Ash’s Strongest Pokemon of All Time, Ranked!

Our boy Ash Ketchum has come a long way over the years. He’s managed to collect Pokemon of all the 18 types and has some of the most enviable Pokemon of all time on his team.

If Ash has grown as a trainer, all his Pokemon have grown more powerful too. From multiple wins despite type-disadvantage, to straight-out defeating Legendary Pokemon, Ash’s ‘mon roster has some real monsters.

But which one is the best? Here’s a list of the top 25 strongest Pokemon on Ash’s team!

25. Muk, Rowlet

Both Rowlet and Muk are often underestimated. Both have battled some pretty strong Pokemon.

Rowlet was able to defeat its evolved form, Datrix, albeit only during the rematch. Muk, although not used that often on screen, has battled Blastoise, Scizor, Bellsprout – his only victory being against Bellsprout.

24. Bayleef

I love it when any of Ash’s Pokemon hurl Team Rocket into to sky. Bayleef does just that, when she uses her Vine Whip Grass-type move on them, defeating them. Bayleef is quite strong. She’s defeated Tyson’s Houndoom and two of Chuck’s Pokemon.

Bayleef knows 4 Normal moves and 2 Grass moves. I think with a few more Grass moves she can definitely get stronger.

Ash’s Bayleef moments with Ash

23. Lucario

Lucario recently evolved from Riolu in Sword and Shield. As a Riolu, he was able to defeat Onix, a strong Rock/Ground type Pokemon.

He trained with Mr. Mime or Mimey, Ash and Delia’s Psychic/Fairy Pokemon, and manages to learn and strengthen a lot of its moves.

Due to his training, he has a good command over his Aura abilities. He often uses this to communicate with Ash. Lucario has defeated Copperajah, Ferrothorn, and Rotom. As a fully-evolved Fighting type, Lucario has the ability to be at least as strong as Infernape.

22. Glalie

Glalie evolved from Snorunt in the Hoenn League and is the only Ice-type Pokemon owned by Ash (if you don’t consider Lapras, who was released).

Glalie has 2 Ice moves and Normal moves each, and has shown its might as the sole Ice Pokemon in the gang. He defeats Morrison’s Steel/Psychic Metang and also – wait for it – defeats a Charizard.

Not only is Charizard one of the strongest Pokemon ever, but also a Fire-type, giving Glalie a type disadvantage. Pretty tight.

21. Kingler

Kingler is about as used by Ash as Muk – which is really not that much – but still, Kingler has managed to make quite the impression on me. It all comes down to his performance during the Kanto league.

He washes out an entire team during the league match, which includes Exeggutor, Seadra, and Golboat – all by himself. Being a Water-type, he was also used on the Ice field, to defeat Pete’s Cloyster. He has also defeated Misty’s Poliwhirl.

20. Hawlucha, Galarian Farfetchd/Sirfetchd

Hawlucha defeated Astrid’s Mega Absol (which is a Dark-type Pokemon) with a Fighting move called Flying Press, and it was pretty amazing.

Not a lot of non-evolved Pokemon have defeated a Mega Evolved Pokemon. Hawlucha is so strong that he defeated Valerie’s Fairy-type Spritzee too. I’m a fan.

As for Sirfetchd, he was able to beat Gallade, who is a strong Psychic/Fighting type. This made Ash’s rank jump up in the World Coronation Series. He knows a rare Dark move called Night Slash, but unfortunately, it’s the one and only move he knows.

19. Buizel

Buizel is great in battles and was initially one of Ash’s strongest Sinnoh Pokemon. He beats Floatzel, who is his evolved form. He also defeated Wake’s other Pokemon in Pastoria, Quagsire, and Fantina’s Gengar.

Buizel has 3 water moves, 1 ice, and 1 Normal. With this, he was able to beat a Lucario, who was particularly powerful because he was trained so well. But I have a feeling Ash’s Lucario can beat Ash’s Buizel – in time.

Buizel VS Gengar Epic Fight

18. Pignite

The first Fire-type on this list, and the only non-evolved Fire Starter among Ash’s Pokemon. And he’s still on Number 18.

Pignite has shown some dynamite performances in battle – he defeated the Bug/Poison-type Scolipede, and the Pseudo Legendary Hydreigon, who was already weakened.

He also easily took down Ferrothorn immediately after, due to his type advantage.  I love it when Pokemon are able to crush their own evolved forms. Pignite sends Emboar the piggy all the way home.

