Pokemon Let's Go Starters: Pikachu and Eevee
Let's Go has no starter choice: your version decides the partner, Pikachu in Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee in Let's Go Eevee. Each is rated against its own version. Pikachu wins 8 of 14 boss fights and isn't rated Tough in any of them. Eevee wins 4, and Brock is its only Tough fight.
Partner Pikachu and Eevee Stats
Partner Pikachu
Type
electric
Base statsPartner Pikachu
- Total
- 430
| Boss | Result and score out of 100 |
|---|---|
| Brock | Even, 43.4 |
| Misty | Strong, 72.0 |
| Lt. Surge | Even, 55.4 |
| Erika | Even, 48.1 |
| Koga | Good, 63.5 |
| Sabrina | Good, 61.0 |
| Blaine | Good, 59.7 |
| Giovanni | Even, 44.3 |
| Lorelei | Good, 70.9 |
| Bruno | Good, 61.5 |
| Agatha | Good, 63.0 |
| Lance | Good, 62.6 |
| Trace | Even, 56.1 |
| Blue | Even, 56.4 |
Most wins: 8 of 14
Partner Eevee
Type
normal
Base statsPartner Eevee
- Total
- 435
| Boss | Result and score out of 100 |
|---|---|
| Brock | Tough, 41.7 |
| Misty | Good, 58.7 |
| Lt. Surge | Good, 58.8 |
| Erika | Good, 60.8 |
| Koga | Even, 55.1 |
| Sabrina | Even, 53.8 |
| Blaine | Even, 54.6 |
| Giovanni | Even, 53.9 |
| Lorelei | Good, 59.1 |
| Bruno | Even, 50.7 |
| Agatha | Even, 48.3 |
| Lance | Even, 56.2 |
| Trace | Even, 56.3 |
| Blue | Even, 52.9 |
Wins 4 of 14
- Strong
- Good
- Even
- Tough
- Bad
- Score 50
How to Get Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle
In Let's Go, catching pays: the Kanto trio unlocks one at a time as your catch count climbs, and Squirtle, the last of them, needs 60.
Where to find each gift
The totals count every catch, so duplicates of the same species move you toward all three gifts. Each one also turns up in the wild as a rare spawn: Bulbasaur in Viridian Forest, Charmander on Routes 3 and 4 and in Rock Tunnel, and Squirtle on Routes 24 and 25 and in the Seafoam Islands. Chaining a Catch Combo of one species, or using a Lure, raises your odds of seeing a rare spawn.
Let's Go Boss Fights, Rated for Each Partner
14 fights in story orderBrock is Eevee's only Tough fight, and Pikachu is rated Even there. The Let's Go gym leaders guide has every leader's full team. Pikachu is rated Good against Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, Bruno, Agatha and Lance, where Eevee is rated Even.
Each cell is that starter's rating for the fight, scored 0 to 100. Tap a row for the boss team.
Ratings come from our matchup model: your starter's form, level, moves and stats at each fight against that boss team. Not a tier list.
| Boss |  Pikachu |  Eevee |
|---|---|---|
| Gyms · 8 | 4 won · 0 Tough | 3 won · 1 Tough |
Even43.4 | Tough41.7 | |
Strong72.0 | Good58.7 | |
Even55.4 | Good58.8 | |
Even48.1 | Good60.8 | |
Good63.5 | Even55.1 | |
Good61.0 | Even53.8 | |
Good59.7 | Even54.6 | |
Even44.3 | Even53.9 | |
| Pokemon League · 5 | 4 won · 0 Tough | 1 won · 0 Tough |
Good70.9 | Good59.1 | |
Good61.5 | Even50.7 | |
Good63.0 | Even48.3 | |
Good62.6 | Even56.2 | |
Even56.1 | Even56.3 | |
| After the League · 1 | 0 won · 0 Tough | 0 won · 0 Tough |
Even56.4 | Even52.9 |
Each partner is rated against the bosses of its own version.
Mega Evolution is not part of the ratings: Blue's Charizard is scored as a normal Charizard.
Best Team for Each Let's Go Partner
5 teammates per partner · all obtainable in Let's GoStarmie, Aerodactyl and Mr. Mime top Partner Pikachu's Let's Go ranking, and its team has all three. Aerodactyl is a gift on Cinnabar Island, and Starmie comes from a Staryu on the water of Route 19 and a Water Stone. Kangaskhan, a rare find in Rock Tunnel, is on hand before Erika.
This team wins 13 of 14 boss fights.
Between them, the team resists every type Pikachu is weak to.
- Arcanine
fireGood or Strong in 8 of 12 fights after you catch it
Where: Route 6When: Before Gym 3 (Lt. Surge)Level: Lv 11 to 16
- Lt. SurgeGood 61as Growlithe
- ErikaStrong 80
- TraceGood 59
- Kangaskhannormal
Good or Strong in 6 of 11 fights after you catch it
Where: Rock Tunnel, rareWhen: Before Gym 4 (Erika)Level: Lv 18 to 23
Doesn't evolve.
- BlaineGood 61
- TraceGood 59
- BlueGood 60
- Mr. Mime
psychic
fairy3rd of 66 Let's Go Pikachu teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 11, rareWhen: Before Gym 4 (Erika)Level: Lv 13 to 18
Doesn't evolve.
