Ash is the very best, like no one ever was, but it was a long way to get there. At the beginning of his journey, Ash was an inexperienced trainer, far from becoming one of the best coach in Pokémon. By the end of the Masters Eight tournament, Ash had become a skilled, strategic trainer whose strong bond with his Pokémon allowed him to perform feats few other trainers could.
While Ash doesn't always have the best team building skills, he has caught some extremely powerful Pokémon on his travels that helped carry him through the various regions he visited. The strongest Pokemon in each region Ash visited carried their weight and won key matches like no other Pokemon could. Ash technically goes to Galar for the Masters Eight tournament, but doesn't explore the region like previous seasons, so he doesn't have a Galar ace.
7
Kanto: Pikachu
Although Charizard acted as Ash's ace back in the original series, Pikachu was clearly Ash's ace by the end of his career. Ash's Pikachu has accomplished some impressive feats that would be impossible in the games, such as beating Brock's Onix with a Thunderbolt. Pikachu is terrifyingly strong and fast, capable of taking down some extremely powerful opponents.
There is no Pokémon Ash trusts more than Pikachu, and their bond only makes Pikachu stronger. Pikachu defeated Leon's Charizard, one of the strongest Pokemon in the entire franchise, and also beat several legendary Pokemon, including Tapu Koko and Regice. Pikachu even Volt makes it through a Luster Cannon to knock out a Latios in one of its coolest feats in the series. Pikachu is not only Ash's Kanto ace, he is his entire team's ace. Ash couldn't have won the Masters Eight without Pikachu.
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Johto: Heracross
Ash didn't really have an ace when he was in Johto. He regularly rotated between Pikachu, Cyndaquil, and Bayleef during most of his battles, but Heracross stands out thanks to some impressive feats. Heracross continues to be a major player in Johto's Silver Conference, allowing Ash to score against Gary and settle their rivalry once and for all.
Heracross is a fast, powerful Pokémon that can defy the odds just like Pikachu. Heracross tanks straight up a flamethrower from Gary's Magmar and still has more than enough energy to keep fighting. Ash's Heracross is a reliable, robust Pokémon that can pull its weight when pushed.
5
Hoenn: Sceptile
Sceptile is one of the strongest Pokémon Ash has ever had on his team. Treecko was already strong to begin with, before he really made a name for himself as a Grovyle. Ash's Grovyle was by far his best Pokemon during the Hoenn League, pulling off some big wins, like beating Katie's Walrein in an incredible battle. Leaf Blade is instantly lethal in Grovyle/Sceptile's hands.
Grovyle finally evolves into Sceptile during the Sinnoh League and earns Ash a well-deserved pyrrhic victory when Sceptile defeats Tobias Darkrai in one of the anime's best fights. Ash didn't end up using the Sceptile in the Masters Eight tournament, but that doesn't diminish its performance. Defeating a legendary is more than most Pokemon can claim.
4
Sinnoh: Infernape
Infernape is one of the best starters Ash has ever taken on Pokémon anime. Infernape originally belonged to Paul as a Chimchar, before he abandoned him and Ash brought him to his team. This ends up being a huge mistake on Paul's part, as Chimchar continues to become extremely powerful. During Ash's journey through Sinnoh, he often uses Infernape.
Not only that, Infernape actually wins most of its matches, with one of the best battle records of any of Ash's Pokemon, with an impressive 77% of matches won. Infernape's best fight is his fight against Paul's Electivire in the Lily of the Valley conference, where he expertly defeats Paul's new ace.
3
Unova: Krookodile
Krokorok was a true staple of Ash's team in Unova. While Ash went back as a trainer in Pokémon anime adaptation of Black & WhiteKrokorok proved that Ash wasn't completely hopeless. Even before evolving into Krookodile, it proved to be a strong and reliable Pokémon (albeit weaker than Pikachu).
While battling Iris in the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, Krokorok finally evolves into Kookodile. Krookodile is powerful enough to take out his Dragonite. Krookodile also gets a great showing when Ash later battles Stephan. Unova may have been a step back for Ash, but Krookodile really shined as one of the best Pokemon.
2
Kalos: Greninja
Ash's bond with Greninja is truly amazing, and would rival his relationship with Pikachu if it wasn't fundamental to the entire anime. Greninja is one of the strongest Pokémon on Ash's team, and has some truly legendary feats. Greninja manages to withstand its type disadvantage against Sawyer's Mega Sceptile, and wins in the end. Greninja also puts up a great fight against Diantha's Mega Gardevoir, Kalos' Champion.
Greninja becomes even stronger when it transforms into Ash-Greninja, a transformation born from Ash and Greninja's strong bond. Ash releases Greninja in Kalos, so he doesn't use him during the Masters Eight tournament, but it's not like Greninja needed more time in the spotlight. Greninja has a great showing throughout Kalos, participating in many high-stakes battles, all while maintaining a respectable win record.
1
Alola: Lycanroc
Ash would never have won his first ever Pokemon League if not for Lycanroc Lycanroc was easily Ash's ace Pokemon during his time in Alola. While Incineroar may be stronger, Lycanroc's achievements and feats are much more impactful to Ash's journey as a trainer. Ash's Lycanroc ends up fighting and beating Gladion's Lycanroc in the final battle of the Manalo Conference.
Lycanroc also played a key role in winning Ash against Nanu and Olivia. Lycanroc takes part in some important battles in Alola and develops the skills necessary to ultimately win Ash the League. Like Johto, Ash rotates his Pokémon quite often in Alola, but Lycanroc is clearly the ace of the region.
- 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)
