The most wasted Pokemon in Ash's team

Important takeaways

• Ash was certainly an amazing and extremely talented trainer, but that doesn't change the fact that he also wasted the potential of several great Pokemon.
• Primeape and Lapras, for example, were strong team members that were stupidly given away by Ash in the anime.
• Ash failed to maximize the battle potential of powerful Pokemon like Torkoal, which shows poor decision making in the show.

As the main character in Pokémon anime, Ash Ketchum has caught and used many Pokemon over the years. But most fans are aware of his most popular team members, such as Pikachu, Charizard and Greninja. All of these Pokémon have become iconic in the franchise, largely due to their exposure and how they were used in Ash's team.

Unfortunately, the abundance of these great characters has meant that some of Ash's team members have been wasted over the years. Now Ash had access to some Pokemon for an episode, like the Raticate he traded for on the SS Anne. However, this does not count as a team member, and a Pokémon must have been part of Ash's actual team of six to be considered one of his wasted options.

Updated October 8, 2024 by Hamza Haq: With Ash's journey officially over, fans can look back on the anime that defined their childhood and decide which of Ash's Pokemon got the short end of the stick and didn't or were able to realize their full potential. Whether it's due to Ash's negligence, bad match-ups, no chances to prove themselves, or simply not getting enough screen time, there are many Pokémon Ash has caught over the years that could have been something more.

8 Pidgeotto

One of Ash's most loyal Pokemon quickly forgotten

The middle evolution of the Kanto regional bird, the Pideotto, was third Pokémon that Ash caught in the animeand so it became a staple for his team moving forward. Unfortunately, this iconic bird was rarely seen in battle, taking a backseat to the three cute starter Pokemon Ash received and franchise mascot Pikachu. If anything, the loyal Pidgeotton was mainly used as a quick way to dispatch Team Rocket when used on Ash's team.

But anyone who has used Pidgeotto during a playthrough knows just how reliable this Flying type can be. This becomes even more applicable when it finally evolves into the mighty Pidgeot. Unfortunately, Ash stupidly dropped one of his most powerful team members when it was evolving, leaving it a completely wasted option.

7 Buizel

A trade development with so much potential

Buizel is a water-type that many forget Ash had in it Diamond and pearl anime. Like Pidgeotto, Buizel was one loyal Pokemon and a great fighter who joined Ash's team in a trade with Dawn when it wanted to be trained for combat instead of competitions.

With his great speed and large pool of moves, Buizel was often used by Ash. He rarely lost when using Pokémon and had great success using Buizel against his rival Paul. However, Buizel never got a chance to develop himself in the anime. As a traded Pokémon, Buizel had the chance to level up much faster than other members of Ash's team to become a powerful Floatzel. Unfortunately, Buizel remained wasted as one of Ash's many undeveloped team members.

6 Taurus

One of 30 who never achieved their potential

The episode where Ash captures 30 Tauros was banned outside of Japan due to its use of weapons. Therefore, many viewers of the anime did not get to see Ash capture the herd in the Safari Zone. As such, it would make sense for the writer not to include Pokemon much longer in the show.

However, Tauros has appeared many times in battle during the Pokemon League in both Kanto and Johto. What's more, it turns out to be one reliable team member. Unfortunately, Ash doesn't take this strong Pokémon with him on his travels, and his pack of large Tauros exists primarily to make a cameo appearance when the trainer visits Oak's Lab. What a waste of such a good Pokemon.

5 Torcoal

A Pokemon that stops being used when it slows down

Capturing Torkoal seemed like a good idea i Ruby and Sapphire anime, and Pokémon quickly made a name for itself when it joined Ash's main team. Unfortunately, the show's writers decided to focus more on Torkoal's penchant for billowing smoke and being slow rather than its ability in combat. In its second appearance it was easily captured by Team Rocketand Torkoal has an abysmal win/loss ratio, having lost six battles in the Hoenn series alone.

This depiction is far from the Torkoal that players are used to seeing in the games. This Pokémon can create a sunny day and wipe out a team using Flamethrower or Overheat. As such, Ash wasted his Torkoal by not using it properly.

4 Butter-free

A powerful Battlefield Setter released into the wild

Ash caught Butterfree as a Caterpie right at the beginning of his journey, and he was it very first Pokemon he got after Pikachu. Caterpie very quickly evolved into Metapod and later Butterfree, becoming Ash's first fully evolved Pokemon overall. Although Ash used Butterfree in some important battles in the early periods, such as against Misty in the Cerulean Gym Battle and against AJ later on, he never really got a chance to really shine before being released during the infamous Bye Bye Butterfree episode.

During the battles Butterfree had, Ash's own inexperience prevented him from truly showing off the Pokémon's abilities. Viewers never got anything resembling a training montage for Butterfree, and in every major battle he was a part of, he lost. Even after reuniting with Ash much later down the road, he was not recaptured or used in any battles.

3 Men's cross country

A physical beast that never got a chance to shine

Men's cross can easily be considered in a line-up of Potentially Ash's most powerful Pokemonas evidenced by the battles he was a part of. Heracross was already a beast when Ash captured him, and he only grew in power over time. He defeated Rochelle's Donphan with ease, came out on top against Shingo's Scizor, and even grounded Gary's Magmar despite a massive disadvantage. In a straight 1v1, Heracross only has one real defeat to its name, which was during the Battle Frontier against Spencer's Venasaur. But even in that fight, Heracross gave as much as he got and was only taken out after an all-out brawl with Venasaur.

Despite its unmistakable power, however, Heracross was not a part of Ash's main team and was constantly traded for other Pokémon, once against a Tauros from the pack and once (accidentally) against Cyndaquil. He served as a benched trump card for Ash and spent most of his time at Oak's Ranch. Not only that, but what power he gained was mostly due to his own efforts and natural growth; Ash had very little involvement in making him stronger.

2 Prime monkey

A fighting Pokémon that added diversity to Ash's team

When Ash first meets Pokemon Mankey, it's in a largely comedic episode that sees his hat stolen by the angry Pokemon. In an attempt to get it back, Ash loses the battle with Mankey several times before it evolves into Primeape and is captured. This addition to the team seemed like a good move, as a fully developed Fighting type would add a lot of diversity to Ash's team. However, the young coach gave the Pokémon awayi one of the next episodes to make it train in a fighting competition.

Giving away a strong Pokemon like Primeape was a very stupid move on Ash's part, as there are many times in the later seasons where it would have come in handy in the anime. Ash might have done better in the Indigo League if he hadn't wasted one of his better team members.

1 Lapras

This type of ice is more than just a ferry

Lapras was cleverly used in the anime to solve a problem of how the main characters would get around the Orange Islands. After rescuing Lapras from a bunch of thugs, Ash adds the Ice type to his team, and Lapras acts as a ferry for him and his friends during this arc of the anime. As a result, Lapras appear in almost every episode Ash has one on his team. Unfortunately, it is not used much in battle.

Lapras is an ice type from Kanto that is one of the strongest Pokemon from that region. It has one base stats total 535which makes his repeated losses in battle all the more remarkable. Ash clearly doesn't know how to use Pokemon well in battle, and once again releases Lapras after winning the Orange Island League. Lapras would have been a great addition to his team in Johto but was instead discarded as soon as Ash no longer needed a ferry.