Summary
Ash's unique fighting strategies and out-of-the-box thinking have led to many victories. Ash has earned the title of Pokémon Master thanks to his challenging battles and clever tactics. Ash's adaptability and respect for his Pokémon help him overcome tough opponents and win the championship.
Become one Pokémon mastery isn't easy, as Ash Ketchum's 25-year journey clearly demonstrates. However, Ash often proves that he is on the right track with his unique fighting strategies and out-of-the-box thinking, which will bring him many victories.
There are battles throughout Ash's career that can help illustrate this point in a variety of ways. Some are among the toughest opponents Ash has ever faced, while others are mundane gym battles that Ash turns into exciting matches with a wacky plan that turns out works perfectly again. Whatever the reason, these matches prove that Ash has achieved more than the title of Pokémon Master, perhaps even long before he became champion.
10 Ash defeats Whitney's Miltank
Episode: Pokémon Gold & Silver, “End of the Milk Story”
Fans who have played the Johto-based Pokémon games will likely reminisce about their first encounters with Whitney and her Miltank, which infamously stomped teams with their attack. Rollout attack is non-stop. It was also Ash's first experience fighting gym leader Whitney, as he was defeated quite quickly by that same technique. However, Ash will have his rematch with Whitney in the next episode, and that's when Ash comes into action.
After Cyndaquil succumbed to Rollout, Ash sent out Totodile, which he used to attack the ground directly rather than the Miltank, creating large ditches and potholes on the battlefield. While Totodile was eventually defeated, this allowed Pikachu to take advantage of its speed and mobility, something Miltank could no longer do due to the battlefield being torn apart. Pikachu was able to launch Miltank into the air, ending Rollout and finally taking down Miltank with Thunderbolt.
9 Ash bounced back to Gladion
Episode: Pokémon Sun & Moon, “The Final Rivals!”
In the final round of the Alola League, Ash faces off against Gladion, an opponent he has faced for most of his time in Alola. The battle started off rough for Ash when his Melmetal was taken down by Gladion's Silvally. Ash calls Pikachu next, but finds that Silvally is almost as fast as Pikachu, negating one of Pikachu's great advantages.
So what better strategy than simply going faster than that? Ash orders Pikachu to fire an Electroweb, but it misses Silvally—but it never intended to hit Silvally in the first place. Instead, the Electroweb acts like a trampoline, propelling Pikachu towards Silvally at an even greater speed, allowing Pikachu to powerfully knock down Iron Tail and knock out the mysterious Pokémon.. That was not the end of the battle, but it was an important highlight, demonstrating Ash's adaptability.
8 Ash develops an impossible technique against Tate and Liza
Episode: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, “Snakes Like Solrock”
One of Ash's most unique strategies comes during his dual battle with the Psychic gym leaders, Tate and Liza. Tate and Liza are using Lunatone and Solrock, and although initially out of sync with each other, they are eventually able to adjust their strategies, creating a difficult situation for Ash. Ash chose Pikachu and Swellow for this battle, probably not the best choice in terms of type out of his available options.
However, this is a dual battle, meaning the two Pokémon need to work in tandem. After performing a severe Solar Beam/Ice Beam combo attack, Swellow with Pikachu riding on it almost crashed. That's when Ash ordered Pikachu to use Thunder, drawing a bolt of lightning from the clouds above, which increased Pikachu's power and gave both him and Swellow “Thunder Armor”. Pikachu and Swellow penetrated Lunatone and Solrock's defenses and delivered devastating blows, ending the battle in Ash's favor as his unlikely strategy paid off.
7 Ash proves that strength isn't everything for Lt. Surge
Episode: Indigo Pokémon League, “Electric Shock Battle”
Ash's battle with Lieutenant Surge is one of Pikachu's most legendary battles, as the Electric Mouse Pokémon proved that it can stand up to the power of its evolved form. This battle isn't too important to Ash's strategy, although the idea of using Pikachu's speed to gain the upper hand against Raichu is a great idea. Instead, it's more symbolic of Ash's philosophy about Pokémon in general.
While Ash momentarily considers evolving Pikachu, Pikachu refuses and Ash respects Pikachu's decision to stand firm and win as a Pikachu. That's a level of respect that not all Pokémon trainers have for their Pokémon, especially knowing how badly Raichu beat Pikachu. Ash considers Pikachu an equal partner and respects his opinions even if they differ from his own.. Ash was determined to find a strategy that would help Pikachu win—and he found it.
6 Ash warms up the battlefield for Paul
Tập: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, “A Real Rival Rouser!”
Ash's all-out battle with Paul in the semi-finals of the Sinnoh League was a long battle, spanning three episodes as the two opponents actually competed. One of Paul's key strategies is to use poisonous Spikes to cover the battlefield with poisonous obstacles, damaging Ash's Pokémon as soon as he sends them out. Ash struggled against these malicious Spikes, but when Infernape confronted Ninjask, he developed a plan.
