The path to beingPokémon’s World Champion was a long one for Ash, littered with earth-shattering losses that had Ash questioning his fitness as a trainer. While Ash lost plenty of times, only a few losses were so devastating that they shook Ash’s confidence right to its core.
Many of Ash’s worst losses are those where the most was at stake, such asPokémon League championships. Ash worked very hard to earn his gym badges and make it into these tournaments, so losing after coming so close was often a major blow. Other times, it was battles against rivals, or occasionally even Gym Leaders, which had Ash doubting himself after a substantial loss. The key, however, is that Ash managed to learn from most of these losses, and take that newfound knowledge forward into the future.
10Ash’s Most Embarrassing Loss Was to A Fresh Snivy
Episode:Pokémon Black and White, “In the Shadow of Zekrom!”
Easily one of Ash’s worst losses was his first battle against Trip, who would go on to become his primary rival throughout his adventures in Unova. Ash met Trip when he was first beginning his Pokémon journey, having just selected a Snivy from the professor. Trip thought poorly of Ash due to the fact that he was from Kanto, but was eager to battle Pikachu, since Pikachu aren’t found native to Unova.Ash agreed to a battle, but was rapidly defeated in one of Pikachu’s most embarrassing losses of all time.
To be fair to Pikachu, he was afflicted with an illness which prevented him from using Electric-type moves, but it still should’ve taken little more than a single Iron Tail to take down such a fresh and inexperienced Pokémon. This was more of a wake-up call for the audience than Ash, realizing that much of the skill he’d previously built up wasn’t going to carry forward intoBlack and White.
9Ash’s Battle with Tyson Saw Pikachu Lose to Meowth
Episodes:Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, “Choose It or Lose It!” and “At the End of the Fray!”
Ash performed quite well in the Hoenn League’s Evergrande Conference overall, but his match with Tyson ended up putting his skills to the test.Tyson possessed a full team of mostly powerful Pokémon, such as Metagross, and Tyson was very skilled at using type advantages in a way that Ash has never really been. It was a brutal battle that went back and forth several times, ultimately coming down to Tyson’s partner, a Meowth in a hat, versus Ash’s Pikachu.
While Pikachu should be well-versed in battling Meowth at this point, Tyson’s Meowth packed some surprises, such as the ability to use Thunderbolt. Ultimately, Pikachu collapsed first, costing Ash the win and allowing Tyson to go on and claim the Hoenn League title. Ash was proud of his performance here, but still disappointed to lose after coming so close once again.
Episode:Pokémon Indigo League, “Electric Shock Showdown”
Ash boldly challenged his third gym, only to find out how woefully unprepared he was when he found himself up against Lt. Surge’s Raichu, the evolved form of Pikachu.Raichu wielded far more electrical power than Pikachu could at the time, and defeated him with ease, sending Pikachu to the Pokémon Center, where he was in relatively serious condition. Ash began to feel that the only way Pikachu could measure up was toevolve him as well, but Pikachu refused, saying that if he was going to win, it would be as a Pikachu.
Ash respected Pikachu’s wishes, and they ultimately developed a plan to make use of Pikachu’s speed advantage, allowing him to finally claim victory in a rematch. Pikachu’s desire not to evolve would remain constant throughout the series, and Ash wouldn’t really bring up the topic of evolving Pikachu again.
7Ash’s Loss to Paul at Lake Acuity Was Brutal
Episodes:Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, “Pedal to the Mettle!” and “Evolving Strategies!”
Paul was Ash’s primary rival throughoutDiamond and Pearl, andPaul was a rather cruel and cold-hearted trainerwho had abandoned his Chimchar, which Ash took in. Ash and Paul didn’t see eye-to-eye about how to raise Pokémon, which eventually led to their heated clash at Lake Acuity in the Sinnoh region.Ash tried to battle tactically, but he couldn’t keep up with Paul’s strategies, being outsmarted at every turn. Paul switches Pokémon frequently, setting up defensive strategies which Ash has no way of countering.
Despite Ash’s Chimchar evolving into Monferno at the end of this battle, it still wasn’t enough, and Ash ended up losing, while Paul still had 4 of his 6 Pokémon able to battle. Ash was seriously depressed after this, but ended up regaining some confidence after fighting off Team Rocket in the next episode.
6Ash’s Battle With Harrison Opened Up a New World
Episodes:Pokémon Gold and Silver, “Playing With Fire!” and “Johto Photo Finish!”
Coming off of his long-awaited defeat of Gary in the Silver Conference, Ash was next up against Harrison, a trainer visiting Johto from the Hoenn region, which Ash hadn’t heard of.Harrison used Pokémon that Ash wasn’t familiar with, like Kecleon and Blaziken, making it difficult for Ash to know how to counter them. Despite this, the match went back and forth, and Ash and Harrison seemed equally matched. It eventually all came down to Harrison’s Blaziken versusAsh’s Charizard, and despite the type advantage, Charizard lost.
Ash is predictably devastated, having once again come so far, but Harrison cheers him up by encouraging him to visit the Hoenn region next. Ash takes Harrison’s advice, setting up the next major series of thePokémonanime.
