Top 10 Battles from the Pokemon Anime!
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- Опубліковано 19 вер 2024
- Of ALL of the epic battles across the entirety of the Pokemon Anime, this is what I believe to be the top 10 ever!
Yes, there's certainly a lot of Ash Ketchum here, but when you're the main character for 25 years, I guess that's what happens!
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You are not a Pokemon fan because you didn't put metapod vs metapod match in this video
S tier battle peak fiction no cap
Bro, that's easily the best fight in anime history
🤣🤣
The climax of this battle is when ash's metapod use a defensive HARDEN! Such an epic move
Ash vs drake was probably my favorite battle as a kid. I had the orange islands on dvd, I watched it 100 times when I was little 😭😭💪
Me too back in 2005
@@videos43334dhdjj774h good days brudda when people where normal 🤣
Same here, dude. That and I remember the 10 year anniversary Pokemon Anime DVD with 10 disc's and three episodes per disc from the Indigo League episodes to Master Quest to Advanced and one of those episodes was Ash vs Gary in the Silver League and I remember watching that wonderful battle. I still have that very special DVD set.
They needed a rematch.
@@sperryyoungerjr.3985 lucky man I wish had the dvd for ash vs Gary 🤧
The battle with Paul is still my favorite Pokémon battle, Ash would keep losing to Paul and Infernape was abused by Paul for too long, but together they proved to Paul that their friendship and bond was what made them powerful in the first place.
Paul proved to Ash that he had to take evolution and training as seriously as possible if he was ever going to reach the top. Ash winning by improving himself and his Pokémon without completely changing his methods had validated his training style and philosophy on Pokémon. It was a great battle, but on excitement factor and the stakes involved, there are a couple of contenders to beat it. We're all entitled to our opinions, though.
What would’ve made the battle better was if whoever won wins the pokemon league. A lot more would’ve been on the line since both Ash and Paul both lost pokemon leagues they were and if ash were lose then he would’ve have to re think his method of training pokemon
You can really see the change in writing after the Kalos League backlash... Ash almost never lost again after that, especially when using one of his Aces in an important match. Personally I was never too annoyed that the protagonist was never shown to be the #1 greatest trainer in the whole regional tournament, until Alola finally felt like the time to put him there, because it made the world feel bigger and less linear than the games which are entirely constructed to make you, the player, outgrow every opponent. Ash was always written as one of countless trainers with the same goal, not one player character surrounded by NPCs.
I actualy think it was good he lost in the finals once allain won against e4 members ash didnt yet at that point it realy showed ash was getting to that level just not exactly there yet
ash vs paul is what a true pokemon battle should be paul was a nerd to use poison spikes,protect,screens, guts ability, snow clock frosslas, rockhead aggron to counter head smash recoil , and changing his team like he was doing some nuzlock shit bro was true trainer
Ash vs Samurai is the true best battle
Metapod is the true best
Most definitely
Honourable mentions: Ash vs Blaine, may vs drew (kanto), ash vs Nolan, Ash vs volkner (both times), ash vs wulfric, ash vs Clemont (best gym battle btw, peak character growth), ash vs korrina, ash vs Misty (Sun and moon) ash vs guzma, Iris vs Cynthia (masters 8), ash vs Bea (their 2nd battle, the one that ended in a draw)
10. Ash vs Alain. Even though he lost, I still love it. I don’t agree with the pacing issues, whenever I rewatch it it’s still a blast. The loss still stings, but the high quality animation makes you engrossed in the action and that final fight was so epic even though ash lost
9. Zoey vs Dawn. The only non-ash battle, partially because dawn is my favourite companion and this was a phenomenal contest. Even though she lost, this is where her growth was fully expressed. I mean this is basically ash vs Alain but dawn’s version
8. Ash vs gladion. I mean this battle made him champion, I mean this is all that needs to be said😂
7. Ash vs Brandon. Boi did I love seeing the kanto band back together and seeing pikachu defeat a legendary was so cool. I love this battle, proving that ash’s growth never stops and he always bounces back.
