Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon offers the biggest starter selection in the series: the eighteen starter Pokémon of the first six generations, plus Pikachu and Riolu. The personality quiz is back, but you remain free to ignore its result. Here are the list and the rules for choosing your partner.

The twenty starter Pokémon, by generation, with Pikachu and Riolu in the middle.

How the choice works

At the start of the adventure, the game asks you a series of questions. Depending on your answers, it assigns you one of the twenty Pokémon on offer. This is the big return of this quiz, absent from Gates to Infinity. But the result is only a suggestion: if the Pokémon doesn’t suit you, you can refuse it and freely choose from the twenty. Our original article points out that this option had been shown by Nintendo Treehouse during E3 2015.

The twenty starter Pokémon

GenerationGrassFireWater
KantoBulbasaurCharmanderSquirtle
JohtoChikoritaCyndaquilTotodile
HoennTreeckoTorchicMudkip
SinnohTurtwigChimcharPiplup
UnovaSnivyTepigOshawott
KalosChespinFennekinFroakie
Bulbasaur.
Charmander.
Squirtle.

Joining them are Pikachu, an Electric type, and Riolu, a Fighting type. These are the two Pokémon featured in the game’s visuals.

Choosing your partner

Once you have chosen your Pokémon, you choose the partner’s. The game applies type restrictions so that the duo is balanced:

Your PokémonPossible partners
A Grass-type PokémonA Water starter, Pikachu or Riolu
A Fire-type PokémonA Grass starter, Pikachu or Riolu
A Water-type PokémonA Fire starter, Pikachu or Riolu
Pikachu or RioluRiolu or Pikachu, Chespin, Froakie or Fennekin

Evolutions and beyond

The hero and the partner evolve temporarily during chapter 22, thanks to the Friendship Scarves. They then go back to their base form. They will only be able to evolve permanently after the epilogue, with Xerneas and the Tree of Life. Our original guide Starter Pokémon gives each one’s Abilities and starting moves, and Evolution explains the rules.