Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle in 2026: Which Kanto Starter Should You Collect?
By Dexhaul Team · August 24, 2026
Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are the only starter choice that never gets easier to make.
All three are worth collecting in 2026. The right pick depends on your budget, the merchandise type you prioritize, and a single underrated factor most collector guides overlook: 2026 is one of the best years on record to start a Kanto starter collection. The 30th Anniversary celebrations have produced an Ichiban-Kuji lottery series built specifically around the trio, and a set of 2026 First Partner promotional cards makes each starter newly relevant in TCG collections for the first time in years.
This guide breaks down every format from under $16 to collector-tier pricing, compares all three starters side by side, and makes a concrete recommendation at each tier.
Which Starter Fits Your Collector Profile
Charmander collectors tend to skew TCG-heavy, because Charizard's card history runs so deep that the line between Charmander and Charizard collecting blurs quickly. Squirtle has the strongest plush variety across price points, from compact Fit figures to oversized 18-inch sleeping plush. Bulbasaur is the most undervalued of the three in physical merchandise: official product exists at every tier, but import prices consistently come in below the other two.
Gift buyers can stop here. The 8-inch Jazwares 3-pack at $39.99 (covered below) is the simplest answer: all three starters in a single purchase, officially licensed, widely available.
For collectors who want to go deeper, each starter rewards a different approach. Here is the full breakdown.
The Pokémon Fit Line: The Right Entry Point for Each Starter
The Pokémon Fit line is the first stop for any Kanto starter collection. These are compact, round-bodied plush designed around anatomical accuracy rather than huggability: the proportions match the in-game sprites more closely than any other mass-market plush line.
Bulbasaur's Fit plush runs $15.44 at Japan Figure Store, making it the cheapest officially licensed Kanto starter purchase currently on the catalogue. The bulb on the back is correctly rendered, the eyes are level, and the sizing at roughly 5 inches sits perfectly on a shelf without dominating it.
The Fit line is a Pokémon Center Japan exclusive. Every listing on the UCP Global Catalog is an import from an independent shop, so prices reflect shipping and markup. At $17, the Charmander Fit comes in slightly above Bulbasaur but remains one of the more affordable ways to own an accurate, licensed Charmander piece.
Squirtle's Fit version also lists at $17. The shell is well-defined and the ears sit correctly angled, which is often where cheaper plush versions cut corners. All three Fit plush can be lined up on a shelf for a complete trio display without any single piece looking out of scale with the others.
Sets and 3-Packs: When to Buy All Three at Once
The case for buying a 3-pack comes down to math. Three individual Jazwares 8-inch plush purchased separately run $20 or more each. The official Jazwares 8-inch Starter 3-Pack brings that to $39.99 total, which works out to about $13.33 per starter.
The sleeping plush 3-pack is a different proposition. At $49 for all three at 5 inches each, the sleeping pose is a distinct display format that stacks well in display cases.
Choose the Jazwares 3-pack if you want traditional upright poses. Choose the sleeping set if compact, stackable display is the priority.
The 30th Anniversary Ichiban-Kuji: The Collector's Kanto Tier
The standout collector item for Kanto starters in 2026 is the 30th Anniversary Ichiban-Kuji Volume 1 lottery series. These plush feature updated textures and anniversary markings not present on standard production runs. The Squirtle (Prize C) is available as a standalone import listing at $40.
Ichiban-Kuji is a Japanese lottery system: participants purchase a ticket for a chance at tiered prizes. The import listings on the catalog sell specific prize tiers directly, removing the lottery element but reflecting the scarcity in price. At $40 for a single plush, the 30th Anniversary Squirtle is firmly a collector purchase rather than a casual one.
If you plan to display a complete Kanto trio, the Ichiban-Kuji format rewards patience. Individual prize tiers surface across import retailers at different times. The 30th Anniversary branding marks these as a distinct production run from any standard Squirtle plush.
The TCG Angle: 2026 First Partner Promos and the Illustration Collection
The Pokémon TCG gave the Kanto starters a concrete 2026 reason to be on a want-list. A set of First Partner promotional cards, numbered 037-039 in the promo series, packages Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle as a trio. Promo trios for the same three Pokémon in a single sealed purchase are rare: most TCG promotional releases target a single character, so the set-of-three format is worth noting for collectors who prefer their starter content unified.
Bulbasaur / Charmander / Squirtle 2026 First Partner Promos #037-039
$114.99 USD
The other TCG option is the First Partner Illustration Collection. These boxed sets contain oversized illustration cards showcasing starters across multiple generations in detailed art. Series 2, currently available at $33.99, covers Kanto alongside another regional trio.
The official Pokémon Pokédex lists Bulbasaur as number 001, the anchor of the entire National Dex. That origin-point status explains why it appears in more collector-tier sets than either of its fellow starters.
At $114.99, the 2026 promo trio is a collector purchase, not a casual one. It makes sense as a capstone to a Kanto starter collection rather than an entry point.
Budget Tiers at a Glance
Under $20: the Pokémon Fit plush for any individual starter. Bulbasaur at $15.44 is the cheapest licensed Kanto starter purchase on the catalogue right now. Charmander and Squirtle Fit come in at $17 each.
$20 to $50: the Jazwares 8-inch 3-pack at $39.99 is the best total-value buy for someone who wants plush for the full trio in a single order. The sleeping plush 3-pack at $49 is the alternative for compact display formats.
$50 to $100: the Bandai Scale World Kanto Region 01 figure set at $10 pairs naturally with a Fit plush set and still leaves budget for the 30th Anniversary Ichiban-Kuji Squirtle at $40. Covering plush, figures, and anniversary pieces for the full trio can be done under $100 with selective purchasing.
$100 and above: the 2026 First Partner Promos at $114.99 are the TCG collector tier. They fit a collection focused on the card game rather than physical merchandise.
One note across all tiers: Dexhaul is independent and unofficial. None of these products are sold by or affiliated with The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, or Game Freak. Every listing links out to an independent shop's product page.
Browse all three Kanto starters alongside hundreds of other Pokémon products at DexHaul, where independent shops list their current stock across plush, figures, and TCG singles in real time.