History Characters / PokemonRecurringArchetypes

* CrutchCharacter: Although not as heavily so as the early Bug-types which evolve early and fall off early, a good chunk of the Rattata archetype evolves early, is very good into the mid-game, and then falls off in usefulness. Some of the archetype averts this, however: two examples are Galarian Zigzagoon and Lillipup, which eventually evolve into Obstagoon and Stoutland, respectively, who are still very usable in the endgame.

Three-stage versions usually resemble the larva, pupa, and adult stages of complete {{Metamorphosis}} of many RealLife insects, while two-stage versions are like incomplete metamorphosis with a regular younger form and bigger form-type evolution. They typically come in one of two flavors, a rounder one that may be flying and a sharper one that may be part poison, evoking the original Butterfree and Beedrill. .

Trainers learn basics of the games' mechanics through them such as ElementalRockPaperScissors, high catch rates that only require the default balls, level-up evolution etc.

A two-stage mon, always Normal-type (sometimes with a Dark-type counterpart after Poochyena in Gen III) that is particularly common on early game routes, if not throughout the entire region. They are generally designed to be unremarkable, having low stats even upon evolution. Early-game opponent trainers such as Youngsters, Lasses, and Grunts may favor them. Especially the Dark-types for the latter.\\

Sometimes called the "rodent," they've been a variety of field and urban mammals that live near humans (such as rabbits, raccoons, badgers, mongooses, and even pigs). They typically evolve once around level 20 and have a base stat total in the lower 400s. Moderately useful early on, but poor coverage options, plain typing and low stats make them obsolete quickly. However they may have abilities (like Runaway or Pick Up) that make them a good UtilityPartyMember if you have extra space in your party. In addition they can usually learn a lot of field moves in Generations that use [=HMs=].\\

->'''Pokémon of this archetype:''' Rattata line (''Gen I''); Sentret line (''Gen II''); Zigzagoon line (''Gen III''); Bidoof line (''Gen IV''); Patrat line (''Gen V''); Bunnelby line (''Gen VI''); Yungoos line (''Gen VII''); Skwovet line (''Gen VIII''); Lechonk line (''Gen IX'')

* TheGenericGuy: They're about as unremarkable as you can get with Pokémon, being [[NonElemental Normal type]], having perpetually subpar stats, and closely resembling very common everyday animals.

* PredatorsAreMean: They Dark-types are more geared towards carnivorous predators and to the more herbivorous/omnivorous Normal counterpart.
* RatStomp: While they aren't always rodents, the Common Rodent is virtually guaranteed to be the first Pokémon you encounter in the wild and in a trainer battle, and they consistently serve as [[TheGoomba weak, early-game enemies]] that let the player get used to the game's UI.

* MakingASplash: Most members of the archetype are pure Water-type.

[[folder:The Aquatic Magikarp Power]]
!!The Aquatic Magikarp Power

** Palafin must be [[SecretIdentityChangeTrick switched out of battle and switched back in]], therefore potentially exposing itself to danger on the latter stipulation.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: While the [[GameplayAndStorySegregation player]] may be tricked into activating a Voltorb or Electrode thinking it was an item ball, this is only because they use the [[GraphicsInducedSuperDeformed same icon on the world map]]. InUniverse, a Poké Ball can fit in a ten-year-old's palm, while an Electrode is a little over ''three'' feet in diameter. In non-game material, they're simply living land mines rather than Poké Ball fake-outs. Foongus is appropriately much smaller, and Stunfisk only shows its small Poké Ball-shaped mouth while concealing the rest of its body.

* ShockAndAwe: They're always Electric-type.

[[caption-width-right:1000:The Early Birds of Gens I-VIII]]

[[folder:The Starter Trio]]
!!The Starter Trio

The Starter Pokémon. The Big Three. Later officially renamed the First Partners. They are, true to name, the first Pokémon you receive in the core series games. Entrusted to you by the regional Professor, they come in three different types: Grass, Fire, or Water. Your rival gets one you don't choose, teaching a basic ElementalRockPaperScissors relationship between them.[[note]]Earlier games always have the rival choosing the starter stronger to yours, while some later games have the rival choosing the starter weaker to yours; some games have ''two'' rivals who take both.[[/note]] Since abilities were introduced, starters get one of three abilities that are type variants of each other: Overgrow, Blaze, and Torrent, which boosts the power of their primary type when their HP gets low. \\

Storywise, the starters are intended to play TheHero role among your party for your first play through. In gameplay, they are the first customization option on your RPG experience: a choice of [[FighterMageThief build]] or [[BalanceSpeedStrengthTrio stats]]. In the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series, the concept of the starter trio along with the player character is represented by the "Pokémon Trainer" fighter (based on Red/Leaf from ''[=FireRed=]'' and ''[=LeafGreen=]''), who stands in the background while the player interchangeably controls Kanto's starter trio in different stages of evolution.

* BreakoutCharacter: Being a StarterMon vastly increases a Pokémon's chance of gaining widespread popularity and recognition. In particular, all three Kanto starter lines (especially Charizard), Blaziken, Greninja, and Cinderace have become major icons of the franchise.
* CantDropTheHero: Strongly averted. You could release them forever as soon as you catch your first ComMon, or trade them at any point in time. Still, the game reminds you of your starter choice through TheRival, and sometimes other characters.
** Played mostly straight in ''Let's Go! Pikachu'' and '' Eevee.'' You can't release your respective starter at all, and while you ''can'' switch them out of your battling party, they'll never leave your side in the overworld.

* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Applies to the whole game, but the starter trio adheres to one of the simplest RPS trios of types. Grass beats Water, which beats Fire, which beats Grass - though the secondary types of their final forms play with this sometimes:

** In Gen IX, Meowscarada is Grass/Dark, Skeledirge is Fire/Ghost, and Quaquaval is Water/Fighting, creating a reverse triangle along with the classic starter one.[[note]]Except for Skeledirge's Ghost type, which is only neutral against Quaquaval but is immune to its Fighting-type moves in turn.[[/note]]

** Gen IX features this as well, with the added twist that each starter's final evolution is inspired by a type of entertainer. Quaquaval (a DanceBattler based on Brazilian capoeira and carnival dancers) is the Fighter, Skeledirge (a singer using MagicMusic) is the Mage, and Meowscarada (a Dark-type StageMagician) is the Thief.

* TheHero: The closest monsters to being main characters. They get a lot of facetime in the marketing. Their designs give them pretty strong "canon" personalities (i.e. Sobble is anxious, Scorbunny is energetic.) They're also heavily associated with the human lead characters. Protagonists in spinoffs and marketing materials almost always have them. However the player's starter choice basically only influences some rivals' teams, with you being free to bench and even release them as you soon as you catch another Pokémon. Only in ''Yellow'' and ''Let's Go'' do they play a deeper role.
* JackOfAllStats: In the earlier games, the starters tend to have pretty well-rounded stats, so they can help out in any situation you get into early on. The later-introduced starters slowly bucked this trend, though their first forms are still usually well-rounded.

* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: Only one of the starters is given to you at the start of any playthrough. In most games, the only way to get the others is by trading.

*** The second set, introduced in Gen V, are the Pledge moves: Fire Pledge, Water Pledge, and Grass Pledge. While the moves are rather standard on their own, if two starters use different Pledge moves in doubles, the two will unleash a powerful CombinationAttack with a secondary FieldPowerEffect on the opponent's side. The "secret" part is later downplayed slightly, as they are shared as of Gen VII with the Elemental Monkeys while Grass Pledge alone can be taught to Silvally.
** It's also become common practice to give starter Pokémon their own exclusive moves in their debut generation/game, though these moves usually get subjected to UniquenessDecay later on. This started in Gen III (with Sceptile, Blaziken, and Swampert getting exclusive access to Leaf Blade, Blaze Kick, and Muddy Water, respectively), but it didn't become a recurring trend until Gen VI.
* StarterMon: They're always the first Pokémon you receive, and a handy partner to keep throughout the game.

* MagikarpPower: Their initial stages tend to have low stats for the point in the game they are found, usually a base stat total of 300 (with Dreepy's being even lower at 270). Most of them also evolve later than the vast majority of other Pokémon. For reference, among Pokémon with a three stage evolution line that evolve only through level, the average level of the first evolution is 23, and the average level of the second evolution is 36. For the pseudo-legendary lines, those averages are instead 34 and 52, respectively. The Deino line is particularly egregious about this. Not only does its first evolution come at level 50 (which it shares with the Dreepy line), but its second evolution comes at level '''64''', which is higher than all other Pokémon (beating out even the Dreepy line by 4 levels). By the time the Deino line reaches its first evolution, over half of the other pseudo-legendary lines will have reached their second (Bagon and Goomy lines at the same level, Gible line at level 48, and Beldum and Jangmo-o lines at level 45). If all of that wasn't enough, they require a high amount of experience points to level up. But when they fully evolve, they rival actual legendaries.

They mainly exist to teach the mechanic of evolution early in the game, as they often evolve earlier than practically all other Pokémon. They may reach their second or even third stage by level 10. Earlier members of the archetype can be useful in the early game thanks to their early high stats and status effects, but they are generally outclassed anywhere later than the early game. Some that reach their final form at higher levels can be more powerful, especially those from later generations. The ones that evolve early tend to have base stat totals in the high 300s or low 400s.\\

[[ZigZaggingTrope This archetype is never exactly the same from game to game]], though its purest form was defined in Gens III and Gen IV. In most cases, they are Legendary Pokémon which are far above both common wild Pokémon and minor Legendaries, often treated as major deities in their own right. Because of their overwhelming power, mascot Legendaries are generally banned from official tournaments and battle facilities and have the highest stats in the game.

->'''Pokémon of this archetype:''' Pikachu line (''Gen I''); Pichu [[note]]Can be lumped with the Pikachu line, but a newly introduced baby form for Gen II that [[WordOfGod was meant]] to be "the next Pikachu"[[/note]] and Marill line[[note]]A water type with some design similarities that was popular pre-release[[/note]] (''Gen II"); Plusle & Minun (''Gen III''); Pachirisu (''Gen IV''); Emolga (''Gen V''); Dedenne (''Gen VI''); Togedemaru and Mimikyu[[note]]Togedemaru is a straightforward example, Mimikyu is a Ghost/Fairy-type that deliberately but [[PaperThinDisguise poorly]] mimics Pikachu in order to make friends[[/note]] (''Gen VII''); Morpeko (''Gen VIII''); Pawmi line (''Gen IX'')

->'''Pokémon of this archetype:''' Pikachu line (''Gen I''); Pichu [[note]]Can be lumped with the Pikachu line, but a newly introduced baby form for Gen II that [[WordOfGod was meant]] to be "the next Pikachu"[[/note]] and Marill line[[note]]A water type with some design similarities that was popular pre-release[[/note]] ("Gen II"); Plusle & Minun (''Gen III''); Pachirisu (''Gen IV''); Emolga (''Gen V''); Dedenne (''Gen VI''); Togedemaru and Mimikyu[[note]]Togedemaru is a straightforward example, Mimikyu is a Ghost/Fairy-type that deliberately but [[PaperThinDisguise poorly]] mimics Pikachu in order to make friends[[/note]] (''Gen VII''); Morpeko (''Gen VIII''); Pawmi line (''Gen IX'')