Choosing the Best Starter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Pokémon Legends: Z-A drops you into Lumiose City with a familiar yet crucial decision: which partner Pokémon will accompany you from your first steps to the closing credits? This time, the choice comes down to three fan-favorites from the Johto and Unova regions: Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile. Each one brings its own strengths, weaknesses, and unique role in both the story and the evolving combat systems of the Legends sub-series.

This guide takes inspiration from early impressions and analysis of Pokémon Legends: Z-A and expands them into a spoiler-light, strategic breakdown. You will find comparisons, practical recommendations, and starter-specific tips designed to help you pick the partner that best matches your preferred playstyle—whether you care most about a smooth campaign, endgame challenge hunts, or competitive-ready builds.

Understanding the Starter Choice in Legends-Style Games

The Legends series differs from classic mainline Pokémon titles in a few key ways, and those differences affect how meaningful your starter choice can be.

• More open structure: You are often free to explore and capture new Pokémon relatively early, which can reduce the long-term impact of your starter choice.
• Emphasis on agile/strong styles and positioning: Combat tends to reward speed, coverage, and survivability in different ways from traditional turn-based battles.
• Boss encounters and special battles: These can heavily favor certain types or stat spreads at specific points in the story.

Because of these factors, “best” can mean several different things:

• Best for a first blind playthrough with minimal grinding
• Best for a fast, aggressive playstyle
• Best for a defensive or tactical approach
• Best for long-term competitive or endgame optimization

Rather than naming a single universally correct answer, this guide walks through how each starter performs in different categories and then gives clear recommendations depending on what you care about most.

Meet the Starters: Roles, Types, and Identities

All three starters begin in their classic single-type forms and later evolve into their well-known final evolutions. While Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces new Mega Evolutions, the underlying role and identity of each line remains grounded in how these Pokémon have historically been designed in the official games and Pokédex data.

Below, we will examine what that means moment-to-moment in Legends-style gameplay and how each starter transitions from the early story into late-game and Mega Evolution scenarios.

Chikorita Line: Defensive Backbone and Utility Specialist

Chikorita is often misunderstood. In many classic regional journeys it has been seen as the “hard mode” starter because early-game routes and Gyms tend to punish pure Grass types. In a Legends-style game, though, defensive and supportive tools become more valuable thanks to dangerous boss encounters and the ever-present risk of being overwhelmed by wild Pokémon.

What Chikorita Does Well

• Reliable bulk: Meganium has historically high defenses, allowing it to soak hits that would topple more fragile attackers.
• Access to support moves: The line commonly learns moves such as Reflect, Light Screen, and healing or status options in mainline games. These types of moves have proven central for competitive and tactical play according to official tournament analyses from The Pokémon Company International.
• Team enabler: By providing protection and chip damage, Chikorita frees your more aggressive team members to sweep.

Where Chikorita Struggles

• Type chart issues: Grass is weak to Fire, Flying, Ice, Bug, and Poison. In an open-world setting packed with varied species, that means more matchups you need to play around.
• Lower raw damage: Meganium is not built to one-shot opponents. Battles can take longer, which may feel punishing if you prefer aggressive play.

Best Player Profiles for Chikorita

Choose Chikorita if:

• You enjoy methodical battles, setting up buffs, and outlasting foes.
• You plan to play a defensive or control-focused team in late-game content.
• You like the challenge of working around type disadvantages for a greater sense of mastery.

Tepig Line: Offensive Powerhouse and Early-Game Destroyer

Tepig continues the tradition of Fire-type starters that evolve into dual-type powerhouses. By the time it reaches Emboar, it becomes a Fire/Fighting bruiser with huge offensive potential, reminiscent of official stat distributions for Emboar in the core series, which emphasize high Attack and HP.