6. Ash vs Cynthia. Honestly could’ve had this much higher but I just wished she mega evolved her garchomp again. Whatever, what a great battle. Spiritomb was just as deadly in here as we all hoped for, taking down pikachu like it was nothing. Sir fetch’d was so peak here
5. Ash vs Gary, while the animation might be slightly outdated, the story was peak. Charizard performing a comeback for ash will always be iconic
4. Ash vs Sawyer. Somehow this battle is underrated imo. Sawyer had so many sick strategies from slaking to aegislash, and it was just an all round battle
3. Ash vs Paul. Peak storyline. Infernape beats his former kinda abusive trainer, what a sick arc, the amount of strategy in this battle is also insane and so many twists and turns.
2. Ash vs Leon. The battle that made ash champion was phenomenal. That Charizard v pikachu is the best 1v1 in Pokémon anime history, seeing all past companions and past Pokémon was peak.
1. Ash vs Kukui. If I’m correct, this is the longest Pokémon battle? Idk I don’t remember but I LOVED THIS!! It was the most pure fun I ever had, no tension nothing. Just pure fun between two trainers and idk what to say man. That final showdown awesome, torracat, awesome, naganadel beating lucario? I was all in for it
Only 25 likes and 0 comments let me fix that
bruh you just spoiled the whole list
Ash VS Leon is # 1. This is undeniable in every way! It’s the culmination to Ash/Pikachu and their journey. It’s the two at their very best, like no one ever was
Top 2 for sure if u ask me!
In terms of visuals and all that, surely that was the best battle. But the narrative was not good enough there. Leon looked like an immovable object, the biggest hurdle for Ash, but narrative wise there wasn't much emotions and story
I would still prefer Ash vs Paul and Ash vs Kukui over it
@@mob2524it’s a tv show for little kids lol. How much emotion are you looking for
@@JKLeScH777 Have we even watched the same show ? If you had watched S&M, you wouldn't be saying the same stuff. hOw mUCh EmOTiOn aRE YOu lOoKIng FOr, bro the series just before this had tons of emotions. Mallow scene in forest, Litten storyline, Lillie's family's whole drama, Ash and Kukui relationship, this all happened in a TV show made for Kids.
Avatar is as praised as it is today, one of the reasons is the it's character relationship
@@mob2524I agree, Ash vs Leon is cool, but I honestly would put it quite low in this list. Though the animation of Charizard vs Pikachu was amazing for a spectacle stand point. I also wish they didn’t hammer home the fact that Leon has never lost…like never? That makes it really hard for me to buy Ash or anyone can beat him.
For favourite is still Ash vs Paul.
Thank you for putting Ash vs Alain in this list because for those are still salty get over it and watch the mega evolution battles
True! It was still good despite the controversy
@@thatboyminus True unlike Ash's other losses it had direction unlike Sinnoh or Unova
@@thatboyminus At least Ash didn't get beaten by a rookie
@@KaizoKitsune625true, Unova loss to Cameron was probably the worst loss Ash was dealt
@@craigpatton8579 Exactly Ash losing to an idiot who brought five Pokemon also what was the point of Virgil as a rival if Ash never got to battle him also another thing about the Unova league was that Ash and Trip's battle was rushed to make room for that bullshit Axew filler.
I think people overlook battles from other characters other than Ash. Contest battles have some interesting stuff, for example, and some are up there among the best in the series for me. May vs Drew in the Kanto Grand Festival is such a raw and intense battle. Nando vs Zoey in the DP saga as well, such a spectacle.
Ash vs Kukui battle is the best considering the build up towards the battle and all the visuals making it an outright spectacle, not to mention each pokemon on Ash's team had great wins (except Lycanroc, but he won against Gladion's Lycanroc and won Ash the league, so he didn't need the spotlight as much lol). I also loved how the battle had incorporated all the people, traditions and customs of Alola that Ash learned to respect and hold on to during his time in the region.
