Ash was the protagonist of the Pokémon anime for 1232 episodes. During his epic adventure, Ash had over 80 different Pokémon, which he moved in and out of his team as he moved between regions. Of course, it would be impossible for the anime’s writers to give every Pokémon the same amount of screen time. So, while some Pokémon are seen and used all the time, others only appear a few times before being forgotten.

Unfortunately, this leads Ash to squander the potential of several useful Pokémon, either by refusing to exploit their strengths or simply by not using them. In many cases, he openly ignored certain objectively rare and powerful potential combat partners. However, some stand out as greater missed opportunities than others, notably those like Gible and Oshwatt, which were never exploited.

Updated December 5, 2024 by Natasha Elder: Ash’s Pokémon teams have long been a topic among fans of the series, from his iconic Pikachu to his lesser-used Buizel. However, some are recognized by the majority of fans as being completely wasted under Ash’s care. Pokémon like Scraggy should have had a lot more opportunities to show how strong they were. We wanted to give more of Ash’s missed opportunity Pokémon the recognition they deserve, and added images to show how cool they are.

15 Gible is cute, but underused

Evolved Gible could have become a powerful garchomp

From his introduction, Gible proved that he was motivated to become stronger. In fact, he was trying to find an effective way to use Draco Meteor. While this gave Ash and Gible enough time to bond, it was also used as a joke at first. Although Gible eventually mastered the move, the fact that Draco Meteor was initially used primarily to create comedic moments, given his tendency to hit Piplup accidentally, was a sign of Gible’s overall importance.

Gible did quite well in the battles he participated in, but it was obvious that he could have been much more effective if Ash had taken the time to evolve him, as well as if Ash had used him more. Garchomp, Gible’s latest evolution, is well known as one of the best Pokémon in the games, and it was disappointing not to see Ash use one when he had the chance. The focus on Draco Meteor also limited Gible’s move set. While this move is undeniably good, it turned Gible into a one-trick pony, and would also be much stronger if used by a Garchomp.

14 Bayleef had a sensitive soul

Although she was good at fighting, she took Ash’s harsh words to heart

Ash met Chikorita in the Johto region, and she immediately proved herself to be a tough fighter. Despite the type disadvantage, she fought against Ash’s Charizard to the point that she was injured. Eventually, however, she joined Ash. She was also the only Pokémon from the Johto region that Ash evolved, although he only evolved her to her second stage. However, Ash and Bayleef still had their differences, which spoiled some of Bayleef’s potential.

Bayleef was used quite well in battles, but she also ran away both as Chikorita and when she became Bayleef, attaching herself to other characters. This not only called into question Ash’s fitness as a trainer, but also changed the way Bayleef was perceived. Despite these problems, Bayleef was an integral member of Ash’s team. This didn’t stop Ash from trading it for a Kingler, albeit briefly. This frequent departure of Bayleef ended up taking away some of the attention that was due to him.

13 Noctowl was Ash’s first shiny Pokémon

Sometimes he was just there to promote the brilliant ones

Noctowl was not only the first Shiny captured by Ash, but also the only Shiny Pokémon captured by Ash during the anime. While there are certainly better shiny designs than Noctowl’s, the novelty of Ash having a shiny made his design stand out. Noctowl is not only beautiful to look at, as he is also very intelligent, deftly avoiding traps left to catch him. In fact, he even hypnotized Ash at one point, making the Pokémon trainer believe that a random rock was his Pikachu.

Noctowl’s Hynosis proved to be its best move, used repeatedly to defeat other Pokémon. That being said, Confusion and Foresight also proved useful. Despite the strength of these moves, Noctowl has actually only participated in one significant battle: the gym battle against Morty. A Pokémon this powerful should definitely have been used to a much greater extent than Ash used it.

