Starter Pokemon Curiosity

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Because I've been rather distracted with some personal things lately, I've decided to take a short break from posting new cartoon artwork for a couple of days so that I can discuss something that's been on my mind... As every die-hard Pokémon fan may already know, Nintendo was able to release all three of the original Pokémon games that were released on the original Game Boy (Red Version, Blue Version, and Yellow Version) on the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS, and I was able to take the opportunity to purchase Blue Version because of it being the very first game in the series I've ever played when it was becoming popular. However, there is one thing that's actually kinda bothered me for some time about the original games...

"Why does everyone like to choose Charmander as their starter Pokémon in Red and/or Blue Version?"

Now, don't get me wrong; I don't hate Charmander or its evolutionary forms in any way, especially since I find myself training the one that appears in Yellow Version, which becomes quite strong as it evolves into Charmeleon and then into Charizard. The reason this bothers me is because Charmander is actually quite weak to use against the first two Gym Leaders that you battle in the game - Brock (who uses Rock-type Pokémon) and Misty (who uses Water-type Pokémon), and you probably aren't able to find any types of Pokémon that are strong against the types of Pokémon they use earlier in the game... at least, none that I know about in Blue Version. Even though I am aware that Pikachu, which is the only Pokémon that you start off with in Yellow Version, is completely powerless against Brock's Pokémon because of them also being Ground-types, the secret to beating him in that game is to catch a Mankey and train it until it learns Low Kick, which is a Fighting-type move that is super effective against the Rock-type Pokémon.

In case anybody is wondering, my favorite starter Pokémon in the first generation of Pokémon games has always been Squirtle because of it being quite strong for a Water-type Pokémon, especially whenever it evolves into Wartortle and Blastoise respectively. Plus, Blastoise was one of the reasons why I decided to get a copy of Blue Version during my thirteenth birthday because I thought it looked kinda cool with its cannon nozzles that are seen poking out of its shell. As for Bulbasaur, it was another good starter Pokémon that I sometimes trained whenever I started a new game, though Squirtle will always remain my personal favorite in all the games it appears in. Speaking of which, I can understand why many people love Charmander and its evolutionary forms because it's a Pokémon that is known for being fast as well as powerful. Due to its popularity, though, I sometimes feel that the other starter Pokémon have become either underrated or overlooked in some way over the years. If anyone is such an obsessive fan of Charmander as well as Charmeleon and/or Charizard, that's totally fine and okay with me, since I've pretty much enjoyed the Pokémon franchise ever since it first came out in the US, and I'll probably be able to continue enjoying the games that are able to come out until the end of time.

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WolfN85's avatar
Because the first gym is rock type and the second is water, not to mention all the rock types you encounter along the way through Mt. Moon, the game is considerably easier if you start with Bulbasaur. For this reason, people have put a stigma on it; people look down on anyone who chose the grass type as their starter. Squirtle is considered the midway difficulty, as you won't have a type advantage in the second gym, and you'll be at a disadvantage for the third, but you still get a break at the very beginning. If you start with the fire type, you're at a big disadvantage to Misty and get no advantage over Brock and  Lt. Surge. Just as people always want to brag that they beat a game on the hardest difficulty, so it has been for twenty years of Pokemon...

The first time, I started out with Squirtle because I got the blue version of the game and thought I was supposed to get the blue pokemon...
Cascade, my Blastois, is still part of my team, today.