This idea came up when I read a report on which Pokemon starter was the ideal choice who suggested that Squirtle was the best choice in the original games, I don't agree with this and a lot of people don't agree either, so this is my opinion on what's the best starter in each Generation including the current Gen 8 starters. All entries are based around their actual Generation so no remakes.
Updated and reuploaded to include Galar Starters.
Kanto
Bulbasaur may be a good choice for beginners but can easily lead to complacency; ultimately you're left with a team where Venusaur is 10 levels ahead of the rest of its teammates.
Charmander on the other hand is a difficult learning curve but is actually better in the long run. Because you have to work harder you'll ultimately have a better team later in the game.
Squirtle is a decent balance, it's fairly simple to grow a team around a Squirtle but towards the end of the game it's easy to get lazy.
Best Choice: Charmander. Remember there are six slots on that Pokebelt and there's no I in team and Charmander can create good teams.
Johto
Chikorita has a steep curve to climb that never improves throughout the game and you can't build a team around a Pokemon with barely any strengths.
Cyndaquil fairs better all round by being the only starter to actually be strong against any Gyms, it's the only choice that gives new players a chance but it doesn't come very often and will be smashed to pieces by the dreaded Miltank in the Goldenrod Gym.
Totodile while having no major strengths has no major weaknesses either allowing you to build a team without distraction.
Best Choice: Totodile. It's hard going in Johto, so team building is crucial and getting your Surfer ready early will make team building easier.
Hoenn
Treecko is good at the start and the end so everything in the middle will be the making of your team.
Torchic needs a small boost to get going and can be difficult to handle if not used correctly but can still make decent teams especially in the final stages of the game.
Mudkip is the beginners choice this time and good training early on can pay off well.
Best Choice: Treecko. It's much closer between these three but from personal experience Treecko gave me my best ever Pokemon team.
Sinnoh
Turtwig can provide a decent run but is heavily reliant on strategy based teams to work effectively late on.
Chimchar is the beginners choice and slightly too powerful for it's own good and doesn't seem to flinch at the idea of the first gym being Rock type.
Piplup is difficult to work with all round and needs some care to work properly, having a Steel type as an extra won't be enough.
Best Choice: Chimchar. As much as I hate the easy way out, the lack of Fire types in this Generation was worrying and the only good one you can get was the starter and you need a Fire Type for a good run.
Unova
Snivy is difficult to train and needs a solid team, this gets harder in the B&W sequels with gyms switching around.
Tepig is the worst of the Fire Fighting Starters despite being beginners choice, as it has too many inconvenient weaknesses throughout its run and there are better fire types available.
Oshawott is the easiest to train all round and like Totodile allows for peaceful team building.
Best Choice: Oshawott. The worst you have to deal with is Elesa and she can wipe you out regardless of what Pokemon you have.
Kalos
The New Generation's Exp All actively encourages you to have a full team by the second gym so Starter Choice isn't much of an issue this time but as to who's the best team to build around.
Chespin has a bad start which struggles to improve as the game goes on as most situations don't ask for Grass types.
Fennekin can almost finish the game on it's own, as beginners choice it's the most overpowered starter of the whole franchise, even more so than Bulbasaur was.
Froakie has it even tougher than Chespin and needs some serious training to remain on a team as it's job can easily be done by others.
Best Choice: Fennekin. Team building is easy in this Generation and Fennekin gives you the least trouble.
Alola
This Generation uses a different system to Gyms so team building needs a different approach so lets see what we have.
Rowlet has a great move set and can really be an asset to a team, I'd say this is beginners choice as building a team around this Pokemon can be relatively straight forward and having an easy Water Trial can make your game simpler.
Litten is not a good choice for team building as you'll find yourself using Litten less and less before the second island and by the time it's reached an opponent it could defeat you've already found a better Fire Type in Salandit.
Popplio is surprisingly capable considering it's the least popular of the three, the Fairy typing on it's final evolution is essential late in the game and combined well with Salandit.
Best Choice: Popplio. You can build a reasonable team round Rowlet but Popplio can give you the best combination late in the game where having a Fairy and Dragon Killer in the same team can really make a difference.
Galar
The region offers plenty of opportunities to create a strong team early on with the wild area so again this is very much who is the best to build around but also whether they are still useful come 4th Gym which is the 2nd part of the game.
Grookey is incredibly versatile being a grass type with a strong emphasis on sound based attacks, some are very powerful to use, so Grookey can easily slot into a team.
Scorbunny isn't too bad, early advantages will swiftly help it keep it's team position but you do need to be on your game fairly quick for consistency.
Sobble will struggle to stay on your team come the 2nd stage of Gyms, even when faced with the Fire Gym, Drednaw is a better water type due to the Rock typing
Best Choice: Grookey because he is more likely to stay on your team than the others.
Paldea
The newest region is open world and offers players the chance to create their own path but we still need to know what starter is the best.
Sprigatito has a great move pool for versatility and it's dark typing later on can help it over come some tough opponents especially it's fondness for critical hits.
Fuecoco is a powerhouse and really gives you an edge early on, this is beginners choice, it's ghost typing later on can also overcome some major threats late in the game.
Quaxly struggles majorly early on and has strong competition from other water types, it's place in any team is always challenged, it's fighting typing doesn't save it either.
Best Choice: Fuecoco, while the easy way isn't always the best choice, but in an open world of free choice, it's better to have a strong starter.
That's all of them. Remember this is just an opinion and should not be used to influence the decision of anyone playing the games.