12 Ash actually evolved Tepig into Pignite

Pignite never managed to reach its full potential

Being only the second evolution in a line of three, Pignite is yet another Pokémon that Ash should have evolved at some point, but chose not to. However, Pignite’s wasted potential is even more disappointing than most of Ash’s other lesser-used Pokémon due to its history. Pignite was abandoned like Tepig by his former trainer, Shamus, after losing a battle. Ash found this mistreated Tepig and gained his trust by caring for him in his time of need.

Tepig became a Pignite after seeing the sacrifice of his friends in a battle against his former trainer, finally overcoming the fear that still grips him. This character development is more than many of Ash’s other Pokémon get, but the fact that so much time is spent with Pignite only makes its lack of evolution even more confusing. Pignite’s loyalty to his friends and his determination not to fail in battle seem like the perfect fit. set up for possibly evolve towards Emboar, so the fact that its development was halted in this way was definitely a wasted opportunity.

11 Heracross had some important moments during the battle

Heracross is best known for its love of sap

Being the first Pokémon caught in the Johto region, it would have made sense for Heracross to be put to good use. Instead, Heracross became an underrated Johto Pokémon rather than the powerhouse it should have been. Part of the problem was the emphasis on Heracross’s amusing habit of drinking nectar from any source he can find it, including the bulb on Bulbasaur’s back and Venusaur’s flower.

Heracross has beaten Pokémon such as Donphan and Scizor, helped save Chikorita and Pikachu from Team Rocket, and even beat Gary’s Magmar after being hit by a fire blast. Despite all of this, Heracross is still relegated to his gimmick most of the time. He also leaves relatively quickly in order to make room for a Tauros that Ash caught. While this was meant to be temporary, Professor Oak wanted to keep him around to study Heracross’s behavior, further limiting the attention Heracross should have received.

10 Torkoal never had the chance to grow

Ash should have increased Torkoal’s strength

Torkoal is a fascinating example of the flexibility of combat power in the Pokémon anime. After catching Torkoal, Ash uses it in several battles, including at the Petalburg Gym (where he defeated Slakoth), the Ever Grande Conference, and the Victory Tournament. Later, after some time in Oak’s lab, he would return to the team to fight Brandon’s Registeel, a fight he narrowly lost after a very impressive performance. He would then fight at the Lily of the Valley Conference, where he would lose to Tobias’s Darkrai.

But even though Torkoal was frequently used and was one of Ash’s most regularly seen companions, the fact that Ash never worked to increase Torkoal’s strength is a huge missed opportunity, as facing Registeel shows that he has the potential to do incredible things. things if we give them the chance to grow. In fact, Torkoal had the potential to take on even the strongest Fire-type Pokémon if it had received the training it should have. For this reason, Torkoal is one of the biggest “what if” fights. » from Pokémon. stories.

9 Scraggy is a loser who never could evolve

His scrappy personality proves he was made to fight

In “Here Comes the Trubbish Squad!” In the 669th episode of Pokémon, Karena offered Ash Scraggy’s egg. Five episodes later, the egg would hatch and quickly make an impact as it battled with several of Ash’s other Pokémon, including Pikachu, Pidove, Oshawott, Tepig, and Snivy. Instead of becoming an iconic dual Fighting/Dark-type Pokémon, Scraggy quickly became a joke character, rarely used in battles and losing those he participated in.

Although it was used during the Clubsplosion tournament and the Icircrus Gym battles, it failed to succeed in either instance, and by the time it was sent to Professor Oak, it only had a handful of victories to his credit. Although he reappeared several times afterward, he never got the spotlight he deserved, especially since he never had a chance to master his moves. Additionally, it couldn’t evolve into Scrafty, which is a shame, because this evolution is a powerful Dark/Fighting type that would have been useful in several battles.

8 Muk is a victim of the first Pokémon format

Although he was caught early, he didn’t fight for a while

The first seasons of the Pokémon anime are fascinating because the team working on them had not yet fully defined the format of the series. A good example is how Pokémon are used, as early seasons feature Ash catching and keeping many more Pokémon than usual. Additionally, Ash doesn’t start dropping off his old Pokémon with Professor Oak until Pokémon the Series: Ruby & Sapphire, meaning a lot of Pokémon from that era get lost in the mix.

