Ash Ketchum's Best Pokemon

Ash Ketchum’s Best Pokemon

• Ash Ketchum’s journey to become a Pokemon Master is defined by his ability to bring out the true potential of his Pokemon partners.
• From Noctowl to Pikachu, Ash’s roster includes a variety of strong Pokemon who have helped him succeed in battles and become a champion.
• Despite his unique approach of not evolving all his Pokemon, Ash has gathered a powerful team that has carried him to victory in many challenging battles.

On his journey to becoming a Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town has come a long way, venturing across many different regions of the world and catching tons of powerful Pokemon in the process. Ash has always had a knack for bringing out the true potential of partners. Together, he and his Pokemon have ventured across various lands, faced countless trials, and battled a vast assortment of trainers and Pokemon, to become a Pokemon Master.

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Ash’s mission to be the very best finally came to a close when he ranked first in the World Championships, defeating the most powerful trainers from across all regions. Now that his journey is over, it makes perfect sense to look at all of Ash’s strongest Pokemon and determine his most powerful partners, which would make him almost impossible to defeat.

Updated on April 24, 2024, by Ben Painter: Ash Ketchum has collected 59 Pokemon on his travels across the various Pokemon regions. Although he may no longer be the main character in the Pokemon anime series, there is still a lot of love for the trainer from Pallet Town and his loyal partner Pikachu. Ash had the infamous trait of not evolving a lot of his Pokemon, in the games this is just unheard of as it makes the Pokemon a lot weaker. The anime does not follow the game’s mechanics exactly, but there is always the question that a lot of fans ask: would Ash be more successful if he evolved his Pokemon? There are a lot of examples in which unevolved Pokemon underperformed in their battles. With that being said, here are five more Pokemon that are considered some of Ash’s strongest.

Noctowl

Battle Win Rate: 50% (3/6)

• Defining moment: Defeating Morty’s Haunter & Gengar, despite the unfavorable type matchup to win Ash the Fog Badge.

The only shiny Pokemon that Ash caught on his journeys, Noctowl was mainly used as a scouting Pokemon, much like all of his Flying types throughout his journeys. In the battles that Noctowl was used in, he performed admirably.

Using a very varied move pool, Noctowl made use of Psychic attacks such as Confusion and Extrasensory, Flying type moves like Sky Attack and Air Slash, but also Foresight and Hypnosis to aid in battle. These moves were vital in overcoming Morty’s Ghost types in the Ecruteak Gym. Noctowl was recalled a few times for major battles but with no real success.

Swellow

Battle Win Rate: 60% (10/17)

• Defining moment: Combing with Pikachu to create a Thunder armor to defeat Solrock and Lunatone in the Mossdeep Gym.

Swellow was used by Ash a lot throughout his battles in the Hoenn region, he was part of his main core of Pokemon present in a lot of big matches. It has shown to be resilient and determined in its battles, never giving up until it cannot fight anymore, a trait that is shared among many of Ash’s Pokemon.

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Despite being weak to Electric-type attacks, it has been shown to handle its weakness very well. Even using it as a weapon, after being shocked by Pikachu’s Thunder, it turned it into a Thunder Armor which was key to defeating Tate and Lisa’s Lunatone and Solrock. Even defeating it with a super-powered Aerial Ace, a Flying-type move that shouldn’t deal much damage to the Mossdeep Gym leader’s Rock Pokemon.

Squirtle

Battle Win Rate: 60% (6/10)

• Defining moment: Learning Hydro Pump to defeat Rudy’s Starmie in the Orange Islands.

Despite being one of Ash’s first Pokemon, Squirtle has been criminally underused by Ash, even going as far as saying it no longer is his Pokemon anymore, due to being under the care of Officer Jenny as part of the Squirtle Squad.

He was only used in one Gym Battle in Kanto, against the Fire-type trainer Blaine, a battle which surprisingly, Squirtle lost despite having the type advantage. Squirtle was more used in the Orange Islands and the early Johto campaign, where it was used to successfully defeat Rudy’s Starmie and Drake’s Onix. Squirtle is notable for his out-of-battle exploits, becoming a firefighter and saving many lives. In some ways, Squirtle is the best of all of Ash’s Pokemon.

