Choosing the best starter Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the first big decision you make in Lumiose City, and it sticks with you all the way through the Z-A Royale and beyond. This time you are not picking from the usual Grass / Fire / Water region trio. Instead, Legends: Z-A gives you a nostalgic but unusual lineup:
- Chikorita (Grass)
- Tepig (Fire)
- Totodile (Water)
All three can Mega Evolve later in the story, and all three are viable. But if you just want a straight answer:
Totodile is the best all-round starter for most players in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, with Chikorita being a great choice for defensive and Fairy-heavy teams, and Tepig being the high risk, high reward attacker.
Let us break down why in detail.
How starter choice works in Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Unlike classic mainline games, Pokémon Legends: Z-A uses real time battles. You move around the arena, dodge enemy attacks, and time your own moves while a Mega Energy gauge fills up. Once that gauge is full, your active Pokémon can temporarily Mega Evolve for a big power spike.
A few important things about starters in Z-A:
- You pick your starter right at the beginning and it stays with you through the whole story.
- Each of the three gets a unique Mega Evolution:
- Chikorita → Meganium → Mega Meganium (Grass/Fairy)
- Tepig → Emboar → Mega Emboar (Fire/Fighting)
- Totodile → Feraligatr → Mega Feraligatr (Water/Dragon)
- You receive the Mega Stone for your chosen starter partway through the main story, turning it into a natural centerpiece of your team.
The story is absolutely beatable with any of the three, but the way the real time combat, boss design, and type coverage work makes some choices smoother than others.
Chikorita: the defensive Grass/Fairy tank
Chikorita has always had a bit of a “hard mode starter” reputation, and that mostly carries over into Z-A, especially in the early game. It plays very differently from the other two.
What Chikorita does well
Chikorita evolves into Meganium, and then later into Mega Meganium, gaining Grass/Fairy typing. That combination comes with some big perks:
- Grass/Fairy hits Dragon, Dark, and Fighting types super effectively.
- It has useful resistances to Water, Electric, Ground, and Dark.
- Mega Meganium gets excellent bulk and solid Special Attack, letting it soak hits and strike back reliably.
On top of that, Chikorita’s line naturally leans into support and sustain:
- Access to healing and screen-style moves makes it easier to survive messy fights.
- It is very forgiving if your timing on dodges and positioning is still a bit sloppy.
Once Mega Evolution is unlocked, Mega Meganium becomes genuinely scary in longer boss fights, especially against Dragons and Dark types.
Where Chikorita struggles
The tricky part is the early game:
- Pure Grass typing at the start means you are weak to common Fire, Flying, Bug, Ice and Poison moves.
- You do not have huge damage early on, so fights can take longer.
- When you are still learning the real time battle flow, low damage plus multiple weaknesses can feel rough.
You can absolutely fix this by building a smart team around it. Picking up early Fire, Flying or Bug answers and grabbing some heavier hitters like Heracross later will help a lot. But Chikorita is not the easiest “blind first run” starter.
Pick Chikorita if: you enjoy playing defensively, like the idea of a bulky Grass/Fairy Mega, and do not mind a slower start in exchange for a tanky, supportive endgame monster.
Tepig: aggressive Fire/Fighting offense
Tepig is the opposite of Chikorita. Once it evolves, it turns into a very aggressive attacker that rewards confident, in-your-face play.
What Tepig does well
Tepig evolves into Emboar, then Mega Emboar, which keeps the classic Fire/Fighting typing. This gives you:
- Strong answers to Steel, Ice, Normal, and Dark opponents.
- High Attack and solid Special Attack, so you can run a mix of physical and special moves.
- Big, satisfying hits that can delete weaker enemies quickly, especially in crowded Battle Zones and Z-A Royale encounters.
In practice, Meg a Emboar feels fantastic if you are good at positioning:
- You dive in, dish out heavy damage, then dodge and reposition before the enemy punishes you.
- Against many mid game bosses, a well-played Emboar or Mega Emboar can shred health bars very quickly.