- ErikaGood 71
- KogaGood 72
- BrunoGood 72
- Aerodactyl
rock
flying2nd of 66 Let's Go Pikachu teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Cinnabar Island, a giftWhen: Before Gym 6 (Sabrina)Level: Lv 44
Doesn't evolve.
- BlaineStrong 73
- TraceGood 61
- BlueGood 64
- Starmie
waterpsychic1st of 66 Let's Go Pikachu teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 19, on the waterWhen: Before Gym 6 (Sabrina)Level: Lv 37 to 42
- GiovanniGood 71
- TraceGood 62
- BlueGood 58
- BrockTough 42
This team wins 13 of 14 boss fights. It doesn't win Eevee's one Tough or Bad fight, Brock.
Between them, the team resists every type Eevee is weak to.
- Raichuelectric
4th of 63 Let's Go Eevee teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Viridian Forest, rareWhen: Before Gym 1 (Brock)Level: Lv 3 to 6
- KogaGood 65
- AgathaGood 65
- LanceGood 65
- Arcaninefire
Good or Strong in 7 of 12 fights after you catch it
Where: Vermilion City, a gift once you have caught 5 MeowthWhen: Before Gym 3 (Lt. Surge)Level: Lv 16
You get Arcanine.
- KogaGood 62
- AgathaGood 61
- TraceGood 60
- Mr. Mimepsychicfairy
3rd of 63 Let's Go Eevee teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 11, rareWhen: Before Gym 4 (Erika)Level: Lv 13 to 18
Doesn't evolve.
- KogaGood 72
- BrunoGood 72
- LanceGood 61
- Aerodactylrockflying
2nd of 63 Let's Go Eevee teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Cinnabar Island, a giftWhen: Before Gym 6 (Sabrina)Level: Lv 44
Doesn't evolve.
- SabrinaGood 66
- BlaineStrong 73
- BlueGood 64
- Starmiewaterpsychic
1st of 63 Let's Go Eevee teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 19, on the waterWhen: Before Gym 6 (Sabrina)Level: Lv 37 to 42
- BlaineStrong 72
- GiovanniGood 71
- BrunoStrong 73
Every teammate is a wild catch or a gift in Let's Go, with no trading between games. It counts only for fights after you can catch it, and an evolution only once you can reach its item. Rare means under 1 in 10 wild encounters there. Teammates are ranked by how they do in the boss fights after you catch them, and a late catch ranks lower because it misses fights. At least two of the five join before a quarter of the boss fights are done. Every teammate is in the top third of that ranking. No two of the six (your partner and its five teammates) have exactly the same typing, and no type appears on more than two of them or hits more than two for super effective damage. The six always include a physical attacker, a special attacker, a fast Pokemon and a bulky one. Wins in your partner's Tough or Bad fights count extra, and legendary and mythical Pokemon are left out. Scores come from the Boss fights model, for the teammate's form at that fight.
Key Moves for Each Let's Go Partner
Pikachu gets four partner moves, among them the Water move Splishy Splash and the Flying move Floaty Fall. Eevee's nine reach Fire, Ice and Fairy, and the Let's Go partner moves page has them all.
| Lv | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electric, Special, power 40 | electric Special | Special | 40 |
| 12 | Normal, Status | normal Status | Status | None |
| 15 | Electric, Status | electricStatus | Status | None |
| 21 | Electric, Special, power 90 | electricSpecial | Special | 90 |
| 24 | Normal, Physical, power 80 | normal Physical | Physical | 80 |
| 27 | Psychic, Status | psychicStatus | Status | None |
| 30 | Electric, Special, power 110 | electricSpecial | Special | 110 |
| Partner moves | ||||
| Partner | Electric, Special, power varies | electricSpecial | Special | Varies |
| Partner | Flying, Physical, power 90 | flyingPhysical | Physical | 90 |
| Partner | Water, Special, power 90 | waterSpecial | Special | 90 |
| Partner | Electric, Physical, power 50 | electricPhysical | Physical | 50 |
| Lv | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Normal, Physical, power 40 | normalPhysical | Physical | 40 |
| 6 | Normal, Physical, power 40 | normalPhysical | Physical | 40 |
| 17 | Dark, Physical, power 60 |  darkPhysical | Physical | 60 |
| 21 | Normal, Special, power 60 | normalSpecial | Special | 60 |
| 24 | Normal, Physical, power 90 | normalPhysical | Physical | 90 |
| 28 | Normal, Physical, power 120 | normalPhysical | Physical | 120 |
| Partner moves | ||||
| Partner | Normal, Physical, power varies | normalPhysical | Physical | Varies |
| Partner | Dark, Special, power 90 | darkSpecial | Special | 90 |
| Partner | Water, Special, power 90 | waterSpecial | Special | 90 |
| Partner | Electric, Special, power 90 | electricSpecial | Special | 90 |
| Partner | Ice, Special, power 90 |  iceSpecial | Special | 90 |
| Partner | Psychic, Special, power 90 | psychicSpecial | Special | 90 |
| Partner | Grass, Physical, power 90 |  grassPhysical | Physical | 90 |
| Partner | Fire, Physical, power 90 | firePhysical | Physical | 90 |
| Partner | Fairy, Special, power 90 | fairySpecial | Special | 90 |
More Let's Go guides
Let's Go has its own guides for Mega Evolutions, Alolan forms and legendary, shiny and rare Pokemon, and they're all linked below.
Starters in other games
Yellow is the closest match, with Pikachu as your only starter and the Kanto trio as gifts. Red and Blue is the original choice of three.