Ash Ketchum is quite a well-travelled ten-year-old, and that shows in how many Pokemon he’s caught. He has a whole roster of Pokemon that come in many different shapes and sizes. Of course, some of them have been in Ash’s corner for longer than others.
This particular list will look at Ash’s longest-tenured Pokemon: the ones he caught in the Original Series and that are still under his ownership today (sorry, Butterfree, Pidgeot, and Lapras). When was the last time fans saw them? How did they do when they were traveling with Ash?
14 Donphan
Donphan was caught as a Phanpy, but it was caught so late into the Original Series that it didn’t have time to shine or develop.
It developed quite a bit offscreen before promptly joining Ash as he returned to Kanto for the Battle Frontier. It didn’t necessarily rack up a lot of official wins even after evolving, but it proved to be a big help against Team Rocket multiple times. It was last seen at the Sinnoh League, where it chipped away at Conway’s Pokemon in the third round.
13 Noctowl
Ash’s only shiny Pokemon to date was never spectacular, having a few nice wins under its belt but not proving to be as consistent as Ash’s other Pokemon.
Its shining moment was against Morty at the Ecruteak Gym, where it used its Foresight to full effect and learned Confusion on the spot. Unfortunately, that was followed up by underwhelming showings in its battles against Clair at the Blackthorne Gym and Harrison at the Johto League. It was also used against Conway at the Sinnoh League, scoring a knockout on Lickilicky.
12 Totodile
Even though Ash went out of his way to compete with Misty for ownership of it, Totodile doesn’t have the best battling record compared to Ash’s other Pokemon.
It was used often, but in detrimental situations that were too difficult for it to overcome. Its only truly impressive win was against Harrison’s Sneasel, and that was its last appearance in an official battle; it was not used in the Sinnoh League. Regardless, Totodile will be remembered fondly by fans for its fun personality and its great use as a comic relief character.
11 Quilava
People don’t talk about Ash’s Cyndaquil enough, which is surprising because it racked up a lot of impressive wins during its run across Johto. It certainly took it a while to get there, thanks to not being able to ignite the flames on its back at will. After some extensive training, it was a big help in multiple Gym battles, scoring a lot of key knockouts.
It was the flame that burned brightest among the Pokemon that returned for the Sinnoh League, evolving into Quilava after a confrontation with Team Rocket, before battling Nando’s Armaldo to a draw.
10 Bayleef
Being the first of the Johto starters to be caught by Ash, Bayleef had ample time to learn and develop on the fly from when she was still a Chikorita. By the time she evolved, she proved to be one of Ash’s most competent Johto Pokemon, dealing convincing knockouts to Chuck’s Poliwrath and Machoke, and Harrison’s Houndoom.
However, Bayleef is more known for her unwavering affection towards Ash, which she usually shows by tackling him. That’s exactly what she did prior to the Sinnoh League, which was when she was last seen.
9 Heracross
Heracross wasn’t used much during Ash’s Johto adventure, but it did appear a few of Ash’s most important battles later on.
The first was against Gary at the Silver Conference, where it took out Magmar despite the type disadvantage, before eventually losing to Blastoise. Then, it was used against Spenser at the Battle Palace, attempting to suck out the sap of Spenser’s Venusaur (a habit usually reserved for Ash’s Bulbasaur), before being knocked out. Most recently, it showed out at the Sinnoh League, finishing off Ash’s battle against Nando, before chipping away at Tobias’s Darkrai in the semi-final.
8 Snorlax
As expected with this Normal-type species, Ash’s second Orange Islands catch is a notorious eater and an even more notorious sleeper, prone to snoozing off at inopportune times.
But when motivated, Snorlax is easily one of Ash’s most powerful Pokemon, as shown by its battle resumé. It was one of Ash’s unexpected MVP’s throughout the Johto League, and much has been said about its mythical performance against Greta, warding off two Fighting-types and using six moves. It most recently showed up at the Sinnoh League, finishing off Ash’s second-round battle that mostly happened offscreen.
7 Tauros
Ash’s Tauros are a weird case. There’s the fact that there are 30 of them, and that they were caught in an episode banned from multiple dubs, leaving most international viewers confused at the mention of them.
The stampede’s first representation had a good showing in the Orange League, defeating Drake’s Venusaur and dealing good damage on Dragonite. Every other Tauros appearance since then has been a bit of a mixed bag, from winning a Tauros battle tournament, to a quick defeat against Gary’s Nidoking, to a loss and a draw in two of its fights against Anabel.
6 Muk
To Ash and friends, Muk is more known for hugging everyone and swallowing them up in its stench. As such, it’s only appeared in two official battles, both League battles.
In the Indigo League, it had a surprise appearance against Jeanette Fisher, salvaging the match for Ash after two of his Pokemon fell to Bellsprout. In its second appearance in the Johto League, it held its own against Gary’s Blastoise before falling pretty easily to Scizor. Its latest appearance was actually very recent, being sent out in Pokemon Sun and Moon and compared to its Alolan regional variant.
5 Kingler
Kingler, as a Krabby, was Ash’s seventh obtained Pokemon, meaning Ash didn’t carry it around for quite a while. The few times it actually battled were at the Indigo League, where it had a solid showing, and in the Whirl Cup, where it and Totodile lost to Misty in the second round. It was supposed to be used at the Johto League, but it got injured by a bunch of Voltorb.
At the very least, it has the title of being the first of Ash’s Pokemon to be sent over to Professor Oak’s Lab.
4 Squirtle
Squirtle is one of the Pokemon on Ash’s team that gets to tell heartwarming tales about its capture, as they saved each other from getting bombed by Team Rocket. The Squirtle Squad, of which it is a member, later put out a forest fire, getting nods of approval from Officer Jenny.
While it wasn’t used a lot in official Kanto battles after it joined Ash’s team, it was used more often in the Orange Islands and Johto, before it returned to the Squirtle Squad. It reappeared every so often, helping Ash out at the Johto League and in his winning battle against Brandon.
3 Charizard
Speaking of a heartwarming capture, most Pokemon fans know about the circumstances of how Charizard, then a Charmander, joined Ash’s team after it was abandoned by its former trainer. Even more fans probably know about its streak of disobedience, which came to a head at the Indigo League when it literally slept on the battlefield.
With all that said, it’s safe to say Ash’s Charizard is now a true powerhouse, especially after training at Charicific Valley. Its carry job against Gary, defeat of Noland’s Articuno, and near-defeat of Iris’s Dragonite are just the tip of the iceberg of its achievements.
2 Bulbasaur
Ash’s first-ever starter Pokemon traveled with him through both Kanto and Johto, and helped him out in countless battles. Among other things, it’s perhaps most known for its bold decision to not evolve, and it’s proven its worth so far despite not giving itself that supposed advantage.
Its shining moment came later at the Battle Pyramid, where it avenged an early Charizard knockout and cleaned house against Brandon’s Dusclops and Solrock. Nowadays, it spends most of its time being a mediator between bickering factions of Grass-type Pokemon, and regularly greets Ash when he visits the Lab.
1 Pikachu
No introduction needed. Pikachu has been by Ash’s side for literally every region. The latest major event involving Pikachu was probably Gigantamaxing against Drednaw, which wasn’t that long ago.
Pikachu is such a central member of Ash’s team that it is essentially a second protagonist alongside Ash himself.
NEXT: Pokemon: Every Member Of Cynthia’s Teams, Ranked
