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While it might not be fair to rank them up against the water and fire starters, it is certainly fair game to compare them against each other. Grass starters typically receive a bad rap and get dismissed as third options but there are several starters ranked high on this list that rival their aquatic and fiery peers.
Updated Decmber 6, 2022, by Suzail Ahmad: Grass-type Pokemon are one of the most common types of Pokemon, and they can be found in all the Pokemon games. There is no shortage of Grass-type Pokemon, but not all of them are good, especially for competitive battles. Unfortunately, this also applies to Grass-type starters, which is why most players choose Water and Fire types because they are better equipped for online competitions. However, there is a small minority that does not care about online battles, and they judge a Pokemon purely on their design, and if Grass-type starters have one thing going for them, it’s their designs. Over the years, Game Freak has introduced many new Grass type starters, with the most recent being Sprigatito from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. With that in mind, the list has been updated with additional information about all the Grass-type starter Pokemon.
9 Chespin
Best Nature: Impish Highest Stat: Defense (65) Evolves At: Quilladin (16), Chesnaught (36) Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Ice (2x), Flying (2x), Bug (2x) and Poison (2x) According to Pokemon X , “The quills on its head are usually soft. When it flexes them, the points become so hard and sharp that they can pierce rock. "
From the Kalos region, Chespin wins the worst spot on this list for several reasons. Described as the “spiny nut” Pokemon, Chespin is closest to a mole type creature, although a butchered version of that. The mid-level evolution Quilladin is just a round version of Chespin and the final evolution of Chesnaught is a large white dinosaur-mole creature that bears little resemblance to the previous two versions.
Chesnaught also has fighting as its secondary type, which needs to be shelved as a secondary type for several generations before it gets used again. It’s the weakest choice between the three Kalos starters, primarily due to its unappealing final form. Chesnaught having the large round shell form seen in many other grass starters’ final evolution is shoehorned in because the base form doesn’t dictate it.
8 Snivy
Best Nature: Timid Highest Stat: Speed (63) Evolves At: Servine (17), Serperior (36) Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Ice (2x), Flying (2x), Bug (2x) and Poison (2x) According to Pokemon White , “They photosynthesize by bathing their tails in sunlight. When they are not feeling well, their tails droop. "
Snivy might be one of the few cases of snakes not being cool. The Unova region is home to three incredibly weak starting Pokemon, including the grass snake Snivy. Over the course of its evolutions, Snivy loses its legs and gains a slightly longer body and some gold accents to create a regal snake in Serperior. No secondary type, nothing extra special besides being a large snake.
Despite starting in a place where something interesting could have happened, like a snake with legs, it just results in a glorified garden snake. How did Game Freak manage to mess up a snake? Snakes are naturally a cool animal and they have made several well-designed snakes in the past but somehow the most prominent snake Pokemon is easily the lamest in design and execution. Snivy has one of the most uninteresting evolution lines in all of the Pokemon starters.
7 Sprigatito
Best Nature: Adamant Highest Stat: Attack (61) Evolves At: Floragato (16), Meowscarada (36) Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Ice (2x), Flying (2x), Bug (2x) and Poison (2x) According to Pokemon Scarlet , Its fluffy fur is similar in composition to plants. This Pokémon frequently washes its face to keep it from drying out. "
Sprigatito is the latest addition to the growing list of Grass-type starters. Its body is covered with pale green fur, and there is a dark green leaf-like pattern that surrounds its eyes. Like any feline, Sprigatito demands attention from its trainers. The first evolution of Sprigatito is Floragato, which is a bipedal feline. Floragato eventually evolves into Meowscarada, which has an amazing design.
Unfortunately, Meowscarada is a Grass/Dark type with many weaknesses, making it unsuitable for battle. It does have “Protean” as its Hidden Ability, but the ability has been revised in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which makes it less usable.
6 Treecko
Best Nature: Jolly Highest Stat: Speed (70) Evolves At: Grovyle (16), Sceptile (36) Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Ice (2x), Flying (2x), Bug (2x) and Poison (2x) According to Pokemon Ruby , “Treecko has small hooks on the bottom of its feet that enable it to scale vertical walls. This Pokémon attacks by slamming foes with its thick tail. "
While Treecko is a great starter, it doesn’t get to be higher on the list because it has some strong competition. In the Hoenn region, Treecko doesn’t stack up against Mudkip and Torchic since they bought have secondary types in their final evolution while Sceptile does not, excluding the mega evolution because that’s a very specific case.
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Treecko goes from a very woodland Gecko to a very large woodland Gecko? It’s unclear and not very exciting to see. On face value, Treecko seems like it deserves better but when you break it down, Treecko just can’t keep up with some of the other grass starters in this list.
