Which Starter Pokemon Is The Best In FireRed Or LeafGreen

There have been numerous debates on which of the Kanto starters is the best to use. While there really is no right or wrong answer considering you can build a versatile team around your starter of choice, we can at least narrow it down to the best. You’re probably wondering which starter Pokemon is the best in FireRed or LeafGreen,

We will try to answer the question to the best of our ability. However, just remember that you can always choose to have the starter you want. They are there available for the players because it is always good to have options and do multiple playthroughs. We’ll tell you the pros and cons and everything that goes with choosing the best starter.

Which starter Pokemon is the best in FireRed or LeafGreen for you

The Rules

First of all, we will base our information on FireRed and LeafGreen alone. This means we will not include Generation I data because those haven’t been updated. Keep in mind that in Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green that Ice, Dark, and Steel-types were not included yet. Plus, the stats were pretty much varying back then which can be a problem.

The other thing is that most people will start playing the Kanto Region based on these games. The only other ones would be Generation I for the Gameboy and Gameboy Color which is a bit outdated as we stated. The other games would be Let’s Go Pikachu or Eevee which is a complete remake, and it features other things like Fairy-types, Alolan forms, and more. Those are a bit out of hand, so we’ll just stick to FireRed and LeafGreen for now.

The Stats

Stats can be something that you may want to look for your Starter. Keep in mind that these three will evolve so we’re looking at the big picture. When it comes to stats;

• Bulbasaur which turns to Venusaur later on is the more balanced type. It has average attacking and defending power, and it has the highest HP out of the three.
• Charmander which becomes Charizard later on becomes more of the offensive type. It has high Attack, SP. Attack, and Speed. You could say when you want a starter that packs a punch then Charmander is the one for you.
• Squirtle which evolves into Blastoise is more in defense. It has high Defense and Sp. Defense stat. It does have the lowest Speed of the three which makes it slow.

To summarize, Charmander for attack, Squirtle for defense, and Bulbasaur for balance. This gives you an idea of which starter Pokemon is the best for FireRed or LeafGreen.

The Moves

They can have the stats, so why not look at the moves. Once again we are looking at the moves that they can learn overall in their final evolutions. Keep in mind that they can learn moves by leveling up and by using a TM or HM.

The Bulbasaur line learns a lot of Grass-type moves and most of these moves can heal it. We have moves like Leech Seed and Giga Drain. Another good combo is Synthesis and Sunny Day that Bulbasaur can learn. You can heal a lot of HP in one turn. Another appeal of Bulbasaur’s moves is that it can learn debilitating moves like Toxic, Sludge Bomb, and Poison Powder earlier on. Bulbasaur can sustain itself in battle while slowly killing its enemy because of its average offensive power.

Charmander’s line focuses more on Fire-type moves and pure offensive power. It has a ton of moves that deals tremendous damage like Flamethrower, Fire Blast, and Overheat. It also had the capabilities to learn Flying, Steel, and Dragon-type moves which is not available to the other two starters. Unlike Bulbasaur, Charmander’s moves don’t allow it to sustain itself in battle. To top it off, Charmander can also learn Fighting and Ground-type moves allowing it to be a very versatile damage dealer.

The Squirtle line is a bit of a mixture of offensive and supportive moves. Despite its high Defense stat, Squirtle only has Protect as a move that improves its defensive capabilities. Allowing to learn Rest is also a good idea to help it recuperate during the battle and its stats can help it tank off any incoming attack. Naturally, it also learns a ton of Water-type moves for offense. Surf is also a good HM for it to use because Surf has good attack power and it can be used outside of battle. You can pair off the Water-type moves with Rain Dance and Squirtle can pack a punch. It can also learn Ice-type moves in the process.

Their Impact In the Story Battles

This one has a bit of spoilers if you haven’t played the games but these can help you determine which starter Pokemon is the best for FireRed or LeafGreen. We are taking into consideration the impact or how hard or easy the battles will be during the story.

