Sign in to your ScreenRant account
When it comes to the Pokémon anime, Ash was never really one to implement that "Gotta Catch 'Em All" attitude. Even over the course of 25 years, Ash only caught a total of 78 Pokémon, and 30 of those were Tauros caught in a single episode.
While there are plenty of reasons why Ash's relatively low catch rate was actually a good thing, fans still can't help but be disappointed at some of the great opportunities he's passed up over the years. There are quite a few occasions where a wild Pokémon was open to being caught, or had strongly bonded with Ash, but Ash ultimately didn't end up catching them. Here are 10 such Pokémon that Ash had the opportunity to catch, but didn't, leaving their potential unfulfilled.
10 Beedrill
Episode: Pokémon Gold and Silver, "The Bug Stops Here"
While in the Johto region, Ash entered a Bug-catching Contest in Ecruteak City, alongside a recurring trainer by the name of Casey. Casey struggled in the Bug-catching Contest, and got into trouble with her Chikorita, pushing it a bit too hard. Ash, meanwhile, managed to not only hunt down, but actually successfully caught a Beedrill. This Beedrill was given away to Casey, as thanks for helping defeat Team Rocket and because she adores Pokémon with black an yellow stripes, like her favorite baseball team.
Beedrill would’ve been an interesting addition to Ash’s Johto team, and Ash has such a long history of running away from Beedrill that flipping the script and giving him a Beedrill would’ve been fairly interesting. Ultimately, Beedrill might have been a little redundant, since Ash would have Heracross to act as his Bug-type in the Johto region.
9 Haunter
Episode: Pokémon Indigo League, "The Tower of Terror"
Ash went to Lavender Town after losing to Gym Leader Sabrina in hopes of finding a Ghost-type Pokémon which could help him to defeat her Psychic-types. There, Ash found a haunted tower where a Gastly, Gengar, and Haunter were living. This trio of Ghost-type Pokémon loved to pull pranks, but the pranks went a bit too far, leading to Ash having an out-of-body experience. Ash and Haunter bonded throughout the experience, leading to it accompanying him to fight Sabrina.
Instead of capturing Haunter, Ash merely “befriended” it and brought it with him, although he could very easily have caught it if he wanted to. Haunter would’ve been an interesting Pokémon for Ash, giving him a rare and powerful Ghost-type early on in his adventure. Amusingly, Ash would eventually get a Gengar, Haunter’s evolved form, in Pokémon Journeys.
8 Dunsparce
Episode: Pokémon Black and White, "The Path That Leads to Goodbye!"
Dunsparce is known as a rare and elusive Pokémon, something Ash was very much aware of when he encountered one in the Unova region. Ash made an attempt at challenging Dunsparce with the intent of catching it, but loudly snuck up on the Pokémon, startling it. Dunsparce released a debilitating Screech attack, which gave it the opportunity to make a run for it and escape, leaving Ash high and dry.
Dunsparce would’ve been an interesting Pokémon for Ash to catch, despite not being particularly powerful. Its rarity alone would’ve made it a fairly unique member of Ash’s team, and it did manage to stun multiple Pokémon with that one Screech, disrupting Axew and Pikachu along with Ash and his human friends. Perhaps Dunsparce had some hidden potential after all, but due to Ash’s failure to catch it, fans will never know.
7 Fearow
Episode: Pokémon Indigo League, "Pallet Party Panic"
The Spearow that Ash encountered in the first episode of the series evolved into a Fearow, which was just as much of a troublemaker as it was prior to evolution. When Ash returned home to Pallet Town, he found the Fearow was threatening a group of Pidgey and Pidgeotto, and worked with his own Pidgeotto to fight the pest off. Ash’s Pidgeotto evolved into a Pidgeot during the battle, and Ash attempted to catch this Fearow, but it ultimately broke out of the ball, and Ash failed to catch it.
While Fearow itself isn’t too exciting of a Pokémon, it would’ve been interesting to see Ash catch this Fearow in particular, since he had a history with it. It might’ve been a bit of a challenge for Ash to train this Fearow properly, but it clearly had some potential, since it evolved in the wild.
6 Wimpod
Episode: Pokémon Sun & Moon, "Partner Promises!"
Ash encountered a group of Wimpod, a rather weak variety of Pokémon, which attempt to steal some items from his backpack while he and Pikachu are resting. They chase off the Wimpod, but soon discover one has fallen into the cracks between some rocks and is having trouble escaping. Getting help from a wild Alolan Exeggutor, Ash manages to get into the space where Wimpod is trapped and help free it. It goes to return to its friends, but soon turns back and looks at Ash, almost suggesting that he catch it. Ash doesn’t do so, however, and Wimpod returns home.
Wimpod evolves into the powerful but skittish Bug-type Pokémon Golisopod, which would’ve made an amazing addition to Ash’s Alola region team. This likely wasn’t done because Golisopod is a signature Pokémon of Guzma, leader of the evil Team Skull and a trainer that Ash would have to face eventually.
5 Spoink
Episode: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, "Pearls Are a Spoink's Best Friend"
Spoink is actually a recurring Pokémon that shows up in a few episodes, having followed Ash and friends in a manner similar to Jigglypuff. It was first encountered without the signature pearl that all Spoink have, and when Ash learned how detrimental not having a pearl can be, vowed to help Spoink obtain one. Spoink loses the pearl again, however, and ends up with a blue pearl that Team Rocket tried to steal. The blue pearl is eventually returned to its own and Spoink gets its pink pearl back, returning to the wild.