My personal favs were definitely Ash vs Paul, and Ash vs Harrison in Johto Photo Finish. Memories!!
People need to rewatch Ash vs Nando. Kricketune vs Heracross was especially a great battle, one of the best 1v1 ever. It definitely deserves at least an honorable mention but I personally would rank it among top ten.
Trust me I know that 1v1 was absolute FLAMES! It just it kinda lacks any narrative weight.
Ash first ever championship was soo awesome. I think its underrated and doesn't get enough recognition.
That Dragonite was really a monster.
I feel like you should make a battle tier list for only movie battles for example the massive legendary Pokémon fight in Hoopa and the clash of ages was sick specially dat LOVELY BLACK RAYQUAZA mega evolved battling was awesome
Great video I love your vids ❤
Great idea mate. I’ll definitely add it to the list
@@thatboyminus Can you do A Ranking Of Every Battle That Ash Legitimately Could've Won?
Alternatively It could be a Longer or shorter video plus Also vice versa for Ones that He should've lost.
“For example” 🤓
@@JKLeScH777 Which One?
For me Ash vs Alain is the best battle with great animations plus different environments in battle and it still give me goosebumps
Ash vs Trip should have been on this list!
Pikachu vs raichu be like: SO IM A JOKE
Your list was great!! I haven't watched all the anime over time but have kept up here and there. To me, Ash Vs Paul was and is my #1 and Ash vs Leon is #2 but I never watched the alola anime at all so that's just my opinion in the end. Great list!
Bro this is so sick! I love the games but never watched the anime...I might start now lol
Very nice top 10 Minus! Ash definitely earned that win against Brandon in the Battle Frontier arc. His 1st fight with Brandon was full of b*llsh*t, Ash being possessed and losing in that fashion was unacceptable imo. Second fight with Brandon was way better, and Torkoal actually put up a great fight against Registeel(Torkoal gets sh*t on by alot of ppl so even though he lost he did better here than in the entirety of Hoenn). The 3rd and final battle with Brandon was top tier, proving how strong Brandon was and how strong the bond Ash had with his OG Kanto team. That last Volt Tackle on Regice was pure chef's kiss, great way to finish off the BF saga. 👍👍
Ash vs sawyer will be my absolute favorite battle best battle of the kalos arc
For me...
HM: May vs. Drew and Dawn vs. Zoey (Kanto and Sinnoh Grand Festivals)
Ash vs. Maylene, Blaine, Clair, and Clemont (Gym Battles)
Ash vs. Spencer and Anabel (Battle Frontier)
Ash vs. Drake (Orange Islands)
Ash vs. Brandon (Battle Pyramid)
10. Ash vs. Volkner and Ash vs. Cynthia (PWC Ultra Class/Master's Eight): I am putting them both here... For one reason... Lucario being an absolute beast in both! Taking down both Volkner's and Cynthia's main ace, Luxray and Garchomp, respectively... As well as Rotom and Togekiss... And taking damage from Electivire... Keeping in mind... He was facing Volkner's team for the first time in a match since evolving... And there's also Sirfetch'd.... And his gutsy performance against Cynthia as well...
9. Ash vs. Misty (Sun and Moon): I personally like this battle tbh... Shows off far both trainers and their best Pokemon have come... And how big a threat Misty is with her Mega Gyarados.
8. Ash vs. Alain (Kalos League): Pikachu is the highlight he's supposed to be here! But... Let's face it... Great finale, but Greninja should've won! #Justice4Greninja!
7. Ash vs. May (Battle Frontier): Most Underrated Battle ever... Sorry, not sorry... You bring the two main protagonists of a generation... Along with their fully-evolved aces... That have all grown as the series has progressed into an one-on-one battle (Even if it's in a contest)... You're doing something right, and it didn't disappoint! This is how a season and generation should end!
6. Ash vs. Sawyer (Kalos League): Great Buildup for a rivalry and for the final battle itself... However, the main problem I had with this battle was... Why did we need two quick draws? They didn't feel epic... Just meh.... I get why, kinda... But why...?
