Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, LeafGreen, Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee · Kanto · 1996
Gen 1 starters
Complete guide to all three Gen 1 starter Pokémon. Story difficulty, competitive viability, and which one to pick.
→ 
Bulbasaur → Venusaur
Grass/Poison → Grass/Poison
Easiest story start. Type advantage vs first 2 gyms.
View Venusaur →
→ 
Charmander → Charizard
Fire → Fire/Flying
Hardest story start (bad early gym matchups) but iconic.
View Charizard →
Which Gen 1 starter should you pick?
For competitive: pick Charmander. Charizard has Mega X (Fire/Dragon — top-5 Mega in the game) and Mega Y (best Fire-type for sun teams). No other Gen 1 starter has dual Mega Evolution.
For first-time players: pick Bulbasaur. Easiest playthrough due to type advantage against Brock (Rock), Misty (Water), and Erika (Grass — wait, Grass loses to Grass... actually fine, you're neutral). Venusaur's Sleep Powder is broken in single-player.
For balanced experience: pick Squirtle. Blastoise has good stats across the board and Mega Blastoise's Mega Launcher gives unique Aura Sphere coverage.
Bulbasaur → Venusaur
Grass/Poison → Grass/Poison
Venusaur is a top-tier special tank in OU with Chlorophyll (2× Speed in sun) for offensive sets. Mega Venusaur (when available) adds Thick Fat to neutralize Fire and Ice weaknesses. Sleep Powder gives 75% accuracy sleep status.
Charmander → Charizard
Fire → Fire/Flying
Charizard is the franchise's mascot starter. Solar Power Hidden Ability boosts SpA by 50% in sun. Two Mega Evolutions (X = Fire/Dragon, Y = Fire/Flying with Drought). Heavy-Duty Boots mandatory due to 4× Stealth Rock weakness.
Squirtle → Blastoise
Water → Water
Blastoise is a bulky special tank with access to Shell Smash (Hidden Ability via 'Squirtle Squad' event) for setup sweeping. Mega Blastoise has Mega Launcher boosting Aura Sphere and other pulse moves by 50%. Solid in UU/RU tiers.
Story difficulty
Bulbasaur is the easiest Gen 1 start — Brock, Misty, Erika, and Giovanni all have type disadvantages against Grass/Poison. Charmander is the hardest (Brock crushes you). Squirtle is moderate (struggles vs Misty mirror match).
Competitive viability
Venusaur is OU-tier with Chlorophyll (Mega Venusaur even stronger). Charizard with Solar Power is OU-tier sun sweeper. Blastoise is mostly UU/RU; Mega Blastoise is OU. All three Gen 1 starters retain competitive viability across modern metagames.
Fun facts about Gen 1 starters
Gen 1 starters set the Grass/Fire/Water archetype that every generation since has followed. In Pokémon Yellow, you instead get Pikachu as your starter, and the rival picks Eevee. The three Gen 1 starters' final evolutions all share a 525 BST — the lowest of any starter trio (later gens got 525-535 BSTs).