This is my follow up to the “Ranking Fire Pokemon Starters,” with a rendition of ranking the water starters! Again, I have never played any of the mainline games, so I will do my best to rank on features other than simply design. But, keep in mind that a lot of my opinion comes from design and cuteness!!
9. Sobble | Generation 8 ~ Galar
Sobble is really cute. But, I am sure that everyone knows exactly why he ranks last on my list, and many others. It’s Inteleleon’s fault! Inteleon is so lame in my opinion. Also, why do the newer final evolutions need jobs? Like hello? Why does he need to be a spy? I don’t understand. Besides that, this whole line has one of the worst designs I have ever seen. Though Sobble is pretty cute, the rest are so ugly. Galar starters did not really deliver the way they should have to be honest.
8. Quaxly | Generation 9 ~ Paldea
Quaxly is pretty cool, I am not going to lie. I like the abilities he has, and I don’t mind too much about its final evolution. I mean, again, why does it need a job? But it’s not as bad as Inteleon. I personally do not like Quaxwell, the middle evolution, because the bulbous head does NOT work, but at least with Quaquaval it seems to be not as bad. The final evolution is also really cunty, and I enjoy its final evolution more than even the starter. Its abilities are also decent as well.
7. Totodile | Generation 2 ~ Johto
I think that this is a strong line simply for the abilities that each stage has. But, I think that there are simply better water starters existing in the universe. Totodile is a cutie, and it’s even getting its own spotlight in Pokemon Legends ZA coming out soon. I am excited to see the mega-evolution for Feraligatr, but I just can’t get myself to like it anymore than “sort of neutral.”
6. Piplup | Generation 4 ~ Sinnoh
I know I am going to get hate for this one. But I do not like the Piplup line as much as some people do. Some people even have it as their favorite Pokemon. I know it gets a lot of hype because Empoleon is super strong, and it is the only water/steel type in the entire game. I think that that is a cool feature, but it doesn’t sell it enough for me. Also, the line has like zero variation, to me it just reminds me of the same Pokemon it was before, but in the lame way. Like Prinplup is just a smaller version of Empoleon, so it’s hard for me to think it’s unique.
5. Squirtle | Generation 1 ~ Kanto
I believe that Squirtle has one of, if not the best middle evolution. I think the whole line is really strong, and does a good job of capturing the bad-assery of water typing. Also, Blastoise is getting a huge surge of popularity right now thanks to the Tik Tok song going around about him. I just think that he is sort of basic. I really don’t know, this is why he’s in the middle of the list basically. I think that he’s just alright, and that’s all I will give to Squirtle right now.
4. Oshawott | Generation 5 ~ Unova
Okay hear me out, Samurott is bad ass. I don’t care if it doesn’t match the evolutionary line, I actually like Oshawott’s final stage. The middle stage is pretty cool too. Oshawott is a cutie, and I hate that he gets so much dislike simply because of its final evolution. I like that he uses his little shell for different things, and his “Osha osha osha” voice is so adorable. I think that when Samurott got its Hisuian form with a dark typing, that made it even cooler. But, I feel like people started to diss the line even more after the fact. Oshawott deserves more love!
3. Froakie | Generation 6 ~ Kalos
I really like Froakie. Greninja is such a cool final evolution, and even Frogadier is badass. But, there are simply some Pokemon that I like slightly more. The top three were super hard to choose, because they’re honestly all pretty interchangeable. Froakie is pretty strong in each move it can do, and I especially like the design it has. From a cute little frog to a cool ninja. Also, Greninja is so cool that it appears in Super Smash bros. Absolute GOAT, but not enough to beat out my final two rankings in my opinion.
2. Popplio | Generation 7 ~ Alola
I already know that I am going to catch a lot of flack for my placement of Popplio. It’s not just that I think Popplio and Brionne are cute, it’s also because I think Primarina is one of the most elegant and yet kick-ass final starter evolutions there is. She is such a diva and I love her. She is a versatile Pokemon and a consistent fighter in battle, making her more reliable than others. The water/fairy typing is also a favorite of mine. I think Popplio, and its subsequent evolutionary line, is solid.
1. Mudkip | Generation 3 ~ Hoenn
Yes, I am aware that Mudkip, and later Swampert, is number one on a lot of lists. I just can’t help it. Mudkip is so freaking cute, and I love the shiny of him as well. Not to mention, going back to a quadruped in its final evolution is awesome. I am not a super big fan of Marshstomp, but I understand the logic behind the evolution. Its moveset is super valuable, and the water and ground type in its final stage makes it immune to many things, despite the 4x weakness to grass. That doesn’t matter though, it’s just a super strong Pokemon, and a cutie patootie as a baby.
Thank you for reading this far. Next week, I will get to the grass starters, which is going to be difficult for me to rank since I am a huge fan of grass-type Pokemon.