Get ready for electrifying action as we count down the most epic showdowns in the Pokemon animated series! From gym battles to league championships, we're showcasing the most intense and memorable fights that have kept fans on the edge of their seats for decades.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 30 Pokémon Battles
00:14from the animated show.
00:21Number 30 – Ash vs. Harrison Following Ash's iconic victory against Gary
00:26in the Johto League Silver Conference, Ash takes on the Hoenn native, Harrison.
00:32Although their battle has some very notable matchups, including Pikachu vs. Kecleon, things
00:38really heat up in more ways than one when it comes down to the final two Pokémon – Charizard
00:44and Blaziken.
00:52The two starter Pokémon throw everything they've got against each other, and it even
00:56looks like Charizard has won when he hits the Seismic Toss.
01:06Unfortunately for Ash, Blaziken fights through it and miraculously gets back up.
01:12The battle reaches its end when the two fire their strongest attacks in a beam struggle,
01:17and while it looks like things aren't over, Charizard eventually succumbs to all the damage
01:23he's taken.
01:32Number 29 – Lance vs. Diantha Apart from the finals themselves, this showdown
01:38in the Masters 8 Tournament was most notable for the fact that it was the most unpredictable.
01:51Both Lance and Diantha are legendary champions in their world of Pokémon who could easily
01:57secure the win, although the latter did have the type advantage.
02:11Despite this, Lance powered through and gave her a run for her money throughout this battle,
02:16making all the Gen 1'ers out there proud despite the results, which saw Dragonite fall
02:21to Mega Gardevoir.
02:29Number 28 – Ash vs. Tyson When you look at a Pokémon lineup like Tyson's,
02:35it's no surprise that his team gave Ash such a grueling battle.
02:39But the Pokémon that sealed his victory surprised us nonetheless.
02:51The battle between the two is intense, featuring dynamic moves and clever tactics, ultimately
02:57leading Ash to push his limits, especially when it comes to Tyson's Metagross, which
03:03required Swellow, Grovyle and Pikachu to take it down.
03:16But the real highlight of this battle is Tyson's cowboy-themed Meowth, who manages to be the
03:22last one standing against Pikachu when they both strike each other with their own iron
03:27tail.
03:33Number 27 – Ash vs. Maylene Ash's three-on-three battle against the
03:38Veilstone City Gym Leader is a memorable showdown that showcases some great moments early on
03:45Staravia.
03:52But the whole reason why this battle is on this list is honestly for Buizel vs. Lucario
03:57alone.
03:58This clash is a complete and utter endurance test, with both competitors literally tearing
04:04off the roof.
04:10The battle comes to an explosive conclusion, with both Lucario's Force Palm and Buizel's
04:16Aqua Jet causing both of them to be knocked out.
04:23Despite being a draw, this battle was so hard fought that Ash still acquired the Gym Badge
04:28at the end.
04:29Number 26 – Ash vs. Olympia When two Pokémon coordinate their moves perfectly
04:35in a double battle, you're in for a heck of a tough time.
04:39And that's exactly what Olympia did with her two Meowsticks.
04:42The feline Pokémon constantly use their psychic abilities to dodge Frogadier and Talonflame's
04:49attacks, all the while combining Helping Hand with a delayed Future Sight to almost put
04:54them down.
05:02In order to counter this, Ash asks Pikachu to keep track of Future Sight's timing, allowing
05:08his Pokémon to direct a Meowstic's attack right at them.
05:20The battle culminates with Ash's Frogadier launching one of the most impressive Water
05:25Pulse attacks you'll ever see.
05:36Number 25 – Ash vs. Steven As his first battle in the Masters 8 tournament,
05:42this showdown was a significant step forward in Ash's journey to become World Champion.
05:47Facing off against Steven, the cool and collected Hoenn Region Champion, Ash had to dig deep
05:53and strategize like never before.
05:56Steven took the lead early on, with Aggron taking down Dracovish and cradly slapping
06:01Gengar Silly with Power Whip.
06:08This left everything down to Pikachu, who struggled big time against Steven's Mega
06:13Metagross.
06:14Luckily, Pikachu was able to turn things around after Ash passed him his hat and hit the ten
06:20million volt Thunderbolt Z-Move.
06:29This paved the way to victory and proved to everyone that Ash was a true contender
06:34for the title.