5. Ash vs. Gladion: Ash's first League Tournament win... And what an epic way to do it. An epic draw between Pikachu and Zoroark using their Z-Moves... Just after he bests another Legend... And Ash's Lycanroc finally defeating his rival... See, Kalos? That's how it should it have ended!
4. Ash vs. Gary (Johto League): The original OG Rival Battle... Charizard's epic Comeback, plus Snorlax being a beast! Plus a Pokemon Red/Blue and Stadium callback... All in one! Can't ask for more!
3. Ash vs. Paul (Sinnoh League): Infernape's.... VINDICATION...!!!
2. Ash vs. Leon (Master's Eight): Finally... "He's the best... Like noone ever was..."
1. Ash vs. Kukui (Alola League): Son figure... Beat Father figure... And fire cat finally becomes the master now and evolves! Hoorah!
I dig it mate! Great breakdown!
@thatboyminus Thanks. I know some may not agree with some of my pics, but I agree with you that the Battle Frontier was great. However, the battle after Ash vs. Brandon, imo, was the better one. Nothing beats a battle of two Fully-evolved Aces, done right
Battles with May are really cool! Her loose to Dawn looks like a joke to be fair.
13:28 I think it's because Ash thought Cynthia would Mega evolve her Garchomp but was caught off guard when she gigantamaxed her Togekiss
Ngl that orange league fight is still my favourite of all time.
Ash vs Drake?
If I want to watch Pokémon from start to finish, every single season where would I go? W video this definitely brought back a lot of nostalgia!
awesome video man, I enjoyed it
Realy nice video! Would swap the top 4 around a bit but I realy liked it! Keep up the good work
When ash vs hau came out and rowlet sweeping decidueye with plot armor made me laugh so harshly😂
22:09 FOR CRYING OUT LOUD ULTRA NECROZMA FREAKING BODIES INCINEROAR AHHHHHH
Who wants to see the minus avatar more?
👇
You like it?
Yes
Atleast there's no May
Paul vs ash was definitely the best battle ever
Excellent list. The little changes I'd make:
Ash vs Olympia at 10th instead of Ash vs Alain
Ash vs Cynthia at 4th above Ash vs Gary
Ash vs Paul at 1st above Kukui and Leon
Also please make a video ranking the best Pokémon episodes of all time. Also include Horizons. Episode 18 of Horizons is a top 5 Pokémon episode of all time. My personal favourite episode is Memories in the Mist.
This is why pokèmon is a goated anime
18:00 Ash's final battle was him VS Misty
That ash vs alain battle was understandable. Alain was super strong and the kalos league was just an opening for the team flare arc. And his Alola League win was much more important to Ash since Ash sees Alola as his second home, perhaps Alola is even more important to him than Kanto
I think you make a lot of great points.
i felt like alola league was easy compared to others. there were no gym badge requirements and no elite four or champion to battle.
@@jetguy128 That wasn't the point of the alola league. Ash vs gladion was a good fight. But the real final battle was ash vs kukui. Even in journeys when he had a biological son Kukui told his biological son that ash was his brother. Ash is and always would be his son
@@joopvanhedel1372 The point of Alola League was to help Ash find what he missed in Kalos, learning to have fun and connecting with Pokemon nature. Journeys Ash was fusion of XY and SM Ash and after more intense training and battles, he became on par with other champions
I feel this battle was great despite the controversy, honestly it was fine for alain to win
This might be weird but one of my fav battle was charizard vs iris dragonite, if that was completed that shi would be fire
It was lowkey flames 🔥
@@thatboyminus Real, short and fire
Ash vs leon is the best battle ever
I really loved the decision to dynamax Togekiss in the Cynthia battle. It ended the second episode of the battle perfectly and the fact that we all thought the mega garchomp was an obvious choice added to the wow factor for me. As you said in the video, Cynthia is a versatile trainer so being able to make use of other phenomena is perfect and fitting for her character and battle style 😎
1. Ash vs. Leon
2. Ash vs. Kukui
3. Ash vs. Paul
4. Ash vs. Alain
5. Ash vs. Sawyer
6. Ash vs Gladion
7. Ash vs. Cynthia
8. Ash vs. Gary
9. Ash vs. Brandon
10. Ash vs. Clemont
Weird HM: Dawn vs. Zoey
I love the Alola League final battle!
