Starters and "Pseudo-Starters"

Anyone who plays the Pokémon games, and in particular the main series, know that in order to begin the games, one chooses from a set of three Pokémon, known as the "starters". These three Pokémon are invariant from three types - Grass, Fire, and Water - which demonstrate relationships at a very basic level. However, in the case of Pokémon Yellow as well as certain spinoff games, the player can or does start with Pokémon that is none of these. I've taken to call these Pokémon as "pseudo-starters", a term I've previously mentioned.

Of these, Pikachu has to be the one that fits the criteria the most. The player is given this Pokémon to start with in the Yellow Version, and plenty of other Pokémon games majorly feature Pikachu in a main role, being one that can be closely controlled by the player. Eevee would be a close second; the rival in the Yellow Version is actually given this Pokémon to start with, though this is not a player-controlled thing. What will be player-controlled, however, is when Eevee (and Pikachu) will be featured in the Let's Go games coming out soon. This effectively affirms their "pseudo-starter" status. Meanwhile, though not in prominent roles, the Pokémon that a player may potentially start with in Mystery Dungeon, for example, could also be considered "pseudo-starters".

On one hand, the "pseudo-starters" are not really "starters", since the reference for this is well-established, being one of the three Pokémon as above that exist in every other main series game. On the other hand, certain games force the player to have (or at the least more likely to give them) one of these Pokémon to start the game instead of a "starter" proper. Yet it's not totally wrong, as quite a few of the "pseudo-starters" have abilities that equal or go beyond even the starters. Pikachu as an Electric-type Pokémon is almost incomparable, and Eevee has its evolutionary prowess, as examples. They seem to be worthy of being "starters", just as the Pokémon that rightfully have this attribute.

Any Pokémon game expects that the player begin with a certain Pokémon. But then, not all the games may be expected to start out with Pokémon of specific characteristics that typically constitute the "starters". In that case, this leaves the door wide open for "pseudo-starter" Pokémon to fill the void, which may have wonderful roles of their own. Yet that's a good thing, because they become exemplary of the greater world of Pokémon. They may not be expected "starters", but their values as part of the world of Pokémon are still indicated, if nothing else.

One year ago: The Old New Thing: Second-Generation Games