17. Bulbasaur, Squirtle

Aw, these guys get me nostalgic. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were the fourth and sixth Pokemon that Ash ever caught – and I love the fact that they’re best friends.

They’re equally strong, and despite not being Evolved, they’re often considered as Ash’s strongest. Well, they’ve been with him since the beginning, so the only reason they’re strong is because they’re used to Ash.

They don’t make it to the top 15, but they obviously still deserve a mention. Both of them more than proved themselves during the Johto League, especially Bulbasaur, when he takes on Jackson’s Magneton.

They also fight against Brandon’s Dusclops and Ninjask together.

16. Incineroar

In a dramatic turn of events at the Alola League exhibition match, after defeating Professor’s Incineroar, Ash’s Torracat evolves into Incineroar. But this evolution leaves Littie dizzy. He faints right after.

So, although we’ve seen him sizzle his opponents as Litten and Torracat, we’re yet to see him in a match as Incineroar. I have no doubt that he’s going to be quite amazing.

15. Gengar

I remember being super excited by Gengar when he first appeared in the series. I loved how mischievous and devilish he could be, and his particular dual typing made him doubly cool.

Ash’s Gengar takes full advantage of his Ghost typing and scares the hell out of people the first chance he gets. He also has 2 Ghost moves that he utilizes to the fullest during combat. I wish we get to see more of him.

We’ve only seen him beat Raichu till date, but I think he has way more tricks up his sleeve.

14. Torterra

This guy splits the fandom into two. Some want to place him higher to the top, while some don’t consider him to be strong at all. I believe, in a list of 25, he deserves a place somewhere in the middle.

Torterra, unfortunately, has more losses than wins, but he is a fully evolved starter Pokemon, so he does have the advantage of raw power. He has a full 7 moves under his belt and Torterra is not one to hold back during battle. But in the end, he is always close to winning, never actually winning.

13. Talonflame

In the rematch against Wulric after the gym battle, Ash’s Talonflame defeats the Ice-type Pokemon Avalugg. He has also won against Sawyer’s Normal-type Slaking.

He’s high on this list not because of his wins, but because of his ability to weaken his opponents before being defeated.

I think Ash feels so too, because he calls on Talonflame during gym battles almost as much as he does Pikachu. Talonflame has a good variety of moves – 4, including a Fire, Flying, Normal, and Steel move each. 

12. Dragonite

This huge huggable beast is one of Ash’s strongest Pokemon and would be higher on the list had we seen more of him during battles.

Despite his affectionate personality, Ash’s Dragonite can be pretty formidable in battles, as we see when he defeats Iris’s Haxorus and Korrina’s Mega Lucario. Defeating a mega evolved Pokemon is no small feat. I hope we get to see more of Dragonite soon.

11. Heracross

Finally, a Bug-type on the list – and because it is Ash’s Heracross, he makes it to the top 11! Possible one of Ash’s strongest Pokemon caught during Johto, Heracross has some really cool feats.

He defeated Gary’s Fire-type Magmar despite a solid type disadvantage. Heracross has also taken down Kriketute and Scizor. He was also the only other Pokemon, other than Sceptile, who wasn’t decimated by Tobias’ Darkrai.  

10. Staraptor

Staraptor is Ash’s strongest Flying Pokemon. In a Pokeringer Contest, Staravia evolves into Staraptor and develops Close Combat, which is a strong Fighting move that cuts the opponent’s defense.

This move really sets it apart from other Normal or Bird Pokemon.

He defeats Medicham, a Fighting/Psychic Pokemon, and also the Grass/Poison-type Roserade. But Staraptor has almost an equal amount of losses. I think Staraptor can level up with some training, he already has some very strong moves.

9. Goodra and Melmetal

Dragon and Steel – they sound pretty strong, and they are. But they are underused in my opinion. Goodra is used in his only gym battle. He wins against Clemont’s Electric-type Luxray, but only after a great struggle.

Melmetal is Ash’s only Mythical Pokemon and has defeated Professor Kukui’s Water/Steel-type Empoleon.

Both have more or less the same amount of power but neither of them has enough fights to take them higher on the list.

8. Tie: Gliscor/Lycanroc

Ground and Flying typing are a great combination. Gliscor has 7 moves but none of them are flying. But Gliscor spends some time training with McCann, the aerial battle master, and manages to show some effective dodging moves with Paul’s Drapion.

