5 iconic Pokemon moments where Ash put his life on the line to save others

Ash Ketchum from the Pokemon series is arguably one of the most recognizable protagonists in anime history. With the character only recently being retired in order to appeal to a different generation of fans, Ash Ketchum is truly up there with some of the greats like Luffy, Goku, and Naruto. A big contributor to the character's popularity is his reckless selflessness, which has put him in danger several times.

A lot of the anime's most memorable moments see the 10-year-old protagonist hurl himself into danger to rescue his traveling companions, often being as severe as near-death situations. With Ash Ketchum's journey finally at an end, it can make for some bittersweet nostalgia to look back on some of the anime's best moments where he selflessly put his line on the line for others.

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Ash Ketchum's 5 most iconic near-death experiences in the Pokemon anime

1) Mewtwo Strikes Back

Ash Ketchum turned to stone in Mewtwo Strikes Back (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Most memorable of them all is the iconic death scene from the first Pokemon movie. In it, Ash puts himself between a powerful volley of energy launched from the fighting Mew and Mewtwo, resulting in him getting hit and turning into stone. Initially stunned by the actions one human would take, this selfless act would lead to Mewtwo calling off its feud.

The scene concludes with all of the fighting creatures crying tears of life, resulting in Ash getting resurrected. Though this death would have very little impact on the franchise in the long run, as Mewtwo would forget about Ash entirely, the impact this moment had on the community is felt even to this day as one of the best moments in the anime.

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2) Lumiose City Pursuit

Ash as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The second episode of the Kalos series sees Ash scale the massive Prism Tower in pursuit of an enraged Garchomp. Attempting to calm down the dragon, Ash tries to talk to the creature, but to no avail. While Garchomp is ultimately saved, the fight causes a piece of the Prism Tower to give way, resulting in Pikachu falling.

In a desperate attempt to save his best friend, Ash dives from the tower to quickly grab Pikachu in his arms. Thankfully, the hero is saved by a vigilante and his Mega Blaziken.

This series of events would lead to Clemont and Bonnie deciding to travel with Ash, as well as motivating Serena to seek him out, agreeing to travel with him as well.

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3) Lucario and the Mystery of Mew

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

Ash dying is a fairly common theme in the anime's many movies. In Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, he risks his life for his creature companions yet again. Following the disturbance of the Tree of Beginning, the Regi guardians who monitor the tree activate its defense system: a brigade of red blobs that consume all they touch.

These blobs consume Ash and friends, but in an attempt to save their friends from a similar fate, the company releases all of their creatures from their Poke Balls. Though the crew is eventually revived by Mew, this instance truly shows how deeply Ash cares for the monsters he catches in his journey to be the very best.

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4) Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea

Manaphy, as seen in the movie (Image via The Pokemon Company)

It truly is not a real Pokemon movie unless Ash dies at some point. In the Temple of the Sea movie, Ash risks his life once again to retrieve one of the many crystals he and May need to find to keep the Temple of Samiya from collapsing and sinking into the ocean's depths forever.

When one of the crystals falls deep into a submerged portion of the temple, Ash goes above and beyond to save the sacred palace. Swimming far too deep, Ash drowns. The mythical Manaphy intervened, reviving him through the use of its signature move, Heart Swap.

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5) Pokemon - I choose you!

Ash Ketchum protecting Pikachu from a flock of Spearow (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While every scene thus far has shown Ash protecting the friends he cares about, this final entry sees Ash protecting his partner, Pikachu, at the very beginning of his journey. This is back when his lovable companion hated his guts. When Ash first received Pikachu, not only would he refuse to go into his Poke Ball, but Ash also had to drag Pikachu along with a leash and a pair of rubber gloves.

At the very end of the episode, Ash protects his new friend from an angry flock of Spearow, rolling Pikachu's Poke Ball towards him and telling him to stay safe while he deals with the flock. Moved by such kindness and selflessness, Pikachu toughs out the damage long enough to release a Thundershock potent enough to dispatch the angry swarm.