In Pokémon Yellow, starter Pokémon were treated in a way that has never been replicated since (with the exception of the Let’s Go! remakes). Pokémon Yellow is well known for diverging from the standard Pokémon formula in many ways, but few of these changes have ever been carried forward to other titles. As a consequence of this, fans have faced difficulties with starters that are perhaps ultimately unnecessary.
Pokémon Yellow changed many parts of its preceding titles, Pokémon Red and Blue. These changes were all in aid of capitalizing on the popularity of the Pokémon anime, allowing fans to play a version of the games more in line with the anime’s events. The most iconic change is, of course, players receiving Pikachu as their starter Pokémon, but other differences include the addition of Jessie and James to the game. Players have never been without a choice of three starter Pokémon in a core game since but this is not the only change to starter Pokémon in Pokémon Yellow to not be carried forward into other games.
Pokémon Yellow Made Kanto's Starter Trio Easily Obtainable
Although Pokémon Yellow made Kanto’s starter trio of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle unavailable at the very start of the game, this does not mean that players were unable to obtain them. In fact, all three can be received from NPCs early in the game, making for one of the best ideas used in Pokémon Yellow. A Squirtle can be obtained from Officer Jenny in Vermillion City, for example, referencing the anime’s Squirtle Squad and Ash’s own Squirtle. Later, in the Let’s Go games, this was expanded upon to make the trio also available as rare wild encounters; however, no other Pokémon game has made the unchosen starters so easily obtainable.
Unchosen Starter Pokémon Should Be Available In-Game
The unchosen starter Pokémon in any given title are typically only obtained through trading or transfers via Pokémon Home, which can make acquiring them a laborious process. Of course, it should be noted that not every Pokémon game treats the starters this way; all the starters in Pokémon Legends: Argeus can be obtained in a single playthrough, with those not chosen at the start available in the post-game. However, reaching this point takes a significant amount of time, and it also means the two starters are only obtainable so that the Pokédex can be completed. They still can’t be used for the vast majority of the game, unlike in Pokémon Yellow.
Pokémon Yellow’s treatment of the traditional starter trio is unique due to it being inspired by the anime. The game proved that starter Pokémon do not need to be exclusively chosen, although it must be acknowledged that making it a unique opportunity does help to preserve the significance of choosing a starter Pokémon. On the other hand, requiring trading to complete a Pokédex can make doing so difficult for some players. It is therefore somewhat disappointing that opportunities to obtain the other starters are not routinely available in the earlier stages of a game. As such, the next Generation of Pokémon may benefit from reusing this aspect of Pokémon Yellow.
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