Lycanroc has loads of wins, but his most impressive feat is his Z-move. He defeats Blacephalon, Xurkitree, and Persian. He also manages to do good damage to Professor Kukui’s Incineroar and would have defeated him had Kukui not called him back.  

7. Snorlax

Many people consider Snorlax to be Ash’s second or third strongest Pokemon. I see where they’re coming from – Ash has used Snorlax almost as much as he’s used Charizard.

He’s defeated a good mix of Pokemon, including Grumpig, Medicham, and Hariyama, the latter two being Fighting types belonging to a Frontier Brain, Arena Tycoon Greta.

He knows 9 types of moves, but most of them are Normal. He has a type-disadvantage in most battles, or else I’d have placed him higher.

6. Krookodile

I think we were all pretty impressed when Ash’s Krookodile beats Iris’ Dragonite. He evolves from Krokorok to Krookodile literally mid-battle.

He uses 3 different kinds of moves: the Rock-type Stone Edge, Dark-type Crunch, and Dragon-type Dragon Claw, to knock the stronger Dragonite straight out.

Krookodile also defeats Stefan’s Liepard and Sawk, helping Ash qualify for the quarter-finals. He’s also the only one of Ash’s Pokemon to know any Dark-type moves.

5. Sceptile

Sceptile’s greatest feat is defeating Tobais’ Legendary Dark-type Pokemon Darkrai, who had been previously undefeated. He also defeats Frontier Brain Spenser’s strongest Pokemon, Claydol.

No other Pokemon of Ash has battled as many Legendaries as this Sceptile. In addition to the Darkrai he slayed, he also kept up with Deoxys in Battle Frontier, Brandon’s Rock-type Regirock, and Tobias’ Dragon-Psychic Latios. Not bad for a Grass-type Pokemon, eh?

4. Pikachu

Pika pika peee! Pikachu is what first made the Electric-type cool; hell, he’s what made Pokemon cool! Many fans consider Pikachu to be Ash’s strongest Pokemon considering their relationship. And Pikachu is indeed incredibly strong (and cute in equal measures).

He’s defeated the likes of Dragonite, Regice, Tapu Koko, and Silvally. Pikachu was also seen to overpowers Tobias’ Latios too.

Pikachu’s Z-move is called the 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt and it is exactly how it sounds. Pikachu is also the only non-evolved, non-legendary Pokemon to have defeated 2 Mega Evolved and 4 Legendary Pokemon. But Pikachu also has quite a lot of losses.

3. Infernape

Infernape has been one of Ash’s most consistently powerful Pokemon. His Blaze fire-type ability is truly spectacular and after his evolution, he has also been able to activate it consciously.

He has 5 fire-type moves and one Normal, Ground, and Fighting type move each, including a few improvised ones as well.

Apart from his defeat by Flint’s Infernape, Ash’s Infernape has been undefeated. In the Sinnoh league he beat Paul’s Electrivire and helps Ash qualify for the Pokemon League semi-finals.

2. Greninja

Greninja and Ash also share a really strong bond and that makes Greninja a sure-shot number 2. He unleashes his full power in something called as the Ash-Greninja form. This form gives him power comparable to Mega Evolution.

He is able to overpower Diantha’s Mega Gardevoir, Sawyer’s Mega Sceptile, and Wulfric’s Mega Abomasnow.

Greninja could also hold his own during his battle with elite level 4 Alain’s Mega Charizard X. He has killer strength and speed and is one of the few Pokemon who has always slain when he was called to battle, no matter the opponent.

UK: The Power of Ash-Greninja! | Pokémon the Series: XYZ | Official Clip

1. Charizard

The Fire/Flying-type Charizard is Ash’s strongest Pokemon. He is one of the few non-legendaries to have defeated a Legendary Pokemon in a 1-on-1 battle. Charizard turns Articuno to toast. Charizard also uses 19 moves, more than any of Ash’s Pokemon. Charizard is a beast.  

Not only is he insanely powerful, he is also fiercely loyal to Ash. Charizard has a long, long, list of wins – he defeats Dragonite like it’s nothing. Charizard in a battle is pure fire, and I know any Pokemon – from Dragon-type to Legendary, would fear his wrath.

About Pokémon

Pokémon was first released in 1996 and is set up in a world where humans catch monsters and store them in pocket-sized poke-balls.

They are creatures with an affinity to certain elements and some superhuman abilities related to that element.

Revolving around a teenage boy Ash Ketchum, Pokémon takes us through his journey to becoming the most accomplished Pokémon trainer the world has ever seen.