Summary
The firstPokemongame I played wasPokemon Blue, AKA the first one. You might call me, then, a Pokemon Starter. Or, as The Pokemon Company might call me, a First Partner. We aren’t standing for this, right? This is not allowed. It has been an insidious disease within the Pokemon vernacular for far too long, and we’ve all been too preoccupied by Dexit and tree graphics andScarlet & Violetcrashing to notice. Today, we fight back.
Whether you’re a Pokemon veteran or have only a passing knowledge of the series, you will be aware of how every one of them starts. All mainline games begin in the same way, and this formula has become so iconic that several other games have copied it since. You choose between three different Pokemon, with the perfect triangle of Fire, Water, and Grass. It used to be that your rival picked the Pokemon strongest against yours,back when they were actually rivals, but these days they’re best buds and are kind (read: boring) enough to pick the one weakest against yours.
The Starter trio may be perfect, but there arestranger directions it could go in.
This is a core part of Pokemon, and you’ll probably call whoever you pick your Starter Pokemon. It’s the Pokemon you start with, ergo it’s your Starter. We’ve all called it this for two decades, but recently First Partner Pokemon has taken over. I cannot describe how much I hate this phrase, but I will give it a good ol' try.
The Origins Of First Partner Pokemon
As far as I can tell, First Partner Pokemon appeared on the scene with Sun & Moon in 2016. We mostly ignored it and kept calling them Starters, but The Pokemon Company has persisted. And after eight years, it’s finally beginning to take root. It could be written off as a clunky translation from the native Japanese - and boy, is it clunky - but if this was the case it would have faded by now.
Instead, it has become more persistent, and a mixture of younger Pokemon fans who have grown up with First Partner being presented on an equal footing to Starter Pokemon, and Pokemon fans' tendencies to toe the company line no matter what, have allowed this. But it’s more than just a preference, it speaks to corporate language invading fan spaces.
I’m not entirely uncharitable. I understand that despite raising them for violent means and personal gain, it has always been a core part of Pokemon that they’re our friends. And First Partner Pokemon underlines that you are in this together as partners, as equals. Calling them a ‘Starter’ makes them feel a little bit more disposable, like you’ll move on pastures new as you level up. But Starters tend to be your strongest Pokemon for the entire game, the defining ‘mon in your team, and the biggest memory of your entire run.
Pokemon Is No Longer Cool
My issue is not just that it sounds unnatural, but more that it is unnatural. We’ve all been calling them Starter Pokemon since Pokemon began. That’s just what they’re called. Pokemon, despite having taken over the world, is desperately uncool. This is why the rivals are no longer rivals. Pokemon has succeeded, in many ways, despite its branding, and plays things overly safe. Calling them something as corporate and dull as First Partner Pokemon is another part of this problem.
Not liking the new name isn’t too big a deal when I can just keep calling them Starter Pokemon. I assume most people will, even as First Partner Pokemon gains popularity. The problem is I don’t trust a company that asks you to select a First Partner Pokemon to produce anything of worth. It speaks tosafe game design and bland creativity. Pokemon has been producing the same game over and over and over again, and even as it moves to open world gameplay you cansense the reluctancethat means it is still making the same game instead oftrying something new.
With Pokemon, it feels as though the more things change, the more things stay the same, and I cannot shake the feeling that perhaps I have outgrown it. And it’s not because it’s childish - it always has been and I think I could have lived with that.Mariois also childish, but manages to innovate. Instead, I have outgrown it because it has become boring, and if First Partner Pokemon is the future of Pokemon, I think I might be part of its past.
Pokemon
Pokemon has entertained both children and adults alike for several generations. Whether hit video games, anime series and movies, trading cards, or more, there’s something for every budding trainer hoping to catch ‘em all.
