The starters are Pokemon that are given to the main character at the beginning of each game. However, the main character can only choose one of them, and the rival in each game chooses the starter that has a type advantage to your own (With the exception of Wally in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, who has a Ralts, Gary in Yellow, who has an Eevee because the main character has a Pikachu, and Bianca, who choose the starter who has the type disadvantage to your starter).
Each starter has a type that effects the other starters, for example, a Water-type move from a Water-type Pokemon would be super effective against a Fire-type, but not very effective against a Grass-type. That being said, the starters' types in almost every one of the Pokemon games are Water, Fire, and Grass. The starters from each region and their final forms' specialized stats are:
Kanto
- Bulbasaur (Grass-and-Poison type, the only Grass-and-Poison type starter ever, and strangely the only starter with two types in the history of Pokemon, great special attack and special defense)
- Charmander (Fire-type, and later gets a second type of Flying when it evolves, good speed and special attack)
- Squirtle (Water-type, Gary Oak's starter in the anime, high defense and special defense)
Johto
- Chikorita (Grass-type, wonderful defense and special defense)
- Cyndaquil (Fire-type, spectacular speed and special attack)
- Totodile (Water-type, huge attack and defense)
Hoenn
- Treecko (Grass-type, large amounts of special attack and defense)
- Torchic (Fire-type, becomes a Fire-and-Fighting type later when it evolves, powerful attack and special attack)
- Mudkip (Water-type, becomes a Water-and-Ground type later when it evolves, massive HP and attack)
Sinnoh
- Turtwig (Grass-type, becomes a Grass-and-Ground type later when it evolves, impressive attack and defense)
- Chimchar (Fire-type, becomes a Fire-and-Fighting type later when it evolves, outrageous attack, special attack, AND speed [and yet all of its other stats are terrible, that's why I don't use one, but that's just my opinion])
- Piplup (Water-type, becomes a Water-and-Steel type later when it evolves, strong special attack and special defense)
Unova
- Snivy (Grass-type, marvelous defense and speed)
- Tepig (Fire-type, becomes a Fire-and-Fighting type later when it evolves, giant quantities of HP, attack, AND special attack [again, its other stats aren't good, but its still a great Pokemon, like Chimchar's evolutions])
- Oshawott (Water-type, fantastic attack and special attack)
