Do you typically keep your starter throughout?

[mαrkαsscoρ]

At a given Pokemon game, how likely are you to keep your starter on an initial playthrough? If you typically keep yours, have you ever made an exception?

Not really thinking about it, I always keep my starters throughout the game. The sole exception so far is X b/c I picked Chespin and did NOT like what he turns into. Boxed him the moment he became Chesnaught and I carried on.

 

[Azure Sage]

I usually keep them until postgame. I think my one exception was gen 5. I did not like Samurott one bit.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

I usually keep them until postgame. I think my one exception was gen 5. I did not like Samurott one bit.

I'm fine w/ samurott, but he did not fit what preceded him

 

[LegendOfMeesh]

the only time I didn’t was my first playthrough of Violet. not once in my life have I picked a grass starter, but I did this time because cute kitty. as cute as she was, I just wasn’t a fan of using her so I switched her out once she fully evolved. felt so wrong!

 

[Zettafleya]

The 9th gen is the only time I dumped them, though I love the first stages.

 

[TheGreatCthulhu]

Hell yes, they're my buds!

 

[Azure Sage]

I've only liked four starters enough to keep them in my main team permanently... Typhlosian, Sceptile, Torterra, and Decidueye.

 

[Cherry]

yes i usally try to make it the strongest pokeom i have

 

[CynicalSquid]

My starter usually carries the team throughout the entire game lol

 

[Ganondorf]

Yeah, barring a few exceptions such as re-runs of RBY or GSC where I just want to make the game harder. Vintage Crystal I recently boxed my Chikorita simply because my team was already heavy with grass type, so I wanted to stay with Oddish as my main grass user. I needed Chikorita so I could have a grass-egg group that overlapped with something else for shiny chaining later, which is why I picked them anyway. Oddish is my favorite Pokemon.

I generally feel obligated to keep starters in every game. Recently have been going back to my oldest possible saves of my games & transferring my oldest Pokemon I had as a kid to my new games for nostalgia, when before I never cared to do that. I felt very bad finding an abandoned Charizard & Arcanine from 2007, but they're with me again & I even walk with them on my Pokewalker every day at work now.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

For the most part. I do switch them out when I'm training new mon. Whether they go all the way to the top with me depends on the elite 4's typings, teams, and how good of a starter it is. I absolutely did not take Pignite with me, and Meganium is so awful that I reset. I doubt I'll take Decidueye and Chesnaught.

I did take Typhlosion, Feraligator, Sceptile, and Delphox.

 

[BloodyKun]

I’ve only ever finished the first two gens and this latest one, so I can’t really say for most. Started with Pokémon Yellow, Pikachu was kind of the draw of the game back then, and you could get each of the other starters as well there but I would end up keeping Charizard as well. Gen 2, Typhlosion carried much of the game. I barely ever needed others in either aside from HMs.

Surprisingly has been a bit different in Scarlet. I went for the water type this time, mostly because of the Jojo sort of hairstyle. I actually think it’s kinda neat. I did keep it most of the way, only swapping here and there, just because it’s either me just being bad at the game or it’s actually legitimately more challenging in some ways - especially the DLC now. I have three of the four legendaries on my team, as well as high level Dragonite and Lucario, and unfortunately dancing duck man seems kinda weak in comparison. I don’t know if it’s a smart team but most of the others seem to rank much more in general.

 

[Zettafleya]

Starting a new Yellow file.
Was originally torn on boxing Pika for a Magneton down the line, but went against it.
I won't be mean to my Pika, even if I don't want him.

Also, got a Mankey that I of course named 'Ganon'.
Suppose I could have named my pika 'Link', but went with Erkidez, which I may or may not have made up.

 

[A Link In Time]

Yes, I always keep my starter. Maybe it's a bit of the Pokémon anime influencing me, but they really feel like my partner, and I think most final evolutions are good enough for end game single player content.

 

[Jimmu]

I have never moved my starter out of my lineup while playing Pokemon - it just feels against the spirit of the journey to me.