in the Pokemon anime, Ash has caught and trained many Pokemon over the years, turning many small creatures into some of the strongest Pokemon ever seen. On top of that, Ash had the good fortune to meet some notable powerful Pokemon, some of which gained the power on their own, and some of which had their latent power unlocked by Ash.
As the winner of not only the Alola League, but also the World Coronation Series, the power that Ash’s Pokemon can wield is truly beyond questioning. Whether they are rare and powerful Pokemon in-universe and beyond or surprisingly common Pokemon, Ash always manages to assemble an incredible ensemble of powerful Pokemon in every region he travels through. Some of Ash’s Pokemon are naturally stronger than others, and the strongest of them all are worth highlighting.
15
Gengar devours the competition
Caught in Pokemon Journeys Episode 16: “A Chilling Curse!”
Ash’s Gengar was first encountered, as a Gengar, when it was haunting Cerise’s laboratory in Pokemon Journeys. Ash caught it and worked with it, Undergoing a special ritual that allowed Gengar to gain the ability to gigantamax. It trained with some of Ash’s Fire-type Pokémon to master Will-O-Wisp, which proved to be vital to some of Ash’s Masters’ eight tournament victories. Gengar was an important member of Ash Journeys team, and certainly pulled his weight in helping him achieve the world champion title.
14
Naganadel is a genuine legendary Pokemon
Caught in Pokemon Sun and Moon Episode 67: “Love at First Twirl!”
One of Ash’s rarest Pokemon, Naganadel was first encountered as a Poipole after appearing in Ash’s world through an Ultra Wormhole. Naganadel and Poipole are what are known as Ultra Beasts, mysterious Pokemon that come from another dimension and are both quite rare and quite powerful.
Related
Ash’s Naganadel returned to help him as he battled in the Alola League tournamentwhere it defeated another Ultra Beast, Guzzlord, who attacked mid-tournament. It joined Ash for his final battle with Kukui, easily defeating Kukui’s Lucario and standing up admirably against the legendary Pokemon Tapu Koko.
13
Snorlax is an unstoppable eating machine
Caught in Pokemon: Adventures in the Orange Islands Episode 94: “Snack Attack”
Ash grabbed his snorlax Pokemons Orange Islands, where it was found swimming from island to island, already strong as it devoured everything it came across. Snorlax proved a powerful ally, able to stop a massive Rhydon that was on a rampage with a single punch.
Snorlax is also a master of the powerful Hyper Beam techniqueWhat it used to defeat many an opponent in tournament conferences. The only problem with Snorlax as a Pokemon, of course, is that it tends to eat and sleep rather than fight, so motivating it to fight at its strongest is sometimes difficult even for Ash.
Caught in Pokemon Sun and Moon Episode 112: “Got Melt?”
As a mythical Pokemon, Melmetal is not only one of the rarest Pokemon Ash has ever caught, but also one of the biggest and strongest. It was encountered as a Meltan and evolved when hundreds of Meltans came together to help Ash during the Alola League’s championship.
Unfortunately, this also means that Melmetal didn’t get a lot of opportunities to prove his prowess in battle, and his performance in the tournament wasn’t great. Still, Melmetal knows his signature attack, Double Iron BashAnd if given the chance, still ranks among Ash’s strongest.
11
Dracovish’s prehistoric power overwhelms opponents
Caught in Pokemon Journeys Episode 50: “A pinch of this, a pinch of that!”
The strange and powerful Pokemon was the result of a fossil revival gone wrong, and Ash was entrusted with the strange Pokemon after the scientists had finished researching it. Despite its dubious origins, Dracovish is a formidable opponent, able to pull off its signature attack Fishious Rend and wipe out opponents slower than it. Dracovish’s massive jaw gives it some impressive attack ability, Which it often uses with Ice Fang to fantastic results. Ash’s Dracovish is a little spacey, though, and can’t always figure out important things, like calling back from battle.
10
Hawlucha’s dramatic victories seal the deal
Caught in Pokemon XY Episode 35: “The Forest Champion!”
