Top 3 times Ash Ketchum died in Pokemon

Sad Pikachu in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Ash Ketchum set off as a 10-year-old with the ambitious goal of becoming the world's greatest Pokemon master.

While he's made some serious progress towards achieving that title over the last 20-plus years; there have been a few times when his ambitions almost ended forever.

Of course, when living in a world filled with incredibly fearsome and dangerous Pokemon, dying a few times wouldn't be surprising for the show's main character.

Here are the top three times Ash Ketchum nearly died in the Pokemon anime. Thankfully for fans, he's always managed to come back alive to continue on his journey.

Related: The 4 saddest Pokemon episodes from Season 1 of the anime

Note: This article reflects the personal opinion of the writer.

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Top 3 times Ash Ketchum died in Pokemon

#3 - Lucario and the Mystery of Mew

Ash with Lucario and Pikachu in the movie (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While every Ash Ketchum death is sad for viewers, this one was particularly overwhelming because most of his companions suffered the same fate.

Ash and his friends were consumed in the Tree of Beginnings by a blob engineered to destroy humans who are thought to be a threat to the tree and Pokemon living therein.

However, Ash and friends actually had the tree's best interests in mind and were rightfully restored back to life by the Mythical Pokemon, Mew.

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#2 - Pokemon - I Choose You!

Pokemon I Choose You movie (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Fans really thought this might have been the end for Ash Ketchum. His death in the movie "Pokemon I Choose You!" seemed more lasting than others.

After taking on a force from Pokemon controlled by Marshadow, Ash's body and soul disappear into a world akin to the afterlife. That leaves a very sad Pikachu left only with its trainer's famous hat.

Luckily for Ash, the Legendary Pokemon Ho-Oh resurrects him so he can continue with his seemingly endless heroics.

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#1 - Mewtwo Strikes Back

Ash, petrified, in Mewtwo Strikes Back (Image via The Pokemon Company)

It simply does not get any more sad or heartbreaking than when Ash died in the first Pokemon movie, "Mewtwo Strikes Back."

The iconic fashion in which Ash sacrifices himself to end the fight between Mew and Mewtwo, as well as several other Pokemon and their cloned versions. Leaping between two incredibly strong attacks, Ash is caught in the middle and petrified.

Making this brave decision ultimately saved the entire world. Mewtwo learned that humans could be kind and decided to end its rage and violence against them after seeing what Ash did.

The magical tears of all the Pokemon on the battle scene revived Ash and brought him back to life to continue his journey.