5Wulfric Broke Ash’s Confidence at a Key Moment
Episodes:Pokémon XY, “All Hail the Ice Battlefield!” and “Seeing the Forest for the Trees!”
Going into this battle, Ash was already feeling a little hesitant, as he had recently lost to his rival Sawyer for the first time, and failed to activate the Bond Phenomenon with Greninja during that battle. Still, Ash challenged Wulfric for his final Kalos gym badge.Wulfric sends out his Avalugg, which manages to defeat Hawlucha and Talonflame despite a type disadvantage, and then finally defeats Greninja, even afterAsh triggers the Ash-Greninja form, causing Ash to faint and the battle to end, having only knocking out one of Wulfric’s Pokémon.
This loss shattered Ash’s confidence so much that he wandered off into the woods alone, without any Pokémon with him. Even Serena isn’t able to get through to him, and Ash runs off again, soon trapped in a snowstorm. He finds himself in trouble while trying to help a wild Pokémon, but Greninja shows up at the last moment, saving them both. This restores Ash’s confidence somewhat, giving him the strength to try again.
4Ash’s Loss to Alain Hurt the Most
Episodes:Pokémon XY, “Finals Not for the Faint-Hearted!” and “Down to the Fiery Finish!”
Ash came the closest he ever had to champion status in Kalos, reaching the final round of the Lumiose Conference, where he found himself againstAlain, a rival who had featured in theMega Evolution Specials. Ash vs. Alain was an intense battle, looking very evenly matched as each knocked out one of the other’s Pokémon in turn.It all came down to Alain’s Mega Charizard X against Ash’s Greninja in its Ash-Greninja form. With the type advantage on his side, it was Ash’s battle to lose.
Unfortunately, that’s precisely what happened; the clash culminated in a Water Shuriken and a Blast Burn, coating the stadium in steam, and when it cleared, it was Greninja who was down for the count. Alain won the championship, and Ash was left with the bitter taste of second place.
3Ash Didn’t Stand a Chance Against Tobias
Episode:Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, “The Semi-Final Frontier!”
Ash made it pretty far in Sinnoh’s Lily of the Valley conference, putting him into the semifinals round against a mysterious trainer named Tobias.Tobias’s first Pokémon was a Darkrai, a Mythical Pokémon of tremendous power that handily defeated several of Ash’s Pokémon before he finally took it down.Tobias then followed that up with Latios, a Legendary Pokémon, which Ash does manage to defeat in a simultaneous knock-out with Pikachu. Tobias managed to beat Ash with just two Pokémon, and went on to win the rest of the conference with just Darkrai.
Having made it to the semifinals, this was again the closest Ash had come to winning it all, but Tobias was simply an impossible obstacle to conquer. Ash’s friends comforted him to this end as well, and it was impressive that he managed to defeat Darkrai at all, something no one else in the tournament accomplished.
2Ash’s Indigo League Loss Was Embarrassing
Episode:Pokémon Indigo League, “Friend and Foe Alike”
Ash’s first tournament appearance was at the Indigo League, where he managed to make it to the Top 16. Here, he was pitted against his friend and rival Ritchie in a 3 on 3 battle. The battle was progressing fine for Ash initially, but when Ash got down to his final Pokémon, Charizard, it refused to obey him, not wanting to battle what it deemed was a weak opponent.Charizard took a nap on the field, and was subsequently disqualified, giving Ritchie the win.
To be fair to Ash, he had been harassed by Team Rocket for quite a while before this battle, even arriving late to the stadium due to their antics. Ash’s other Pokémon were weakened, which made Charizard his only hope. This was the first time Ash had to face defeat in a major tournament, but he was at least able to acknowledge how much he had learned, and how much farther he had to go.
1Ash’s Unova League Loss Was Unbearable
Episodes: Pokémon Black and White, “Cameron’s Secret Weapon!” and “A Unova League Evolution!”
Ash’s worst loss of all time was undoubtedly in the Vertress Conference of the Unova League, where he went up against Cameron. Cameron was an inexperienced trainer who didn’t understand basic concepts like type advantages, and really had no business being in the tournament to start with. In his full battle with Ash in the quarterfinal round, Cameron didn’t even bring a full team of 6 Pokémon, instead only having 5 at his command. Despite this disadvantage, Cameron managed to beat Ash handily, having his Riolu evolve into Lucario mid-battle.
This loss represented Ash’s only time performing worse than he did in a previous tournament, only making it to the top 8 instead of the top 4 like he had in Sinnoh. Ash reflects on his loss in the empty stadium afterward, vowing to continue to strive for a tournament win–which he would one day receive in Alola. Because of his step down in performance and loss to an embarrassingly inexperienced trainer, there can be no doubt thatAsh’s Unova League defeat was the most devastating loss he’s ever suffered in thePokémonanime.
Pokémon
Cast
Pokémon follows Ash Ketchum on his journey to become a Pokémon Master, accompanied by his loyal Pikachu. Released in 1997, the series explores Ash’s travels through various regions, where he encounters new friends and challenges, underscoring the themes of adventure and teamwork.