Muk is the best example of this, as after catching the Pokémon, Ash sends it directly to Professor Oak because he can’t stand the smell of the Pokémon. While Ash would go for him later, he wouldn’t get his first battle until episode 77, “The Fourth Round Rumble”, where he defeated a Bellsprout. After this, Muk would only make a handful of sporadic appearances, although these were usually comedy segments rather than battles. This is a shame, because on many occasions Ash could have used a poison-type Pokémon, especially one as naturally talented as Muk.

7 Butterfree was wasted for good reason

Leaving Butterfree was one of the most bittersweet moments

Evolving from a Caterpie Ash captured in Episode 3, Butterfree does not spend long with Ash. After its evolution, Ash uses it in his Cerulean Gym battle against Misty, during the fight with AJ, as part of the battles aboard the St. Anne and against the giant Tentacruel. In the 21st episode of the series, “Bye Bye Butterfree”, Ash decides to let Butterfree go after falling in love with a pink Butterfree, thus ending what looked to be a promising fighting career.

While it could be argued that Ash wasted Butterfree’s potential by releasing him so quickly, it’s hard to deny that this decision isn’t one of Ash’s most important character moments. By having Ash make a difficult choice, the series tells viewers that Ash is not a character who wants power at all costs. He cares about his Pokémon and wants them to prosper, even if it means they no longer fight for him.

6 Lapras has been relegated to the rank of water taxi

Although Lapras was helpful, he could have done much more

When Ash first meets Lapras, he is attacked by children after being separated from his family. While the Pokémon is initially agitated, it quickly becomes closer to Ash and becomes part of his team when he promises to reunite him with his family. However, after this, Ash usually uses Lapras as a water taxi for him and his friends from island hopping during the Orange Island arc. Lapras only gets two traditional battles, participating in Ash’s fights against Danny and Drake.. This last of these battles shows that Lapras is a surprisingly powerful Pokémon, as when Lapras and Gengar’s moves collide, they send out a huge wave of energy.

Unfortunately, in the 113th episode, “Viva Las Lapras”, Ash finds Lapras’ family and, as he promised, he lets the Pokémon go. While Ash should be commended for keeping his promise, it’s a shame that Ash didn’t use Lapras more during their time together, as it’s clear that the Pokémon had a lot of potential and could have been much more than just that. a simple boat. Additionally, the popular use of Lapras as a Water-type Pokémon in the games meant that many fans would have liked to see more of the Pokémon in the anime as well.

5 Buizel was a gift of dawn that was never fully used

Not evolving harms Buizel’s power in the long term

Buizel is one of the most forgotten and overlooked Pokémon in the franchise’s history. One of the main reasons for this is that Buizel was initially caught by Dawn, who gave the Pokémon to Ash when it became clear that he wanted to learn how to fight. Buizel quickly showed her power against Maylene’s Lucario, a match that ended in a double knockout. He would defeat Quagsire and Floatzel from Crasher Wake, as well as Gengar from Fantina. Alas, as the streak continued, Buizel began to lose more frequently as his power plateaued.

Buizel is one of Ash’s most notable missed opportunities. Its initial power shows that it had the potential to become one of Ash’s strongest Pokémon if he took the time to train it. Oddly, Ash never evolved Buizel into Floatzel, despite the latter Pokémon being one of the most versatile Water-types of this generation, making it an even more memorable missed opportunity.

4 Ash refused to change his style for Torterra

When Torterra became slower after its evolution, Ash stopped using it

Torterra is a fantastic example of how evolution can often be a downgrade in the Pokémon anime. Ash caught Turtwig in “Gettin’ Twiggy With It!” the 471st episode of the anime. This Turtwig was an integral part of Ash’s team during Diamond and Pearl, appearing in five gym battles and achieving major victories against Roark’s Cranidos and Gardenia’s Turtwig. During these battles, Ash relied heavily on Turtwig’s speed, which allowed Turtwig to avoid damage and target his opponent’s weak points.