What Tepig Does Well

• Rapid early progression: Fire moves tend to hit early-game wild Pokémon and NPC teams hard, often letting you end battles in one or two hits.
• Excellent coverage: As it evolves, the Fire/Fighting typing and broad movepool let Emboar answer many threats with powerful physical attacks.
• Synergy with Legends combat: High-damage moves combined with strong-style attacks can delete problematic foes before they act.

Where Tepig Struggles

• Recoil and survivability: Emboar is known for powerful moves that trade HP for damage. In a game where you sometimes face multiple foes or bosses that hit back very hard, this risk is amplified.
• Speed concerns: Historically, Emboar’s Speed is poor. If that general design philosophy remains, you may be outpaced by faster threats.

Best Player Profiles for Tepig

Pick Tepig if:

• You prioritize a smooth, straightforward first playthrough.
• You enjoy big damage numbers and don’t mind using items or strategic swaps to cover defenses.
• You want your starter to remain a central damage dealer from start to finish.

Totodile Line: Flexible All-Rounder for Any Team

Totodile lands squarely in the middle—neither as fragile and explosive as Tepig nor as purely defensive as Chikorita. Its final evolution, Feraligatr, has historically balanced Attack, decent bulk, and workable Speed, making it a classic example of a versatile Water-type starter comparable to others analyzed in The Pokémon Company’s official Pokédex and competitive summaries.

What Totodile Does Well

• Balanced stats: You rarely feel overexposed in any one area, which is ideal in Legends-style content where enemy teams and environments change constantly.
• Consistent STAB options: Water-type moves are universally useful thanks to the prevalence of Fire, Ground, and Rock types.
• Adapts to many team compositions: Whether you build around physical offense, mixed teams, or status support, Totodile finds a role.

Where Totodile Struggles

• Lack of a single standout niche: Feraligatr is strong but not extreme. Those who want the absolute best damage, bulk, or speed may look elsewhere.
• Reliant on good move choices: To shine, you must invest in appropriate coverage and leverage Legends mechanics like agile/strong styles efficiently.

Best Player Profiles for Totodile

Choose Totodile if:

• You value flexibility and long-term reliability over early or late-game spikes in power.
• You want a starter that works with virtually any future team you might assemble.
• You’re returning to the series and want a familiar, dependable Water-type experience.

Comparing Starters by Playstyle and Game Phase

To make the choice more concrete, let’s compare how the three starters perform in different phases of the game and under different priorities.

Early-Game Performance

• Best early-game momentum: Tepig
  Fire-type coverage and strong physical moves let Tepig clear routes and early challenges quickly.
• Safest early-game approach: Totodile
  Good defenses combined with reliable Water moves make early wild encounters manageable.
• Most demanding early-game path: Chikorita
  You will frequently need to switch, set up protective moves, and rely on teammates earlier than with the other starters.

Mid-Game and Story Progression

• General recommendation for story mode: Totodile tends to offer the best balance of utility, damage, and safety across varied environments.
• Power-focused story run: Tepig still shines if you keep your items stocked and pay attention to its matchups.
• Strategic story run: Chikorita rewards planning and the use of support moves during boss encounters or multi-Pokémon battles.

Endgame and Competitive Potential

While Legends games are not strictly competitive in the same sense as official ranked battles, players often enjoy optimizing builds and experimenting with challenging encounters.

• Defensive and support roles: Chikorita/Meganium is the standout pick if you want to craft teams around screens, healing, and status, mirroring how supportive Grass-type Pokémon have been used in many officially sanctioned formats.
• Offensive sweeping and boss-killing: Tepig/Emboar serves as a terrifying breaker that can dismantle bulky foes when properly supported.
• Flexible all-round builds: Totodile/Feraligatr is ideal if you like adjusting your set depending on each major fight and experimenting with different team archetypes.

The Role of Mega Evolutions in Your Starter Choice

Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces new Mega Evolutions for the final forms of each starter line. While exact moves and stat changes are specific to this game, it is useful to consider how Mega Evolutions typically work in the broader series.

