Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Type Starters + The Version Differences

Sprigatito, Game Freak has revealed that Gen 9 is releasing on the Nintendo Switch in 2022. Here’s everything we know about Pokemon Scarlet & Violet starters, including Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly’s design and abilities.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet starters: Everything we know about

The Pokemon series’ ninth generation will officially launch in Fall 2022. Titled Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, the new RPG is the franchise’s first open-world title and its region looks to be inspired by Spain.

To kick off its reveal, Game Freak has given us our first look at the Gen 9 starters that players will get to choose from. We break down the three new Pokemon, their abilities, and what to expect from their evolution line.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Grass Type Starter

Sprigatito

Type: Grass
Category: Grass Cat Pokémon
Height: 1’4″
Weight: 9 lbs.
Ability: Overgrow
“The capricious, attention-seeking Grass Cat Pokémon.”

The first new Gen 9 starter to be introduced is the adorable Grass-type Sprigatito. Its name is a combination of Sprig (small leaf) and the Spanish word Gatito (kitten).

While we have yet to see the ‘mon in action, we have a pretty good idea of its personality based on its official description calling it “capricious and attention-seeking.” Interestingly, the Japanese version of the site describes it differently as “whimsical and spoiled.”

Its ability Overgrow made its debut in 2002’s Ruby & Sapphire and powers up all Grass-type moves by 50% once the player’s HP dips below or equals 1/3 in total.

Fuecoco

Ttype: Fire
Category: Fire Croc Pokémon
Height: 1’4″
Weight: 21.6 lbs.
Ability: Blaze
“The laid-back Fire Croc Pokémon that does things at its own pace.”

Although not confirmed, it appears the crocodile’s name is a mix between Fuego (fire), and Coco (which could possibly be a reference to the Coco ghost myth in Spain).

Since its debut, Fuecoco has already caused a lot of debate among the fanbase. On the one hand, some players believe its white face is meant to represent the inside of an apple. Others believe it’s meant to be a skull, which would play into the ghost themes.

Both the Japanese and English websites describe the Fire-type as laid-back. Just like the other two starters, its Blaze Ability was originally introduced in the Hoenn region and boosts Fire-type moves if its health drops low enough.

Quaxly

Type: Water
Category: Duckling Pokémon
Height: 1’8″
Weight: 13.4 lbs.
Ability: Torrent
“The earnest and tidy Duckling Pokémon.”

Last up in the new trip, is the cap-wearing duck Quaxly. Unlike the other Gen 9 starters, its name doesn’t appear to be based on anything in the Spanish language and is instead is just the sound the bird makes.

Like Sprigatito, the description for the ‘mon differs based on region. In English, it’s said to be earnest and tidy, while in Japanese it’s detailed as being serious and beautiful.

Its Ability is Torrent, which boosts all Water-type moves when the character’s HP has dropped far enough.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starter evolutions

The new trio will be your starters in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
At the time of writing, Game Freak has yet to reveal the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet starter evolutions. As far as theories go though, some fans believe that Sprigatito could be based on the European fairytale “Puss in Boots.” If so, the Grass-type could evolve into a two-legged musketeer.

There has also been speculation that Fuecoco could be the series’ second Fire/Ghost-type following in the footsteps of Hisuian Typhlosion in Pokemon Legends Arceus. In Spain, the Coco is a mythical ghost monster similar to the Bogeyman. However, all of these are just pure speculation at this point.

And that is everything we know so far. Based on Sword & Shield’s release cycle in 2019, we could get a second Presents and trailer in June 2022. In that, we should get a full breakdown of what Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly’s evolution lines look like.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet version differences explained

With Pokemon Scarlet & Violet releasing at the end of 2022, players may be wondering which version to get. Here is everything know so far about the differences between the two titles.

Ever since the series launched with Red & Blue in 1996, Game Freak has offered players two versions of each Generation title. Although this was dropped with Legends Arceus, the multi-release is making its return with Gen 9.

While Pokemon Scarlet & Violet has only received a short reveal trailer so far, we are going to break down every difference between the two RPGs that we know of right now.

Just like previous titles, players can expect the return of exclusive Pokemon tied to each version of Scarlet & Violet. Unless a new feature is released, you will need to trade with other players in Gen 9 to complete your game’s Pokedex.

In the announcement video which debuted in February, over 57 Pokemon have already been confirmed to be in the ninth generation, including the new starters Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly.

At the time of writing, however, Game Freak has not yet revealed which Pokemon will be exclusive. Based on the release cycle of 2019’s Sword & Shield, we will likely get more information in June 2022.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet version differences

Although there weren’t any exclusives announced yet, The Pokemon Company has already given us some hints about the differences between Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

While the Gen 9 protagonists will use the same character models, their default school uniforms are different – with one being orange and the other purple.

Pokemon Scarlet has a different protagonist uniforms compared to Violet.
The reveal trailer also showed two shields on the wall that had an orange and grape logo on them. The same icons can be seen as patches on the protagonist’s uniforms, which appear to be a symbol for each version of the game.

Pokemon Scarlet appears to have an orange symbol while Pokemon Violet has a grape.
Interestingly, the first footage of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet actually showed characters with both uniforms in the background. So while it does appear that each version of the game will have its own protagonist outfit or faction, it seems as though both groups will be in both games.

So far these are the only known differences, and we will have to wait until we get the second update from Game Freak. Make sure to check back with our hub as we will be updating it, including the Gen 9 exclusive Pokemon, as soon as we know more.

Is Pokemon Go shutting down?

In an update on the game’s official website yesterday, Niantic announced it would officially shut down the game on 31st January next year. On 6th December 2021, it’ll be removing the game from the App Store, Google Play and Galaxy Store. In-game purchases will also end on 6th December.

Can Hoopa summon Arceus?

While Hoopa can summon just about anything; it can even manage to summon Arceus if it manages to catch it off-guard, but that’s just about it; it won’t be able to control Arceus in any way due to the sheer magnitude of power that Arceus has access to in comparison.

Who came first Mew or Arceus?

The entries for both Mew and Arceus purport them to be the first, with Mew being “the ancestor of all Pokemon”, and Arceus as “the creator of all Pokemon.” While this has stumped players since Arceus was introduced in Generation 4, PokeDex entries are known for being unreliable.

What created Arceus?

It is told in mythology that this Pokémon was born before the universe even existed. It is said to have emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing, then shaped the world. According to the legends of Sinnoh, this Pokémon emerged from an egg and shaped all there is in this world.