Pokemon Scarlet And Violet Starting Trio: Toot Or Boot?

Pokemon Day 2022 delivered on every level thanks to the rumoured reveal of Gen 9, as well as our first look at Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. With a new generation, we have three new starters hoping to join the ranks of Squirtle, Cyndaquil, and Rowlet. The internet is already exploding with memes and fan art, but the question is, who gets the toot and who gets the boot?

Since 1996's release of Pokemon Red and Green, we've had a roster of three starters with every generation - usually fitting into the archetyple Grass, Fire, and Water. Game Freak has played with the formula over the years with hybrid types, but as we recently covered, this is the perfect triangle of starters. Even though there's only been a fleeting glimpse of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, we've already got some thoughts.

Fuecoco - Toot

If you mixed the brilliantly designed Appletun with Totodile - then added a bit of Charmander - you've effectively got Fuecoco. With this in mind, this cheeky chappy is overtaking its rivals as the one everyone wants to play as. Giving a mix of the Spanish words for fire and crocodile, Fuecoco is a twist on the classic idea you'd expect a crocodile to be water-based.

Even Fuecoco's description means you can't help but love it. The official blog post revealing the starters even gives it an adorable summary. Here, the fiery Fuecoco is described as "the laid-back Fire Croc Pokémon that does things at its own pace." We can definitely relate to Fuecoco's attitude - chill a bit and then torch your enemies. 

Away from Water-types tending to be the default pick for many, Fire-type Pokemon are a popular secondary (sorry to those who main Grass). Playing out between a mix of the game Gator Golf and a chilli pepper, consider us sold on this spicy fella.

Weighing 21.6 lbs, this little chonker is also the biggest of the Gen 9 starters, which only adds to its cute factor. Will Fuecoco go full Game of Thrones Drogon and burn this new region to the ground as you ride into battle? We can only hope!

Quaxly - Boot

Hey, the 1950s called - it wants its duck back. This knock-off Donald Duck seems to think it's too cool for school. Sporting the haircut of someone you might see in the background of Grease or chilling with a malted milkshake in the local diner, Quaxly lacks the pizazz of its other Gen 9 starters. 

As Misty will tell you any day of the week, Water Pokemon are classed by many as the original GOATs. You only have to remember the Squirtle Squad to see this in action. We bet the Quaxly Quad would've left bleeding out on the floor if they tried to rumble with the Squirtle Squad.

Described as "the earnest and tidy Duckling Pokémon," Quaxly also sounds like it'll be Simon from Alvin and the Chipmunks. The snitch that would rather rat out its siblings and have its beak in a book than going out to play with the others, we're getting some serious Randall from Recess vibes here. 

Hopefully, Quaxly will grow a pair with its next evolutions, meaning we could be judging a book by its cover. Namely, we're just confused to what's going on. The worst thing is, we don't know whether the thing on Quaxly's head is a hat or its hair. Are we destined to get a Toad from Mario-style reveal where we realise it isn't actually part of the 'mon's body? 

Spirigatito - We'll See

Already being dubbed "weed cat", Spirigatito is saying hello kitty as the standard Grass-type Pokemon. It's not that imaginative to add spring for small branch to the word kitty (gatito is Spanish for little cat), but this one already looks like it's leading the pack in terms of memeability.

Blazing it 420, Spirigatito has become a viral sensation overnight, as Twitter is filled with green-hued cats. Cat Pokemon like Meowth, Shinx, and Espeon have become standouts in their own right, but we'll have to wait and see whether Spirigatito and its evolutions are just another Purugly. 

Cats are notoriously choosy about who they give their attention to, and with Spirigatito, we're told it's a "capricious, attention-seeking Grass Cat Pokémon." Basically, it seems Spirigatito is only going to be looking after itself. Classic cats!

The problem with cat Pokemon is that they all evolve into basically looking like each other. Still, the idea of a Grass-type cat is a new one for us. Even though we imagine Game Freak will lean away from potential drug references, picture the scene where its final form has a giant smoking tail. Well, you never know.

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So there we have it, three new upstarts muscling into the already packed Pokedex and trying to make their mark. While Fuecoco is an early winner, it remains to be seen how things turn out. Come back when Pokemon Scarlet and Violet releases later this year and see whether we're still a Fuecoco stan or we're giving water Elvis our support.