We all know Ash Ketchum's strongest Pokemon is Pikachu. While he's had his 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:fair share of embarrassing defeats against Pokemon owned by rookie Trainers (ahem, Snivy, ahem), he's more than proven himself with an extensive hit list that includes four Legendary Pokemon (Regice, Latios, Silvally, and Tapu Koko) and strong performances under the brightest possible lights.
Still, that doesn't mean the Pallet Town native's other Pokemon don't deserve time in the spotlight. Ash has caught tons of Pokemon over the years and regions he's traveled, and his ever-developing skill as a Trainer has produced some of the strongest Pokemon in the entire anime. This list will give that spotlight to the Pokemon currently in Ash's roster that deserve it, and which have stuck around over the years.
As the title alludes to, this list will not include Pokemon that have been released, such as Greninja.
Updated November 29, 2022, by Kyle Laurel: The Masters Eight Tournament is over, and Ash is a World Champion! With that in mind, some updates have been made with tons of consideration for his entire Journeys team, with the ranking changing and the addition of another core member.
16 Rowlet
Ash has a knack for developing a few of his Pokemon without evolving them, and while fellow Grass-type starters Bulbasaur and Snivy have also been fine examples, Rowlet has arguably been Ash's strongest Pokemon in that particular mold.
Beating your own fully-evolved form is a pretty decent barometer of strength, and Rowlet has done that — beating Hau's Decidueye with the costume and all, alongside other times when it played its role as an unpredictable sparkplug on Ash's Alola team. It's done so by confusing opponents with its speed, quick reflexes, and surprisingly wide offensive arsenal, consisting of Razor Leaf, Seed Bomb, and Brave Bird.
15 Swellow
Swellow might have been the best regional bird to ever grace Ash's roster. That might be a hot take with Staraptor and Talonflame also being key contributors at one point, but Swellow has too good a battling resume to ignore, having helped Ash win key Gym battles and Battle Frontier symbol matches.
As is natural with its species, Swellow never lacks in toughness. It might have been the prototype of Ash's unrelenting determination jammed into a Pokemon, and that's helped when executing headfirst Aerial Aces or ridiculous Thunder Armor tactics. Speaking of which, it may also have the best aerial skill out of Ash's Flying-type Pokemon - it looks like a fighter jet flying over the battlefield.
14 Heracross
Ash's Johto captures are often overlooked, with Bayleef, Quilava, and Donphan deserving some consideration. However, his prize catch from that stretch was probably his first: Heracross.
This Bug/Fighting-type was a skilled battler from the get-go, flaunting good mental toughness and surprising speed for a Pokemon of its bulk. It's quite versatile, too, being able to deal ranged attacks (Hyper Beam) or physical ones (Megahorn, Focus Punch). It's been relied upon in key battles even after Ash's Johto travels, namely: the Silver Conference battle against Gary, the battle against Spenser for the Spirits Symbol, and battles against Nando and Tobias 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:at the Sinnoh League.
13 Melmetal
The only thing even close to a Legendary Pokemon eligible for this list, Ash's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:lone Mythical Pokemon is certainly powerful. It might be the best in terms of pure physical strength, which makes sense considerin☂g it literally has steel for muscles.
As a Meltan, it really wasn't fit for battling, but its ability to eat metal got it out of sticky situations. While it's still a bit rough around the edges and barely has a battling resume to speak of, its power is undeniable. If it could learn to control that Double Iron Bash and execute it with more restraint, it could skyrocket up this list in due time.
12 Lycanroc
Ash's Lycanroc is one of a kind, being the only known Dusk Forme in the anime. It's also, of course, the MVP of Ash's match against Gladion for the Alola League championship.
It was always a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:very strong Rock-type Pokemon — easily the best on Ash's roster — but it had a streak of not being able to control its power when angry. It's since been able to control its red-eyed state, and used it as a boost to its power during Ash's most important battles in the Alola League. It also seems to have tons of endurance, with however many Counters it was able to take from Gladion's Lycanroc during its shining moment.
11 Snorlax
Hardcore fans of the anime think of one battle when Ash's Snorlax is brought up: that time it battled Greta's two Fighting-type Pokemon with six moves. That could easily be just a writers' mistake, but it still proves this Normal-type is plenty powerful.
While it had a tendency to sleep on the battlefield at the wrong time, it can hit like an 18-wheeler and take tons of damage unfazed, thanks to its incredibly bulky body. It's also deceptively fast, able to keep up with other Pokemon you wouldn't expect it to be able to. Above all else, that Body Slam is guaranteed to break its opponents' spines.
10 Incine𒊎roar
The first of Ash's Fire-type starters to appear on this list, Ash's Incineroar had one of the best growth and development arcs among all of Ash's Pokemon. While its power as an Incineroar has yet to be seen, its time as a Torracat was enough to get it decently high here.
What really pushed it was its rivalry with Professor Kukui's Incineroar. It always had that goal of equaling and eventually defeating Kukui's Incineroar in mind, and all its best showings in the anime were against Kukui's Incineroar, both in the Battle Royal Dome and Manalo Conference exhibition match.
9 Krookodile 𝐆
Ash has a few other decent Ground-types, such as Donphan, Gliscor, and Gible, but none of them hold a candle to the sunglasses-wielding Krookodile. This Ground/Dark-type was one of the later additions to Ash's team during the Black & White seasons, but it immediately stole everyone's thunder.
It was the bright spot and lone consistent performer from an otherwise underwhelming Unova roster, constantly showing off in important battles with its speed and power. Aside from a strong Dig and Stone Edge, it's got excellent coverage with Dragon Claw and Aerial Ace. It has proven its worth by defeating some of Ash's strongest opponents, including Iris's Dragonite and Stephan's Sawk.
8 Gengar
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ash's first officially owned Ghost-type got off to a rough start, but after learning how to Gigantamax, it earned a bunch of key knockouts in important World Coronation Series matches. That said, it's developed to be quite good even without G-Maxing. It did a lot of work in the Masters Eight Tournament despite other gimmicks like Pikachu's Z-Move or Lucario's Mega Evolution being utilized instead.
While it's still probably the frailest Pokemon on Ash's Journeys team, Gengar can still be called upon to deal big damage in spurts. Its moveset has steadily evolved in terms of versatility, having learned Dazzling Gleam, Sludge Bomb, and especially Will-O-Wisp, which was very useful for offsetting its defensive shortcomings.
7 Infernape
The Sinnoh Fire-type starter slowly but surely rose up to become Ash's Diamond & Pearl ace after it was released by Paul. While it never really developed under Paul's harsh training, Ash's nurturing treatment allowed it to blossom.
Of course, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:its Blaze ability is the stuff of legends, surpassing any other starter-exclusive ability (i.e. Blaze, Overgrow, and/or Torrent) in the anime in terms of unadulterated power. While it used to be a sign of emotional volatility, it became an asset once Infernape gained control over it. Its relatively recent bout against the legendary Moltres, despite it being a loss, proved it's on a constant pursuit of improvement, too.