Pokémon Legends: Z-A Starters — Chikorita, Tepig or Totodile?

Legends: Z-A does something unusual with its starter trio. Instead of new Kalos partners, you choose between two returning Johto favourites and a Unova guest: Chikorita, Tepig and Totodile. All three are solid, all three receive Mega Evolutions late in the game, and the right pick depends on how you like to battle.

The Three Starters at a Glance

Each carries the classic starter ability that boosts its own type's moves by 50% when its health drops below a third. What separates them is everything else: weakness profiles, evolution timing, and the Mega Evolutions waiting at the end — Mega Meganium becomes Grass/Fairy, Mega Emboar stays Fire/Fighting, and Mega Feraligatr adds the Dragon type.

Totodile: The Safe Pair of Jaws

Totodile is the pick for players who want the fewest bad days. Water is a famously tidy defensive type: just two weaknesses, to Grass and Electric, with resistances to Steel, Fire, Water and Ice. Croconaw arrives at level 18, a touch later than its rivals' middle stages, but Feraligatr lands at level 30 — the earliest final evolution of the three — and it brings a wide, physical-leaning movepool with it. Add Mega Feraligatr's Dragon typing on top and Totodile offers the smoothest ride from the opening hour to the endgame.

Chikorita: The Underrated Support

Chikorita has the best raw starting stats of the trio and the fastest first evolution, reaching Bayleef at level 16 and Meganium at 32. The catch is that Grass is a fragile defensive type — five weaknesses is a lot to manage, against Flying, Poison, Bug, Fire and Ice. What Meganium gives back is support: strong healing options and status moves that can paralyse, poison or put opponents to sleep, plus a Mega Evolution that adds the Fairy type and patches some of those holes. Choose Chikorita if you enjoy winning fights by outlasting people rather than out-hitting them.

Tepig: The Heavy Hitter With a Glass Jaw

Tepig resists plenty — Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice and Fairy — and evolves into Pignite at 17 and Emboar at 36. Emboar is a versatile physical attacker, but the Fire/Fighting combination is a defensive gamble: it keeps Water, Ground and Rock weaknesses and adds Flying and Psychic on top. In a game with real-time positioning, that means Tepig's line rewards aggressive, well-timed play and punishes hesitation. If your style is to end fights quickly, it will serve you well.

So, Which Starter Should You Pick?

Pick Totodile for the most forgiving playthrough and the earliest final evolution. Pick Chikorita if you like bulky support Pokémon and want to try the starter most players overlook. Pick Tepig for raw physical pressure. Honestly, though, all three are fully viable, all three get Megas, and Lumiose City lets you catch the other two starters later — Wild Zone 20 is home to all of them. The starter you love is never the wrong answer for long.