The King's Top 10 Favorite Starter Pokemon · 12:49am February 5th
Hello, my subjects. I have a different type of list for you today. As you may or may not know, I love Pokemon, and with Scarlet/Violet's final add on having come out and the release of Palworld (which looks lit as heck), I figured I'd do a list of favorite starter. Really starters are some of my favorite Pokemon in general, which isn't surprising seeing as the Pokemon you tend to start your journey with and spend the most time with. In fact, the top four of this list are also my Top 4 favorite Pokemon in general. Ironically, my least favorite Pokemon of all time is also a starter, but that's for the other list.
So, without further ado, here are my favorite Starter Pokemon.
10. BLAZIKEN
Starting off strong, ain't we? Blaziken is the coolest chicken you'll ever see. After Torchic, which is easily one of the cutest starters, and Combusken, which is probably the most awkward (homie legit look like a penis), we get this guy that... Well, looks nothing like a bird. Apparently, Blaziken is supposed to be based on cock fights? (I guess Combusken is based on cock in general 
) But whatever, it still looks mad cool.
There's a few reasons why Blaziken isn't any higher, such as the awful Shiny (being a Shiny Hunter, that's gonna play a part in this) and the fact it's overshadowed by another Fire/Fighting Starter (we'll get to that later). But still, Blaziken rocks.
9. SCEPTILE
And here's the Blaziken's twin brother. Sceptile and Blaziken are both really cool Pokemon that are fun to have on the team. They're pretty neck and neck, but ultimately, I decided to rank Sceptile slightly higher for one reason: the Shiny form. While Blaziken's Shiny, again, is awful, Sceptile has one of the most underrated Shiny forms. Another example of why Hoenn is my region.
8. FERALIGATR
Hey, you know what would be a real kick-butt Pokemon to have for your Johto journey? How about a 7'7 alligator?! Feraligatr just screams 'beast mode'. Perhaps a bit of why it isn't higher on the list is because, to me, it makes for a perfect antagonist Pokemon as opposed to Typhlosion. But man, this croc is boss.
7. SKELEDIRGE
Speaking of crocs; man, Gen 9 only had one good starter, but that one good starter is one of the best ever. Going from the adorably dopey Fuemoco to this incredibly cool dude with an OP special move, Skeledirge is also the first starter to be quadrupedal since Samurott in Gen 5, which is kinda crazy; hopefully they do more four-leg bois in the future. If there's one thing that holds Skeledirge back, it's that it came right after another Fire/Ghost starter (more on that later) and the fact the region itself has an even more badass Fire/Ghost Pokemon in Ceraledge. Still, even cooler croc.
6. GRENINJA
I'll be real with you guys, I didn't care for X/Y. But whatever complaints I have on those games, Greninja isn't one of them. Though honestly, a lot of my affection for Greninja comes from using it in Scarlet. From it's excellent stats, to his Protean ability, to having one of the best Shiny forms ever; I've really come to adore this ninja frog. Now, all we need is a ninja turtle Pokemon...
5. INFERNAPE
While Gen 3 is when I started watching the anime and getting into the franchise, it wasn't until Gen 4 that I got my first Pokemon game. And my first Pokemon ever was Chimchar. On top of being one of the only Fire types in Diamond/Pearl (good job, developers), and legit being one of the best competitive Pokemon in the Gen (which is surprisingly rare for Starters), Infernape is such a freaking cool Pokemon in general; being based on Sun Wukong and, much like Greninja, focusing on speed and power, which is my preferred battle style. Definitely the best of the Fire/Fighting Starters.
4. CHARIZARD
Yes, Charizard is overrated. Yes, Charizard gets way too much special treatment. Does that make it a bad Pokemon? No. Does that diminish my love for it? No. There's a reason why Charizard has always had such a big spotlight; it's freaking awesome. The design is top tier, the Shiny is one of the absolute best, Ash's was always so cool in the anime; Charizard is just Kanto's best. No amount of overexposure can change that.
Honestly, I easily could've ranked Charizard higher, but since it was a close call between it and the next Pokemon, I decided to settle for Charizard being fourth so that the top three are each a different type Starter.
3. DECIDUEYE
Far and away, my favorite Grass Starter. Starting off as the adorable Rowlet which I obviously chose as my Alola starter, Decidueye is an awesomely designed archer owl and is the first starter to get a Ghost-typing. It also has one of the best and underrated Shiny forms.
2. SWAMPERT
Hoenn has the best trio of Starters, hands down. But as cool as Sceptile and Blaziken are, they pale in comparison to our favorite... amphibian? Fish? Thing? Mudkip is probably the cutest Starter, Marshtomp is delightfully derpy and probably the best middle stage Starter, and Swampert is probably the strongest starter statically. There's just something so alluring about this big axolotl.
Swampert was very close to being number 1 and it was a close call. But there was one I just had to put above it.
1. (HISUIAN) TYPHLOSION
Typhlosion has always been awesome; a wonderfully designed Pokemon based on the Honey Badger, one of nature's most badass animals. If I included classic Typhlosion separately, it'd be between Skeledirge and Greninja. But Hisuian Typhlosion stands out to me especially. Being my starter of choice in Legends: Arceus; my favorite Pokemon game: and finding a super rare female as my first shiny form. Being a Ghost-type; statistically my favorite; and the design? That mane of ethereal flames? That look of being perpetually high? I fricking love it!
Hisuian Typhlosion is not only my favorite Starter, but my favorite Pokemon period.
Hope you enjoyed the list. Do you agree with my picks? Of course, you don't. So, lemme know your favorite Starters. Heck, let me know your favorite Pokemon straight up. Have a great day, everybody. 
Excellent choices.