Ash has caught very few whenℱ compared to the size of the Pokédex.🐓 The Pokémon he did catch bring with them different levels of success while others bring in more trouble than good.
Those Pokémon were better off as pets rather than being used in competition. By the time of a pokémon battle, many of them ended up getting sent out just to lose. Here are 10 pokémon Ash actually shouldn't have caught in the Pokémon anime.
10 Haunter
Haunter allied with Ash during the Sabrina gym arc in the first season. Haunter was a major jokester, constantly playing tricks on Ash, Misty, Brock, and even Team Rocket. Ash went to battle Sabrina tw🐓o times with Haunter disappearing and not battling each 🍰time.
He never listened to a word Ash said, making battling with him impossible. Though his jokes made Sabrina laugh and he got Ash a badge, it led to him not improving as a trainer and never learnin﷽g what he needed to train Pokémon above their first form.
9 Tauros
Having thirty Tau🙈ros is overkill, even though it isn't uncommon in the Pokémon games to have that many. At the Safari Zone, ༒he could have caught so many different and strong Pokémon too, which isn't to say Taurus hasn't done him well.
The one that knew the move Fissure was good, but by picking them out randomly, he may not always get th🍎at one. When it comes to levels, they are probably all over the place.
8 Snorunt
Snorunt constantly got knocked out a🌳nd was even a big part of why Ash lost in the Hoenn League. Ov🌸erall this would be one Pokémon that took to being a pet more than being a competitive Pokémon.
Even though it got stronger, in the end, it still got left 𒊎at Professor. Oak's and was never heard from again, making its l🦩asting impact null.
7 Torkoal
Torkoal might have been Ash's only fire typ🍎e running around Gen 3, but it did not fair him w🌳ell. Ash made the huge mistake of bringing it into the Hoenn League instead of a different fire type he had in his reserves.
Torkoal was another Pokémon that did little in the League and made Ash lose. Even in the games, Torkoal's stats were nothꦉing impressive and on the low end.
6 Primeape
Primeape was a problem child from the very beginning. It became so 𒀰overwhelming for Ash that he outright abandoned it. Primeape was angry, unruly, and quickly made a bad impression with Ash.
It ඣsays a lot that Ash didn't even trust it to be out of its Pokéba🗹ll.
5 Beedrill
Beedrill was the Pokémon Ash caught in a Pokémon catching competition. Overall, Beedrill can be a goodﷺ glass canon Pokémon in the games, but in the anime, the thing is devastating, and everyone is afraid when they see one.
It would have made for a good Pokémon in his journey, but he quickly g🌺ave it away to his rival. It's even a bit cruel when you think about how Pokémon immediately connect with their trainer after being caught. It woul🥂d have been better if he didn't catch it in the first place and let Casey catch it.
4 Gible
Gible was another almost Primeape level problem child. Had it ev🔥olved and grown with Ash, it would have made for a great and powerful Garchomp, an extremely powerful Pokémon in its own r👍ight. But, Gible was so unruly and disobedient it was rarely useful in a match. It would constantly attack Ash and his friends by biting them, generally causing stress, arguments, and other issues. Ash had no control over it.
In The Sinnoh League, it was severely outmatched and underprepared. No one strong move could save it, and that's all Ash was able to work with it because it was so obstinate. It🦹 was another Pokémon that was better off in the wild just for the problems it caused, and it ended being permanently left at Oak's place anyway.
3 Palpitoad
Palpitoad stayed in its second form throughout the whole Black and White series and was one of the big reasons Ash didn't ⛎make it past round 8, one ✨of his worst performances at a League.
Had it evolved, it would have been much more competitive, but the Pokémon was completely stagnated with weak ﷽moves. Whenever it came to something important, Palpitaod would choke, and Ash would have to send in a di🦩fferent Pokémon.
2 Oshawott
Oshawott, however, was much wౠorse than Palptoad. No matter how many fights it won, it refused to evolve. If it ev𝓀er got to that point, Oshawott would panic during fights, which cost Ash a lot of matches. Oshawott was cute, it made for a great and energetic pet, but for Ash's purposes, it sucked in every way.
Having it battle in its first form was a huge mistake. Not realizing that it is incapable of fighting without its shell was Ash's final mistake. It had even caused many of the detours in that season because of its nature to wander off, get lost, or lose its shell. For all battling purposes, Oshawott was one of Ash's would have been better off n🤪ot catching it and using a different pokémon to battle with.
1 Snivy
Snivy was another starter that refused to evolve then learned one good "Hail Mary!' move. It constantly got knocked out throughout the series, though it did defeat Pikachu during the start of Black and White. In the Pokémon League, it proved to be useless and lost fo✤r Ash by being severely weaker than the competition.
With its time and experience, there's no reason it couldn't have became a Treecko and made its way to the final form (Grovyle). It's something it could have🦄 easily accomplished after the League, but it didn't. It was simply another Pokémon bad at battling, and Ash would have been better off not catching it.