The most wasted Pokemon in Ash's team

Key things

• Ash was indeed a fantastic and extremely talented trainer, but that doesn't change the fact that he also wasted the potential of some amazing Pokémon.
• For example, Primeape and Lapras were powerful team members that Ash foolishly revealed in the anime.
• Ash also failed to maximize the battle potential of powerful Pokemon like Torkoal, which shows poor decision making on the show.

As the main protagonist Pokemon anime, Ash Ketchum has caught and used many Pokemon over the years. However, most fans are aware of his most popular team members such as Pikachu, Charizard and Greninja. All of these Pokemon have become iconic in the franchise, mainly because of their exposure and the way they were used on Ash's team.

Unfortunately, the overabundance of these great characters has caused some members of Ash's team to be lost over the years. Now Ash had access to some Pokemon for the episode like Raticate which he traded to SS Anne. However, this does not count as a team member, and the Pokémon had to be part of Ash's actual team of six in order to be considered one of his wasted options.

Updated on October 8, 2024 by Hamza Haq: With Ash's journey officially over, fans can look back at the anime that defined their childhood and decide which of Ash's Pokémon got the short end of the stick and didn't or couldn't reach their full potential. Whether it's due to Ash's carelessness, bad match types, not having a chance to prove themselves, or simply because they didn't get enough screen time, there are many Pokémon that Ash has caught over the years that could have been something more. .

8 Pidgeotto

One of Ash's most loyal pokemon quickly forgotten

The middle evolution of Kanto's regional bird, the Pideotto, was the third Pokemon Ash caught in the animeand thus became the foundation of his team going forward. Sadly, this iconic bird was rarely seen in battle, taking a backseat to the three cute starters given to Pokémon Ash and franchise mascot Pikachu. If anything, the loyal Pidgeotto was mainly used as a quick way to dispatch Team Rocket when used on Ash's team.

However, anyone who has used Pidgeotto while playing knows how reliable this Flying type can be. This becomes even more useful when finally evolves into a powerful Pidgeot. Unfortunately, Ash had foolishly released one of his most powerful team members as this developed, so it was a completely wasted opportunity.

7 Buizel

A business evolution with so much potential

Buizel is a water type that many people forget had Ash in him Diamond and pearl anime. Like Pidgeotto, Buizel was a a loyal Pokemon and a great fighter who joined Ash's team in trade with Dawn when he wanted to be trained for battle instead of competitions.

Due to his great speed and large amount of moves, Buizel was often used by Ash. He rarely lost when using Pokémon and had great success using Buizel against his rival Paul. However, Buizel never got a chance to make his mark in anime. As a traded Pokémon, Buizel had the chance to level up much faster than the other members of Ash's team and become a powerful Floatzel. Unfortunately, Buizel remained unused one of the many underdeveloped members of Ash's team.

6 Taurus

One of 30 that never lived up to its potential

The episode where Ash catches 30 Tauros was banned outside of Japan due to the use of weapons. Few anime viewers haven't seen Ash catching a herd in the Safari Zone. As such, it would make sense for the writers not to include Pokemon much further into the show.

However, Tauros has appeared in battle many times during the Pokémon League in both Kanto and Johto. What's more, it turns out that a reliable team member. Unfortunately, Ash doesn't take this powerful Pokémon with him on his travels, and his herd of great Tauruses exists mainly to portrait appearance whenever the trainer visits Oak's Lab. What a shame for such a great Pokemon.

5 Torcoal

A Pokemon that stops getting used when it slows down

Catching Torkoal seemed like a great idea Ruby and Sapphire anime and Pokemon quickly made a name for himself when he joined Ash's main team. It's sad that the show's writers chose to focus more on Torkoal's penchant for billowing smoke and slow motion than his fighting prowess. In its second appearance, it was easily captured by Team Rocketand Torkoal has an abysmal win/loss ratio, losing six battles in the Hoenn series alone.

This display is a far cry from the Torkoal that players are used to in games. This Pokémon can make a sunny day and destroy a team with a flamethrower or overheat. as such Ash wasted his Torkoal by not using it properly.

4 No butter

A powerful battlefield setter that has been released into the wild

Ash caught Butterfree as a Caterpie early on in his journey and it was him the very first Pokemon he got after Pikachu. Caterpie very quickly evolved into Metapod and later Butterfree, becoming Ash's first fully evolved Pokemon overall. Although Ash used Butterfree in several key battles during the early seasons, such as against Misty in the Cerulean Gym Battle and against AJ later on, he never really got a chance to shine before being released during the infamous Bye Bye Butterfree episode.

During the battles that Butterfree had, Ash's own inexperience prevented him from really showing off the Pokémon's abilities. Viewers never got anything resembling a training cut for Butterfree, and he lost every major battle he was a part of. Even after meeting Ash again much later in the journey, he was not recaptured or used in any battles.

3 Herracross

A physical beast that never got a chance to shine

Herracross could easily be considered for the lineup Ash's potentially strongest Pokemonas evidenced by the battles he was a part of. Heracross was already a beast when Ash caught him, and his power only grew with time. He easily defeated Rochelle's Donphan, prevailed against Shingo's Scizor, and even grounded Gary Magmar despite a massive type disadvantage. In direct 1v1, Heracross has only one real defeat to its credit, and that was during the Battle Frontier against Spenser's Venasaur. But even during this fight, Heracross gave as much as he got and was only knocked out after an all-out brawl with Venasaur.

However, despite its unmistakable power, Heracross was not part of Ash's main team and was constantly traded for other Pokémon, once for Tauros from the herd and once (by mistake) for Cyndaquil. He served as a trump card for Ash and spent most of his time at Oak's Ranch. Not only that, but what power he gained was mainly through his own efforts and natural growth; Ash did very little to make him stronger.

2 Primeape

A fighting Pokemon that added variety to Ash's team

The first time Ash meets the Pokemon Mankey is in a mostly comedic episode where his hat is stolen by an angry Pokemon. In an attempt to get it back, Ash loses his battle with Mankey several times before evolving into a Primeape and being captured. This addition to the team seemed like a good move, as a fully developed fighting type would add a lot of variety to Ash's team. However, the young coach he gave the pokemon awayand in one of the next episodes to train it in a fighting competition.

Giving away a powerful Pokemon like Primeape was a very foolish move on Ash's part, as it came in handy many times in the anime in the later seasons. Maybe Ash would have done better in the Indigo League if he hadn't wasted one of his better team members.

1 Lapras

This type of ice is more than just a ferry

Lapras was cleverly used in the anime to solve the problem of how the main characters get around the Orange Islands. After rescuing the Lapras from a gang of thugs, Ash adds an Ice type to his team and Lapras acts as a ferry for him and his friends during this arc of the anime. As a result, Lapras is seen in almost every episode that Ash has on his team. Unfortunately, it is not used much in battle.

Lapras is an ice-type from Kanto that is one of the strongest Pokemon in the region. Has a base stat total 535which makes his repeated losses in battle all the more special. Ash clearly doesn't know how to use Pokemon well in battle and once again releases Lapras after winning the Orange Island League. Lapras would have been a great addition to his team in Joht, but instead was lost once Ash no longer needed the ferry.