Amazing video
I feel like Ash only lost to Alain because Pokemon got greedy again.
Great video!
Thank you!
Never let bro cook again
Dragonite then 💀 dragonite now 🤡
One of the reasons i like the tobias fight is because i didn’t feel like it was a loss for ash unlike the alain fight, Tobias was just that max level beast boss that we were not supposed to beat, just like that first monster in elden ring. tobias was made to make ash lose and it really didn’t effect me when he lost and we got a epic fight between pikachu and latios and sceptile vs darkrai so yeah, that why i like that fight even tho ash lost. Id say its 6th for me
Cant believe the anime released on april fools day 😭🙏
Putting ash Vs the alola guy above ash v Leon and ash v paul is criminal. This battle didn’t even have 1/8 of the depth and gravitas as the others. Wild
I nearly left the video when I found out you put ash vs steven as an honorable mention until I realized I was watching Minus
also surprised how low ash vs sawyer is
My favourite battles are Ash VS Kukui, Ash VS Saywer and Ash VS Alain
W opinion
Another video idea for you is top 10 1v1 matches (ex. Pikachu vs. Charizard, Charizard vs. Blaziken, etc.)
I am your new subscriber
About time.
I smashed the dislike button
@@gamereviews8117cope.
Ash v Paul will always go down as my personal favorite battle for the catharsis of finally beating Paul and validating Ash's own philosophy. But, Ash v Kukui at #1 is the right answer. The battling, the storylines, the visuals. The only knock is the relatively quick knockouts in the second episode but the hype and the excitement was there from beginning to end.
My list(All Ash v somebody)
HM: Maylene and the rematch with Anabel
10: Gary(Johto League)
9: Stephane(Unova League)
8: Blaine(over the volcano)
7: Leon(Masters 8)
6: Sawyer(Kalos League)
5: Gladion(Alola League)
4: Cynthia
3: Alain(Kalos League)
2: Paul(Sinnoh League)
1: Kukui
Ash went through a time where he genuinely wanted to catch and train as many as he could, then he stopped doing that for like 6 seasons and didn’t even win much. Glad he came back and won it all.
His most impressive stats are the amount of times he won with type disadvantages.
i completely agree with and you axpleand it very good
11:45 We've waited longer than we should have for that one.
you missed the part when Torracat held back from evolving so it could beat incineroar as a torracat, so it could really show how much it’s grown.
(note, skibidi.)
Charizard vs articuno will always be the best to me
Ash vs Paul has to be the best rivalry, it's number 1 for me.
Ash vs Paul and Ash vs Gary are by far the best. Anything above them is just wrong
I always forget that charizard also took damge for ten million bolt thunderbolt
This dude sounds like Gary in the anime
Can you make a top 10 video games characters will show up in horizons
Or a top 10 exclusive show or movie characters not from the games will show up in horizons like Harrison Morrison Tyson, Tobias, those types of characters
I know it's not a popular choice and I can understand why it wasn't included even at an HM level, but I really enjoyed the vertress conference battle between Stephan and Ash. It was a battle that was reminiscent of his previous league battle arcs, and arguably the best battle of the unovan league. That and having my boi Krookodile absolutely slay that match was worth it all.
Such a good list but no mention of Ash vs. Olympia is wild. I think Ash vs. Olympia is the prettiest battle in the entire anime.
