After chasing the pesky Pancham through Lumiose City, Taunie gives you the choice of three Pokémon to battle the Pancham that ran off with your bag. Your choices are Chikorita, Totodile, or Tepig – and this decision will shape your entire journey through Kalos.
In this guide, we’ll cover the best starting Pokémon in Pokémon Legends Z-A, answering the question: Which Starter Should You Choose in Pokémon Legends: Z-A? This will be based on early game viability, mid-game power spikes, late-game type coverage, and Mega Evolution strength. We’ll break down evolution levels, move pools, stat distributions, type matchups against major battles, and which starter gives you the smoothest playthrough from beginning to end.
Starter Pokémon Ranked
The Starter Pokémon are ranked from worst to best, with reasoning for each ranking provided.
3Totodile
The Big Jaw Pokemon, It can blast mighty jets of water and bite like a champ!
Totodile (Feraligatr) ranks third despite having the best Mega Evolution stats. Its early and mid-game performance is the weakest of the three due to special Water moves on a physical attacker (creating a stat mismatch until Level 21’s Aqua Jet), and Croconaw feels average from levels 18-30 with generic moves. However, Mega Feraligatr’s 160 Physical Attack (6th most potent in the game) and Water/Dragon typing that removes both Electric and Grass weaknesses make it the strongest post-game and competitive option.
2Chikorita
The Leaf Pokemon, It can shoot out supersharp leaves!
Chikorita (Meganium) takes second place as the most consistent option. It has the earliest final evolution at Level 32 (earliest Mega Stone access for Rogue Mega battles), the strongest mid-game performance from levels 16-29 with Giga Drain sustain, and never experiences a truly weak phase. However, it struggles with the most type weaknesses, including a devastating 4x Poison weakness in Mega form, and lacks super-effective coverage against the abundant Flying-type Pokémon you’ll encounter.
1Tepig
The Fire Pig Pokemon, It breathes fantastic flames from its nose!
Tepig (Emboar) is the best starter for most players. It dominates the early game with rare Fire-type coverage, has incredible type effectiveness throughout the journey, covering roughly 60% of the Pokédex with Fire/Fighting moves, and remains the only Fire/Fighting type in the entire game. While it suffers from the latest final evolution at Level 36 (delaying Mega Stone access), its early-game dominance and late-game power outweigh this temporary weakness between levels 28-36.
Information about each Starter Pokemon
Evolution Levels
Those are the levels at which each starter Pokémon can be evolved.
| Starter | First Evolution | Level | Second Evolution | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chikorita | Bayleef | 16 | Meganium | 32 |
| Totodile | Croconaw | 18 | Feraligatr | 30 |
| Tepig | Pignite | 17 | Emboar | 36 |
Levels the Starter Pokemon learn abilities
This is vital for players to learn about the levels at which their starter Pokémon may struggle, such as Chikorita struggling against most types until higher levels.
| Starter | Level 6 | Level 10 | Level 15 | Evolution Move | Mid-Game Moves | Late-Game Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chikorita | Leafage | – | – | Giga Drain (L16) | Disarming Voice (L8), Razor Leaf (L12), Leech Seed (L14), Body Slam (L22) | Leaf Blade (L32) |
| Totodile | Water Gun | Bite | Bubble Beam | Slash (L18) | Aqua Jet (L21), Crunch (L27) | Liquidation (L40) |
| Tepig | Ember | Rollout | Flame Wheel | Power-Up Punch (L17), Heat Crash (L36) | – | Close Combat (L45), Flare Blitz (L50) |
Early Game Alternatives
As you can later pick up other Pokémon, those alternatives allow for filling the gaps that your starter Pokémon choice may have cost you.
If you don’t pick Tepig (Fire):
- Litleo (special attacker, very late evolution)
- Fletchling (Fire/Flying)
- Scizor
- Flareon (no Mega forms).
If you don’t pick Chikorita (Grass):
- Bellsprout (has Mega Victreebel)
- Budew (long evolution)
- Pansage (falls off late game)
- Leafeon (strong early on but not as effective in the long term).
Final Recommendation
Pick Tepig for the smoothest playthrough with dominant early game and excellent late-game power despite the Level 28-36 struggle. Pick Chikorita for consistency without weak phases and the earliest Mega Stone access at Level 32. Pick Totodile for the absolute best Mega Evolution if you can carry a weak starter through early and mid-game.