06:41Number 24 – Amethyou vs. Hambur After suffering defeat at the hands of the
06:46Black Rayquaza, Amethyou returns to base and requests training from the second-in-command
06:52of the Explorers, Hambur.
06:54What follows is an absolutely incredible display between Cerulege and Dusknoir.
07:05The two ghost-types trade attacks with such beautiful animation that it wouldn't look
07:09out of place in your top-tier battle shounen anime.
07:18The battle finally comes to an end when Dusknoir terrestrializes and knocks Cerulege out with
07:23a wicked Shadow Punch.
07:31Number 23 – Leon vs. Lance As Johto and Galar's Apex trainers battle
07:43it out, we not only get to see Charizard rip and tear in a whole new light thanks to Journey's
07:49increased animation budget, but also see the return of the Red Gyarados.
07:59That by itself would normally be enough to land it a spot, but then they go full Kaiju
08:04by both activating Dynamax, leading to a battle of dragons that would have likely destroyed
08:10the whole stadium.
08:26Number 22 – Ash vs. Greta An overlooked martial arts bonanza of a battle
08:31with plenty going for it.
08:33Not only did we see Ash have to compete in yet another double battle, but saw the return
08:38of his Snorlax.
08:43Sure, type-wise, the big unit should have been wasted in the opening seconds, yet thanks
08:52to an obscene resilience and crazy amount of moves under its gargantuan belt, Snorlax
08:58basically took down all of Greta's Pokémon single-handed.
09:07Taking untold amounts of punishment before body-slamming it right back, all of you wannabe
09:12trainers out there had better put some respect on Snorlax's name.
09:21Number 21 – Ash vs. Trip If anything, this whole fight was an apology
09:26for how Pikachu got done in by a level 5 Snivy during the season's opening episodes.
09:39After regaining its strength, the Thunder Mouse was ready for a rematch during the qualifying
09:44rounds of the Unova League, paving the way for a brutal confrontation with Trip's now
09:49fully-evolved Serperior.
09:59Still not sure how it was able to combine Irontail with Electro Ball together, but hey,
10:04black and white doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to fights.
10:08We'll take what we can get.
10:17Number 20 – Ash vs. Warfrick He may appear to be a warm and jolly fella,
10:23but this gym leader is practically a walking blizzard when it comes to battles.
10:36This was mostly due to his abominous snow, whose innate ability to constantly conjure
10:41snowfall not only created problems for Ash's whole team, but also had a mega-form that
10:47rocketed it all the way to final boss material.
10:56Maybe that's why watching Greninja slowly chip away at it made for such a great time.
11:02Not every day you get to see a frog ninja punch a yeti into oblivion.
11:14Number 19 – Ash vs. Clement Its plot armour versus the power of science
11:17as Ash takes on the genius gym leader.
11:27While mostly serving as the resident third wheel all throughout their tour across the
11:31Kalos region, Clement was still skilled enough to put Ash through his paces thanks to the
11:37force of his Luxray, even overpowering Pikachu at one point.
11:49Luckily for Ash, he happened to have a pseudo-legendary in his arsenal, courtesy of Goudra, who proved
11:55steady enough to blast away the competition thanks to its dragon-type moves and general
12:00gooeyness.
12:12Number 18 – Ash vs. Jeanette It may not be the most explosive match out
12:17there, but Kanto purists can't help but look at this fight with major nostalgia-goggles.
12:22Why?
12:23Well, for one, it actually made us believe that Bellsprout was a threat, seeing as how
12:35it wiped out Bulbasaur and Pikachu like it was nature's answer to John Wick.
12:49Then you've got Ash's rebuttal in the form of Muk, who proves immune to all of Bellsprout's
12:54strikes, leading it to casually smothering it to the point of suffocation.
12:59Okay, so looking back on it, it was kind of messed up.
13:03But come on, look how happy Muk is.
13:10Number 17 – Ash vs. Morrison Harkening back to the days where fighting your
13:15friends in a Pokémon battle was an emotional ordeal, the Hoenn League saw fit to have Ash
13:21and his new comrade, Morrison, go against one another.
13:29However, unlike when he fought Richie, Ash couldn't care less and is all in on winning.
13:35Morrison takes it less well, so much so that for the first half of the match, he struggled
13:40to get it together.