Corphish

Battle Win Rate: 63% (12/19)

• Defining moment: Defeating Flannery’s Magcargo and Torkoal to win Ash the Heat Badge.

A very friendly but brash member of Ash’s team, it has shown to be an effective battler, using its strong exoskeleton as a way of defending itself from a barrage of attacks.

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Corphish was used in a lot of battles across Hoenn and the Kanto Battle Frontier and always put in a shift, hitting many with powerful Bubblebeam attacks. In the Victory Tournament, Corphish proved his determination and fought a much stronger opponent in Swampert and tied that match. It proved many times just how strong it can be, despite never evolving into its more powerful form in Crawdaunt.

Scraggy

Battle Win Rate: 67% (2/3)

• Defining moment: Learning Focus Blast to defeat Simisage in the Clubsplosion Tournament

Ash used a lot of Pokemon in Unova so the Pokemon he used there were largely spread out, hence Scraggys low number of major battles. Since it hatched under Ash’s care, it has shown to be a headstrong Pokemon going all out in his battles, hitting powerful moves such as Focus Blast and High Jump Kick which are risky and prone to miss.

Scraggy is shown to take on groups of Pokemon all by himself, best shown in the episode Scraggy-Hatched to be Wild! when he goes for many Galvantula with no help. Ash left Scraggy at Professor Oak’s Lab when he left the Unova region and has never returned to his party. There is certainly a case that Scraggy has a lot of unfinished business as part of Ash’s roster.

Gible

Battle Win Rate: 67% (2/3)

• Defining moment: Mastering Draco Meteor and defeating Shuckle and then Dusknoir in the Lily of the Valley Conference

Perhaps the worst example of Ash not evolving his Pokemon, the first of the powerful Dragon-type that Ash owned. Gible evolved into the pseudo-legendary Pokemon Garchomp and an insanely strong ‘mon, the signature of Sinnoh Champion Cynthia. Ash kept his Gible in its base state, but it did prove to be a powerful, albeit underused, battler.

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After many failed attempts, its key moment was mastering the strong move Draco Meteor, which was used successfully to aid in Ash’s battle against Conway and advance him into the next round. It is a shame that Gible is rarely seen again once Ash departs for Unova and leaves all of his Sinnoh Pokemon behind.

Kingler

Battle Win Rate: 71% (5/7)

• Defining moment: Evolving into Kingler and defeating several of Mandi’s Pokemon in the Indigo League.

Kingler is an often-forgotten Pokemon of Ash’s, caught pretty early on in his adventures in Kanto as a Krabby. Ash kept the orange crab in the box up until his battles in the Indigo League, where it evolved into Kingler and put in some serious leg work, defeating an Exeggutor, Seadra, Golbat, and Cloyster.

Kingler may not be used often by Ash, but whenever it has been called upon, it has always done exactly what Ash requires, making it one of Ash’s most reliable companions.

Lycanroc

Battle Win Rate: 80% (20/25)

• Defining moment: Defeating Gladion’s own Lycanroc to win Ash the Manolo Conference.

The Rock-type Pokemon was a regular in Ash’s roster in the Alola region, and it showed its real strength on several occasions, striking down opponents with Stone Edge, Accelerock, Counter, and some powerful Z-Moves.

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Lycanroc got his revenge against Gladion’s Midnight from Lycanroc in the finals of Alola, which in turn won Ash his first-ever Pokemon League Championship. It is a crying shame that Lycanroc was not used anymore, as it remained with Professor Kukui in Alola. Ash could have made use of its red-eye form in his future journeys, but considering his success, he did not really need his wolf.

Gengar

Battle Win Rate: 54% (7/14 & 1 Tie)

• Defining moment: Defeating Leon’s Inteleon in the Masters Tournament.

Ash caught his Gengar in the final series, Pokemon Journeys, and he was a valued member of his team. Despite some losses early on during his time with Ash, Gengar had a change of fortune later on, defeating Paul’s Metagross, Stephen’s Aggron, and Leon’s Inteleon.

