Pokemon Winds and Waves showed up on Pokemon Day with a reveal trailer that showcased bits of gameplay, parts of the new region based on Southeast Asia, and, of course, the three new starters. Fans have been pouring love for the starters on social media since the reveal, with tons of amazing fan art pieces dedicated to Browt, Pombon, and Gecqua, and even their possible evolutions. Since Pokemon Winds and Waves will release in 2027, it’s quite likely that fans will have to wait a long time before the next trailer comes out, possibly in summer 2026. But given that starter evolutions are never revealed beforehand, now’s as good a time as ever to discuss what they might be, and what type combinations they may unlock.
Pokemon Winds and Waves have a bit of a burden to carry when it comes to starters and their evolutions’ type combinations. This is because the same types have been used a bit too much in recent games, to the point that using them again may automatically make the starters in Gen 10 all the less interesting, especially if Fighting is used. Luckily, based on mythology and creatures inhabiting Southeast Asia in the real world, there’s a strong chance that the starters’ types will be something new and more unique, with no Fighting at all.
Pokemon Winds and Waves Starters Lend Credence to Previous Leak About New Evolutions and Gameplay Mechanics
Pokemon Winds and Waves’ reveal of its new starters is making a leak look very plausible, including details about Gen 10 battles and new Pokemon.
Pokemon Winds and Waves Starter Details and Why They Matter
Fan art of Browt’s, Pombon’s, and Gecqua’s evolutions in Pokemon Winds and Waves has had common themes for each of the starters so far, which is interesting because it means that some aspects of their possible evolutions are already there. For example, Gecqua has a third eye-like water drop on its forehead, and it has purple eyes. Combined with its Pokedex entry saying that it’s very intelligent, all seems to point to it being a Psychic-type Pokemon when it evolves.
Who’s That Character?
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Even though the Pokedex entries for Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ starters can be hints at their future types or even their evolutions’ appearance, some other details shouldn’t be left out. These are:
- Gecqua has geisha-like poses and movements, but it’s also seen on all fours, which is more in line with geckos and similar species, like the Komodo Dragon (which is endemic to Southeast Asia).
- Pombon is a Pomeranian dog-like critter, and seems to be the epitome of good-natured animals. Interestingly, Balinese folklore includes a creature called Barong, which is the king of spirits and represents the ultimate good.
- Browt may have a clear inspiration for its final evolution in Garuda, which is commonly part of Hindu and Buddhist mythology. This is referred to as “king of birds,” and the creature often has horns or a crest originating from its brow.
A History of Pokemon Starter Trios and Their Themes by Generation
This is important because there could be a theme here of creatures from Southeast Asia, be it folklore or actual animals. The reason it matters is that most Pokemon starters in the series have a clear theme for their respective trio, and at least one theme can be ascribed to each trio, even if they were not explicitly confirmed by The Pokemon Company. These are:
- Gen 1: Common pets — Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are all inspired by common pets in households or backyards, as they are based on a frog, lizard, and turtle, respectively.
- Gen 2: Prehistoric animals — This may be harder to see at first glance, but Meganium is a dinosaur, Typhlosion is a “Volcano Pokemon” that could be the ancestor of echidnas, and Feraligatr is a crocodile.
- Gen 3: Martial arts — This is perhaps the hardest to define, but it’s possible that Sceptile is a representation of Kendo (using its tail instead of a sword), Blaziken of Taekwondo with its kicks, and Swampert of Sumo with its massive body.
- Gen 4: Mythology — Torterra can easily be seen as the World Turtle, Infernape as a representation of Sun Wukong, and Empoleon as Poseidon.
- Gen 5: Aristocracy — Serperior is a French noble, Emboar is a Chinese warrior, and Samurott is a Japanese samurai.
- Gen 6: RPG classes — Chesnaught is the warrior, Delphox is the mage, and Greninja is the rogue.
- Gen 7: Circus — Decidueye is a sharpshooter, Incineroar is a tiger and a wrestler, and Primarina is a seal.
- Gen 8: British entertainment — Gen 8 starters are all based on forms of entertainment from the UK, which are rock music for Rillaboom, football for Cinderace, and James Bond or spy movies for Inteleon.
- Gen 9: Performers — Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Meowscarada is a magician, Skeledirge is a singer, and Quaquaval is a dancer.
As such, the theme for Gen 10 could be “legends,” as Barong and Garuda clearly come from folklore, but the same holds for the Komodo Dragon. In fact, there is the Putri Naga (or Dragon Princess) legend, which says that she gave birth to a human boy and a Komodo Dragon girl, who was raised in the forest and is said to be the ancestor of all Komodo Dragons in Indonesia.
Predicting Pokemon Winds and Waves’ Starter Type Trifecta
The reason why this matters for Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ starters’ types is that each of these sources of inspiration could be reflected in the Pokemon’s type combinations. These would be as follows:
- Browt’s evolution could be Grass/Dragon, inspired by Garuda
- Pombon’s evolution could be Fire/Fairy, inspired by Barong
- Gecqua’s evolution could be Water/Poison, inspired by Komodo Dragons
This is not exactly a perfect trifecta, but there are merits to it:
- Grass/Dragon is weak 4x to Ice and 2x to Flying, Poison, Bug, Dragon, and Fairy. This means that it wouldn’t take supereffective damage from Pombon’s Fire type, but it would from Fairy. It wouldn’t deal double damage to any of the other starters, but Grass/Dragon is a powerful type combination in Pokemon that would make Browt’s evolution very appealing.
- Fire/Fairy Pokemon are not yet present in the roster, so this would be the first. The reason it’s a good type is that it’s only weak to Water, Poison, Ground, and Rock, while having seven resistances and one immunity to Dragon. Offensively, it would deal half the damage to Water and Poison with its STAB attacks, but it would be supereffective against Dragon.
- Water/Poison is only weak to Ground, Electric, and Psychic, which means it resists or takes neutral damage from all the other types in this trifecta, including Grass. On the other hand, offensively, it deals supereffective STAB damage to Fire/Fairy with both Water and Poison, whereas Grass/Dragon resists Water and takes double damage from Poison.
Why Grass/Dragon, Fire/Fairy, and Water/Poison Would Work
A trifecta like this wouldn’t be the most balanced, as Water/Poison would be strong against both Fire/Fairy and Grass/Dragon, and Grass/Dragon wouldn’t be strong against any other starter. However, there is a similar precedent to this with Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s starters, which got new Mega Evolutions with new types. Meganium became Grass/Fairy, Feraligatr became Water/Dragon, and Emboar remained Fire/Fighting. This isn’t exactly perfect either, as Fairy is supereffective against both Fighting and Dragon, and the other two against neither, but it works because it still offers some form of overall power balance.
As such, it would make sense for Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ region to draw inspiration from its real-world counterpart’s folklore, while also giving the starters types that go well together without too much imbalance. One could argue that Browt’s Grass/Dragon would get the short end of the stick, but that would only be partly true between the starters themselves. Overall, instead, Dragon is never resisted by anything, and only Fairy is immune to it. This could be a strong, thematic trifecta for Gen 10, and it would be a nice touch to feature local legends.
- Released
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2027
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