Alas, that changed when Turtwig became Grotle. Grotle’s slowness quickly became the butt of the jokeand Ash began to use the creature noticeably less. When he finally became Turtwig in “The Vanishing Tower of Sunyshore!” » This problem persisted as Ash failed to play to his strengths, leading Turtwig to lose to both the memorable Gym Leader Volkner’s Electivire and Paul’s Drapion. Turtwig’s story is strange, because Ash never seemed to understand that this Pokémon excels at defense, meaning it lost a potentially powerful ally.

3 Unfezant was another wasted bird

She spent quite a bit of time in the episodes, but not in the fights

Ash has a strange history with bird-like Pokémon. Although he usually captures bird Pokémon within a few episodes of arriving in a new region, these Pokémon are rarely very useful, acting more as tools than full members of the team. No Pokémon embodies this phenomenon better than Unfezant, as Ash only scratches the surface of this Normal/Flying-type Pokémon’s potential. Ash captures Pidove for the first time in “Enter Iris and Axew!” the 659th episode. This Pidove, although frequently present in episodes, was rarely used in combat.

This trend continued when the Pokémon evolved into Tranquill, as although it was in this form for 46 episodes, its only notable battle appearance was during the Unova Gym match against Skyla. After evolving into Unfezant, this trend will continue, only being fully utilized in the battle against Roxie at Virbank Gym and the Vertress Conference battle against Cameron before being sent to Professor Oak. This is a shame, because Unfezant is one of the most versatile bird Pokémon in the franchise, meaning Unfezant could have become a fantastic utility player on Ash’s team.

2 Oshawott was stuck in a comedy role

Oshawott never really managed to shine in combat

The Pokémon anime has a strange tendency to turn Ash’s water-type Pokémon into comic book characters rather than legitimate fighters. Oshawott is the most obvious example of this trend, as although the Pokémon was frequently deployed in battle, it had a tendency to lose combat quickly and comically. Oshawott lost to Trip’s Tranquill in two hits, Lenora’s Watchog knocked him out with a thunderbolt, and Chili’s Pansear effortlessly crushed the otter Pokémon.

Not training Oshawott more was a major mistake on Ash’s part, as in other Pokémon media Oshawott is shown to be a very versatile water type. On top of that, both of its evolved forms, Dewott and Samurott, are strong fighters, meaning it would have been good to have them on the team, especially during the later gym battles. Alas, Oshawott’s role as comic relief meant that this was not to be the case, instead relegating Oshawott to cute looks and cheap humor.

1 Ash ignored Primeape, his first real winner

Primeape immediately proved his impressive fighting spirit, but was surrendered relatively quickly

Ash rarely uses this Fighting-type Pokémon from the Kanto region to its full potential, and Primeape is the best example of this phenomenon. In his first episode, this Primeape shows how strong he is by defeating several humans without breaking a sweat. But after capturing it, Ash does not use it in battle until the P1 Grand Prix, a tournament which Primeape easily wins. After this massive victory, Ash leaves the Pokémon with Anthony, a man who promises that he will train the Primeape to become a great P1 Champion.

Usually when Ash gives a Pokémon to another trainer, he will find it later, but this was not the case for Primeape, as the Pokémon was not seen again after this episode. Ash’s decision to give Primeape away is one of the most confusing choices he’s ever made. Primeape was immensely powerful without trainingsuggesting that with a little effort, Ash could turn it into one of the most dangerous Pokémon in the world, one that would have allowed him to easily win later battles.

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  Pokémon

  Spanning a multitude of media, including TCGs, video games, manga, live-action films, and anime, the Pokémon franchise takes place in a shared world of humans and creatures with a wide variety of special abilities.

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  Pokémon

  Ash Ketchum, his yellow pet Pikachu, and his human friends explore a world of powerful creatures.