The Ghost-type has been a fan favorite for many years, and it was awesome to finally see Ash Ketchum use a Gengar in his team. Gengar has shown its capabilities to Gigantamax, adding some extra bulk to its battles. Dazzling Gleam, Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Ball, and Sludge Bomb are moves that Gengar possesses, and they have shown real effectiveness against opponents.

Snorlax

Battle Win Rate: 83% (19/23)

• Defining moment: Defeating Greta’s Hariyama and Medicham in the Battle Frontier despite the weakened type match-up.

Ash’s Snorlax is a pretty iconic Pokemon, as a lot of fans can relate to its only worries in life: eating and sleeping. Ash has not used his Normal-type Pokemon for this reason, as they cannot be relied on enough.

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When Snorlax has gotten over his urge to just eat and sleep, it has been a vital Pokemon for Ash in major tournaments. With its varied moveset of Ice Punch, Rest, Hyper Beam, and Mega Punch, it has beaten some big Pokemon, such as Gary’s Nidoqueen, Clair’s Kingra, and Harrison’s Steelix. If Snorlax could have been relied on more often by Ash, who knows what more damage it could have dealt?

Krookodile

Battle Win Rate: 58% (7/12)

• Defining moment: Defeating Stephan’s Pokemon to advance Ash in the Vertress Conference.

Ash’s Krookodile had a deep bond with Ash, which eventually led it to become a powerhouse in his Unova team. Ash’s Krookodile started following him when he was just a Sandile, and ever since his first encounter, he showed a deep interest in Ash and his Pikachu. This eventually led to a number of face-offs between Sandile and Pikachu, which then saw Sandile evolve into Krokorok. However, it was not until much later that the fearsome reptile joined Ash’s team. With his iconic sunglasses and quirky personality, Ash’s Krokorok remained one of his most entertaining partners.

Ash’s Krokorok eventually evolved into Krookodile and arguably became his strongest Pokemon at the time. Krookodile had access to powerful moves like Crunch, Dragon Claw, Aerial Ace, and Dig. Krookodile emerged victorious in many battles, such as the fights against Stephan’s Sawk and Liepard, Brycen’s Beartic, and Iris’s Dragonite.

Dragonite

Battle Win Rate: 50% (4/8)

• Defining moment: Defeating Korrina’s Mega Lucario to win Ash the battle and promote him up to the Great Class.

Ash was never one to go for strong Dragon Pokemon when it came to his regional team. What is even stranger is that, except for Goodra, Ash had no other pseudo-Legendaries on his team. This is why fans were stoked to see Ash finally catch a Dragonite in Pokemon Journeys. Dragonite joined Ash’s team with a banger episode that saw it evolve from a Dragonair into a Dragonite to save him from falling.

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Ash’s Dragonite was a powerhouse, but it did not get to shine as much as it deserved. However, it still played a key role during the World Coronation arc. Ash’s Dragonite had a powerful move set, including Draco Meteor, Hurricane, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, and Hyper Beam. It reigned victorious over Goh’s Golurk, Korrina’s Meinshao and Mega Lucario, Iris’s Haxorus, and Leon’s Dragapult.

Dracovish

Battle Win Rate: 56% (5/9)

• Defining moment: Defeating Leon’s Rillaboom In The Masters Eight Tournament.

Ash’s Dracovish was brought to life from a fossil by two quirky scientists, both of whom did not know what Dracovish originally looked like. Thus, by combining parts of different fossils, Ash’s Dracovish was born, having both Water and Dragon typing. Ash eventually formed a strong bond with Dracovish and captured him. Beneath the Pokemon’s goofy exterior lay a powerful monster with immense potential, which became evident when Dracovish pulled off the powerful move Fishious Rend.

Dracovish also had access to other strong moves like Dragon Rush, Water Gun, and Ice Fang. The Pokemon went on to beat lots of powerful trainers and their Pokemon, including Iris’s Dragonite, Clement’s Diggersby, Elite Four Drasna’s Noivern, Champion Cynthia’s Roserade, and Champion Leon’s Rillaboom.

Goodra

Battle Win Rate: 88% (14/16)

• Defining moment: Defeating Clemont’s Luxray to earn Ash the Voltage badge.

