Pokemon: 7 Strongest Gen I Moves in the Anime

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Whether you’re new to Pokémon or a longtime fan, battling is a core part of the experience. To succeed, Trainers need to choose the best moves for each of their Pokémon. Some players favor powerful moves like Sky Uppercut, while others prefer strategies that use status effects, like slowing opponents down with Blizzard.

Similar to the Pokémon video games, the anime series – starting with Ash Ketchum’s journey – is filled with battles. Throughout the show, Ash’s Pokémon learn many powerful moves, and other Pokémon, even his rivals’, demonstrate impressive attacks that are sure to wow viewers.

Ice Beam Has a High Chance of Freezing the Opponent

Ash Had To Nurse His Charizard Back to Health Due to an Ice Beam Attack

I’ve always loved Ice Beam! It’s such a reliable move – practically any Pokémon can learn it, and it hits hard with incredible accuracy. What’s really cool is the chance to freeze your opponent! It doesn’t happen every time, but when it does, wow! That opposing Trainer is in trouble, because a frozen Pokémon is completely stuck – unable to move until it thaws out. It’s a game-changer when you pull it off!

During a battle with Trainer Tad and his strong Poliwrath, Ash and his Charizard face a difficult moment. Charizard disobeys Ash, and Poliwrath freezes him with an Ice Beam, leaving only his tail burning. After thawing, Charizard gets a cold, prompting Ash to care for him. This act of loyalty helps Charizard reflect on their bond, and they reconcile, becoming friends once more.

Seismic Toss Works Based on the User’s Level

The Final Move Ash’s Charizard Used Against Gary’s Blastoise

Image via OLM

Charizard is famous for its Special Attack moves, but it can also learn Seismic Toss, a Fighting-type physical attack. Unlike most moves, Seismic Toss doesn’t have a fixed strength. Instead, its power increases as the Pokémon using it levels up. So, if a low-level Pokémon uses Seismic Toss against a much higher-level opponent, it won’t do much damage. But if a high-level Pokémon uses it against a lower-level one, it can be incredibly powerful.

During the first few seasons of the original Pokémon anime, Ash is determined to show his longtime friend and rival, Gary Oak, that he’s a capable Pokémon Trainer. He eventually defeats Gary at the Silver Conference with the help of his Charizard. Earlier, while back in the Kanto region, Charizard learned the move Seismic Toss. During their battle, Charizard cleverly used this Fighting-type move against Gary’s Water-type Pokémon, Blastoise, and knocked it out. This victory allowed Ash and Gary to reconcile and start supporting each other as true friends.

Hydro Pump Is One of the Most Powerful Water-type Moves

Ash’s Squirtle Later Learns How To Utilize This Attack

Image via OLM

Squirtle, the charming Tiny Turtle Pokémon, is a favorite among fans of the original Kanto region and Water-type starters. It’s not only strong on offense, but also surprisingly good at defense. Squirtle and its evolved forms can protect themselves by retreating into their tough shells. They can further boost their defenses with moves like Iron Defense, or use Shell Smash to become faster and more powerful attackers, though this temporarily lowers their defense.

Squirtle, similar to its evolved forms Wartortle and Blastoise, is well-known for its incredibly strong Water-type move, Hydro Pump. In an episode featuring Ash battling Rudy, the Gym Leader of Trovita Gym, Squirtle masters Hydro Pump during their match. Along with Skull Bash, this powerful move allows Squirtle to defeat Rudy’s Starmie. Hydro Pump would become Squirtle’s signature Water-type attack for battles to come.

Solar Beam Is an Amazing Two-Turn Attack

Ash’s Bulbasaur Knows This Move Despite Never Evolving

Some attacks, like Solar Blade and Razor Wind, take two turns to complete, which can be risky because the user might be defeated before finishing the attack. However, when successful, these powerful moves can dramatically change a battle. Solar Beam, a well-known Grass-type attack first appearing in the original Pokémon games, is another example of a two-turn move. It’s particularly associated with the Bulbasaur family, becoming stronger as Bulbasaur evolves.

The Pokémon episode “Bulbasaur’s Secret Garden” centers around Ash’s Bulbasaur, who is close to evolving but doesn’t want to. While struggling with this change, Bulbasaur meets other Bulbasaur and their evolved forms in a hidden garden, which Team Rocket threatens to destroy. Ultimately, Bulbasaur chooses not to evolve and learns the powerful move Solar Beam, using it to protect its friends and becoming a valuable ally for a long time.

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Psychic Is a Move That Every Psychic-type Pokémon Must Know

Mewtwo Used This Move While Working Under Giovanni​​​​​​​

Image via OLM

I absolutely love the Psychic move! You see it all the time on Pokémon like Alakazam, Gardevoir, and Espeon – it’s a classic for a reason. It’s got a solid 90 base power, but what’s really cool is that it can lower the opponent’s Special Defense! That means if you hit them with another Psychic attack, it’ll be even more effective. Because of that, a lot of trainers teach it to their Pokémon, even if they aren’t Psychic-types themselves. Plus, it’s super nostalgic for me – I always think of Mewtwo using it when he was with Giovanni in the original anime! It’s just a fantastic, versatile move.

Giovanni, while serving as the Gym Leader of Viridian City, surprisingly didn’t use a Ground-type Pokémon as his strongest. Instead, he relied on Mewtwo, which he controlled with special armor. Gary Oak, confident after easily winning his previous Gym battles, expected an easy win at Viridian City. But Mewtwo’s powerful Psychic attacks quickly defeated Gary’s Pokémon, leaving him terrified. Soon after, Mewtwo broke free from Giovanni’s control, and its story continued in the first Pokémon movie.

Ash’s Charizard Is Famous for its Flamethrower Attack

Charizard Has Been Known To Burn His Trainer on Occasion​​​​​​​

I absolutely love Flamethrower! It’s a go-to Fire-type move for so many awesome Pokémon, like Ninetales and Delphox. What makes it so good isn’t just its strong 90 base power, but also the fact that it always hits, and it can even burn your opponent for extra damage! Typically, Pokémon learn it after they’ve evolved a bit, but it was super cool to see Ash’s Charmander already know it when he first joined the team – that was a neat little detail!

As Charmander evolved into Charmeleon and then Charizard, its Flamethrower attack became incredibly powerful, but it also became much more aggressive. Charizard would often lash out at Ash with Flamethrower whenever Ash tried to talk to it. Eventually, they reconciled during their travels in the Johto region and became a strong team. Charizard even came to Ash’s aid in the third movie, battling alongside him against Entei and relying heavily on its Flamethrower.

Pikachu’s Thunderbolt Is a Staple of the Original Anime

Great for Battles and Sending Team Rocket Blasting off Again

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If you’ve seen the first episode of the original Pokémon anime, you’ll remember Pikachu didn’t exactly greet Ash warmly – his first action was a Thunder Shock attack! Frustrated that Pikachu wouldn’t cooperate, Ash tried to catch a wild Pokémon near his town. This backfired when he accidentally angered a group of Spearow, who attacked Pikachu and chased both of them during a brewing storm. Seeing Ash try to defend him, Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunder Shock – strong enough it could have been a Thunderbolt – which scared the Spearow away.

Throughout the Pokémon anime, Pikachu’s Thunderbolt is his most recognizable attack. It’s particularly effective, like during his rematch with Lt. Surge’s Raichu. As the series progresses, Thunderbolt becomes even more powerful, culminating in its use during Ash’s intense battle against Leon. Pikachu also frequently uses Thunderbolt to quickly defeat Team Rocket whenever they cause problems, sending them blasting off as usual.

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2026-02-21 23:06