Summary
Ash’s journey to becoming Champion shows that he has qualifications based on his achievements as a person, not as a trainer. The majority of Ash’s gym badges are traditionally not earned through battles but through alternative means. Ash’s defeat in the Indigo League helped him mature as a trainer and his fighting skills improved significantly over time.
In spite of Pokémon Ash was now the Champion, his early loss in the Indigo League should not have been surprising. The trainer finally proved that he had what it took in Pokémon Sun and Moon, achieving Champion status in the Alola region, before going on to win the Coronation League in the final season in the anime . However, given the tests required to enter the Indigo League, Ash qualifies based on his achievements as a person and not as a trainer.
To join the Indigo Pokémon League as a challenger, trainers must earn eight gym badges. This proves that they are ready to face other high-caliber coaches. In the case of the game, this means fighting the Elite Four and the most recent Champion in the region.
However, despite being a good coach and an even better person, Ash was unable to reach the top of the Indigo League of his native Kanto region. He lost to Ritchie, his friend and secondary rival. However, Ash’s journey to the Indigo League proves that he is not prepared for the upcoming battles.
The majority of Ash’s gym badges are not traditionally earned
Pokémon: Indigo League, produced by OLM Inc.
Traditionally, gym badges would be earned by defeating the gym leader in battle. These battles typically follow the official Alliance rules defined on each region. However, Ash wins the majority of his battles by other means contains courage and compassion. While these are clear signs of his character and personal achievements, they do not mark him as a great fighter. In fact, according to tradition, he only earned three of his eight badges. He actually defeated Lieutenant Surge, Koga, and Blaine. The remaining Gym Leaders he faced, his matches were either interrupted or involved mistakes that gave him an advantage.
The other gym leaders – Brock, Misty, Erika, Sabrina and Giovanni – either gave him a badge, or the matches were changed from their usual. During his fight against Brock in “Showdown in Pewter City”, the sprinkler system was activated, giving Pikachu a type advantage after being supercharged. Cerulean City’s gym leaders neglect their duties, causing Misty to step in in “The Water Flowers of Cerulean City.” Interrupted by Team Rocket, Misty’s sisters still give Ash the badge for protecting the gym. Misty even points this out in “Electric Shock Showdown” that Ash only got the badge because Brock and her sisters felt sorry for him.
Ash’s loss was for the best: It helped him grow as a trainer
Similarly, against Sabrina, Ash’s Haunted used humor to incapacitate the gym leader’s mental abilities. This earned him the Marsh badge. Unlike Gary, Ash does not face Giovanni at Viridian City’s gym. He faces Jessie, who represents her boss during Mewtwo’s rise. However, he qualified for the Pokémon League by virtue of possessing eight badges. If it can be assumed that other trainers have traditionally earned badges through battle, Pallet Town’s rising star has no chance of claiming the title of Indigo League Champion.
However, while Ash’s defeat in his first tournament was disappointing to fans and it created a trend of protagonists always falling short of achieving true greatness, Tro learned a lot along the way and his fighting skills improved significantly after his losses throughout the match. Pokémon.
Pokémon: Indigo Alliance available on Netflix.
WATCH ON NETFLIX
Pokemon
Created by Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda
First TV show chapter Pokemon
Airing date of the first episode April 1, 1997