13:50Thankfully he eventually snapped out of it, giving us a friendly bout that made for one
13:55of the Advance Series' best.
14:04Number 16 – Ash vs. Misty It was only a matter of time before these
14:09two decided to have a rematch, and the results were far better than we could have hoped.
14:19Far from the trainers they used to be back in Kanto, Ash once again won the day against
14:23his first potential love interest, this time by busting out Pikachu's Z-Move to bring
14:29the thunder.
14:38However, the real standout here is Misty.
14:49She not only showed she was capable of controlling a Gyarados, but could utilise its Mega Form
14:54at will.
15:06Number 15 – Ash vs. Brandon Not only was this a great fight in and of
15:12itself, but it also served as something of a reunion special for Ash's classic Kanto
15:17team.
15:23Taking on the final Frontier Brain for the third and final time, Ash assembles a full
15:28team of A-listers, including Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charizard.
15:40Normally that would mean the end for your average trainer, but Brandon is a special
15:44case since he not only has a powerful lineup, but also has all three of the legendary golems
15:51just casually waiting in the wings.
15:53Still not sure how Pikachu brought down Regice, but hey, at least it looked awesome.
16:05Number 14 – Ash vs. Gladion This is it.
16:09The regional championship that Ash finally managed to win.
16:13Twenty years of waiting, with the results proving to be far more epic than they had
16:17any right to be.
16:24This is in large part due to Gladion, and how his side story wove together with his
16:28chosen team, from the once scorned Silverly, all the way to a freaking Zoroark.
16:35Making the fight conclude between the two visions of a Lycanroc was just the thematic
16:39cherry on top.
16:48For all that Sun and Moon might have gone wrong, this battle fully embraced the spirit
16:53of the series, only with a crazy amount of polish.
17:08Number 13 – May vs. Drew Pokemon Contest was certainly hit and miss
17:13as the franchise went on, though we can all agree that May's championship battle against
17:18pretty boy rival Drew was legitimately exhilarating.
17:28Blending together beauty and tactics, the way in which each attack is paired with another
17:33to create these destructive feasters, makes every exchange all the more thrilling to
17:51behold.
17:52Not sure what's more impressive?
17:53That May won by the skin of her teeth, or that her tag team of choice was a Squirtle
17:57and a Combusken.
18:05Number 12 – Cynthia vs. Iris This battle of two Pokemon generations was
18:10a true clash of styles.
18:12We have Iris, the energetic and unpredictable Unova champion, going head-to-head with Cynthia,
18:18the seasoned and strategic Sinnoh champion.
18:27Seeing Iris' powerful Dragon-types, such as Dragonite and Haxorus, against Cynthia's
18:33diverse and well-trained team, featuring the mighty Garchomp, was a real treat for the
18:38viewers.
18:44Even when at a disadvantage against Cynthia's mega Garchomp, her Haxorus never backed down.
18:50Despite her loss, the battle showcased Iris' growth as a trainer and cemented Cynthia's
18:56status as a fan-favorite champion.
19:03Number 11 – Ash vs. Alain One of the most dynamic, well-animated and
19:16hyped championship matches of Ash's career, the fight against the master of mega evolutions
19:21Alain proved to be so intense, we're not even bothered that he lost in the end, despite
19:27having such a severe type advantage… well, maybe just a little.
19:38Still, the final showdown between Greninja and Mega Charizard X made it all worth the
19:46wait, especially with Greninja unleashing a burning water shuriken during the closing
19:51act.
20:05While the Orange League certainly isn't the best part of the anime, at the very least,
20:10it gave us all a finale we could really sink our teeth into.
20:19One of the first examples of a full six-versus-six pokey battle royale, there were plenty of
20:24great moments here for fans of the classic series, including seeing Lapras utilised in
20:29battle instead of transportation, as well as Ash using his Tauros.
20:42Of course, this all pales in comparison to Drake's Dragonite, who realistically should
20:47have been able to wipe the floor with little Pikachu.
21:02In terms of animation quality, the fluidity of the fights, the creative use of moves,
21:08it's all here.
21:17Taking on Lieutenant Surge's replacement, we not only get to see how Ash handles his
21:21Gengar in a fight, but also see a second iteration of the Pikachu-versus-Raichu rivalry.
21:28Only here, nothing about it is static – if anything, it's so supercharged that it completely
21:33overshadows the original.
