Action Heroes are the toughest of the tough. They are strong, fast, and don't give up easily. They selflessly take damage and dish it out. There are dozens upon dozens of them, with more finding their way onto the big screen with each passing day.
What else in fiction is just as numerous, just as able to give as much of themselves for the cause, and can keep up with an action hero's exploits? Look no further than this answer - Pokémon. On the surface, Pokémon may seem to have little to nothing to do with action stars, but if one digs deeper, one would find that this is not the case at all. Pokémon are loyal, unique, never give up, and are always there when they are needed most. But which Pokémon would pair up best with action stars?
The following is a list of 10 iconic action heroes and the starter Pokémon that they are best paired with. As emphasized in the previous sentence, this list will only contain classic starter Pokémon from each generation of mainline games (think the fire, water, and grass-types that a tree-themed professor hands out to twelve-year-olds to begin their Pokémon journeys) and will not include Pikachu or Eevee (impure starters, sorry Yellow and Let's Go).
10 John Rambo - Squirtle
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John Rambo likes his guns and explosions. While one may think that he would select a fire-type to go along with such a proclivity for pyrotechnics and blasting shells, look no further than the evolution line of Squirtle for a more appropriate pairing. Squirtle is a water-type tiny turtle Pokémon, and boasts attacks such as water gun and scald (in some generations of the game).
That is a good start, but wait until Squirtle reaches its final stage - Blastoise. Blastoise is armed with two huge, steel canons on its back shell, capable of launching hydro pumps and hydro canons at the enemy for maximum damage. There is no denying that Rambo's interest in that! Just wait until he hears about Mega Blastoise and that third canon.
9 Indiana Jones - Charmander
Indiana Jones has it all: the looks, the brains, the fighting skills, and the charisma (not to mention a bit of plot armor to go along with it all). Charmander, the cute fire-lizard Pokémon, eventually evolves into Charizard, the original Pokémon to "have it all." Charizard is an awesome-looking dragon-like Pokémon, with a fantastic move pool, stat set, and typing.
Together, Indiana and Charizard would adventure into the unknown, punching and scorching Nazis left and right, as the duo becomes the envy of Pokémon trainers and action heroes alike. The best part for Indiana Jones - most snake Pokémon are easily disposed of by a Charizard's fiery blasts.
8 Sarah Conner - Cyndaquil
Sarah Conner starts off The Terminator as somewhat of a timid nobody, just trying to pay the bills and going out with friends like anyone else would. However, as the story moves forward, she is thrust into action and her inner badass comes out in full force, much like the fiery Johto starter Pokémon, Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil is a tiny echidna-like Pokémon that eventually evolves into the honey-badger Pokémon, Typhlosion.
Typhlosion, and all of its previous evolution line, is capable of igniting a huge flame on its back when in danger or provoked, parallel to Sarah Conner's own feverous ignition toward her new-found purpose to protect and save all humankind.
7 Ellen Ripley - Piplup
Piplup is a cute, penguin Pokémon that eventually becomes the imposing steel and water-type Empoleon. Empoleon is a bit of a defensive specialist, with a tremendous special attack that can surprise its enemies. Ellen Ripley has a bit of iron within herself, and certainly packs a punch when needed.
She is also shown to be a compassionate and caring hero in the Alien franchise, saving children, her fellow crew, and even the sweet kitty cat, Jonesy. Empoleon, a Pokémon based on the mighty Emperor Penguin, displays these exact traits in the Pokémon world, and the two would shine together on land, sea, or in space.
6 John McClane - Tepig
John McClane is just an average American man (in the first Die Hard movie anyway, the sequels portray him as a bit too unrelatable and ridiculous). He simply finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time while trying to save his marriage. He bleeds, fails, tries again, and is packed with silly quips and comebacks. Tepig, a starter Pokémon from the Unova region (based of off New York City in the United States) is an average Pokémon starter.
Its move pool, stats layout, and typing are nothing to write home about either, but are by no means terrible. The two of them exemplify the word average, and the fire-fighting typing of Emboar (the fully evolved Tepig) is perhaps the exact type of Pokémon that John McClane would be, given he was a Pocket Monster.
5 Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer - Mudkip
What would have happened if Dutch had his faithful companion Mudkip with him when facing off with the titular Predator? What if that Mudkip was actually the fully evolved Swampert, instead? The answer is simple - he would have covered himself in mud much earlier, and he and Swampert together would have smacked the absolute nonsense out of the Predator.
The movie would have lasted 10 minutes, and it would be glorious. Swampert, as indicated by the name, loves bathing in swampy and muddy water, and knows moves such as mud shot and earthquake, giving enemies little to no chance to take down this water-ground Pokémon. Furthermore, Mega Swampert is an Arnold Schwarzenegger sized behemoth Pokémon, and the only starter suitable for the impossibly swole Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer.
4 Dominic "Dom" Toretto - Bulbasaur
Dom and the rest of the characters within the Fast and Furious universe are all about family (it doesn't matter if they accidentally murder people, as long as they have one another while doing it). Dom is also bald. In the live-action Pokémon film, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, the Bulbasaur don this exact role as hairless, family-centric little dinosaurs with plants on their backs that escort the heroes to a place where Pikachu can be saved.
In the Pokémon Animated Series, the Bulbasaur are also protective of their own, and are selective guardians of their home. As the ultimate cinematic family, Dom and his entire crew would each start with a Bulbasaur (but his would probably be the only one allowed to transform fully into a Venusaur, as he always has to be the toughest).
3 The Scorpion King - Litten
Litten marks the fourth and final appearance by a fire-type starter Pokémon on this list. The fiery cat evolves into the wrestling fire-dark tiger Incineroar, which seems rather appropriate given the Scorpion King is portrayed by none other than professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Additionally, whether it be in his own line of movies or in The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King is always surrounded by fire, and the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns is undoubtedly a dark monster. Unwillingly serving an Egyptian mummy with a cat Pokémon (an Egyptian vessel to the gods) is only the icing on the cake for these two monsters to be a match.
2 Ethan Hunt - Froakie
Everyone knows that Tom Cruise likes to full-on sprint in his films. Cruise is also notorious for pushing the limit on every stunt that he partakes in, going as far as skydiving over 100 times with a broken ankle for Mission Impossible: Fallout. Naturally, the Mission Impossible series is no exception to these trends. As Ethan Hunt, Cruise uses speed, stealth, and cunning to overcome the worst of odds and win the day.
Froakie, one of the fastest starter Pokémon to date, eventually evolves into the froglike ninja Pokémon, Greninja - the perfect companion to tag along on any spy and stealth mission. Greninja has the speed, power, and the quiet step required to foil any villain's plans and save the world. The ninja-frog is the optimal training partner for Hunt when he is out on the track or is trying to improve his hide-and-seek skills.
1 Katniss Everdeen - Rowlet
Rowlet is a forest owl Pokémon that is also grass and flying type. Upon evolving to its final stage, Decidueye, the owl drops the flying type for the ghost type. While flying type Pokémon may be more appropriate to the mockingjay (trademark symbol of Katniss Everdeen), Decidueye's primary weapon is indeed a feathered bow and arrow.
The two could train together in the forest before being thrust into the Hunger Games (or a civil war), and would greatly compliment one another's sportsmanship and precision. Decidueye also benefits the group as it is able to conjure up a nearly unlimited supply of arrows, a key factor for anyone that unfortunately finds themselves within a giant death-arena.
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