I think it might be an outbreak!note
Starters is a Pokémon webseries by Canadian Youtuber Movieunleashers. The artstyle is very reminiscent of South Park. The series (mostly) focuses on 3 Pokemon, Cyndaquil, Tepig, and Bulbasaur as various events transpire, like a Ditto invasion, or moving to Lavender Town for vacation. There are currently 5 episodes, with a second season coming in 2019. Click here
for a whole playlist. Not to be confused with Starter Squad.
Starters provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Tepig's dad in Out In The Reign. Tepig gets better at the end though. And his father? Turns out he has a Freudian Excuse.
- Ambiguous Ending: Rare Candy ends with Chespin going to Braixen, ready to apologize, he smiles... then cut to black before he can say anything.
- Affably Evil: Giratina in Chapter 5 of Out In The Reign.
- Ambiguous Gender: Chikorita's gender or pronouns have never been explicitly referred to in the show.
- April Fools' Day: The so called unaired pilot is just a young Dane (the creator) playing with 2 poorly drawn pictures of Pikachu and Squirtle on popsicle sticks doing skits, including the Robot Chicken sketch for Pokemon Bloopers.
- A Day in the Limelight:
- Each of the main trio have all had their own little set of episodes:
- Cyndaquil had Ditto Disaster, but this episode was confirmed to be non-canon.
- Bulbasaur had Lavender Town: The Untold Story, and, in a more Downplayed example, Wild Oranberries.
- Tepig had Out In The Reign and the original version of Ditto Disaster, A Christmas Thing.
- Typomaniac and Rare Candy focuses on background characters from other episodes, such as Chespin, Fennekin, and Mudkip.
- Each of the main trio have all had their own little set of episodes:
- Ash Ketchum Syndrome: Downplayed because Fennekin is implied to have turned 13 in Rare Candy, but the Pokémon are implied to be around 12-13, and there's little to no instances of them aging.
- Badass Adorable: Turtwig, a robotic Wild Child in Wild Oranberries.
- Bait-and-Switch: Happens twice with Typhlosion in Ditto Disaster.
- Typhlosion tells Cyndaquil that a pink thing came, took a bite out of his back, and is tearing up the living room. The Typhlosion telling him is the fake one.
- When Typhlosion has to remove the snow from the school when it was snowed in, it looks like he's masterbating, but he's shaking the dandruff off his pubic hair.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Fennekin. She does seem nice and quiet at first, but do not harm anyone close to her. Otherwise, she might accidentally land you in a hospital.
- Big Damn Heroes: Near the end of Ditto Disaster, Bulbasaur is being held up while all of the other Pokémon are trapped inside the giant Ditto's body. Just when it seems like there's no hope left, Typhlosion, Blaziken, and Zangoose arrive at the last minute, with The Power of Rock.
- Bittersweet Ending: The Lavender Town episode ends with Nidorina's parents and everyone else's parents truly dead, but Hypno is dead, there's a portal to hell in the middle of nowhere, Cyndaquil, Tepig, and Bulbasaur are probably traumatized forever (especially Bulbasaur), and Nidorina is cursed.
- Boom, Headshot!: How Mudkip "dies" in Rare Candy. That was, until he was revealed to be alive at the end of Wild Oranberries.
- Bring My Brown Pants: At one point in the original 2011 version of the pilot, when the frozen Tepig is stuck in the school's basement, he gets scared and leaves behind a yellow puddle which causes him to unthaw.
- Broken Smile: Chespin does one after having an encounter with toxic hallucinations of himself in Rare Candy.
- Casanova Wannabe: Squirtle, as seen in Typomaniac. After Fennekin got her fire removed, Squirtle repeatedly asks if she can be his girlfriend, and continues asking the question even after she beat him down.
- Cut Short: A Christmas Thing, the original version of Ditto Disaster, ended up like this. Dane was 13 at the time and he was intending on the pilot being his first big project, but sadly he wasn't able to finish it because of a Noodle Incident that prevented him from continuing the pilot.
- Death of a Child: These almost always result in Disney Deaths, and for a good reason.
- Out In The Reign has Tepig being crushed to death as a result of a tree falling on the cabin he was sleeping in. Thankfully, he is revived.
- In Rare Candy, Mudkip gets shot in the head by Dr. Sylveon. However, Mudkip is eventually revealed to be alive at the end of Wild Oranberries.
- Denser and Wackier: Most of the series is rather dark. However, Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming involves... well, Dr. Sylveon and the gang playing Among Us, with a few references to previous events happening in the show such as Chespin being Forced to Watch Mudkip get murdered by Dr. Sylveon.
