Ash's 7 Strongest Kanto Pokemon

As it is his home region, Ash's original adventures took place in Kanto, right after he left his home of Pallet Town in the first episode of the main Pokemon anime. There he captured several Pokémon, the first of his list. Since leaving Kanto and traveling all the way to the Galar region, Ash has befriended countless Pokémon and even added some to his overall team.

Although Ash has made many wonderful new friends such as Lucario and Incineroar, some of Ash's favorite Pokémon teammates are undoubtedly the ones he met in the Kanto region. Some, like Pidgeot and Muk, aren't seen as often as their peers, but remain allies he can always call upon. Meanwhile, Pokemon like Pikachu and Charizard are known not only for their amount of screen time, but also for their character development and sheer power.

Muk is immune to most attacks

Unfortunately an unused Powerhouse Pokemon

Grimer is a common Poison-type Pokémon native to the Kanto region, known for being made entirely of sludge. There are various theories about how Grimer came to be, from stories that it was once normal sludge transformed by lunar X-rays, to that it was formed from the polluted waters of the sea. Regardless, everyone knows how dangerous Grimer can be, especially after he evolves into his final form, Torment. Before he was able to catch Muk, Ash was afraid of the powerful Poison-type who was leading the Grimer army.

Surprisingly, after being caught, Muk completely changed, from a fierce Pokémon to a loving Pokémon that loves to hug. In fact, Muk was known to hug everyone he saw, even Team Rocket's Jessie and James. Sludge Pokémon is also an amazing defensive fighter, as most attacks will not hurt it at all. However, Muk was not often used by Ash, despite his near invincibility.

Pidgeot is one of Ash's most loyal Pokemon

The normal/flying type deserved a better reflector

Every region was known for having a bird Pokemon in the early routes, from Sinnoh's Starly to Alola's Pikipek. The first known flying bird to debut in the Kanto region was the Normal/Flying type Pidgey. After evolving into Pidgeotto and then Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon becomes a great fighter. In fact, it was the first early-path bird Pokemon to receive a Mega Evolution, until the debut of Mega Staraptor in Pokemon Legends: ZA.

Instead of being caught as a Pidgey, Ash met his Pidgeot while living as a Pidgeotto. When Pidgeotto joined his team, he proved to be one of Ash's easiest allies, always working by his side without making a fuss. Not long after evolving, Pidgeot leaves the team to use his speed and strength to protect a horde of wild Pidgeots. At the end of the original series, Pidgeot came to the rescue of Ash and Pikachu after they were captured by Team Rocket and decided to rejoin his team because the Pidgey he was caring for had grown up.

Snorlax is exceptionally powerful

Snorlax's strength and stamina make it possible to win several battles

Snorlax is a popular Pokemon not only because of its cuteness, but also because of how well it works with any team. Sleeping Pokemon's base attack and special defense stats are quite high, making it a Pokemon that can be very hard to knock out. Being a Normal type, Snorlax can learn moves of various types, from the Electric Supercell Slam type move to the Earthquake type move. However, he also became famous for his extremely powerful Normal Hyber Beam type move, especially in the game Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

On the Seven Grapefruit Islands, Ash and his friends (as well as Team Rocket) tried to stop a wild Snorlax from eating everything in sight. However, it turned out to be a much more difficult endeavor than anyone could have imagined, as the Sleeping Pokémon was not only extremely tough and a great attacker, but also a surprisingly fast swimmer. However, a chance encounter with the anime's famous Jigglypuff gave the heroes the idea to put Snorlax to sleep before catching him. Snorlax has since become one of Ash's most loyal and powerful allies, as he cannot be easily stunned by attacks and is able to use moves like Hyper Beam and Ice Punch.

Bulbasaur will always take care of his loved ones

The first of the three usual Kanto starters that Ash fulfills

Before Ash met Charizard or Squirtle, he first met Bulbasaur, the guardian of the Hidden Village. Raised by Melania, the owner of the Hidden Village, Bulbasaur grew up seeing the villagers injured and abandoned by his old trainers before finding refuge in his home. As such, Bulbasaur grew to dislike Trainers, and was fiercely protective of the Hidden Village's Pokémon. However, because it was so good at its job, none of the Pokemon from the Hidden Village wanted to return to the wild, as Melanie had hoped they would after healing.