Ash orders Infernape to use Dig, then has it perform the Flare Blitz attack while underground. This sets the battlefield ablaze, igniting the spikes and dealing some major damage to Ninjask, leaving all audiences shocked by the unusual strategy. This also has the side effect of slowing down Ninjask, allowing Infernape to emerge from underground and take down Mach Punch, finally taking down Ninjask.
5 ash prevents Aegislash's troublesome transformation
Episode: Pokémon XY, “An Exciting Confrontation!”
During the semi-final match against Sawyer, Ash soon finds himself and Pikachu facing off against Sawyer's Aegislash, a powerful Pokémon that can switch between offensive and defensive forms. With their battlefield being a forest, Aegislash begins cutting down trees, eliminating places for Pikachu to hide and creating difficult terrain for Pikachu to traverse. Whenever Ash sees an opening, Aegislash will transform into Shield form, blocking attacks and lowering Pikachu's stats.
That's when Ash realized that it was possible to stop Aegislash from taking on its Shield form. Ash tells Pikachu to launch a log at Aegislash while it is in the process of transforming, placing it behind its shield and preventing it from completing the transformation.. This finally gave Ash a chance and Pikachu was able to take down Aegislash with Thunderbolt.
4 Ash invents a completely new technique
Episode: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, “Twisted Shield!”
However, Ash's strategy is not always offensive. During the gym battle with Fantina, Ash managed to keep his Pokémon from falling victim to her Gengar hypnosis, which put the Pokémon into a deep sleep and made them easy to defeat. Ash lost his first match against Fantina, but came back with a special strategy he developed for his rematch: Counter Shield.
Ash orders his Buizel to spin and use his Water Gun at the same time, spraying water everywhere and blocking Hypnosis's energy, making it impossible for Buizel to sleep. Fantina was so impressed that she named the technique Counter Shield, and it quickly turned the battle in Buizel's favor. Counter Shield would become a popular trick in Ash's arsenal throughout Diamond and Pearl, and was even used by characters such as Leon in the World Coronation Series, proving just how excellent it truly is. .
3 Ash never gives up, even when the going gets tough
Episode: Pokémon: Adventure in the Orange Islands, “Enter the Dragonite”
In the Orange Islands, Ash confronts their ultimate trainer, Drake, and his undefeated Dragonite. Dragonite proved that it deserved this title by taking down Charizard, Squirtle, and Tauros in quick succession. Ash went from having four Pokémon left compared to Drake's one, to only having Pikachu left. There are many reasons to be desperate, but that's not who Ash is.
Ash once again takes advantage of Pikachu's size and speed, allowing Pikachu to get ahead of Dragonite—another tactic Ash loves. Holding onto Dragonite's head, Pikachu delivered a powerful lightning strike directly at Dragonite, causing it to finally collapse and Ash to win his first championship.. Ash was able to take on the undefeated Dragonite without fear, and realized that victory was the combined effort of every Pokémon facing Dragonite by doing their best.
2 Ash defeats his greatest rival
Các tập: Pokémon Gold & Silver, “The Ties That Bind” và “Can’t Beat the Heat”
Gary Oak may not be Ash's toughest opponent, but he has been his rival for the longest time, and Ash has never spent as much time tracking his opponent's achievements as Gary. The pair finally had their all-out battle of destiny at the Silver Conference, which was truly the pinnacle of the original Pokémon series. It was a brutal battle, both sides were determined not to lose and Gary's team was not easily defeated. This is also a rare battle where Ash does not use Pikachu at all.
Gary makes good use of his type advantages, which has never been Ash's strong suit, but Ash is able to overcome this disadvantage multiple times, first with Heracross and Magmar, then with Charizard against Golem. The battle is between Charizard and Blastoise, Ash is in a dangerous situation. Ash can have Charizard burn the battlefield, causing rocks to heat up and vaporize when hit by Blastoise's water. Charizard used his steam shell to get too close to Blastoise's cannon and defeated it with a perfect seismic throw.
1 Ash wins the world championship
Episodes: Pokémon Journey, “A Massive Series of Profits!”, “Playing With Your Movements!”, “Matching Pokémon While Blocking!” and “Partner in Time!”
Of course, Ash's greatest victory has to be at the top of the list. Confronting the undefeated Leon, Ash used every trick in his arsenal, from Mega Evolution to Gigantamax to Z-moves. It's a long battle and Ash uses many very clever strategies, such as using Gengar's G-Max attack to prevent Leon from switching Pokémon or using Mr. Rime.
Of course, it all ultimately comes down to Ash's Pikachu versus Leon's undefeated Charizard. After exchanging blows several times, Pikachu performed a targeted Fire Blast, seemingly defeating Pikachu. But Pikachu gathered his strength, remembered his friends and his relationship with Ash, and was able to stand up.. Realizing that it was all over, Ash and Pikachu threw everything into one final attack, as did Charizard—and Pikachu emerged victorious. In the end, it was Ash's strong bond with Pikachu that helped him win and that's what made him win Ash deserves to be called a Pokémon Master.