- Disney Death: In Rare Candy, Mudkip is shot in the head by Sylveon. But in Wild Oranberries, Mudkip is not only revealed to be alive, but he's also a cyborg!
- Early-Bird Cameo: Totodile, who doesn't have a speaking role until Wild Oranberries, is briefly seen as one of the Pokémon on the bus at the beginning of Rare Candy.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The little more comedic, Denser and Wackier Ditto Disaster seems a lot off-putting and out-of-place when compared to more complex, plot-advanced episodes such as Rare Candy and Wild Oranberries.
- Eye Scream: In the Lavender Town episode, one of Bulbasaur's many horrific injuries is a black eye.
- "Freaky Friday" Flip: Both of the Pikachus switch bodies after they accidentally wore eachothers' hats in the Detective Pikachu episode.
- Free-Range Children: Pretty much everywhere in this series. The most notable example of this is Chespin, whose parents have never been shown onscreen or mentioned in the series.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Zangoose can be seen playing a 3DS in the rental store for a few seconds.
- Funny Background Event: At one point in Out In The Reign, Lugia accidentally pushes Cyndaquil to the ground! See for yourself.
- Gorn: The Ditto disguising as a severely-injured Cyndaquil from Ditto Disaster is BLOOOOODDYYY! And it's somewhat brutal for Dane's earlier works.
- G-Rated Drug: Rare candies. They look harmless at first, but once it's consumed, it can cause a Pokémon's element power to increase... and if too much is consumed, their element can burst out of their chest, resulting in their death.
- Grand Finale: Rare Candy was originally intended to be this. The description and pinned comment of Rare Candy: Vol. 1 explicitly state that the episode is the finale of the Starters series. It's Subverted by the release of Wild Oranberries, but now the current fate of the series is unknown, since there hasn't been a new canonical episode since 2019.
- Groin Attack: Bulbasaur does this to Tepig during their No-Holds-Barred Beatdown in A Christmas Thing. He kicks him in... that area, leaving flakes of blood on the floor.
- Gross-Up Close-Up: While looking at Chikorita's body in the hospital, Fennekin has a Nightmare Sequence where a horribly scarred Chikorita holds her over a river, complete with close-ups on the former's face.
- Group Hug: The main trio initiate one after Tepig is revived in Chapter 6 of Out In The Reign.
- Harmful to Minors: This is everywhere in this series, and is most especially prominent in Lavender Town: The Untold Story and Rare Candy.
- High-Pressure Emotion: A tea kettle sound can be heard once Dr. Sylveon got pissed off thanks to Cyndaquil in Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming.
- Hypocritical Humor: For some reason, both of these involve Tepig.
- Mr. Lugia laughs at Tepig believing in Santa Claus, yet he belives in the Tooth Fairy.
- In the pilot, Bulbasaur says "that was mean to say" after Cyndaquil called Tepig a pussy. The thing is though, Bulbasaur also insulted Tepig earlier and got into a fight with him!
- It's All About Me: Charmander, as seen in Starters - Season One - Galar Pokédex Edition. He claims the series was unsuccessful because the main characters were "very unpopular Pokémon", then he proceeds to refer to himself with emphasis, while saying that he is one of the "only Pokémon that matter".Charmander: ...with the only Pokémon that matter. Like Charmander! Me!(Later on into the video)Charmander: ...because, i am the best Pokémon! I am! I'm the only starter that matters! I am the only starter...! Charizard! YOU REMEMBER CHARIZARD?! I LOVE! CHARIZA--
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Tepig. Despite repeatedly insulting his friends in A Christmas Thing, he still cares for them and their safety, as evident in many episodes. He also cries(?) with Bulbasaur when Turtwig has a very brief Disney Death in Wild Oranberries.
- Kill It with Fire: In Ditto Disaster after finding out that the Mon that was crushed was a Ditto, Zangoose mutilates it and forces Tepig to set the corpse on fire. As expected, the kids are confused.
- Kinder and Cleaner: Because of new YouTube rules, Wild Oranberries is tamer compared to the other episodes in the series. Notably, the main trio don't suffer a major injury in that episode... but Scorbunny does.
- Luminescent Blush: Bulbasaur visibly blushes after vomiting because of Simipour offering his own water as a drink in Lavender Town: The Untold Story.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Fennekin deeply regrets accidentally setting Chespin on fire, and therefore gets her fire removed.
- Naïve Everygirl: In a Gender Flipped variant, Chespin. He is extremely outgoing, optimistic, and friendly, and stays this way even after he got accidentally burned by Fennekin. Unfortunately, that becomes Subverted around Rare Candy, where all hell breaks loose...