5 Chikorita
Best Nature: Bold/Calm Highest Stat: Defense (65), Special Defense (65) Evolves At: Bayleef (16), Meganium (32) Weakness: Fire (2x), Ice (2x), Flying (2x), Bug (2x) and Poison (2x) According to Pokemon Gold , “A sweet aroma gently wafts from the leaf on its head. It is docile and loves to soak up the sun’s rays. "
The Johto region has a strong case for being the GOAT region, in close contention with the Kanto region. That said, like most grass starters, Chikorita is a strong number 3 out of the Johto starters. That’s not to say Chikorita isn’t great in its own right, but Totodile and Cyndaquil are better options.
The Chikorita evolution line also gets bonus points for having a very original design that does not have an animal to be based on. A dinosaur is the closest comparison to Meganium, but that’s about it. Meganium also does a good job of embracing the beauty and elegance of nature without relying heavily on being a large tank with a shell, like many of the other grass starters have.
4 Grookey
Best Nature: Adamant Highest Stat: Attack (65), Speed (65) Evolves At: Thwackey (16), Rillaboom (35) Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Ice (2x), Flying (2x), Bug (2x) and Poison (2x) According to Pokemon Sword , “When it uses its special stick to strike up a beat, the sound waves produced carry revitalizing energy to the plants and flowers in the area. "
While it might not be the best of the Grass starters, Grookey stands as one of the better options of the bunch. Known as the Chimp Pokemon, Grookey is full of charisma and would certainly reward any trainer looking its way.
High Speed and Attack make it great for early game battles. As with all starters, the conversation around Grookey’s relevance revolves around its final evolution. Rillaboom is lacking in Specials but does come with incredibly high Attack more than enough HP. Its 85 base Speed isn’t going to blow away the competition but is ultimately high enough so that Rillaboom isn’t left defenseless.
3 Turtwig
Best Nature: Adamant Highest Stat: Attack (68) Evolves At: Grotle (18), Torterra (32) Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Ice (2x), Flying (2x), Bug (2x) and Poison (2x) According to Pokemon Pearl , “It undertakes photosynthesis with its body, making oxygen. The leaf on its head wilts if it is thirsty. "
Tortoises are some really interesting animals, making Turtwig a really interesting Grass starter. Turtwig and the final evolution of Torterra embody grass and earth in their design. Torterra feels like it truly came from the Earth and gives off the embodiment of power. Turtwig and its evolution line go into the power of Earth and nature as opposed to beauty.
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Turtwig itself is also tied with Piplup for being the best starter in the Sinnoh region, beating Chimchar easily. The entire Turtwig evolution line has great designs, even the mid-level evolution, Grotle, is designed in a way that is a believable step between the two forms, without either feeling too far of a jump.
2 Bulbasaur
Best Nature: Modest Highest Stat: Special Attack (65), Special Defense (65) Evolves At: Ivysaur (16), Venusaur (32) Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Ice (2x), Flying (2x), and Psychic (2x) According to Pokemon Red/Blue , “A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon. "
The original Grass starter from the Kanto region Bulbasaur might be number 3 in Kanto, but he is number 2 on the list of grass starters. Bulbasaur is one of the best, being the cabbage toad that it is. Not only is Venusaur, the final evolution of Bulbasaur, the game mascot for both Pokemon Green and Pokemon LeafGreen but it is also on the most intimidating and strongest grass Pokemon around.
In addition to grass, Venusaur also rocks the poison type as one of the few early starters with a double type. Ivysaur is also a great mid-level design, proving a reasonable and convincing step between the first and final forms of Bulbasaur.
1 Rowlet
Best Nature: Adamant Highest Stat: HP (68) Evolves At: Dartrix (17), Decidueye (34) Weaknesses: Flying(2x), Fire(2x), Poison (2x), Rock (2x), and Ice (4x) According to Pokemon Ultra Sun , “It sends its feathers, which are as sharp as blades, flying in attack. Its legs are strong, so its kicks are also formidable. "
There are only two “bird” starter Pokemon across all of the games and both are top tier Pokemon. Torchic is the other but the Alola region’s Rowlet is the best grass starter across the generations. Rowlet earns plenty of points by being an adorable rendition of an owl; however, the best part comes in its final evolution.
Decidueye is a ghost and grass double type which is one of the most creative and interesting combinations across all of the starters. Decidueye is a cross between a massive owl and an archer, making for a mysterious bird that is as cool as it is mischievous. Ghost Pokemon are some of the best around, so having a starter turn into one is a dream come true.
Hisuian Form: Rowlet was one of the three starter Pokemon in Legends Arceus, which was based in the region of Hisui. Like the other two, Rowlet’s final evolution was altered and given a new type. In the game, Decidueye is a Grass/Fighting-type Pokemon, which is not a bad type, but it doesn’t quite match up to the original.
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