The 10 Best Pokémon Ash Didn't Use Enough in the Anime (2024)

On his tenth birthday, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town was given his first partner Pokémon, Pikachu, to begin his quest through the Pokémon world. For twenty-five seasons of the Pokémon anime, he and a rotating cast of memorable traveling companions explored the world and befriended numerous Pokémon species. With their help, he defeated Leon and was crowned the number one Pokémon Trainer.

By the end of his run, Ash retained ownership of seventy-eight Pokémon and had around one hundred, if we include those he traded away or temporarily used. As such, it's natural that some feel overshadowed by others, especially when one teammate demonstrates a unique storyline or potent battling style. Others joined Ash's team too late or were rotated out, so they just didn't have the same amount of screen time. These are the Pokémon that Ash didn't use as much as he should've, and while they weren't quite wasted, they certainly didn't live up to their potential.

Pokémon

TV-PG

Action

Adventure

Animation

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

March 7, 1992

Creator

Cast

Rica Matsumoto , Mayumi Iizuka , Yūji Ueda , Tomokazu Seki , Kaori Suzuki , Fushigi Yamada , Megumi Toyoguchi

See Also

Mushishi and Other Relaxing Anime to Watch - SakuracoAnime Reborn Units Tier List [UPDATE 1] (November 2024)10 Reasons Pokemon Horizons Is the Best Pokémon Anime Yet10 Most Satisfying Punches in Anime

Seasons

25

10 Snivy

First Appearance: "Snivy Plays Hard to Catch!"

Frustrated by what she deemed an unworthy trainer, Snivy abandoned them and lived in the wilds of the Unova region. Before encountering Ash, Snivy mastered several powerful moves, including Leaf Tornado and Attract, which made male Pokémon unable to attack her. After Ash used his female Pidov to bypass Attract, he defeated Snivy and added her to his team, where she helped to encourage and mentor his other Unovan catches.

Snivy is a fascinating character, demonstrating a caring personality and boundless confidence in her battle prowess, which makes her a good candidate to be Ash's Unovan ace. Unfortunately, as the story went on, Ash put more emphasis on his Pignite and Krookodile in major battles, meaning Snivy got pushed to the sidelines. Fans were also frustrated that she didn't even get to evolve once, despite her pride in her battle prowess and her role as the big sister looking out for the rest of the team.

9 Leavanny

First Appearance: "Sewaddle and Burgh in Pinwheel Forest!"

In Pinwheel Forest, Ash and Pikachu were ambushed by a Sewaddle who was determined to battle them. With the help of the Bug-type gym leader, Burgh, Ash won Sewaddle's friendship and captured it. The little bug proved to be an eager battler, and within no time, it evolved into the more reserved Swadloon and, eventually, the friendly and caring Leavanny.

Leavanny demonstrated good personal growth from a rambunxious child to a supportive adult and more than pulled his weight in every battle he was part of. Even outside of battle, Leavanny helped the group using String Shot to either repair their clothes, fashion outfits out of leaves or retrace their steps through dark caves. Sadly, due to the large number of Pokémon Ash caught in Unova, Leavanny was placed on rotation and saw limited use the longer the series went on.

8 Noivern

First Appearance: "A Not-So-Flying Start!"

One day in the woods, Ash's Hawlucha — one of Kalos' most iconic Pokémon — found a lost egg that hatched into a Noibat. After calming the newborn down and feeding it apples, Ash's Hawlucha and Fletchinder taught it how to fly. Hawlucha, in particular, became like a big brother and idol to Noibat. In time, the bat Pokémon grew powerful enough to save Hawlucha from a rampaging Zapdos and evolve into Noivern.

Noivern had all the makings of a great character but was held back due to Ash's team composition and how late it was acquired. The latter half of the Kalos arc was dominated by Greninja's storyline, meaning that Noivern was relegated to being Hawlucha's little brother and Talonflame's scouting partner. Even as a Dragon-type, he lived in the shadow of Ash's Goodra, though he did have a good match against Sawyer's Salamence during the Kalos league that ended in a draw.

7 Kingler

First Appearance: "Mystery at the Lighthouse"

When Misty made fun of Ash's ability to catch Pokémon, he decided to prove himself by capturing a small Krabby. Since he already had a team of six, Krabby was sent to Professor Oak's lab, where he remained for the rest of Ash's Kanto journey. When he participated in the Kanto League, Ash decided to bring Krabby onto his team for his first match against Mandi, where he shocked everyone by defeating all three of Mandi's Pokémon and evolving into Kingler.

Kingler's story is the classic tale of the underdog triumphing against impossible odds, which made him an instant favorite among fans. While he didn't remain undefeated for long, he always put up a good fight whenever Ash used him, knocking out at least one enemy Pokémon with brute force and willpower. Unfortunately, despite Kingler's tremendous strength, Ash kept him at Oak's lab after Johto, even when he started bringing back older Pokémon to help in certain situations.

6 Glalie

First Appearance: "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snorunt!"

While stopping at a Pokémon Center on Izabe Island, Ash encountered a mischievous Snorunt who stole his Gym Badges and caught him after the two teamed up to defeat Team Rocket. While his companion, May, took part in the Hoenn Grand Festival, Ash trained Snorunt to use Ice Beam. It was slow-going at first, and many people were frozen, but he eventually mastered the move during another attack by Team Rocket and evolved into Glalie to send them blasting off again.

