Why Ash Could Never Survive The Pokemon Games

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Japanese Pokémon fans experienced a year-long wait between the game’s release and the debut of the TV show. However, in North America, the games, trading cards, and anime series all launched together in 1998 as part of a massive marketing push. While this overwhelmed many parents, children were thrilled to collect cards, watch the show, and play the games.

Throughout the series, Ash and his companions grew closer through battling, catching Pokémon, and sharing fun moments. Unlike many anime heroes, Ash felt remarkably grounded. He worked incredibly hard to become a Pokémon Master, so much that experienced game players likely believed they could defeat him in a battle. This raises the question: how well would Ash perform if he were judged by the standards of the *Pokémon* video games instead of the anime?

No Party To Fall Back On

Misty And Brock Are Rivals

Throughout the anime series, Ash quickly becomes friends with Misty, and then with Brock after defeating his Gym. Misty and Brock become valuable companions, helping Ash learn important life lessons and providing support during battles. Brock also takes care of the group by cooking for everyone, including the Pokémon. While the group’s composition changes over time, many fans consider Misty and Brock to be the original and most beloved members of Ash’s team.

These games focus on a solitary experience – players generally explore on their own. Occasionally, another character might appear for a limited time, but Ash usually has to handle things himself. Unlike many turn-based RPGs, there isn’t a team to help him, so the question is: how successful can he be going it alone?

Gym Leaders Mean Business

No Sympathy Badges

Battles at Gyms in the *Pokemon* games are a core challenge. Before facing the Gym Leader, you’ll battle several trainers. With careful planning and a team built to counter their strengths, you can win. For instance, Blaine, a Gym Leader in *Pokemon Red* and *Pokemon Blue*, specializes in Fire-type Pokemon, making Water-type Pokemon an effective choice for your team.

Ash doesn’t usually have a solid plan for Gym battles. While he can sometimes figure out the right Pokémon to use against a specific type, his team isn’t always well-prepared. Often, Gym Leaders will give him a badge simply for effort, like what happened with Sabrina in Saffron City. To truly win, Ash needs to improve significantly, and his inconsistent dedication to training is holding him back from earning badges.

His Reliance On Pikachu Is Not Going To Work Out

Electricity Is Not A Versatile Element

One of Ash’s most endearing qualities is his friendship with Pikachu. They have a wonderful bond, and Pikachu consistently goes the extra mile for Ash, even when the odds are stacked against him – like battling Rock and Ground-type Pokémon, which he’s naturally weak against, during his early travels with Brock.

It was a lucky break that Pikachu was able to defeat Onix using water from sprinklers – that kind of environmental advantage doesn’t exist in the Pokémon games. Plus, Pikachu isn’t as adaptable as Pokémon like Water-types. Without that lucky break, Pikachu would likely lose much more often and Ash would have to rely on other Pokémon more frequently.

Ash Doesn’t Have The Structure To Train His Pokemon Evenly

Or The Knowhow To Catch Pokemon

Fans who grew up with the original *Pokemon Red* and *Pokemon Blue* games, and also watched the anime, probably found it pretty annoying that Ash wasn’t a better Pokemon trainer. In the games, players quickly learn to catch as many different Pokemon as possible, but Ash often failed to do so. It seems the show’s writers worried that if Ash caught *every* Pokemon, he’d become too powerful. Beyond simply failing to catch them all, Ash also didn’t build very diverse teams, unlike what players often did in the games.

While Ash technically could have battled between episodes to help his Pokémon gain experience, it’s unlikely he did much of that. His Pokémon rarely evolved, which isn’t very effective training. Even more problematic, there were times Ash released Pokémon, like Butterfree, in emotional scenes. Though these moments were touching, it’s generally not a smart strategy in the games unless you have a lot of duplicates.

Losing A Trainer Battle Means Forfeiting Money

That’s One Broke Kid

The *Pokémon* games and the animated series are quite different in several ways. One major difference involves trainers: in the anime, when a trainer loses a battle, they don’t exchange money with their opponent – unlike in the games.

In Pokémon games, if you lose a battle against another Trainer, you’ll lose some of your money. This is actually the main way players earn money, which is especially important in Pokémon compared to other RPGs where monsters usually drop cash. Considering how often Ash loses in the anime, he’d likely be quite poor in the games because of this money system.

Team Rocket Isn’t As Funny

These Goons Mean Business

Besides battling wild Pokemon, facing off against other Trainers, and challenging Gym Leaders, Ash also had to contend with Team Rocket. Luckily for Ash, the Team Rocket trio – Jesse, Meowth, and James – were actually worse at Pokemon training than he was. Despite their efforts, they consistently failed to capture Pikachu.

While Ash faced other opponents in the anime, they weren’t very threatening. The games feature Team Rocket more often, and there are other villainous teams as well, like Team Galactic and Team Aqua. This highlights how vulnerable Ash would be if he didn’t have help during these constant battles.

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2025-09-22 05:35