Rattata

Rattata stakes its claim as the early-game damage king with Hyper Fang, a move that boasts 80 base power and a 10% flinch rate, making it 20% stronger than Spearow’s best attack at level 13. Its 253 base stat total underperforms compared to #5 Ekans by 35 points, but Rattata evolves into Raticate at level 20 — 2 levels sooner than Ekans evolves, offering faster power progression. However, its Normal typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting moves and lacking super-effective coverage against common Rock types, forcing reliance on TMs like Dig. The fragility is stark: with 30 base HP and 35 Defense, Rattata faints in one hit from a critical move, relegating it to an HM slave for moves like Cut or Strength in late-game. Despite this, its early-game utility is unmatched for grinding on Route 1.