After growing close to this Spoink across multiple episodes, it seemed possible that Ash might actually catch Spoink, like he would go on to do with the recurring Sandile in Black and White. Ash has never owned a Psychic-type Pokémon, so Spoink would’ve been quite unique in this regard among Ash’s greater collection.
4 Luxio
Episode: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, "Leading a Stray!"
Ash first encountered Luxio when it stole food from them before retreating into the sewers. Ash followed it down there, and soon discovered it was stealing food to help a Wailmer that had become stuck in the underground. Luxio is actually the leader of a group of Pokémon which all live underground in the sewers, and it has been trying to care for the stuck Wailmer. Ash and Luxio work together to free Wailmer, developing a bond of trust surprisingly quickly.
Luxio would have been the first Electric-type Pokémon Ash owned besides Pikachu, which would be interesting in its own right. Ash likely wasn’t allowed to catch the Luxio for that exact reason, however, as Luxio’s abilities are just too similar to Pikachu’s to allow them both to feature heavily in the same series.
3 Grubbin
Episode: Pokémon Sun & Moon, "First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-Style!"
Not long after Ash arrives in Alola, he encounters a Grubbin, a small Bug-type Pokémon native to the region. Ash engages the Grubbin in battle in a forest, attacking it with Pikachu’s Thunderbolt, which it astonishingly manages to endure. Ash throws a ball at the Grubbin, but it breaks out and retaliates, striking Pikachu hard and ultimately defeating it, allowing Grubbin to escape the situation entirely. Ash is forced to take Pikachu to the Pokémon Center and regroup.
Grubbin evolves into the Electric/Bug-type Vikavolt, which is both a fairly unique type combination and, like with Luxio, would’ve been the first Electric-type Ash owned besides Pikachu. Grubbin’s Bug typing likely would’ve helped it from falling into the same problems as Luxio, as it could fill a different niche on the team from Pikachu. Alas, it simply wasn’t to be, and Ash never caught a Grubbin.
2 Phantump
Episode: Pokémon XY, "Making Friends and Influencing Villains!"
This episode features a Shiny Phantump, which is a member of a group of Phantump that grow mad at Team Rocket for eating their food. The Shiny Phantump is accidentally blasted off with Team Rocket, however, and lands near Ash and co. They quickly befriend it, and agree to help it make new friends with other Pokémon. Phantump seems enthralled with stories about the wider world, suggesting that it might actually enjoy going on an adventure with a trainer like Ash. Eventually, it’s reunited with its former group, and goes its own way.
Ash already owned one rare shiny Pokémon, a Noctowl, so it would’ve been quite cool for him to catch another one, especially all those years later. Phantump, as a Ghost/Grass-type, would’ve been quite good for Ash’s team, and XY Ash would certainly have known how to make good use of it.
1 Latias
Episode: Pokémon Journeys, "The Road Most Traveled!"
Ash discovered Latias when it was injured, and had crashed into a nearby pond while invisible. Ash helped to pull Latias out of the water so it didn’t drown and helped nurse it back to health. Latias repaid the favor by following Ash secretly, and helping him out on several occasions, even saving his life from a dangerous fall at one point. Latias eventually comes to Ash for help freeing its partner, Latios, which had been captured by a Pokémon Hunter.
Ash not only managed to earn the trust of this Legendary Pokémon, but also built a close relationship with it. Given how close this was to the end of the series, many fans expected Ash to catch Latias, as a way of showing how far he’d come. However, this wasn’t to be, and Latias instead returned home to Alto Mare with Latios. It’s a real shame, as this Latias is one Pokémon Ash absolutely should’ve caught.
Ash Ketchum, a ten-year-old from Pallet Town, embarks on an adventure to become a Pokémon Master. With his first Pokémon, Pikachu, Ash sets out to capture and train Pokémon while battling other trainers in Pokémon Gyms to earn badges. Joined by his friends Brock and Misty, Ash consistently thwarts the plans of the nefarious Team Rocket, all while making new friends and encountering Pokémon across various regions.
Cast Rica Matsumoto , Mayumi Iizuka , Yūji Ueda , Tomokazu Seki , Kaori Suzuki , Fushigi Yamada , Megumi Toyoguchi
Character(s) Pikachu (voice) , Satoshi (voice) , Aipom (voice) , Pichu Younger Brother (voice) , Self , Pichu Older Brother (voice) , Kasumi (voice) , Gou (voice) , Narrator (voice) , Serena (voice) , Haruka (voice) , Shigeru Oak (voice) , Dent (voice) , Citron (voice) , Eureka (voice) , Iris (voice) , Hikari (voice) , Maamame (voice) , Mao (voice) , Suiren (voice) , Kaki (voice) , Wanpachi (voice)
Seasons 25
Network TV Tokyo , TV Osaka , TV Aichi , TVh , TVQ , TSC
Writers Takeshi Shudo , Junki Takegami , Atsuhiro Tomioka , Aya Matsui , Shoji Yonemura , Dai Saito
Directors Kunihiko Yuyama , Daiki Tomiyasu , Jun Owada , Saori Den
Main Genre Adventure
Creator(s) Naoko Takeuchi
Producers Takemoto Mori , Tsunekazu Ishihara , Keisuke Iwata
:quality(85):upscale()/2023/03/13/840/n/1922794/a144765f640f75218ce2b5.24945169_.webp)
English (US) ·