Pokemon Ultimate Journeys finale prediction: Ash’s Lucario vs Leon’s Charizard

Ash and Leon's Pokemon choices will likely decide the winner of the World Coronation Series (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The Masters Finals of Pokemon Ultimate Journeys' World Coronation Series has come down to two trainers: Ash Ketchum and Leon, the Monarch of the tournament. Only one trainer will emerge victorious in this final bout, and both trainers have powerful Pokemon on their side.

While both will field plenty of Pokemon on their teams, it doesn't hurt to examine some potential matchups we may see over the upcoming three-episode anime finale. Specifically, Ash's Lucario and Leon's Charizard is an intriguing battle worth considering.

In anticipation of the Masters Finals and the excitement of Ash squaring off against his current rival, it may not be a bad time to look at how Lucario and Charizard compare to each other as aces, even after facing off in the past.

Pokemon: Examining a hypothetical matchup between Ash's Lucario and Leon's Charizard

Ash's Lucario - Abilities and Powers

Ash's Lucario enters its Mega Evolution form (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Introduced as a Riolu in Pokemon Journeys, Ash's Lucario has grown leaps and bounds since its initial debut. It possesses a deep link with Ash due to its ability to read auras, picking up on its trainer's emotions and spirit. This Lucario also has the ability to Mega Evolve thanks to its bond with Ash, exponentially increasing its fighting capabilities.

In Ultimate Journeys, Lucario has showcased the ability to use the attacks Vacuum Wave, Force Palm, Double Team, Reversal, Aura Sphere, Steel Beam, and Bullet Punch. The Fighting/Steel-type Pokemon is physically sturdy due to its typing, and its willingness to battle for Ash until the end makes it a very tenacious combatant.

Additionally, in Pokemon Journeys, Lucario spent considerable time training with Ash's Greninja. The speedy Water/Dark-type proved victorious over Lucario, but Lucario's powers deepened considerably, giving it the ability to defeat opponents like Cynthia's Togekiss and Raihan's Duraludon.

Leon's Charizard - Abilities and Powers

Leon's Charizard assumes its Gigantamax form (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The Galar Region champion Leon has arguably one of the most powerful Charizard ever seen in the anime. It has dispatched various opponents with relative ease and, even in defeat, has faced off against overwhelmingly enemies admirably.

Its ability to achieve its Gigantamax form makes it even more fearsome, which explains why Leon's ace Pocket Monster is a huge part of why he's the Coronation Series champion.

Even without its Gigantamax transformation, Leon's Charizard is a vicious fighter. The Fire/Flying-type has defeated several troublesome opponents, including Alain's Mega Charizard X, Diantha's Gardevoir, and Raihan's Duraludon. According to the anime, Charizard knows an extensive array of moves, including Flamethrower, Air Slash, Dragon Claw, and Flare Blitz.

In its Gigantamax form, Charizard's capabilities improve further, giving it access to new moves. Among them are dangerous attacks like Max Lightning, Max Airstream, Max Knuckle, and G-Max Wildfire. It first used its Gigantamax capability against Lance, the Dragon Master, emerging victorious. Leon's Charizard has also defeated Ash's Pikachu in the past, though has also defeated Ash's Lucario.

Leon's Charizard has even faced the mighty Eternatus in Galar. While it eventually fell before the mighty beast, it managed to fight effectively for quite some time without access to its Gigantamax form.

Conclusion

Leon and his Charizard should have the edge in the final battle (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Though the battle can go either way in Ultimate Journeys, Leon's Charizard enters the battle with a clear advantage. It possesses the edge in experience and a natural type advantage thanks to its Flying-type moves (though type advantages are more situational in the anime). Charizard's deep bond with Leon as its ace and access to Gigantamax transformation may be too much for even Mega Lucario.

That isn't to say Lucario can't overcome Leon's ace Charizard, but the cards are stacked against it. Depending on how the final battle between Ash and Leon unfolds, other factors may be at play to assist Lucario's efforts against Charizard. As a trainer, Ash can also never be discounted, as his willpower is unfathomable when he's backed into a corner.