Ash vs Paul will always be the best bc it me
Leon vs Cynthia is still the overall match that needs to happen, especially with the whole debate on which of the 2 Champions is stronger. Pokemon especially in the games, always has this problem with each new Gen Pokemon is that they always keep 1 upping or overshadowing any of the previous Gen Champions, and it gets really irritating. And I find Leon being considered as the overall best Champion absolute BS. Cynthia always has this presence, like when you go up to face her, its like nerve racking as hell. I don't I think any other champion has had such intimidation presence then Cynthia.
This is the anime. No need to bring the games into this. Leon beats XY this obviously
Stop cursing its a sin dude.
The XY battles are poor though
@@natalimoina your worthless mind is the only poor thing here
My A24 arthouse take is that Ash vs. Katie (Hoenn league) deserves an honorable mention. She walked so characters like Paul, Conway and Sawyer could run
Do top 10 strongest pokemon (idk if uve already done this
Of all time? Or in the anime?
All time
All time😊
@@thatboyminus anime
I will rank Ash vs Kukui at 3rd rather
And btw not everything is about Ash, May vs Drew and Dawn vs Zoey were really great battles as well.
Ash vs Paul will always be #1 to me.
Hey minus,rank paldea gym leaders
My favorite fight wasnt even in the honorable mentions how sad, Ashs Final Battle in the Jhoto League VS Harrison
I still think metapod vs metapod is the greatest pokemon battle ever existed .
Rightfully so.
Lol the battle that was so intense both trainers fainted
Ash vs Paul is still the best battle of pokemon!! Period!!
Charizard and his face in 3:55 😂😂😂
How you don’t put Ash vs Leon as #1 is just as painful as seeing Ash lose in the Kalos league 😩 Ash FINALLY became the very best like no one ever was in the most epic battle of all time and you place it at #2??? My heart hurts…
3 series in a row seeing ash get hoed was crazy, great sinnoh run to be ruined by an action replay kid, for some reason losing a 6v5, then ash greninja losing, i was in shambles wanting ash to finish his story 😭🤣
Sawyer never "outright surpassed" Ash let's be real 😂
He did! He beat him in a couple battles and completed the gym challenges in Kalos before ash
Why is it on every pokemon battle that ash does an attack, then the opposition does an attack, both attacks collide and cancel each other.
honestly some of the battles mentioned here I'd forgotten about and others were further down the list then I excepted. for example I expected the top spots to be tied between ash vs paul, ash vs sawyer, ash vs professor kakui, and ash vs leon. On the whole though I agree with the list except i'd swap #1 and #2. Ash vs leon is my favorite over all cause it brings together just about everything ash has learned during his journey. Professor kakui is very strong (as one would expect of the closest thing the Alola region has to a frontier brain/champion) but i'd say Leon is just that little bit stronger. Plus kakui's team wasn't fully shown and he had effectively a deity battling in place of his last pokemon whereas Leons team was shown in its entirety. Just saying. That said two z moves per side in one versus two gigantamax pokemon in the other does make for a tough tie to break.
one favorite of mine is lando vs zoey
Glad that Ash vs Kukui is Number 1
Ash vs Alain is the only battle on this list that Ash lost
Just because Ash vs. Alain was only 2 episodes, doesn't make it a rushed battle. It was still a top tier match. It sounds like you're still salty about the loss.
Idk, I was thinking abt this take too. The high points (air fight, charizard vs greninja, bisharp & pikachu) were definitely high but you can also absolutely tell that a lot of mons got neglected as a result. Another episode of "filler" could have had metagross/noivern/goodra going out a bit more respectfully
The entire Kalos League was rushed so I can see why he said the battle felt rushed and it kinda was.
Personally It kinda was, his usual powerful mons were not given their light
Ash vs Steven is the most plot armor battle of all time, ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH IRON TAIL TO MEGA METAGROSS???
Are you not a fan of that battle?
@@thatboyminus yes, because I am fan of fair fights.
You made some good points about drake given this was Ash's first 6 on 6 and it definitely made up for the Indigo league
I think it's definitely the best, if not only good thing the orange islands gave us
lol it gave more good things like ash snorlax for example.
