Ash Ketchum's Pokémon the journey was filled with countless challenges, from intense league battles to dangerous encounters with Team Rocket members. Still, he overcame every single one of them with the help of the many Pokemon he caught and invited to his team along the way.
The character's 25-year journey to becoming a Pokémon Master wouldn't be possible without his best companion. But not all Pokémon lived up to expectations. Several of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon could have been released earlier, not only because of their underwhelming abilities and poor win-loss records, but also because they were rarely useful during his decades-long journey.
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10
Tauros won big once and was then rarely used
Ash Ketchum's adventures in the Kanto region wouldn't be complete without him capturing not just one, but 30 Tauros in total. For most of the series, Ash's Tauros are seen simply roaming and stomping around in Professor Oak's fields, waiting to be called into the occasional battle. However, it has never been made clear which individual Tauros was the strongest of the crew, if any really stood out at all.
While one of Ash's Tauros once defeated a Venusaur in the Orange League and even outperformed Fernando's Tauros in a head-to-head clash, the creature later struggled in more challenging battles, including against Gary Oak's Nidoqueen. Perhaps the best decision Ash could have made was to accept one of the offers from trainers willing to trade for his Tauros, allowing at least one of them to gain more battle experience elsewhere.
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9
Muk was terrifying, but ineffective
Despite Muk's terrifying appearance, it wasn't particularly effective in battle, and the notoriously foul smell that oozed from its Poke Ball was another drawback to Ash bringing the creature with him. Unfortunately, while Muk may have experienced some off-screen development while living with Professor Oak, it was rarely used by Ash in battle.
Muk's only notable victory was against Jeanette Bellsprout, whom it defeated with a body slam. Aside from that battle, it was largely sidelined, later reappearing only to be affected by the sleep powder sprinkled around by James's Victreebel and eventually losing to Gary Oak's Scizor after being overwhelmed by Swift.
8
Torkoal had heart but not enough victories
Among Ash's fire-type Pokémon, Torkoal is often considered one of the weakest, mostly due to its poor battle record. Along with its emotional sensitivity and inability to evolve, Torkoal was arguably better off being released, as it struggled to consistently contribute to Ash's team despite its determination and powerful traits.
While Torkoal was far from useless in one of Ash's Gym battles, even scoring a victory over Norman's Slakoth, it later became a punching bag for two legendary Pokémon, suffering crushing defeats that severely damaged its reputation. Unfortunately, there was no coming back from these losses.
7
Gligar needed more than an evolution
Similar to Torkoal, Gligar is an emotionally sensitive Pokémon. It often cries, is afraid to fight stronger opponents, and often gets discouraged when things don't go its way. Unfortunately, Gligar also had a poor battle record, most notably failing to defeat the fearsome Gliscor who led his former group.
Although Gligar eventually evolved into Gliscor and underwent significant character development, it still fell short of becoming one of Ash's most trusted Pokémon, with its strongest performances only after extensive training under McCann, the Air Battle Master. Although Gligar managed to pull off an impressive victory over Paul's Drapion, it still fell short against stronger opponents like Electivire and Ninjask.
6
Palpitoad rarely won when it mattered most
Despite Palpitoad's rowdy and aggressive nature, it rarely performed well in Ash's battles. While it boasted a powerful move that included Mud Shot, Hydro Pump, Sludge Wave, and Supersonic, Palpitoad often struggled to secure decisive victories for Ash, even in battles where it had a clear type advantage.
Much like Torkoal, Palpitoad performed well in less decisive battles, but when the stakes were highest, it rarely proved to be one of Ash's most reliable Pokémon. For example, Palpitoad suffered a disappointing loss against Elesa's Emolga and could only manage a draw against Stephan's Zebstrika, despite having the type advantage in both matches.
5
Boldore had great potential but poor results
Had Boldore evolved into Gigalith, it might have become a more powerful and versatile Pokémon, offering greater offensive strength and defensive durability in Ash's crucial battles. The creature can only evolve into Gigalith through trade, which ultimately prevented Ash from unlocking his full potential.
While Boldore scored a decisive victory by defeating Geraldo's Reuniclus with Rock Blast in the second round of the Pokemon World Tournament Junior Cup, its subsequent battles largely ended in defeat, with Boldore being knocked out despite its impressive durability. It even lost to a Koffing at one point. As a result, many fans came to prefer its pre-evolved form, Roggenrola, believing it to be more resourceful and consistently effective in battle.
4
Unfezant had the wings but not the wins
Unfezant suffered a fate similar to Pidgeotto's, as the flying Pokémon had more losses than wins on its track record despite evolving through each stage of its evolutionary line. Even after becoming a fully evolved Unfezant, she rarely showed the strength or consistency expected of one of Ash's Regional Bird Pokémon.
Unfezant's most notable contribution to Ash's team was her victory over Skylas Swanna, securing a Unova badge. Beyond that performance, however, she struggled to gain further victories for Ash's team, leading many fans to feel that replacing her with a more reliable Pokémon would have been the better decision.
3
Snivy relied too much on Attract
Ash gained Snivy's respect for his skill and happy relationship with Pikachu after repeated attempts to forcefully capture the grass-like creature. She proved to be one of the most difficult Pokémon for Ash to catch, mainly due to her arrogant and selfish personality, which unfortunately did not translate into much battle effectiveness.
Snivy mainly relies on her Attract ability to immobilize opponents, then follows up with attacks like Vine Whip and Leaf Blade to finish the battle. Once Attract fails, or when Snivy faces opponents of the same gender, such as Elesa's Emolga, she is often at a significant disadvantage and will likely end up on the losing side of the matchup.
2
Oshawott was one of Ash's least trusted enforcers
Oshawott is one of the most adorable starter Pokemon in the series, but it's also often considered one of the weaker water-type starters in terms of overall battle performance. In almost every battle Oshawott engages in, he often comes across as awkward and clumsy, failing to use his skills properly and consequently suffering repeated defeats.
Although Oshawott's battles are entertaining to watch due to his antics, he almost always fails to deliver good results. After failing to defeat Trip's Tranquill, Lenora's Watchog, Chilli's Pansear, and Cheren's Herdier, the losses continued to pile up for the adorable water-like creature.
1
Pidgeotto was outclassed in all of Kanto
Pidgeotto was one of Ash's earliest companions in Pokémon. The creature accompanied Ash for much of his Kanto journey, battling powerful gym leaders, fending off Team Rocket, and serving as one of his most trusted partners. However, Pidgeotto's battle record is one of the worst in the entire series.
It was rare to see Pidgeotto win a solo battle, as many of its opponents were able to knock it out relatively easily. From Samurai's Pinsir to Brock's Geodude and Koga's Venomoth, Pidgeotto suffered one defeat after another and struggled to secure meaningful victories throughout his time on Ash's team.
- Release date
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1997 – 2023
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
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Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuzaa,, Ken Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
- Author
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Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku
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Rica Matsumoto
Satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)