Bulbasaur later learned to trust Ash due to his bravery and decided to join his team. The Grass/Poison type quickly became one of Ash's main fighters thanks to his useful vines and quick thinking. Although an extremely powerful Pokémon, Bulbasaur, like his best friend Squirtle, chose to never evolve, not even once. Many fans speculate that this is because of what happened to their friend Charmander when he suddenly evolved twice in a row.

Squirtle is a born leader

Legendary boss of the Squirtle Squad

Before joining Ash's team, Squirtle once belonged to an unknown trainer who abandoned him one day. Along with a group of other Squirtles who were also abandoned by their former trainers, Squirtle formed the Squirtle Squad, acting as the leader of the group. The Squirtle Squad became infamous in the Kanto region for their mischief, even capturing Ash and his friends after the Water-type Pokémon formed an alliance with Meowth. After the Squirtles realized they had been tricked by Team Rocket, and after Ash bravely protected the leader of the Squirtle Squad from danger, the leader of the group that was causing trouble decided to join Ash's team.

Squirtle sometimes reverted to his role as leader of the Squirtle Squad, though the group became more known for helping others than pulling pranks. With Ash, Squirtle was able to grow stronger and mature, while retaining his love of pranks. Much like his best friend, the serious but equally loyal Bulbasaur, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon never evolved. Regardless, he is still one of Ash's greatest allies, renowned for his speed and defensive tactics.

Charizard and Ash were once unable to work together

The Flame Pokémon has since become one of Ash's best friends

In a heart-wrenching series of events, Ash and his friends learn that the lone Charmander waiting on a rock near the Pokémon Center was actually left there on purpose. Believing the Fire-type to be weak, the Lizard Pokémon's trainer abandoned him, though Charmander remained standing on the rock, believing his trainer would return. Ash and his friends raced through the rain before the Fire-type could perish, and when Charmander recovered, he decided to stay by Ash's side. The Lizard Pokémon was known for its loyalty and kindness, although after evolving into Charmeleon and then Charizard, its personality became strangely aggressive.

No matter what Ash did, the Flame Pokémon always ignored him, either choosing to sleep during battles or attacking without listening to Ash's advice. Even his teammates were startled by his sudden change in behavior; it wasn't until Charizard was nursed by Ash while he was frozen that the Fire/Flying type remembered how much his trainer truly cared for him. Since that fateful day, Charizard has become one of Ash's most famous Pokémon allies, as well as one of his strongest ever. Flame Pokémon even battled Unown's Entei in the third Pokemon movie because he felt his old friend was in danger, even though he was training elsewhere.

Pikachu will always stay by Ash's side

Ash's partner pokemon and extraordinary electric type

Although Ash was initially hoping for one of the usual Kanto starter Pokemon, he ended up falling asleep on the day he was supposed to pick a starter from Professor Oak. The only remaining Pokémon in the Pokémon Lab was Pikachu, an electric-type that Professor Oak had recently caught in the forest. Unaccustomed to being around humans, Pikachu refused to train alongside Ash, prompting the rookie trainer to try to catch another Pokémon. His actions eventually lead to him angering the Spearow horde, which injured Pikachu. However, the Mouse Pokémon would later respect its new trainer after protecting him from the Bird Pokémon. After scaring the bird Pokemon with one of its signature Thunderbolt attacks, Ash and Pikachu become best friends.

No matter where Ash chooses to travel, Pikachu is always by his side. While Ash trains new Pokémon friends from around the Pokémon world, Pikachu is there to support his new teammates and cheer them up. Pikachu is known for being unusually strong for its species and can unleash unique electric-type attacks. It was also Pikachu who dealt the final blow, knocking out Leon's Gigantamax Charizard at the Masters Eight, the biggest display of his power seasons since his debut. It is unknown where Ash and Pikachu are traveling now, but one can be sure that they will continue to support the other.

Release date

1997–2023

Network

TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

directors

Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Na Egami, Makoto Keni, Heoki Ken Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano

Writers

Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku

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  Rica Matsumoto

  satoshi (voice)

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  Ikue Otani

  Pikachu (voice)