According to official descriptions from The Pokémon Company, Mega Evolution provides a temporary, battle-only upgrade that enhances a Pokémon’s stats and sometimes alters its ability or typing. Historically, this has been used to:

• Turn balanced Pokémon into hyper-specialists (e.g., huge offensive or defensive boosts).
• Shore up existing weaknesses (such as low Speed).
• Redefine a Pokémon’s role through ability changes.

Applying that philosophy to Z-A’s trio:

• Mega Meganium: Likely doubles down on bulk and support, possibly gaining tools that make it an even better backbone for defensive teams.
• Mega Emboar: Expected to hit even harder, potentially improving its Speed or survivability so it can function as a late-game sweeper instead of a glass cannon bruiser.
• Mega Feraligatr: Could lean into either speed and offense or mixed bulk, reinforcing its identity as a jack-of-all-trades that can be tailored to your needs.

When deciding on a starter, consider whether you want your Mega form to be:

• An anchor (Chikorita)
• A sledgehammer (Tepig)
• A versatile pivot (Totodile)

Which Starter Should You Pick? Recommendations by Goal

If you just want a direct answer based on different goals, use the breakdown below as a quick reference.

Fast and Fun First Playthrough

• Recommended starter: Tepig
• Why: Dominant early-game, strong offensive presence, and satisfying animations and damage output make for a very engaging first run.

Stable, Low-Stress Story Run

• Recommended starter: Totodile
• Why: Balanced stats, good coverage, and reliable Water-type offense help you adapt to most situations without extreme difficulty spikes.

Strategic, Challenge-Oriented Run

• Recommended starter: Chikorita
• Why: You’ll be rewarded for careful planning, making use of buffs, debuffs, and status moves, especially in boss and multi-Pokémon encounters.

Focusing on Endgame and Team Synergy

• Defensive and support-heavy teams: Chikorita
• Hyper-offensive or glass cannon teams: Tepig
• Balanced and experimental team building: Totodile

Starter Choice FAQ

Does my starter really matter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A?

Your starter shapes your early- to mid-game experience more than your final team. Because Legends-style games allow you to catch a wide variety of Pokémon relatively early, you can patch most weaknesses through smart team building. That said, your starter remains one of your most consistently used partners and often features in story and climactic battles, so it still has meaningful impact.

Can I get the other starters later?

In many recent Pokémon titles, additional starters become available through side quests, trades, or special events. While the exact method varies by game, The Pokémon Company frequently provides secondary paths to obtain starters you did not pick originally. Check in-game NPCs, post-credits content, and official announcements for details relevant to Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

Which starter is best for new Pokémon players?

Totodile is generally the safest recommendation for new players. It offers straightforward gameplay, reliable type advantages, and few severe weaknesses, which matches guidance often given to beginners in official introductory materials.

Which starter is best if I want a challenge?

Chikorita provides the most demanding early game due to its type matchups and defensive orientation. You will need to lean more on team composition, buffs, and smart switching, which can create a satisfying, tactical experience.

Is there a single “best” starter overall?

Not in an objective sense. If your focus is a smooth story clear, Tepig or Totodile will likely feel better. If your goal is advanced tactical play and creative team building, Chikorita and its Mega form may reward you more. The ideal choice is the one that aligns with how you like to approach battles and exploration.

Final Thoughts

Pokémon Legends: Z-A reimagines Lumiose City and the Kalos region through the lens of the Legends formula, and your starter choice is your first big expression of how you want to experience that world. Chikorita offers thoughtful, defensive play and deep synergy for tactical teams. Tepig delivers explosive offense and a thrilling, high-damage story run. Totodile bridges the gap, giving you a flexible, dependable partner that rarely feels out of place.

Ultimately, no choice is wrong. Each starter line has been designed over multiple generations of games to be viable with the right support and strategy—a philosophy evident across The Pokémon Company’s official balancing, Pokédex entries, and tournament guidelines. Pick the partner that excites you, build a team that complements its strengths, and enjoy exploring Lumiose City from an entirely new perspective.