@@wowgek7 which didn't do much of anything in its debut series
It's a great Pokemon but in the orange islands it was practically useless
@@eljordinio7647 true but without the orange series he wouldnt have had it
@@wowgek7 he could have done it in Kanto still and there would be no consequences
@@eljordinio7647 but it didnt happen there so thats an pointles argument. also its wrong because if he didnt have snorlax he wouldnt have ebaten drake either.
the point of the mather was simple that we got more then just ash vs drake in the orange saga
I feel ash should’ve won the sinnoh league don’t blame me
WHAT IS THIS ok im sorry but ash vs alain in 10th? that should be at least top 4 and im sorry but who invited ash vs drake and also bro glazes sun and moon but overall this list is objectively bad NEVER RATE AGAIN
W comment
W comment
@@gamereviews8117is this your second account?
W comment
I'd switch Rank #1 with Rank #2, because Ash only defeated the unbeatable monarch Leon, but also won the tidal as world's strongest trainer. Plus I think that victory is what made him a Pokemon Master. Other than that the rest of the ranks are good.
I still think Cynthia is way ahead than other champs. If she have garchomp mega evolve, she could be the one to win against ash.
1. Ash vs kukui was not the best battle in history
2.Ash's incenoror is not the strongest pokemon in alola. Tapu fini washes incenoroar
The Ash vs Alain defeat, truly hurt me deep down because Ash truly deserved to win in my opinion, call me salty all you want. But in my eyes, this made no sense making Ash lose, I will never watch pokemon after the Kalos region.
I believe Ash should've won either the Sinnoh, Unova or Kalos league.
I think ash Vs Leon deserves 1st place
*Sees Ash vs Sawyer in 8th*
*Reports the video*
*Quits*
Where would u have placed it?
Number 2@@thatboyminus
W OPINION
@@TheMonkeyKing4 yeah exactly why tf are the kalos battles so low i flipped out after seeing ash vs drake above ash vs alain
Ash vs Paul is #1 lol
1-Ash vs Paul
2-Ash vs Kukui
3-Ash vs Leon
Orange League doesn't really have a Champion. In Japanese, Drake is called the "Head Leader", like a superior Gym Leader.
Yeah, the Kalos League suffered from a lot of rushing, likely to make room for the Team Flare arc. At least Ash didn't lose to someone who was introduced just to beat him.
A hot take: I know it wasn't likely meant to be seen in such way, but Pikachu essentially one-shots Regice with Volt Tackle, since it had just finished using Rest. After it had previously withstood multiple hits before needing to Rest, this seemed like an overly convenient one-shot rather than an epic finish to me.
Cynthia using Dynamax made sense. She had used Mega Evolution before, so Ash was on his toes for it. But as Garchomp had taken a heavy blow from Sirfetch'd, Cynthia likely didn't want to use her battle gimmick on a weakened Pokémon, so she instead decided to Dynamax Togekiss in order to weaken Lucario so that Garchomp could fight it on an even footing.
I didn't mind Cinderace going down that fast. It was essentially the glass cannon of Leon's team.
Thank you for putting Ash vs Kukui at the top. It's definitely one of my Top 2 favorite battles as well, just behibd Ash vs Leon, I think. Some people don't appreciate it having no stakes, but stakes were not the main point of this battle to begin with. It was what the entire SM series was about: having fun as a family.
What I like the most about the Full Battles of SM and Journeys is that there wasn't a spotlight stealer. If you look at battles like Ash vs Gary, Ash vs Paul, and Ash vs Alain, the recurring theme is that Ash's teams have "jobbers", Pokémon that don't contribute to anything to the battle other than be defeated. Goodra and Noivern in the Kalos League are particularly clear examples. In Alola and Journeys, though, Ash's entire teams contributed in some way, especially against Kukui (where only Lycanroc didn't get a KO, but it still won Ash the League earlier, so it's fine) and Leon (where, while not all of his Pokémon got KOs, each of them still contributed to the battle in a meaningful and impactful way).
0:57 Bull. Ash won fair and square
Ash vs paul was the best