Pokémon’s 10th Gen Needs To Break One Of The Series’ Oldest Traditions

The 10th Generation of Pokemon is fast approaching as we head into 2026, but with little news so far, it’s hard to tell what this milestone will have compared to past games in the series. With controversies around recent titles, from Scarlet & Violet in Gen 9 to the Legends: Z-A spin-off, Gen 10 needs something different to stand out. To reinvigorate both new and veteran players, one break in tradition may be exactly what the franchise needs to get back on top.

Each new Pokémon game has tried something different, whether it’s the open world approach that started with Sword & Shield in the 8th Gen or the less linear Gym structure seen in Sun & Moon the Generation before. However, far too many features of Pokémon titles remain the same, which has various pros and cons. While the core experience of the series remains intact and fun, some small changes that break tradition more than before may be needed to truly make Gen 10 stand out.

Gen 10 Should Ditch The Tradition Of Fire, Water, & Grass Types

For every spin-off and mainline game, Pokémon has seen the starting Pokemon for players always represent the Fire, Water, and Grass-type. Ever since Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur, players have been locked into choosing their first Pokémon partner from a selection of creatures that have the same elemental affinity. While these typings are great to teach players about match-ups in Pokémon battles, there’s an argument to be had that the Fire/Water/Grass triangle has gotten stale.

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Evolutions of initial starters has been where variety shines the best, but even that has gotten somewhat formulaic over the years. For example, Fire-type starters that evolve into a Fire/Fighting combination has happened more than once, even showing up again in games like Legends: Z-A with Tepig and Emboar. Some starters have had the luxury of having multiple unique types right away, but sadly, this has become a rarity during the last few Gens.

The only exceptions to starters following this series tradition are, ironically, from the 1st and 7th Generations. The Grass/Flying-type starter Rowlet from Pokémon Sword & Shield and the classic Grass/Poison-type Bulbasaur from the Kanto region are the only two Pokémon starters that aren’t a pure Grass, Water, or Fire-type. Having a single typing on a starter does make it easier for players to learn what types beat each other at their journey’s beginning, yet Pokémon players have a far greater understanding of that fundamental feature in the series’ games at this point.

Not Every Pokémon Game Has Followed The Same Principle As Past Titles

Only one or two Pokémon games have ever dared to give players a starter outside the Fire/Water/Grass tree, with Pokémon Yellow being the first example. Pokémon Yellow had you start with the Electric-type Pikachu, mimicking the anime series that enamored many people to the world of Pokémon in the first place. However, while this would be repeated somewhat in Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee, those games’ use of starters work in a much different way.

For starters, Let’s Go Eevee did give you the Normal-type Eevee as your starter, with its many evolutions almost giving you your pick of unorthodox types once it transformed. Despite this, either Let’s Go game was basically a recreation of the Gen 1 Kanto titles, with mechanics more similar to Pokémon GO rather than any of the mainline games. This made capturing Pokémon a slightly different process, but still retread the same old ground that made the original rock-paper-scissors of starters predictable.

Starters With More Unique Elements Might Help The 10th Gen Stand Out

What makes the Fire/Grass/Water type triangle work for starters is how they interact with each other naturally. It’s easy to infer which type is weak against the other, with a rival trainer’s starter choice reinforcing that too. However, this pattern can be repeated with three new types to inject something fresh into the next Pokémon game, giving players memorable starters who don’t follow series trends.

Fighting, Ice, and Flying might be an example of a new triangle since it follow the same premise as Fire, Grass, and Water do. If three starters followed these types, anyone who picks the Fighting-type would be countered by their rival picking the Flying-type. Choosing the Ice-type invokes the rival taking the Fighting-type, and getting the Flying-type lets the rival collect the Ice-type as their counter. This may not be as intuitive for what beats what, but it does give Game Freak more opportunities to create perhaps the most unique starters the franchise has seen for its Gen 10 games.

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Having a Poison, Ground, Dark, Fairy, or even pure Psychic-type starter in a mainline game would be exciting, drawing plenty of attention around specific Pokémon and their potential evolutions. Much of the excitement from new Pokémon games comes from the starters, so having ones with even greater impact would be an incredible victory for the 10th Generation, bringing back the feeling of the first titles that made the series iconic.

What do you think the starters for Gen 10 should be? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!