Aside from Pikachu, there isn’t a Pokemon in Ash’s team that has a higher win ratio in battle than his Dragon-type, Goodra. With a powerful moveset of Ice Beam, Rain Dance, Bide, and Dragon Pulse, Goodra has swept through most of the battles it has come up against.

Goodra is a powerful weapon in Ash’s arsenal. It is a shame that he left it at home to protect the Kalos wetlands because it could have been a big player against some of the powerful trainers that the Pallet Town trainer has faced. Its many victories have helped it stake its place as one of Ash’s strongest Pokemon, if not for its short spell, it could have been even better.

Infernape

Battle Win Rate: 80% (37/46)

• Defining moment: Defeating its rival, Paul’s Electivire, in the Lily of the Valley Conference.

Ash’s Infernape had a tragic backstory, being abandoned by its previous trainer, Paul, as a Chimchar, but this just ended up being the fuel that Infernape needed to become one of Ash’s strongest Pokemon. As a Chimchar, this Pokemon redeemed itself right away after coming under Ash’s wing and helping him win against Gym Leader Fantina’s Mismagius and Drifblim. In Ash’s first six-on-six battle against Paul, Chimchar defeated his Ursaring and evolved into a Monferno and then fought valiantly against Paul’s Electabuzz.

As an Infernape, it clashed with Flint’s Infernape to prepare for his battle against Volkner. Infernape later defeated Volkner’s Jolteon and won against his Luxray with the Blaze ability. In Ash’s Sinnoh League battle against Paul, Infernape made him proud by going up against Paul’s Aggron and Ninjask. Finally, Infernape settled the score with Paul’s Electivire in an epic clash and won the battle, again with the help of its Blaze ability.

Lucario

Battle Win Rate: 70% (13/20 & 2 Ties)

• Defining moment: Defeating Cynthia’s Ace Pokemon, Garchomp, in the Pokemon Masters Eight Tournament.

For the longest time, fans wanted Ash to catch a Lucario, and he did so just in time to be crowned the world champion. Ash’s Lucario hatched from an egg as Riolu and trained hard to become a dependable ace. It developed a strong rivalry and friendship with Ash’s Farfetch’d, which it defeated in their first encounter. As a Riolu, it also fought against the Fighting-type trainer Bea’s Grapploct twice, with little success. It also defeated Chairman Rose’s Copperajah and Ferrothorn by using a powerful Aura Sphere. Ash’s Riolu eventually evolved into Lucario and fought against many of Volkner’s Pokemon in the World Coronation battle, notably winning over his Luxray.

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Ash eventually decided to Mega Evolve Lucario and went up against Mega Alakazam. In the Rematch against Bea, Lucario was able to defeat her Grapploct and Gigantamaxed Machamp with its Mega Evolution. Mega Lucario also defeated Champion Cynthia’s Togekiss and Garchomp in the Master’s 8 Tournament. Lastly, Mega Lucario faced and defeated Champion Leon’s Mr. Rime while also weakening his other Pokemon. Lucario had access to moves like Aura Sphere, Bullet Punch, Reversal, and Double Team.

Sceptile

Battle Win Rate: 60% (29/48)

• Defining moment: Defeating Tobias’ Legendary Pokemon, Darkrai, in the Lily of the Valley Conference.

Though Ash owns many strong Grass-types, none compare to his iconic Sceptile when it comes to sheer strength. Starting off as a Treeko and eventually evolving into a Grovyle, this green gecko always had a thirst for battle. As a Grovyle, it defeated Gym Leader Norman’s Slacking with its hidden ability Overgrow. Ash’s Grovyle eventually evolved into a Sceptile and battled the Frontier Brain Spencer’s Shiftree and Claydol in a powerful showdown.

Sceptile had a tough time against Frontier Head Brandon’s Legendary Pokemon Regirock and eventually lost the battle. Sceptile also fought against May’s Blaziken in a contest battle, where both Pokemon awakened their hidden abilities. The match ended in an epic draw as the timer ran out. In the Sinnoh League, Sceptile made its legendary return and went up against Tobias’ Powerful Darkrai, which had previously defeated many of Ash’s best Pokemon. Sceptile eventually won against Darkrai, however, solidifying its status as one of Ash’s strongest Pokemon. It had access to moves like Quick Attack, Leaf Blade, Leaf Storm, and Solar Beam.

