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

The biggest news coming out of Pokémon Presents was undoubtedly the official confirmation Pokemon winds and waves. These Gen 10 games don't come out until 2027, but hopefully fans will get more news in 2026. At least fans got their first look Pokemon winds and waves Appetizers: Fire Starter Dog-like Pombon, Gecko-like Gecqua Water Starter, and Owl-like Grass Starter Browt.

For some fans, the similarity of these starters to previous ones (such as Browt and Rowlet) is surprising, but the biggest surprise is Pombon himself. This cute fire pomeranian has seriously messed up the Chinese zodiac tradition that has been around since the first generation of games. It might be a stretch, but between this massive change and the improved graphics, it seems like it is Pokemon winds and waves loudly reinforces that Gen 10 will strike differently.

Pokemon Gen 1 – Starter Gen 9 Chinese Zodiac Tradition

First, it's worth finding out exactly what the Chinese Zodiac x Fire Starter tradition is. It's a long-standing community theory that suggests that each starting Fire-type Pokemon corresponds to one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. Game Freak never confirmed this theory, but given how strong it was in the 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 lined up Dragon zodiac.
Cyndaquil, Quilava and Typhlosion are in line with Rat zodiac. It's looser cut than the others, but the rat/mouse family in Japanese is broad, and the Cyndaquil lineage is specifically based on a shrew/porcupine-like mammal.
Torchic, Combusken and Blaziken are perfect for them Rooster zodiac.
Chimchar, Monferno and Infernape go perfectly with them Monkey zodiac.
Tepig, Pignite and Emboar are perfect for them Pig zodiac.
Fennekin, Braixen and Delphox stand freely in line Dog of the zodiac, even further than Tyflosion. Fennekin is a fox, not a “dog”, but foxes are canines. Zodiac doesn't specify a domestic dog, so it's a stretch, but not an incredible one.
Litten, Torracat, and Incineroar match perfectly with Tiger zodiac.
Scorbunny, Raboot, and Cinderace are perfect for them Rabbit Zodiac.
The Fuecoco, Crocalor and Skeledirge range 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 non-zodiac crocodile. After Gen-8, they are the only unused animals of the Chinese zodiac 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 both crocodiles and snakes are reptiles, which is another stretch from shrew to rat or fox to dog, but the snake was used for that very reason. It's also possible that with Gen 10 now coming to the Pokemon world, Game Freak wants to expand the Chinese zodiac with more animals and give it a break every now and then. In other words, Fuecoco left tradition in the air. Maybe the snake was counted, maybe not, but the theory is heavily strained with the Fuecoco line.

pokemon-scarlet-violet-fuecoco-robot-form

And Pombon completely devastates the theory.

Pombon is the first, but also the second, canine fire starter

Pombon borrows from Fuecoco in that they both look a little derpy for that extra dose of cuteness, but Fuecoco was serious about the Chinese zodiac tradition. Pombon is and isn't. In theory, Pombon fits perfectly into the Chinese zodiac tradition; it's a dog after all. But if the dog is Pombon, then maybe the Delphox line is not. This means that the Delphox line finds itself in the bin with the Skeledirge line and no longer fits into it.

However, there is also a second interpretation. Nothing in the pattern suggests that Pokemon's Fire Starters had to be a whole new animal in the Chinese zodiac each time. It may have worked out that way so far, but Pombon could be the first-second Fire Starter to use the same Chinese zodiac animal that messes things up. But that's probably the easiest way to understand it.

pokemon winds and waves launcher official

Pombon upholds the lore of the Chinese zodiac by being a dog, but adds a new layer to it, suggesting that some of the animals in the Chinese zodiac might repeat themselves. Leaving Fuecoco aside, this means that any animal in the Chinese zodiac could be revisited before the buffalo, horse, snake or goat. This also means that they will remain possible for future generations Pokemon games.

Fire starter x Chinese zodiac tradition has evolved

This creates an interesting ripple effect for speculation moving forward. If a repeat is on the table, then fans can no longer assume that the remaining unused animals are guaranteed picks. The ox, horse, serpent, and goat may still be coming, but they are no longer inevitable simply because they have not yet appeared. Game Freak could revisit Monkey, Tiger, or even Dragon years later and the pattern would remain technically intact in this new interpretation.

It also reframes how past sections are viewed. If Delphox is no longer locked in as the de facto representative of the Dog, his place in theory becomes even shakier. Likewise, Skeledirge's reptilian connection to Snake feels less like a desperate attempt to maintain a pattern and more like an example of how fluid the idea has always been. Tradition may never have been a strict checklist, but rather a loose design philosophy that fans have organized into something more concrete over time.

In the end, Pombon doesn't just challenge the Chinese zodiac theory; forcing him to evolve. Whether this marks the end of the tradition or simply a more flexible version of it remains to be seen, but Gen 10 has already ensured the conversation continues.