Where Tepig struggles
The tradeoff is that Fire/Fighting is quite fragile in this game’s context:
- You pick up weaknesses to Water, Flying, Ground, and Psychic, all of which show up frequently.
- Emboar’s defenses and Speed are not amazing, so missed dodges hurt a lot.
- The game gives you plenty of other Fire options later, including some very strong Megas, which means Tepig is not filling a unique niche the way Totodile does.
If you build a team with bulkier partners that cover its weaknesses, Tepig can still absolutely carry, but it asks more from your mechanical skill and team building.
Pick Tepig if: you like high damage, aggressive play, you are confident in real time dodging, and you want a starter that keeps up very strong offensive pressure all game.
Totodile: the best starter Pokémon for most players
Now for the fan favorite of many early guides: Totodile. If you want the easiest, smoothest ride through Pokémon Legends: Z-A, this is the pick that makes the fewest demands on you.
Why Totodile feels so good to use
Totodile evolves into Feraligatr and then Mega Feraligatr, gaining Water/Dragon typing when Mega Evolved. Even before Mega, the line has a great feel:
- Pure Water early on is a very safe defensive typing, with only Grass and Electric weaknesses.
- Feraligatr has high Attack, solid bulk, and a movepool that naturally includes strong Water moves plus key coverage like Ice Fang/Punch and Crunch.
- In real time battles, that mix of good damage + solid bulk is exactly what you want.
You do not need fancy setups with Totodile. You can:
- Step in, get a few strong hits in.
- Take a hit or two without instantly folding.
- Recover by backing off and repositioning, rather than being forced to play perfectly.
Mega Feraligatr and Water/Dragon typing
When Mega Evolution enters the picture, Mega Feraligatr’s Water/Dragon typing is the big tiebreaker:
- It flips traditional Water weaknesses: now you mainly care about Dragon and Fairy, not Electric and Grass.
- Water/Dragon has excellent resistances, helping you stay on the field longer during tough boss fights.
- Mega Feraligatr’s stats lean even more into hard-hitting physical attacks with plenty of bulk.
In practice, Mega Feraligatr is one of those Megas you can happily bring to almost any major encounter and feel strong, even if you did not hard tech your team around that specific boss.
Pick Totodile if: you want the most balanced, forgiving, and generally strong starter, especially for a first playthrough or if you are still getting used to Legends-style combat.
How much does the starter really matter?
The starter choice is important, but it does not completely lock you into an easy or hard route. A few things to keep in mind:
- Your rival keeps the two starters you do not pick, so there is always going to be at least one rival fight that is awkward for your type.
- The game quickly hands you access to powerful partners. One of the stand-out examples is the early Heracross trade, which has become a bit of a community legend. That Heracross hits extremely hard, benefits from being a traded Pokémon, and can even Mega Evolve later, making it a fantastic partner no matter which starter you chose.
- You can recruit other classic starters like Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie and even the Kanto trio fairly early through side missions, giving you plenty of ways to balance your team’s typings.
So if you already have a huge personal attachment to Chikorita or Tepig, you are not “wrong” to pick them. Z-A is flexible enough that you can completely lean into your favorite and still clear everything.
Which starter should you choose in Pokémon Legends: Z-A?
Putting it all together:
- Totodile is the best starter Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Z-A for most players. Its line is strong from start to finish, it feels great in the real time system, and Mega Feraligatr’s Water/Dragon typing makes it a super reliable Mega for story and postgame content.
- Chikorita is ideal if you enjoy defensive, support-oriented play and want early access to powerful Fairy coverage through Mega Meganium. It starts slow, but the payoff later is very real.
- Tepig is perfect if you love big Fire/Fighting damage and do not mind managing extra weaknesses and slightly lower bulk. In capable hands, it melts bosses fast and feels very satisfying.
If you are truly undecided and just want a recommendation that sets you up for a chill, powerful first trip through Lumiose City, go with Totodile, grab that early Heracross trade as soon as you can, and build the rest of your team around those two carrying your run.