21:39I mean, purely for the fact that Lucario and its megaformer here means we have to include
21:49it.
21:59One of the earliest match-ups during Ash's trek through Kalos also turned out to be one
22:03of the most gripping, since it not only gave audiences a taste of its upgraded animation,
22:09but also just how powerful mega-evolutions could be.
22:16While Pikachu once again seals the win with a killer shock to the system, against the
22:20series' secondary mascot, it was certainly a hard-fought struggle.
22:37This is the reason everyone wanted to own a Charizard.
22:40You don't see Venusaur casually picking up a Magmar, spinning it around so hard it
22:44creates the shape of a planet, all before tossing its foe into the heart of an active
22:49volcano.
22:55Yep, this penultimate gym battle was lit, and by far one of the highlights of the original
23:07series.
23:08Charizard not only dominated against a foe that packed just as much heat as it did, but
23:12proved that if Ash had properly trained it, he could have easily won the Indigo League.
23:28This battle has been one fans had been wanting to see for years, and we finally got it in
23:33the Masters 8 Tournament semifinals.
23:36Cynthia was, without a doubt, Ash's toughest opponent yet, and truly showed off why exactly
23:41she's the champion of the Sinnoh region.
23:44In the middle of the battle, Cynthia gigantamaxes her Togekiss, which surely would have been
23:49the end of Ash's championship hopes had he not mega-evolved his Lucario.
24:00What follows on from this is a brutal fistfight between Garchomp and Lucario, where they both
24:06refuse to give up despite the incredible number of strikes.
24:11Thankfully, Ash's Lucario pulls through and wins the battle of attrition, sending him
24:18straight to the finals.
24:26While not exactly a recognised champion in his own right, the Alola region's resident
24:31laid-back professor still proved himself to be a tour-de-force of a trainer, with the
24:36legendary Tapu Koko by his side.
24:47Of course, you can always leave it to Ash to dip into his inner chosen one and win the
24:51day in style.
25:08Guess when it comes to riding the lightning, Pikachu is strong enough to even outdo that
25:13of a guardian deity.
25:24This battle is pure spectacle, to the point where it easily overshadowed the Kalos League
25:29final.
25:37With Sawyer packing a robust team that could easily hold their own, it took a combination
25:41of actual strategy and onslaught of top-tier techniques for Ash to pull out the win.
25:52Not that it was an easy victory, since each matchup divorged into a bitter back-and-forth,
25:57all culminating with Greninja trading blows with a rather beastly Mega Sceptile.
26:08While the two had traded insults on frequent occasions, it wasn't until the Silver Conference
26:22that these two kids from Pallet Town got the chance to settle the score.
26:30Finally resembling the blue we know from the games, this 6v6 slugfest was the perfect way
26:35to cap off Ash and Gary's ongoing feud.
26:43The highlight of course being Charizard's showdown with his fellow Gen 1 counterpart,
26:48Blastoise.
26:49Smell you later, Gary.
27:01This guy.
27:03This son-of-a-dead anime dad had it coming from the moment Ash entered the Sinnoh region.
27:08With his complete disregard for Pokemon based on their stats being, well, exactly what all
27:13of us do in the games to be honest, but still.
27:25Paul had proven himself Ash's most despicable rival of all time, which was what made his
27:31defeat at the Lily of the Valley conference all the sweeter.
27:42All of this was due to the irony that the Infernape that Ash used to bury Paul's team
27:47was the one the latter had long abandoned and viewed as weak.
28:00Could it be anything else?
28:20This was the culmination of Ash's dream to become a Pokemon master, a battle 25 years
28:26in the making.
28:28Ash finally standing at the pinnacle of the Pokemon world, facing off against the undefeated
28:33world champion, Leon.
28:42This battle had everything, high stakes, emotional moments, strategic masterclasses, and incredible
28:48displays of power from both sides.
28:51The final clash between Pikachu and Charizard was one for the ages.
28:56Seeing all of Ash's Pokemon throughout the years, giving their support, brought tears
29:00to our eyes.
29:01And the fact that the original theme song played as Pikachu defeated Charizard cemented
29:06this battle as not only the best of the Masters 8 tournaments, but the greatest in the whole
29:12series.
29:22Have a soft spot for a certain showdown starring Ash and company?
29:26Let us know in those comments below.