Pokemon Winds and Waves' new fire starter throws a serious wrench in a 30-year tradition

The biggest news to come out of Pokemon Presents, without a doubt, was the official confirmation of Pokemon winds and waves. These Gen 10 games won't be released until 2027, but hopefully fans will get more news in 2026 as well. At least fans got their first look at Pokemon winds and waves Starters: the dog-like Fire Starter Pombo, the gecko-like Water Starter Gecqua, and the owl-like Grass Starter Browt.

For some fans, the similarities these newbies have with previous ones (Browt and Rowlet, for example) are surprising, but the biggest surprise is Pombo himself. This cute fire pomeranian has seriously ruined the Chinese Zodiac tradition that has been around since the first generation game. It might be a stretch, but between this massive change and the improved graphics it seems Pokemon winds and waves confirms loudly that Gen 10 will strike differently.

Pokemon Gen 1 – Gen 9 Chinese Zodiac Starter Tradition

First, it's worth establishing exactly what the Chinese zodiac x Fire Starter tradition is. It's a long-standing community theory that suggests that each Fire-type starter Pokemon corresponds to one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Game Freak has never confirmed this theory, but considering how strong it was in early generations, how many times it's been boosted, and how long it's been around, it's hard not to think there's something intentional about it. The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dogand Pig.

Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard show up with Dragon Zodiac.
Cyndaquil, Quilava and Typhlosion line up Rat Zodiac. It's a looser fit than others, but the rat/mouse family in Japanese is broad, and Cyndaquil's line is specifically based on a skunk/hedgehog-like mammal.
Torchic, Combusken and Blaziken pair perfectly with Rooster Zodiac.
Chimchar, Monferno and Infernape go perfectly with Monkey Zodiac.
Tepig, Pignite and Emboar go perfectly with Pig Zodiac.
Fennekin, Braixen and Delphox align loosely with Dog the zodiac, even longer than Typhlosion. Fennekin is a fox, not a “dog”, but foxes are dogs. The zodiac does not indicate a domestic dog, so this is a stretch but not an incredible one.
Litten, Torracat and Incineroar go perfectly with Tiger Zodiac.
Scorbunny, Raboot and Cinderace go perfectly with Rabbit Zodiac.
Fuecoco, Crocalor and the Skeledirge line is where it gets tricky.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

Skeledirge is apparently a crocodile, not a member of the Zodiac. After Gen-8, the only unused Chinese zodiac animals Ox, horse, snake and goat. Many consider Fuecoco to be the first clean break from Chinese zodiac tradition, but others argue that it still fits. The logic is that crocodiles and snakes are both reptiles, which is a further stretch from shrew-to-rat or fox-to-dog, but that Snake has been used because of that. It's also possible, with Gen 10 now coming to the Pokemon world, that Game Freak wants to spread out the Chinese Zodiac with other animals and give it a break every now and then. In other words, Fuecoco left tradition in the air. Maybe the snake has been counted, maybe not, but the theory is heavily strained with the Fuecoco line.

pokemon-scarlet-violet-fuecoco-robot-form

And Pombon absolutely destroys the theory.

Pombon is the first, but also second, dog-like fire starter

Pombon borrows from Fuecoco in the sense that both look a little derpy, for that extra dose of cuteness to be sure, but Fuecoco was a serious stretch for the Chinese Zodiac tradition. The bomb both is and isn't. In theory, Pombon fits perfectly into the Chinese zodiac tradition; it is a dog after all. But if Pombo is the dog, maybe the Delphox line isn't. This means that the Delphox line ends up in a basket with the Skeledirge line, which no longer fits.

But there is a second interpretation here. Nothing about the pattern has suggested that Pokémon's Fire Starters must be a brand new Chinese zodiac animal each time. It may have worked that way so far, but Pombo may be the first other fire starter to use the same Chinese zodiac animal, confusing everything. That's probably the easiest way to understand it.

Pombon maintains the Chinese zodiac tradition by being a dog, but it adds a new layer to it, suggesting that some Chinese zodiac animals could be repeated. If we put Fuecoco aside, it means that any Chinese zodiac animal can be revisited before Ox, Horse, Snake or Goat. It also means that they remain possible for future generations Pokémon game.

The Fire Starter x Chinese Zodiac tradition has evolved

This creates an interesting ripple effect for speculation going forward. If replay is on the table, fans can no longer assume the remaining unused animals are guaranteed picks. The Ox, the Horse, the Serpent and the Goat may still come, but they are no longer inevitable simply because they have not yet appeared. Game Freak could revisit Monkey, Tiger, or even Dragon again after several years, and the pattern would technically remain intact under this new interpretation.

It also reframes how previous stretches are viewed. If Delphox is no longer locked in as the de facto Dog representative, then its place in theory becomes even shakier. Likewise, Skeledirge's reptilian connection to Snake feels less like a desperate reach to preserve a pattern and more like an example of how fluid the idea always was. Perhaps the tradition was never a strict checklist to begin with, but rather a loose design philosophy that fans organized into something more concrete over time.

Ultimately, Pombon doesn't just challenge the theory of the Chinese zodiac; it forces it to evolve. Whether that means the end of the tradition or simply a more flexible version of it remains to be seen, but Gen 10 has already ensured that the conversation will continue.