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Throughout the Pokémon anime, Ash Ketchum has often been mocked and criticized by fans for his mistakes and failures. Yet, on the other side of it all, he’s also had numerous achievements and successes.
Over the years, Ash has taken pride in his love for Pokémon and his determination to never give up, allowing for some great moments across many battles. While some of his greatest achievements have tangible forms of rewards such as trophies and badges, others are considered to be personal triumphs and accomplishments on his quest to become a Pokémon Master.
10 He Won The Hearthome Tag Team Battle Alongside His Bitter Rival
It isn’t often talked about to a great extent, but Ash managed to win the Hearthome City Tag Battle competition while teaming up with his bitter rival Paul. As expected, the two were at odds the entire time.
Paul released his Chimchar between rounds, prompting Ash to adopt it and use it in their final match against Dawn and Conway. Winning the tournament earned Ash a Soothe Bell while adding more fuel to the fire for his rivalry with Paul. Befriending Chimchar was also an added bonus for Ash.
9 Ash Finally Raised A Team Worthy Of A Pokémon Master
Ash Ketchum has received criticism over the years for many reasons, but a common complaint has to do with the Pokémon he chooses to use in important battles. More often than not, Ash will take Pokémon that are not fully evolved or strong enough to win. If he relies more on fully evolved Pokémon, he could be winning more battles.
In Pokémon Journeys, Ash suddenly decides to start catching strong Pokémon, evolving them, and putting together a team that could certainly belong to a champion. He finally gets his hands on Lucario, Dragonite, and Gengar, Pokémon that he has been impressed by for years, and acquires two Galarian Pokémon in Sirfetch’d and Dracovish. This makes his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master much more attainable and realistic.
8 Defeating Gary Was A Huge Moment For Ash
Gary Oak was Ash’s first rival, making him arguably one of the most memorable. Gary often berated and mocked Ash, and even refused to acknowledge him as a rival. Their rivalry was often measured by how many steps ahead of Ash Gary was. However, Ash and Gary only had three battles against each other.
The first time was a brief 1-on-1 when Ash returned from the Orange Islands. Ash ended up losing to Gary’s Eevee, but Gary did start respecting Ash a little more. The two would meet in a much-anticipated 6-on-6 bout at the Silver Conference in Johto, and Ash eventually emerged victorious. This was a huge moment for Ash, and he believed it to be a pivotal moment on his road to becoming a Pokémon Master.
7 Ash Defeated His Bitter Rival, Paul
In the Pokémon Diamond & Pearl anime, Ash’s main rival was Paul, who treated Pokémon battling in a way that was completely different from Ash. Paul just sought power and strength, which really angered Ash and made for an intense rivalry.
Paul often had the upper hand in their battles, but everything changed at their final bout at the Lily of the Valley Conference. Ash prevailed and defeated Paul in a brutal 6-on-6, which was labeled as one of the best battles in the entire franchise. Many fans argue that Ash either should have lost to Paul or won the whole tournament, but instead, Ash fell in the next round to the powerful Tobias. Regardless, beating Paul when it mattered most was a huge accomplishment for Ash.
6 Ash Has A Large Collection Of Badges From Many Regions
Whether he deserves them or not, Ash has successfully collected all available badges from Gym challenges and any possible equivalent in every region he has visited. He was even gifted a few badges at the start of his journey in Kanto for helping out or showing promise, rather than actually winning battles. However, these were all important in shaping Ash’s character and future as his journey progressed from region to region.
5 Ash Almost Won The Kalos Pokémon League
Before his Pokémon League victory in the Alola region, the closest Ash had even been to becoming champion was in Kalos. He had raised a strong team and developed a unique connection with his Greninja, but they were ultimately defeated in the finals by Alain and his Mega-Charizard.
Although Ash ultimately failed to win another Pokémon League tournament, reaching the finals was still a great achievement in itself.
4 Ash Defeated Drake & Won The Orange League
After Ash’s disappointing loss to Ritchie at Kanto’s Indigo Plateau Pokémon League tournament, his trip to the Orange Islands was a welcome change of pace before heading to Johto to commit to a similar Gym Badge journey.
He was able to acquire new friends and Pokémon, take on new challenges, and eventually battle again the Orange League Champion, Drake. Up until that point, Drake had been undefeated with his trusty Dragonite at his side, but Ash fought hard and brought Drake’s streak to an end.
3 Ash Was Swept Aside By Tobias But Still Managed To Defeat A Darkrai & A Latios
Ash’s defeat to Tobias in the Lily of the Valley Conference is often seen as a battle he should’ve won. On paper, Ash lost all six of his Pokémon while Tobias only lost two.
However, the two Pokémon that Ash did defeat were the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, Latios and Darkrai. It was impressive that Ash’s Sceptile and Pikachu were able to take on and defeat such powerful foes.
2 Ash Conquered The Battle Frontier
After the Hoenn Pokémon League, Ash decided to take on the Battle Frontier. The Battle Frontier consisted of defeating several Frontier Brains in order to obtain Symbols, which were similar to Gym Badges.
Ash was able to defeat the first five with no setbacks, but he did lose to Anabel and Brandon before winning the rematches. Pikachu even overcame Brandon’s Legendary Pokémon, Regice. Ash’s accomplishments at the Battle Frontier were so great that he was even offered the chance to become a Frontier Brain, which he declined.
1 Ash Finally Won A Pokémon League Tournament In Alola
It took Ash seven generations to win his first Pokémon League in Sun & Moon. He had previously lost due to mistakes or not having a good team, only making it to the final round on one previous occasion.
In Alola, it finally all came together. The Manalo Conference win over Gladion was cheapened somewhat by only being a 3-on-3. Still, Ash won the exhibition 6-on-6 match with Professor Kukui afterward, which made it an impressive and entertaining experience overall. Many fans have argued that Ash should have won both the Sinnoh and Kalos Leagues with his teams and strategies, but now he can officially call himself a Champion.
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