Greninja

Battle Win Rate: 87% (47/55)

• Defining moment: Transforming into Ash-Greninja for the first time to defeat Heidayu’s Bisharp.

Ash met Greninja as a little Froakie, who was initially not an easy Pokemon to befriend. Ash’s Froakie won many battles, which eventually made it evolve into a Frogadier, who went on to showcase an even greater fighting potential by defeating Gym Leader Olympia’s Meowsticks in a double battle together with Ash’s Talonflame. Soon after, Frogadier evolved into Greninja and fought its first battle against a powerful Bisharp while tapping into the iconic Bond phenomenon for the very first time. Greninja also went up against Sawyer’s Sceptile twice, once in a regular battle and once during the Kalos League battle in its Mega Form. It won against it both times.

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It also went head-to-head with Kalos Champion Diantha’s Mega Gardevoir, but the battle was cut short. Greninja’s toughest battle came against Alain’s Mega Charizard, which it faced a total of three times. In the Kalos League finale, Ash-Greninja put up a valiant fight against Alain’s Mega Charizard but eventually lost the match, costing Ash the title of Kalos Champion. Ash’s Greninja had access to a pretty powerful move set, which included Cut, Water Shuriken, Aerial Ace, and Double Team.

Charizard

Battle Win Rate: 70% (33/47)

• Defining moment: Arriving to save Ash at the last minute in Spell of the Unown: Entei and helped defeat the Legendary Pokemon.

Ash met Charizard as an abandoned little Charmander on the verge of death and saved it from its fate. Though Charmander was a nice little fellow initially, things took a turn for the worse when it evolved into Charmeleon and later Charizard. Thinking that Ash wasn’t worthy, Charizard disregarded and disobeyed Ash for a long time. Eventually, however, Ash gained Charizard’s respect by saving him once again after a battle left him gravely injured. Since then, the two have fought together against many strong foes, including the likes of Blain’s Magmar and Harrison’s Blaziken.

During the Silver League Conference, Charizard defeated Gary’s Scizor, Golem, and Blastoise in an epic showdown, despite being at a type disadvantage. Charizard also had the honor of defeating the Legendary Pokemon, Articuno, owned by the Frontier Brain Nolan. Ash’s Charizard made several returns later on in the series, going up against Iris’ Dragonite during his adventures in the Unova region. Ash’s Charizard has access to a wide variety of moves, including the iconic Seismic Toss, the powerful Overheat, Dragon Tail, and Flamethrower. Charizard is an absolute powerhouse that Ash can always rely on to secure victory.

Pikachu

Battle Win Rate: 89% (479/538)

• Defining moment: There are far too many to name, but defeating Leon’s Charizard to crown Ash as the winner of the Master’s Eight Tournament was arguably the best.

Time and time again, Pikachu has proven why he is Ash’s strongest Pokemon. Pikachu partnered up with Ash when he first began his journey in the Kanto region, and though the two got off to a rocky start, their bond eventually grew, and they became inseparable. Throughout its adventures with Ash, Pikachu has defeated many notable foes, including its evolved form, Raichu, at multiple points throughout the series. Pikachu also defeated Drake’s Dragonite, giving Ash his first championship title in the Orange League. It also went head-to-head with Tobias’ Legendary Latios during the Sinnoh League, which ended in a draw. Then, in the Kalos League finale, Pikachu defeated Alain’s Tyranitar and Metagross.

Pikachu also landed Ash the title of Alolan Champion by defeating Tapu KoKo with its special Z-move, 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. Last but not least, in the Pokemon World Championships, Pikachu defeated Leon’s Charizard in an epic showdown to win Ash the title of World Champion. Ash’s Pikachu has always been special and even received a Gigantamax form. Its final move set was made up of Electroweb, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, and the Iconic Thunderbolt.

Pokemon

Release DateApril 1, 1997Main GenreAnimationRating7.5/10Number of Episodes1,268Streaming Service(s)NetflixMyAnimeList Score7.38