Which starter should you pick in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen?

Like in every mainline Pokémon game, early on in your trainer's journey in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, you'll choose a starter Pokémon from Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. It's a tough choice — not just because of gameplay factors, but because of the nostalgia associated with these Generation 1 cute critters. There's no wrong pick from the bunch, but there are still factors to weigh when making your decision in Professor Oak's lab.

Below, we'll provide some context to consider when choosing which starter you'll venture across the Kanto region with in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

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Which starter should I pick in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen?

As Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are Generation 3 remakes of the original Pokémon games, the starter trio is the same as it was in the games that started it all, Pokémon Red and Blue.

• Bulbasaur, the dual grass- and poison-type
• Charmander, the fire-type
• Squirtle, the water-type

Being remakes of the original games, FireRed and LeafGreen have a balanced selection of Pokémon, meaning there's no dearth of any specific type like how there was a lack of fire-types in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. You'll encounter plenty of grass-, fire-, and water-types when exploring out in the wild.

However, who you'll face in the games' early gym battles is something to consider if you're hoping your starter can carry your team from the outset. For example, Charmander will be at a type disadvantage against the first two gyms as they're rock- and water-type. Charmander won't have a type advantage in a gym until the fourth one, which is full of grass-type Pokémon.

The post-game is also a factor to consider, specifically if you have your eyes set on a specific Legendary Beast. Which one of Raikou, Entei, or Suicune that roams your game will depend on which starter you chose. The Legendary Beast that appears will have a type advantage over your starter, meaning you'll encounter Entei if you chose Bulbasaur, Suicune if you chose Charmander, and Raikou if you chose Squirtle.

The only way to get all three starters, and their evolutions, is by trading with very generous friends, especially since the Pokémon Home connectivity that will come later only allows you to transfer your Pokémon to Home and not into FireRed or LeafGreen.

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What do the Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen starters evolve into?

All of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen's starters have iconic final evolutions, but the middle evolutions aren't anything to sneeze at either. Here are the evolution chains for each starter:

• Bulbasaur will evolve into Ivysaur and then Venusaur
• Charmander will evolve into Charmeleon and then Charizard, a dual fire- and flying-type
• Squirtle will evolve into Wartortle and then Blastoise

Unlike games in later Pokémon generations, there's no special in-battle gimmick for the final evolutions of the starters. You won't be able to Mega Evolve them or make them ginormous via Gigantamax.

They do get to learn special, very powerful moves from Cape Brink's move tutor once you've achieved maximum friendship with your fully evolved starter. Venusaur can learn Frenzy Plant, Charizard Blast Burn, and Blastoise Hydro Cannon.

There are plenty of factors to weigh when considering which starter to choose, but there's no wrong choice. Once you pick one of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, your journey to being the Pokémon Champion will be off to the races!