5 hardest Gym Battles of Ash Ketchum, ranked

Ash Ketchum, the protagonist, faced numerous challenges throughout his journey to become a Pokemon Master. To earn this title, which is hard for most trainers out there with a dream, Ash had to defeat considerable Gym Leaders and opponents. While he exhibited what his team could accomplish to the viewers, some characters gave him a run for his money, making those bouts remembered as the hardest.

In this ranked list, we will explore the five Gym Battles where Ash Ketchum found himself in a terrible spot.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the author’s point of view.

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Ranking the 5 most challenging Gym Battles of Ash Ketchum

5) Ash vs Whitney

Whitney and Miltank, as seen in the anime. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The Goldenrod Gym Leader, Whitney, demonstrated an outstanding performance against Ash Ketchum. Ash and Whitney have fought twice in the series, where the former brutally lost to the latter in the first battle. To gain what has been lost — his pride and the Plain Badge — the hero from the Pallet town resolved to strike back at Wintey for the second time.

In a rematch, Ash used the same lineup he went for in his first attempt. The Pokemon in his team were Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Pikachu. Whitney easily took down his first two picks with her Miltank and almost got Pikachu. However, because of his swift thinking at the final moment of the Gym Battle, Ash turned the tables on his side and became victorious.

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4) Ash vs Blaine

Blaine and his Magmar from the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Blaine is arguably one of the best Fire-type Gym Leaders in the entire Pokemon anime. Ash has confronted this trainer twice. During the first Gym battle, Ash had to retreat because Pikachu was put in a treacherous situation on the battlefield. The battleground of Blaine's Gym was in a volcano, so it was very risky for Ash to oppose.

In the next attempt to win against Blaine, Ash decided to go all out with the help of his Charizard. Since Charizard always wanted to display his immense power, it got the opportunity to take down Blaine's Magmar with the Seismic Toss attack. This Gym Battle between Ash and Blaine was epic and is still considered one of the best in the anime.

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3) Ash vs Wulfric

Wulfric and his Abamasnow (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Another Gym Leader of Kalos who was known for his brutal fights was Wulfric, an Ice-type specialist using Mega Abamasnow and others. In Ash's first Gym Battle against him — which happened twice — he had to reconsider what he was doing in his life; this made him question his abilities deeply.

Ash always knew his Greninja was his top pick to fight with this Kalos Gym Leader. However, he could not do anything to Wulfric in the first round, even when he used the Ash-Greninja form. After understanding what he needed to do through self-realization, he challenged Wilfric for the second time and defeated him, earning a spot to enter the Pokemon League Championship.

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2) Ash vs Clair

Clair from the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Clair, the last Gym Leader of Johto, specialized in using Dragon-type creatures. In the Pokemon world, fans know how difficult it is to beat this type of monster because of their durability in battles and outstanding offensive prowers. Ash went up against Clair twice in the series, where their first bout was disturbed by Team Rocket's intervention.

Ash needed a Pokemon who could take on Clair's Dragon-type creatures. Before the start of their second fight, Charizard returned just in time, and Ash Ketchum decided to use it to get the extra support and coverage he required to take on the opponent. Although the Gym Battle was hard to win, Charizard tackled Clair's Dragonair with the Flaming Seismic Toss in the final round, knocking it out unconscious.

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1) Ash vs Olympia

Olympia in the anime. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

To earn the seventh badge in the Kalos region, Ash Ketchum had to win against Olympia, a powerful psychic-type Gym Leader, in a double battle. It was not easy for him to emerge victorious due to Olympia's strong Pokemon, which included perfectly synced male and female forms of Meowstic. These forms knew abilities like Paralysis and Prediction and moves like Future Sight and Helping Hand.

On the other hand, Ash was forced to rely on his Talonflame and Frogadier, who were never trained to be in sync with each other and perform in a double battle. Despite the struggle and lack of this sort of battle knowledge, Ash Ketchum handled the situation with sheer determination, skills, and teamwork, earning him a badge at last.

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