5 of Ash's best battles in the Pokemon anime, ranked

The Pokemon anime followed the adventures of Ash Ketchum, Pikachu, and their friends for decades, and innumerable battles were fought in that time by our determined protagonist. Not every battle resulted in victory, but each showdown was impactful toward Ash's quest to become a master trainer before he ultimately rose through the ranks and became the top trainer in the known world.

While his adventures have ended for the time being, there's no doubt that there are countless battles that cemented Ash's status as the world's strongest throughout the Pokemon anime. With that in mind, it doesn't hurt to examine and rank the greatest battles that the longtime Pocket Monsters protagonist undertook on his path to becoming the very best.

NOTE: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.

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Ranking the five best Ash Ketchum battles in the Pokemon anime

5) Defeating Drake

Ash captured the Orange League title by defeating the incredibly capable trainer Drake. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While he fell short against Kanto's Elite Four, Ash got a chance to prove himself once again during the Orange League in the Orange Islands Arc. After taking down several formidable trainers on the Orange Archipelago, Ash finally faced off against the league's Supreme Gym Leader Drake, and his undefeated Dragonite, which wiped the floor with the majority of Ash's team, leaving Pikachu alone.

Fortunately, the dynamic duo of Ash and Pikachu didn't give in. Ash managed to leverage Pikachu's mobility and Electric-type capabilities to land a massive Thunder attack on Dragonite, finally toppling the incredibly strong Dragon-type Pokemon and handing Drake a loss he wouldn't forget. It was Ash's first championship win, and it enshrined him and his Pokemon in the Orange League Hall of Fame for all time.

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4) Ash defeats his childhood rival

Ash defeating his rival Gary in the Silver Conference was a watershed moment. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

For much of the early run of the anime, it seemed like Ash's rival Gary Oak was always one step ahead as a trainer. It didn't help that Gary regularly antagonized Ash either, but the two rivals faced off in the Silver Conference in a high-stakes battle that neither would forget. Crazier still is the fact that Ash left Pikachu on the sidelines for one of the biggest battles of their lives.

Blows were dealt back and forth until Gary's Blastoise and Ash's Charizard were all that remained. Despite being at a type disadvantage and only recently returning from the Charicific Valley, Ash's Charizard proved to be too hot to handle, slamming Gary's Blastoise into the dirt and causing the two trainers to reconcile their differences as Ash proceeded to a fateful match against his friend Harrison.

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3) A high-octane Masters Eight Showdown

Ash's battle against Cynthia was pivotal in the World Coronation Series. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Ash was well on his way to battling Leon to become the Monarch of the World Coronation Series when his second semi-final match led him to a showdown with Cynthia, Sinnoh's champion, who was determined to end Leon's win streak herself. Cynthia kept Ash guessing by Dynamaxing Togekiss while Ash's Dracovish and Sirfetch'd had a few surprises of their own.

The final bout came down to Cynthia's Garchomp and Ash's Mega Lucario, which were incredibly evenly matched despite Ash using Mega Evolution. The two Pokemon collided and fell to the ground, generating plenty of suspense before, finally, Mega Lucario rose to its feet in battered triumph.

This pivotal battle allowed Ash to continue on his path to take on Leon to become the world's top trainer, and Cynthia even retired from battling after the high-flying conflict was resolved. All things considered, it was one of Ash's greatest challenges and it paved the way for his ultimate victory.

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2) A battle of diametrical opposites

Ash and Paul couldn't have been more different as rivals. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Out of all of Ash's rivals in the Pokemon anime, none was likely as antithetical to his philosophy as Paul. While Ash took great care and showed compassion to his companions, Paul was incredibly harsh with his Pocket Monsters and saw them more as a means to an end. This battle wasn't only a battle between trainers, but one of ideals and the way to coexist with the series' titular creatures.

Thanks to Ash's Infernape, the showdown in the Lily of the Valley Conference against Paul's Electivire proved that caring for Pokemon and nurturing them during training would always produce better results than cynically pushing them to their limits without much consideration for their well-being. Paul eventually turned over a new leaf, a testament to Ash's ideals as a future master.

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1) Ash wins the World Coronation Series

Ash's WCS battle against Leon was his greatest triumph, bar none. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

After some of the most intense battling in his career as a Pokemon trainer, Ash finally got his chance to take on Leon, Galar's champion, and the World Coronation Series Monarch. Encompassing four episodes, top-notch animation, and just about everything a battle needs to be enthralling, the Masters Eight Finals was one for the history books.

While Ash's friends and companions watched on (Team Rocket even couldn't keep their eyes off the battle), and as images flashed back to Ash's career as a trainer, Pikachu, and Leon's Charizard were left as the remaining combatants at the end of the battle. Despite Pikachu seeming like it had been soundly defeated, it rose again stronger and even more determined to seize victory for its partner.

With the intervention of the Pokemon Eternatus, the G-Max bands for Pikachu and Charizard were fully recharged. A clash of G-Max Wildfire from Charizard and Pikachu's 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt ensued, but Pikachu stood resolute as the victor, and Ash claimed the title he dreamed of so many years ago in Pallet Town: to become the very best.