Although imagining the series without it is quite a tough exercise, the concept of Starters is among the most rotten ideas Pokémon has to deal with: A JRPG emphasizing its social element, and yet the game practically conditions you into making your favorite one of 3 evolution lines in a game with hundreds of Pokémon.
And yet, the community seems to love it, to have the same experience as others, to all be the same: They revel in their genericness. It's like one of the most successful & seemless ways of getting easily marketable mascots. It's both brillant & sad.