Bulbasaur starts off strong because it can easily fend off Brock and Misty’s Gym at the start of the game. It can have a balanced face off against the other Gym Leaders and demolishes Giovanni’s team in the late game. The only Leaders that may give Bulbasaur a problem would be Sabrina and Blaine because Psychic can destroy Poison and Blaine’s Pokemon are all Fire-types. Overall, Bulbasaur has a strong early game and good late game but it can struggle in the middle.

Charmander on the other hand can suffer early on. Brock and Misty’s Gym can annihilate Charmander easily causing you to catch other Pokemon and grind them so you can beat these Gym Leaders. Charmander also struggles against Giovanni’s team because of their Ground-type lineup. The Elite Four as well wouldn’t be any much easier because of members like Lorelei and to an extent Lance. However, Charizard’s Dragon-type moves can fend off Lance. Charmander struggles at the start and in the late game when you don’t have a well-rounded team.

Finally, Squirtle can have an escalating odds type of deal. It is good at the start against Brock but struggles in the middle because it equalizes Misty’s Gym. Lt. Surge and Erika’s Gyms will be hard for Squirtle but in the late game, Squirtle can demolish Blaine and Giovanni. Blastoise at the time of the Elite Four can be strong because of its Ice-type moves. Lance will definitely get a run for his money because Blastoise is a bit tanky and the Ice-type moves can deal a lot of damage to Dragon-types.

Pros and Cons

We’ve already discussed the stats, moves, and storyline impact, so we’ll take a look now at what makes these starters strong and weak.

Bulbasaur as we stated is strong in the early game. It is arguably a strong Grass-type at the start of the game with the only other options you have for the late game would be Exeggutor, Vileplume, and Victreebel. It also has a secondary type once it becomes a Venusaur which is Poison. Having the Poison-type allows it to be nullified from getting the PSN status. The downside to Bulbasaur is that it is in the middle of the road. The dual-type also makes it weaker to a lot of other types.

Charmander is the strongest when it comes to just raw damage. It has a hard time sustaining itself and the early game can be hard. You need to catch and grind other Pokemon to help you deal with the early Gyms. It is the strongest Fire-type in the game with the only substitutes would be Arcanine, Rapidash, Magmar, and to some extent Moltres which is a Legendary Pokemon. Giving it the ability to use Dragon-type moves also adds to its appeal.

Squirtle is interesting because you won’t be struggling as much in the early game. Plus, a lot of players really like putting Surf on it because it saves a slot when you need to have a Surfing Pokemon in your lineup. A potential downside is that Squirtle can be replaceable by other Water-types and the game has a ton of them in case you didn’t get one. A good substitute would be Gyarados, Lapras, and even Starmie.

Final Verdict

Here it is, our ranking of which starter Pokemon is the best in FireRed or LeafGreen. Keep in mind that this is just our evaluation and we’re not stating this is fact.

The best one to use would be Bulbasaur. It starts off strong and finishes off strong in the game’s overall story. You can build a good Pokemon lineup around it because you can already have three types under Bulbasaur being Grass, Poison, and to some extent Ground. The fact that it is also well-rounded can make it a beginner-friendly Pokemon for new players.

Squirtle takes second place because it can be strong in the early game and can survive in the late game. Despite it lacking self-sustaining and healing moves, its high defensive capabilities can pretty much let it live through a lot of the battles later on in the game. Once again, Surf can be a lifesaver and makes things convenient for you.

Unfortunately, Charmander is in the last spot. It suffers greatly in the game’s main story getting pummeled by Gym Leaders. It can pack a punch but the Fire-type nature of Charmander makes it hard to fight other Pokemon. Basically, you need to grind your Charmander a lot and even result in using a lot of items just to buff it up during the fights.

In closing

When it comes to which starter Pokemon is the best in FireRed or LeafGreen, it really is up to you. However, these are just data and information that you can use whenever you decide to play these games again.