Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Gen 9 starters have been revealed and they include a cat, a baby croc, and a duck. Do you have a favorite? I certainly do and it’s not my usual type.
The surprise reveal of the next mainline games in the Pokémon series comes just a little over two years since Sword and Shield came out. While some people feel that’s too early, others are ready to dig in and start planning who to journey with through the new games’ Mediterranean-inspired costal country-side. I, for example, will be choosing Fuecoco because he’s adorable and also I am morally opposed to using grass Pokémon that aren’t vegetables or being seen with a duck cosplaying as Donald Duck.
Here’s what little hard information we currently have about the new starters:
Sprigatito
Category: Grass Cat Pokémon
Height: 1′4″
Weight: 9 lbs.
Type: Grass
Ability: Overgrow
The capricious, attention-seeking Grass Cat Pokémon.
Fuecoco
Category: Fire Croc Pokémon
Height: 1′4″
Weight: 21.6 lbs.
Type: Fire
Ability: Blaze
The laid-back Fire Croc Pokémon that does things at its own pace.
Quaxly
Category: Duckling Pokémon
Height: 1′8″
Weight: 13.4 lbs.
Type: Water
Ability: Torrent
The earnest and tidy Duckling Pokémon.
What can we glean from these modest Pokédex entries? Well for one, Fuecoco is an absolute mini-unit at nearly the double the weight of the other two. “capricious” and “attention-seeking” sounds about right for a cat-based Pokémon, though hopefully Sprigatito’s feline instincts will make it an unusually aggro grass type. Meanwhile, Quaxly is “earnest and tidy.” Sounds like a cop to me.
We also get a look at one ability for each starter, albeit pretty standard ones. Overgrow boosts the power of grass-type moves, Blaze boosts the power of fire-type moves, and Torrent boosts the power of water-type moves. In Gen 8, this meant a 50 percent attack bonus when Pokémon fell to one-third of their total health.
As you would expect, the Pokémon fanart community is already having a field day. All of the starters seem to be getting plenty of affection, though I get the impression Fuecoco is a slight favorite at the moment. In some ways it almost feels like Charmander 3.0. Hopefully it stays as lovable through all of its evolutions.
Update: 2/28/2022, 2:04 p.m. ET: Added info about Gen 9 starters’ known abilities.