In Pokemon games, Grass starters usually feel like the third option. It takes a certain type of person, more thoughtful and tactical, to appreciate the quiet but capable grass-type starters. Grass Pokemon starters have a very diverse lineup over the generations of games, but some are certainly better than others.
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 April 25, 2023, by Suzail Ahmad: Grass-type Pokemon have been present in the games since the beginning. Along with Fire and Water type Pokemon, Grass-type are always among the starters. Since the release of the first generation, a lot of things have changed, including the designs and abilities of the Grass-type Pokemon. The developers have always tried to make Grass-type starters unique and attention-grabbing.
However, they have not always been successful in their attempts to create outstanding Pokemon. There is a disparity between the Grass-type starters, which is reflected in their popularity. With the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, fans got the opportunity to witness another new Grass-type starter. With strong rumors of all the starter Pokemon returning in the DLC, players will get an opportunity to try their favorite Grass-type starters in the latest edition of the game. So this is the best time to reassess all the Grass-type starter Pokemon and see where they rank in terms of usability.
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.
Hidden Ability and Strongest Attack: Chespin was introduced in Generation VI, but it didn't really wow anyone. Despite its odd design, Chespin has some good moves in its arsenal. Its strongest attack is Wood Hammer, which it learns at level 48. The move has a phenomenal power of 120, and it has 10 PP. Chespin's hidden ability is Bulletproof, which protects the Pokemon from ball and bomb moves.
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 cool animals 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.
Hidden Ability and Strongest Attack: Snivy made its debut in Generation V. This Pokemon was extremely popular among anime fans, but it didn't get enough love from gamers. Snivy's hidden ability is Contrary. It inverts all the changes that take place when Snivy is in battle. So, if the opposing Pokemon tries to lower Snivy's attack, Contrary will cause it to increase. Snivy learns Leaf Storm at level 43, which has a power of 130 but an accuracy of 90%.
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.
Hidden Ability and Strongest Attack: The newly introduced Grass-type is among the better Grass-type starter Pokemon. As previously stated, Sprigatito's hidden ability is Protean. Its strongest attack is Energy Ball which has 90 power and a 100% chance to hit the opponent.
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.
Treecko goes from a very small 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 players break it down, Treecko just can't keep up with some of the other grass starters in this list.
Hidden Ability and Strongest Attack: Treecko's Unburden is a fairly strong hidden ability. If Treecko's held item is stolen or used, its speed goes up. This ability can prove to be extremely useful in clutch moments where the player might need to strike first. Treecko's strongest attack is Leaf Storm. It can deal some hefty damage with it.
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.
Hidden Ability and Strongest Attack: Chikorita is an adorable Pokemon that has won the hearts of fans. The Pokemon has Leaf Guard as its hidden ability, which prevents all status conditions in harsh sunlight. This ability can come in handy in many situations. Chikorita's strongest attack is Solar Beam which has a power of 120.
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.
Hidden Ability and Strongest Attack: Grookey's hidden ability is Grassy Surge. This particular ability turns the ground into grassy terrain when Grookey enters the battle. Grassy Surge is incredibly beneficial, especially for Grass-type Pokemon. Grookey's strongest attack is Wood Hammer which it learns at level 32.
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 fascinating 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.
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.
Hidden Ability and Strongest Attack: Turtwig's Shell Armor is not the greatest hidden ability, but it can prove useful in certain situations. It helps Turtwig avoid critical hits, which can be annoying at times. Turtwig learns Leaf Storm at level 45, and it can take out the opposing Pokemon with a single hit.
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 one 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.
Hidden Ability and Strongest Attack: Bulbasaur is among the most popular Pokemon of all time. The Grass-type starter from Kanto has Chlorophyll as its hidden ability, which raises the Pokemon's speed in harsh sunlight. Bulbasaur's strongest attacks are Solar Beam and Double Edge. Both moves have 120 power.
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.
Hidden Ability and Strongest Move: Rowlet's Long Reach is one of the best, if not the best, hidden abilities in the game. With the help of this ability, Rowlet avoids any effects that might be triggered by a contact move. Rowlet's strongest attack is Brave Bird, which has a power of 120.