10 Ash Ketchum moments that left Pokemon fans in tears

The Pokemon anime is no stranger to having its fair share of heartfelt moments. Some of the series' most recognizable moments are ones that pull at the audience's heartstrings. Naturally, there are bound to be more of these scenes that will have an even greater impact on viewers than others.

Being an anime with the core content being friends going on adventures, there will be some key moments that strike people where it hurts emotionally. So what are the ten most notable scenes from the anime that left the fans in tears?

Ten emotionally powerful moments in Pokemon

Bye-Bye Butterfree

A screenshot from the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

🚨 Calculate how strong your evolved Pokémon will become with our newly launched Pokemon GO Evolution Calculator 🚨

Saying goodbye to a friend is always a hard thing to do. This is common in some of the anime's sad and heartfelt moments. This case is never more true than in the list's first entry: Bye-Bye Butterfree. Being the first creature Ash ever caught on his journey, this episode sees Ash bid farewell to his fully-evolved friend with tears exchanged between the two.

Charmander's Debut

Ash's Charmander in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In the episode where Ash meets his eventual Charizard, Charmander is initially encountered on a rock outside a center, waiting for the trainer who abandoned it. Later in the episode, a harsh rainstorm started while Charmander was still awaiting its trainer, putting its life in danger. Thankfully, Ash and friends came in to rescue the Fire-type.

A Poached Ego!

Team Rocket is just as important to the anime as Ash Ketchum himself. As such, seeing them grow and develop as people and trainers has been an emotional rollercoaster. This could not be more true for the heartbreaking episode, "A Poached Ego," which concluded with the release of Jessie and James' original partners, Arbok and Weezing.

The Battle Club and Tepig's Choice

Another emotional episode about an abandoned Fire-type, Ash's Tepig, has a similar story to his Charizard, with both being left by their original trainer. What stands out about Tepig's story is a moment in its flashback where it begs and cries for its trainer to return, making for a much harder hit in the heart.

Mewtwo Strikes Back

A screenshot from the movie (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Ash just straight-up dies in the first movie. Veteran fans of the franchise are familiar with this iconic scene from Mewtwo Strikes Back, where after trying to stop the fighting between Mew and Mewtwo, Ash turns to stone. After a long scene of all of the fighting creatures longing for the main character's return, their tears bring him back to life.

Go West, Young Meowth

The tragic backstory for the beloved mascot of the Team Rocket trio, Go West, Young Meowth, finally revealed the origin story for the franchise's first talking pocket monster. Seeing the devotion and extent Meowth goes to impress his crush only to get rejected in the end carries a much more somber tone for the typically energetic cat.

One Journey Ends, Another Begins...

The anime has touched on emotional events like having to say goodbye to a friend or how to handle rejection before. Still, nothing was more poignant than the 21st episode of the Alolan arc featuring Ash's soon-to-be partner, Litten. This episode featured Litten struggling to handle the death of its late mentor, Stoutland.

Charizard's Burning Ambitions

A view of the Charicific Valley in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

With Charizard losing respect for its trainer following each stage of its evolution, the relationship between Charizard and Ash grew strained in the later half of the Indigo League season. However, the love between the pair could be seen in the tear-jerking episode where Ash says goodbye to his beloved traveling companion at a Johto Charizard Reserve.

Mimikyu Unmasked

A rare show of Jessie's kind and caring nature, this episode shows Jessie and her Mimikyu spending tender moments together after the creature tore a hole in its costume, leaving it to reside in a paper bag. Seeing how attached Mimikyu was to its cloak, Jessie offered to help Mimikyu patch the tear to help it feel better.

The Series Finale

As many fans of the franchise may know, the beloved anime series following Ash Ketchum has concluded. The final episode is set to air in the United States on June 23rd, 2023. As such, the popular series finale is sure to be misty-eyed, following all the years the audience has spent following Ash and his friends on his journey to be the best trainer, in which he finally succeeds.

🚨 Calculate how strong your evolved Pokémon will become with our newly launched Pokemon GO Evolution Calculator 🚨

Edited by Ashmita Bhatt