. Except Gigi and Amanda, her first Pokemon she captured was Deerling.
 * 's first known Pokémon is a, given to him by the International Police Headquarters so he would have a partner Pokémon.
 * 's first known Pokémon is a Foongus, given to her by Team Plasma's Anthea and Concordia, who allowed Whitley to pick the Pokémon she felt closest to.
 * 's first known Pokémon is a Kangaskhan. He later got a Chespin, nicknamed "Marisso", as his "starter Pokémon" after he accepted him as a member of his team. He has since become a  under his care.
 * 's first known Pokémon is a Fletchling. She later got a Froakie, nicknamed "Croaky", as her "starter Pokémon" after she accepted him as a member of her team. He has since become a  under her care.
 * 's first known Pokémon is an Alolan Meowth. He is immediately shown as well with a named  as his "starter Pokémon" that he got from Professor Kukui. He has since become a .
 * 's first Pokémon is unknown, as she caught a, , and around the same time. She is later given a  as her "starter Pokémon" from Professor Kukui. He has since become a 

In the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga
In Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys, much like in the video games on which the manga was based, 🇬🇼 is offered the choice of one of the three Johto starter Pokémon -,  or  - to borrow so that he may run an errand for Professor Elm. Gold chooses Totodile, which Elm allows him to keep after the errand is completed. Also like in the games, 🇬🇼, who is based on, steals a Chikorita from Elm's lab while Gold is away on his errand.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
In Pokémon Pocket Monsters, is depicted distributing the choice of one out of three starter Pokémon -,  or  - to Pokémon Trainers as they begin their journeys, much like in other media. chooses as his starter Pokémon, and while  was offered the choice as well, he decided to keep a  that he met on his way to Professor Oak's lab as his starter instead.

In the Pokémon Zensho manga
In Pokémon Zensho, much like in the games on which the manga was based, Professor Oak offers  and  their choice of one out of three starter Pokémon -,  or. Satoshi chooses Charmander, while Shigeru chooses Squirtle, leaving Bulbasaur with Professor Oak.

Trivia

 * In interviews with Junichi Masuda during 2009, he stated that starter Pokémon are the Pokémon from each game that the most work goes into, and usually take significantly more time than other Pokémon in each generation.
 * Two of the three Unova starter Pokémon, and, share the position of the starter Pokémon with the shortest name.
 * The only two Starter Pokémon that are dual-type in their initial form, and, are both.

In the games

 * All starter Pokémon in the core series besides Pikachu have a gender ratio of seven males to one female.
 * Due to this, as well as the way in which gender and Shininess were determined, it was impossible to have a female starter Pokémon in Generation II, as the lowest Attack  a Shiny Pokémon could have was 2, while the highest Attack IV a female Pokémon in that gender group could have was 1.
 * Kanto's starter Pokémon are the only ones to appear in more than one regional Pokédex. They appear in Kanto's, Johto's, and Kalos's.
 * In the core series, when a starter Pokémon is first obtained, all are at level 5. Each knows one physical move (either, , or ) and a stat-altering status move at this level, except for , which has  instead of a Normal-type move. Starting in , the starters also have an attacking move of their type at level 5.
 * All Grass-type starter Pokémon have the Ability, the Fire-type starters have , and the Water-type starters have . Starter Pokémon may have differing Hidden Abilities.
 * is the only unevolved starter Pokémon with a unique base stat total.
 * The lowest base stat of a non-Mega Evolved fully-evolved starter Pokémon is 's, at 56. The highest base stat of a non-Mega Evolved fully-evolved starter Pokémon is 's , at 126.
 * The Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow & Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and the Eevee in Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee! are the only starter Pokémon that cannot evolve in the game in which they are starter Pokémon.
 * The Johto starter Pokémon are the only set of starter Pokémon that remain the same type in all their evolutionary forms.
 * is the only Fire-type starter Pokémon that is not a member of the.
 * is the only Water-type starter Pokémon that is not a member of the.
 * The Kalos starter Pokémon's secondary types in their final forms (Fighting, Psychic, and Dark) almost form another type-advantage triangle (where one type deals 2× damage to and receives ½× damage from another type), only being broken by the Dark type being completely immune to rather than resistant to the Psychic type.
 * Both the primary and secondary types, however, fit a more generally defined triangle that only requires one type to be offensively and defensively advantaged against another. For example, just as Water has the offensive and defensive advantage against Fire, so does Dark against Psychic.

In the anime

 * For DP001, Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia is about the starter Pokémon of Sinnoh. He writes this about them: 「シンオウで　たびがはじまる　ポケモンと」 "In Sinnoh, a journey begins with Pokémon."
 * For BW003, Professor Oak's Pokémon Holo Caster is about the starter Pokémon of Unova. He writes this senryū about them: 「パートナー　みず・くさ・ほのお　まよっちゃう」 "Partner, Water, Grass, Fire, I can't decide."
 * Ash has owned all but one of the Grass-type starter Pokémon:, , , , and . The Grass-type starter from Kalos, , is instead owned by.
 * Each starter Pokémon obtained by a main character was not battled: Ash's Squirtle,  and  chose to join his team, while Ash fought and won against Misty for his . Brock did not battle  to obtain it. May received her  from Professor Oak, Dawn received her  from Professor Rowan, and Lana rescued her  from Team Skull.
 * and are both based on lizards (salamander, gecko). Ash had the final forms of them:  and . Although real salamanders are amphibians, rather than lizards, Charmander can be based upon the legendary creature known as the.
 * and are both based on turtles and were the starter Pokémon of two of Ash's rivals,  and Paul.
 * and are both based on birds (chicken, penguin). They were also both owned by the anime's resident Pokémon Coordinators.
 * Both May and Dawn have a second starter Pokémon from a previous generation with a type disadvantage to their first. These starter Pokémon are both from two generations prior to their owner's introduction, and featured in the anime likely due to the same-generation remakes.
 * In the Diamond and Pearl series, there have been two major appearances of each fully evolved starter introduced in Generation IV: Ash and Paul's Torterra, Ash and Flint's Infernape, and Barry and Kenny's Empoleon.
 * is the only Water-type starter that has ever evolved under Ash's ownership.

In other languages
Starter-Pokémon Pokémon inicial Pokémon de départ Pokémon iniziale 御三家 最初拿到的宝可梦