PokéBonk Best Starter: Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle?

Updated Oct 23, 2026

Your first pick becomes the first member of your League, and you can't change it without wiping your progress. The other two join later: play two runs to finish their challenge, then catch them when they appear in a run. So the choice matters for your first few hours, not forever.

Our pick for a first run is Squirtle. Its passive adds 15 armor and a 20-point shield, which forgives the mistakes every new player makes against the first hordes, and it still gets +40% damage below 40% HP. Pick Bulbasaur if you like to stay in fights and heal: its Grass hits restore HP and it reaches its final form earliest, at level 41. Pick Charmander for the most attack-focused passive (+10% Fire damage, +40% damage below 40% HP) and the fastest movement of the three, if you are comfortable fighting at low HP.

New to the game? Start with the PokéBonk beginner guide.

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PokéBonk Starters Compared

Starter	Role & type	Passive	Moves (from level)	In-run stats at Lv 1	Evolves	Ultimate
Bulbasaur	Healer · Grass / Poison	Synthesis: +1.5 regen and +25% healing. Grass attacks heal you 0.4% of max HP per hit, up to 5 times a second.	Vine Whip (start), Razor Leaf (2), Sleep Powder (4), Solar Beam (7)	108 HP, 9 armor, ×1.07 special, ×1.02 speed	Ivysaur at Lv 24, Venusaur at Lv 41	Furious Roots → Frenzy Plant → Giga Flower Whip
Charmander	Fiery Assault · Fire	Sea of Flames: below 40% HP, +40% damage. +10% Fire damage.	Ember (start), Fire Spin (2), Flamethrower (4), Fire Blast (7)	104 HP, 8 armor, ×1.05 special, ×1.07 speed	Charmeleon at Lv 24, Charizard at Lv 44	Rising Blaze → Blast Burn → Giga Blaze
Squirtle	Defender · Water	Torrent Shell: +15 armor and +20 shield. Below 40% HP, +40% damage.	Water Gun (start), Bubble (2), Rapid Spin (4), Hydro Pump (7)	108 HP, 11 armor (26 with passive), ×1.01 special, ×1.02 speed	Wartortle at Lv 24, Blastoise at Lv 44	Shell Whirlpool → Tidal Wave → Hydro Cannon

Passives, starting attacks and signature moves as shown on the in-game Choose your partner and League screens (Oct 23, 2026). In-run stats come from the game's stat formula; Charmander's match its League screen exactly. Signature moves are offered from the level shown and appear three times as often as other moves.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best starter in PokéBonk?

For beginners, Squirtle: +15 armor and a 20-point shield make the first runs much safer. Charmander has the most attack-focused passive and moves fastest but has the least HP, and Bulbasaur heals itself with every Grass hit. You get the other two after two runs, so the choice only shapes your start.

Can I change my starter in PokéBonk?

Only by starting over: Settings → Account → Start from scratch deletes your progress, runs and leaderboard records but keeps your account, name and friends, and lets you choose again. You can do it once every 7 days. It is usually easier to unlock the other two, which takes two runs plus a capture.

When do the starters evolve in PokéBonk?

During a run. Bulbasaur becomes Ivysaur at level 24 and Venusaur at level 41. Charmander becomes Charmeleon at 24 and Charizard at 44, and Squirtle becomes Wartortle at 24 and Blastoise at 44. Every run starts again from the base form.

How do I unlock the other two starters?

Their challenge is "Complete 2 runs", win or lose. After that, one of them appears as a wild encounter in a later run; knock it out and press E to throw a Poké Ball.