The protector of a forest before joining Ash, Hawlucha quickly became a favorite choice of Ash during his adventures in Kalos. Hawlucha’s use of his signature move Flying Press won Ash many battlesEven when the odds were against him. Hawlucha, for example, managed to pull off a win against the fairy-type gym leader Valerie, despite his typing disadvantage.
Hawlucha was also an excellent mentor to Ash’s other Pokémon, such as Noibat, whom it taught to fly. Hawlucha’s main downside is that it strongly favors theatrics, even if it’s not the best strategy in a particular battle.
9
Goodra bravely challenges any opponent
Caught in Pokemon XY Episode 55: “A Slick Encounter!”
Literally falling into Ash’s lap like a rubber band, Goodra joined Ash because she wanted to become stronger and braver, and Ash definitely helped her achieve that goal. Goodra’s hydration ability came in handy on several occasions, allowing it to heal from status effects in the rain.
One of its favored techniques, Bide, allowed it to bear the brunt of enemy attacks before returning to full power, making it a surprisingly powerful Pokemon in battle. Goodra suffered from several traumatic experiences before the Pokemon met AshLeaving it terrified of fairy and bug-type Pokemon, but Ash helped it overcome this weakness.
8
Bulbasaur is still one of Ash’s most iconic Pokemon
Caught in Pokemon Episode 10: “Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village”
While Ash wasn’t given one of the traditional starter Pokemon at the start of his journey, he still met a Bulbasaur in the wild early in his travels through Kanto. Bulbasaur is introduced as the guardian of a shrine for injured Pokemon, and after meeting Ash and his friends and battling Team Rocket with them, Bulbasaur joins Ash’s team for further growth. During Ash’s journey through Johto, however, Bulbasaur left to serve as a mediator for the Pokémon in Professor Oak’s laboratory, although it would occasionally rejoin Ash several times over the years.
Thanks to being one of Ash’s oldest Pokémon, Bulbasaur has far more power and experience than many of Ash’s Pokémon, resulting in a fighter that is as powerful as it is versatile. One of the best shows of Bulbasaur’s power was in Ash’s third match with Brandon at the Battle Pyramid III Bulbasaur defeated Brandon’s Duklaps, who even defeated Charizard, and tied against his Solrac. Even without evolving, Bulbasaur has always been one of Ash’s strongest Pokemon, and that notion is almost impossible to deny.
7
Sceptile proudly battles even legends
Caught in Pokemon Advanced Generation Episode 7: “Tree’s a Load”
Ash met his Septile as a Treecco, where he helped him protect her home. As a Growville, it became one of Ash’s most reliable Pokemon, often being the last one he would use to secure victory since its overgrow ability made it especially powerful when the chips were down.
Related
Sceptile even managed to defeat the mythical Pokemon Darkrai during PokemonS Sinnoh League ChampionshipsAn incredibly impressive achievement. Sceptile’s biggest weakness is likely his pride, as it once lost the ability to use attacks when it was snubbed by a Meganium it liked. Still, that pride wasn’t enough to knock it out of the top five of Ash’s strongest Pokemon.
6
Nebi is one of Ash’s strongest Pokemon by design
Caught in Pokemon Sun and Moon Episode 44: “A Dream Encounter!”
While Lily is typically the one to have the Cosmog Nebi in the games and most adaptations, the Pokemon Anime instead put Ash in that role, though Lily is still the one to give it its name. Faba’s machinations eventually led to Nebi evolving into a Solgaleo, and after rescuing Lusamine from a wild Nihiligo, Nebi left Ash to live in Ultra Space, although he returned to help Ash and his friends deal with Necrozma.
As a “Box Legendary”, i.e. the legendary Pokemon featured in the cover art of a game, Solgaleo is one of the strongest Pokemon a human can catch, and similarly, Nebi is one of the strongest Pokemon Ash has ever owned. After finally evolving into Solgaleo, Nebi was an unstoppable powerhouse in the few battles he took part in thanks to his powerful Steel-type moves and signature Z-Move, and the biggest show of his strength was in Vi Solgaleo was the biggest player in Necrozma’s eventual defeat. Nebi may not have been with Ash very long, but it still left a big mark, anyway.