Once evolved, Glalie proved to be one of Ash's strongest Hoenn Pokémon and had a phenomenal run during the Hoenn League. He paired well with Ash's on-the-fly strategies, allowing for creative use of terrain and move effects to defeat several Pokémon with type advantages or ensure a mutual knockout. Yet, for some reason, Ash left Glalie behind when he went to the Battle Frontier, and despite briefly reuniting in Sinnoh, Glalie has never participated in another battle.

5 Gible

First Appearance: "A Meteoric Rise to Excellence!"

During the latter part of Ash's travels through the Sinnoh region, he meets a Gible trying to master Draco Meteor, one of the most powerful Dragon-type attacks. Ash becomes determined to help the little dragon reach his dream, and after saving him from Team Rocket, Gible agrees to let Ash catch him. Unfortunately, their attempts to master Draco Meteor resulted in a lot of pain for Dawn's Piplup, who was hit by the failed move no matter how hard he tried to escape.

Fans were excited for Ash to get the first stage of one of Sinnoh's most iconic Pokémon, Garchomp, and his oblivious, bite-first personality was endearing. Unfortunately, despite how powerful Gible is, Ash barely uses him in battle until the Sinnoh league. While it did have a solid training arc and a rocky relationship with Dawn's Piplup, Gible ended Sinnoh feeling like one of Ash's biggest wasted opportunities, and it wouldn't be until Kalos that Ash would get a fully evolved Dragon-type.

4 Palpitoad

First Appearance: "Facing Fear with Eyes Wide Open!"

While swimming with Oshawott to recover some Remeya Weed to cure the group's poisoned Pokémon, Ash was ambushed by a gang of Tympol and an Electric-type Stunfisk led by a territorial Palpitoad. While his friend, Cilan, captured the Stunfisk, Ash led Oshawott in a battle against the Palpitoad, where the Sea Otter Pokémon finally learned to open his eyes while swimming underwater, allowing it to defeat Palpitoad with an Aqua Jet. Ash then caught the blue toad-like Pokémon.

Despite having a strong introduction, Palpitoad received virtually no screen time or character development for the rest of Ash's time in Unova. Palpitoad only appeared in major battles, meaning it didn't even get to hang out with its old subordinate, Stunfisk, who remained one of Cilan's main Pokémon. Palpitoad was further sidelined during the Decolore Islands arc, where Ash never used him once in battle despite its fantastic Water and Ground-typing and powerful moves.

3 Heracross

First Appearance: "A Sappy Ending"

After stopping one of Team Rocket's plans to disrupt the ecosystem of one of Johto's forests, a local Heracross, impressed by Ash's fighting spirit, offered to come with him on his journey. The Bug and Fighting-type quickly proved itself to be Ash's strongest Pokémon in terms of raw power and only got stronger as it faced off against powerful opponents like the Steel and Bug-type Scizor. Unfortunately, Ash left Heracross at Oak's lab until the Johto League, meaning that his very first Johto Pokémon missed out on all of his Johto adventures.

Heracross made sporadic appearances in the following eras, such as participating in the Battle Frontier and Sinnoh League, where his raw power helped Ash out of several tight spots. He also had a fun running gag of getting distracted by sweet food, be it honey, tree sap, or the nectar from Ash's Bulbasaur. Still, the fact that Heracross was so quickly sidelined in its debut region means that fans missed out on the chance to develop its personality beyond a powerful fighter with a sweet tooth.

2 Naganadel

First Appearance: "The Professors' New Adventure!"

When its world was darkened by Necrozma, a Poipole ventured through an Ultra Wormhole to look for a new home for its friends. It arrived in the Alola region and quickly befriended Ash and Pikachu, who eventually helped restore Necrozma's light, thus saving Poipole's world. Though it remained behind when Ash and Pikachu returned to Alola, it eventually evolved into a Naganadel and arrived through another Ultra Wormhole to help Ash during the Alola League.

Naganadel was brimming with personality and offered a chance to further explore the Pokémon multiverse. While its arrival to help Ash in the league was admirable and showcased the strength of their friendship, it also didn't feel as earned as previous examples, such as Gliscor in Sinnoh or Goodra in Kalos, because Ash only used Naganadel in battle once as a Poipole before they initially separated. It makes one wonder what the anime could have been like had Ash been allowed to keep and bond with his Ultra Beast for a longer period.

1 Primeape

First Appearance: "Primeape Goes Bananas"

When Ash learned that his rival, Gary, had caught more Pokémon than him, he attempted to capture a wild Mankey but was thwarted and lost his hat to it. After Team Rocket abused the Mankey, it evolved into Primeape and went on a rampage. Ash eventually defeated and captured the Pig Monkey Pokémon but didn't use it in battle until entering it in the P1 Grand Prix, where he won Primeape's trust by protecting him from a Machoke attack.

Primeape went on to win the Pq Grand Prix, but Ash agreed to give him to a trainer named Anthony, who offered to help bring out Primeape's natural fighting potential. Unlike other Pokémon that Ash has sent off to receive training, such as the iconic fan-favorite Charizard, Primeape hasn't returned except for in flashbacks. It may be because Primeaple's storyline mirrored Charizard's, but its prolonged absence remains a sore spot for many long-time fans because it only appeared in two episodes and was discarded just when its relationship with Ash was improving.

NEXT: The 10 Best Pokémon Trainers in the Anime, Ranked