- Nervous Wreck: Bulbasaur. He has a consistently anxious and cautious behavior throughout the series, which is reasonable considering the things he's been put through.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown:
- In A Christmas Thing, the original version of Ditto Disaster, Tepig and Bulbasaur get into a fight after the latter questions why the former wasn't planning on going to school this time, asking if it was because Tepig got laughed at earlier. Zangoose recommends them to take their fight outside, and they eventually do, but... it ends with Bulbasaur accidentally pushing Tepig in front of an incoming car. However, things are quickly resolved.
- In Typomaniac, the Pokemon outside the school start giving one to Chespin. Fennekin doesn't take it very lightly.
- No One Could Survive That!: Tepig appears to get his head crushed in by a tree in Out In The Reign, but he lives. Subverted, as his dad wished him back to life.
- Not Quite Dead: Tepig dies in Out In The Reign. He comes back. Then he dies again. Then he gets truly revived in the end.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Near the end of Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming, the other Pokémon are somehow unable to report Dr. Sylveon's in-game body. This causes Sylveon to Rage Quit and disconnect from the Discord VC. Cyndaquil and Bulbasaur's lines afterwards imply that the Pokémon were actually playing stupid just to get Sylveon to leave.Cyndaquil: Ughh, thank you! YouTubers piss me off.Tepig: (laughing)Bulbasaur: Yeah, and now let's play for real.
- Only Sane Man: Out of the main three, Cyndaquil is usually the one to be the least affected whenever something crazy happens in Monotone Town. It's briefly Subverted in Out In The Reign, after Tepig "dies".
- Oh, My Gods!: Pokémon will usually say "Oh my Arceus!" instead.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse:
- Chespin, though he doesn't use the power for the most part. At one point in Typomaniac, he flips Gurdurr over, which is enough to make Gurdurr cry.
- Fennekin can count as one too. The attack she used in Typomaniac is strong enough to land Chikorita and Chespin in the hospital. Even after getting her fire removed, she still proves to be this later on when she briefly started attacking Squirtle.
- Pokémon Speak: Averted, considering this is a Pokémon parody series.
- Power Trio: Cyndaquil, Bulbasaur, and Tepig.
- Precision F-Strike: Chespin does not usually curse in the series due to his childlike, friendly demeanor. However, in Rare Candy..."OH MY GOD I WAS ALMOST A FUCKING KILLER!!"
- Pun-Based Title: Out In The Reign.note
- Rage Breaking Point: Fennekin sets the Pokemon outside the school on fire when they start giving a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Chespin. Unfortunately, this also sets Chespin on fire.
- Refuge in Audacity: Try telling someone there is a Pokémon web series where Nidorina is forced to eat her parents' guts. There is a high chance that they won't believe you.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter:
- Bulbasaur possibly comes off as one due to his fragile personality and his status as a
Woobie in the series. - There's Chespin, who not only looks endearing, but is also one of the most friendliest and optimistic characters in the show. Well, up until the events of Rare Candy, that is.
- Hell, just all of the pre-evolved starter Pokémon can count as this, depending on the viewer!
- Bulbasaur possibly comes off as one due to his fragile personality and his status as a
- Sensory Abuse: Mr. Lugia's microphone in Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming. Dr. Sylveon had to mute him twice!
- Shout-Out:
- I WAS FROZEN TODAY!
- Hadouken!
- It's Always Sunny in Lavender Town.
- At the bus stop on a snow day, Oshawott, Bulbasaur, Tepig, and Cyndaquil are dressed like Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Kenny respectively.
- Kenny himself makes an appearance in the after-credits scene in Out in the Reign.
- TEPIG! YOU'RE TEARING ME APART! Maybe.
- "Oh my Arceus! They killed Cyndaquil! You bastard!"
- Stepford Smiler: Bulbasaur does this three times throughout Lavender Town: The Untold Story.
- Stuff Blowing Up: The school blows up along with the Dittos at the end of Ditto Disaster.
- Suddenly Shouting:
- Professor Sylveon in Rare Candy.
Chespin: He doesn't deserve to die! I don't want him to either!
Professor Sylveon: SHUT UP!- He later does it again in Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming, though it's Played for Laughs this time.
Tepig: When the impostor is sus!Dr. Sylveon: Shut up!Cyndaquil: (to Sylveon) Cry about it, boomer. - Tertiary Sexual Characteristics:
- Cyndaquil's mom is how a normal Typhlosion would look in the series, but with eyelashes and a bow.
- How can you tell if a Pokémon in the series is female? By their eyelashes, of course!
- They Killed Kenny Again: In the original pilot, Cyndaquil is thrown out of the bus, prompting Oshawott and Bulbasaur to say the line almost word for word.
- Tepig dies in Out In The Reign. He comes back. Then he dies again. Then he gets truly revived in the end.
