Caterpie is a relatively cute Pokemon, and the first-ever bug-type encountered! Caterpie and its counterpart, Weedle, set the standard for early-game bug types: they evolve super quickly and will likely be the first on your team to do so, they have a middling first evolution, and a final evolution that starts off incredibly strong and only falls off as you progress further into the game.

Caterpie here is based off a Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar, and the resemblance is...



...Uncanny, to say the least. It looks an incredible amount like its real world counterpart! Not gunna lie, I'd love to own a Real Life Caterpie, but can this one use Tackle? No.





Not a whole lot to say about Metapod! Beyond the fact of like, why do wild Metapod only know Harden? Didn't they evolve from Caterpie that knew Tackle too? That's always seemed weird to me.





Butterfree is so damn cute, and pretty useful in the early stages of your gym journey as well! It learns the ever-important Confusion very very early in a generation where psychic-type moves dominate everything else. Not to mention its cute little fangs and big ol' eyes! How could you not love Butterfree?

So how does the Caterpie line hold up in battle?

Er... not well, to be honest with you. Butterfree's stats are incredibly, incredibly low with its highest stat being its special attack at a mere 80. This is good very before you have many badges, but it falls off quite quickly as ou move through the region. Butterfree is best suited to the earlier parts of your journey where it is at its strongest without much competition that early.

Final Thoughts

The Caterpie line is best suited to where you find it: the early game. Its design is quite cute, but its meager stats hinder it considerably. Sorry Butterfree, but I'll keep using you until the second or third gym and then boxing you in favor of something stronger.