5
Lucario’s fighting spirit is unmatched
Caught in Pokemon Journeys Episode 21: “Caring for a Mystery!”
Lucario is one of Ash’s newer Pokemon, raised from an egg during Pokemon Journeys. Lucario and Ash developed an immediate connection thanks to Ash’s superpower of seeing a Pokemon’s aura, And so the pair are able to train together very efficiently. It battled Eternatus after freshly evolving, which it defeated with the help of Pikachu and Goh’s Cinderace, and had an excellent record against Dynamaxed Pokémon.
Ash’s Lucario is also capable of Mega Evolving, thanks to a Mega Stone acquired with Korrina’s help. For Lucario, its boldness is often its main issue, as it would attack wild Pokemon at random like a Riolu and sometimes disobey, although this mostly ended when it evolved.
4
Infernape is strongest when on the ropes
Caught in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Episode 52: “Smells like Team Spirit!”
Infernape, taken over as a Chimchar when his rival Paul abandoned it, is one of Ash’s greatest success stories. rejected for being “too weak”, Ash was able to train Chimchar into a powerful Pokemon that could fight bravely In almost no circumstances. Its Blaze ability is one of its greatest assets, empowering it to an almost berserk state when things get tough. Infernape has a strong preference for Mach Punch, often defeating enemies with a quick strike. Infernape grew bold enough by Pokemon Journeys That it really went out looking to challenge a molester just for fun.
3
Charizard’s power is almost unmatched
Caught in Pokemon Episode 11: “Charmander – The Stray Pokemon”
Arguably the most famous of Ash’s Pokemon after Pikachu, Ash’s Charizard was originally found as an abandoned Charmander, nearly dying in the rain. He didn’t like it for a long time after developing it, but eventually grew to respect everything Ash did for it. Charizard has participated in more leagues than any of Ash’s Pokemon except PikachuAnd proved crucial in winning several badges.
Charizard has also battled several legendary Pokemon, especially if you count the films, and is often able to go toe-to-toe with them for a surprisingly long time. Charizard is prone to rivalries, especially with other dragon-like Pokémon, such as Iris’ Dragonite, but is often willing to help younger Pokémon (especially Fire-types) that it sees potential in. Unfortunately, however, it just barely loses out on the top spot of Ash’s strongest Pokemon.
2
Greninja’s bond with Ash is strong enough to make it transform
Caught in Pokemon XY Episode 2: “Lumiose City Pursuit”
Ash and Greninja have a bond so special that it can join the two together in battle, causing a mega evolution-like transformation to occur. It had always been heavily focused on training even before Ash caught it, and had a serious disposition. Greninja’s Water Veil technique is also extremely useful and proved to be a key to the Ash-Greninja transformation. Greninja’s favorite attack is, of course, its Water Shuriken, something that the Ash-Greninja state radically empowers.
Although Greninja chose to stay behind in Kalos and act as its protector, it reappeared in Kalos. Journeys to help train Ash’s Lucario, something that was vital to his eventual victory in the World Coronation Series. Given their unique bond and incredible win record, there should be little doubt about Greninja’s power.
1
Pikachu will always be Ash’s strongest Pokemon
Caught in Pokemon Episode 1: “Pokemon – I Pick You!”
Pikachu was Ash’s very first Pokemon in the anime, Ash got Pikachu after oversleeping and missing out on getting a regular starter Pokemon to start his journey with. At first, Pikachu wanted nothing to do with Ash and would not only zap him with electricity but refuse to go inside his pokeball, something that has since become his signature trait. However, after Ash protected Pikachu from a pack of evil Spearow, Pikachu accepted Ash as his trainer, and the two have been an inseparable duo ever since.
Since his debut in the anime, Pikachu has been noted to have an incredible hidden power, and this has only increased as he has continued to become stronger and more experienced with an ever-growing list of moves and strategies. No matter how many rare or powerful Pokemon Ash catches, Pikachu is always treated like his mouse, and this is best exemplified in how Pikachu was the one to defeat Leon’s Charizard and win the World Coronation Series for Ash. After over 20 years, there is no denying Pikachu’s status as Ash’s strongest Pokemon.