- Played for Laughs in the after-credits scene of "Out in the Reign," where Kenny is on trial in the courtroom of Legendaries for being constantly resurrected against his will.
- Town with a Dark Secret: Lavender Town is filled with Pokemon who roam around, and there is a fully functional amusement park, but the amusement park is abandoned, and the Pokemon you see (except for the kids and Hypno) are actually dead, and they need to sacrifice anyone there every fort night.
- Tranquil Fury: Happens with Sylveon in Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming. After Cyndaquil gets Bulbasaur removed from the game, Sylveon silently watches Bulbasaur's avatar getting ejected, with a slight angered look on his face.
- Troll: Cyndaquil. Downplayed, as it's only briefly told in Ditto Disaster, where he says he "can't help his trolling instincts". This is Played Straight in Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming, where Cyndaquil blatantly asks "You guys ready to do some trolling?" and later on gets his own best friend, Bulbasaur, removed from the game for no reason other than "he's acting like a noob."
- True Companions: Our three main Pokémon have been together since 2011, which is 12 years in advance!
- Not only that, but despite all their ups and downs throughout the years, they still care for eachother and their safety. If one Pokémon is injured or missing, the other two will try their best to get. Him. Back.
- Unexplained Recovery:
- In the pilot episode, Mr. Lugia is bisected by the Ditto monster and eaten by it. Despite this, he reappears in Out in the Reign, with a giant stitch through his chest. In the same episode he is tortured into being an Empty Shell in Hell. Yet again, he reappears in Typomaniac perfectly fine, save for the same stitch.
- The following examples below are all Downplayed since they were only injuries and not deaths.
- In Ditto Disaster, Cyndaquil gets a part of his hand bitten off by the Ditto he was trying to hide in a locker. By the next episode, he appears fine, presumably because Ditto Disaster
was confirmed to be non-canon. - Bulbasaur suffers horrific injuries in Lavender Town: The Untold Story. First, he gets cuts on his body as a result of jumping out of a window. Secondly, he gains bruises and a black eye during the infamous scene where he is dragged by the Nidos' car. By the time he and his two Fire-type friends are rescued, Bulbasaur is now bandaged. In all of his subsequent appearances, he is not bandaged nor bruised anymore.
- Chespin gets his nose cut open by Sylveon in Rare Candy. Chespin is later on seen with a stitch on his nose as a result. In Wild Oranberries and Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming, Chespin does not have the stitch on his nose.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom:
- The events of Wild Oranberries all could've been prevented if Tepig wasn't flying the drone so high in the air. Granted, he didn't know a Fearow would fly off with the drone, but still...
- Lavender Town: The Untold Story also could've been prevented if Tepig didn't choose to sneak out.
- Vocal Evolution:
- Happens to Cyndaquil in Ditto Disaster due to the old voice actor moving away; as a result, his voice changes from more childlike-sounding, to the current voice we have now.
- Chespin's voice was much higher-pitched in Ditto Disaster.
- Compare Bulbasaur's slightly higher-pitched voice in episodes such as Lavender Town: The Untold Story and Typomaniac to his current voice in episodes such as Out In The Reign, Wild Oranberries, and Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming. There is quite a difference.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot:
- At the beginning of Lavender Town: The Untold Story, Bulbasaur is feeling carsick. He later on lets it all out once a Simipour offers water from his own mouth as a drink.
- Later on in that episode, Nidorina understandably has this reaction upon finding out that she was forced to eat her parents' organs.
- Wham Line:
- "Actually, i'm the fake one!"
- "This is something i wanna do. Skip ahead."
- What a Drag:
- In A Christmas Thing/the early version of Ditto Disaster, in order to get the frozen Tepig to the school's basement, Bulbasaur drags him across the floor with visible blood coming out.
- In Lavender Town: The Untold Story, the Nidos chain Bulbasaur to the back of their car and drive it, which results in the frog being dragged across the ground.
- With Friends Like These...: Played for Laughs. As shown in a few scenes in "Out In The Reign", Bulbasaur and Cyndaquil seem to be best friends. However, in Dr. Sylveon Discord Gaming, after Fennekin dies in-game while the gang are playing Among Us, Cyndaquil suddenly requests everyone to vote out Bulbasaur because "he's acting like a noob." Bulbasaur tries to prove that he didn't do anything, but it results in him getting laughed at by Tepig. It cuts to Sylveon angrily yet silently watching Bulbasaur's in-game avatar get ejected as the Seed Pokémon can only helplessly question why they did it, all the while Cyndaquil just laughs in response.Bulbasaur: I— I didn't- I-I didn't- I didn't- I didn't do anything though!————Bulbasaur: Nooo! Why would you do that?!Cyndaquil: (laughing)
