Fans of thePokémonvideo games are well aware of the fact that the anime often runs on its own brand of logic, largely disconnected from how things work in the games. Sometimes, though, this is actually a great thing, leading to some incredible moments over the years.
At first glance, one might expect consistency throughout the franchise, but anime is a very different medium from a turn-based game. It just wouldn’t make much sense for Ash to issue an order, and then stand there and wait for his Pokémon to get hit by his opponent, after all. Battles can be very different as a result, with things like issuing dodge orders, combo moves, unconventional but practically appropriate uses of abilities, and even the use of terrain and environments. This gives anime battles a distinctly different feel, and it’s often better for drama as well, as these 10 moments will prove.
10Ash Discovers Onix’s Secret Weakness
Pokémon the Original Series, “Showdown in Pewter City”
In the games,Brock is notorious as the first gym leader, as he can either be quite easy (for those who chose Squirtle or Bulbasaur), or very difficult (for those who chose Charmander). Ash is in an even worse situation, though, as Pikachu’s an Electric-type, and thus he can’t actually harm Brock’s Onix or Geodude, both Ground-types, at all. Ash almost immediately forfeits his first attempt, then supercharges Pikachu with a generator and comes back for round 2.Pikachu’s electricity ends up starting a small fire during the battle, triggering the sprinklers and coating Onix in water, allowing electric attacks to hit it.
This is, of course, nonsense in the games; there wouldn’t be sprinklers in a game anyway, and there’s no way to supercharge an Electric-type like Ash does here. Interestingly, though, a move would later be added which has a similar effect: the Water-type move “Soak” changes an opponent’s type to Water-type when hit, which would allow Onix to be defeated by Electric moves.
9Drake’s Dragonite Broke the Rules for a Challenge
Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, “Enter the Dragonite”
The Orange Islands were already very unusual, in that the entire region was original to the anime, and does not exist in anyPokémonvideo game. The “Supreme Gym Leader” who waited for Ash at the end of the Orange Islands badge challenge went way beyond what the games allow. Drake, an undefeated trainer with a powerful Dragonite, battled Ash viciously, and it soon became clear why he was so undefeated.Drake actually uses a total of 10 moves on his Dragonite, covering Water, Electric, Dragon, and Ice, as well as several Normal-type moves, including Hyper Beam.
While Drake’s flagrant disobedience of the “four moves per Pokémon” rule seems like cheating to fans of the games, there’s nothing to indicate this is against the rules in the Orange Islands. By giving Dragonite such a wide variety of moves, it was an exceptionally challenging battle for Ash, and all the more satisfying when he won.
8Giant Pokémon Added Mystery to the Early Days
Pokémon the Original Series, “Mystery at the Lighthouse”
In the early days ofPokémon, there just weren’t that many creatures to choose from. 151 may sound like a lot, but when one considers evolutionary lines, Legendaries, and the like, it’s actually a lot smaller than it looks. While the anime couldn’t really introduce new Pokémon without guidance from the game’s makers at Game Freak, it could work with what they already had. In “Mystery of the Lighthouse,” Ash and co. visit Bill, a Pokémon expert, andthey see a giant Dragonite, which Bill says may be one-of-a-kind.
In the games at the time, all Pokémon were universally sized across their species. Extra-large specimens would eventually be added to the games, first as Totem Pokémon inSunandMoon, then as Alpha Pokémon inLegends Arceus, andTitan Pokémon inScarletandViolet.
7Dracovish’s Awakening Turned the Tides of Battle
Pokémon Journeys, “Toying With Your Motions!”
During Ash’s finals match with Leon, something very unusual happened, even for the anime. Leon ordered his Dragapult to fire Dragon Darts, while Ash ordered his Dracovish to catch one in the air and prevent it from hitting.However, coming in contact with the dart at all caused a bizarre“awakening” of Dracovish’s ancient power, causing its spikes to grow and allowing it to pin Leon’s Dragapult. Cynthia speculates that the intense draconic energy caused a dormant power to activate in Dracovish, but she doesn’t actually know what’s going on any more than anyone else does.
Dracovish’s awakening has no basis in the games at all, so its appearance in the anime was an absolute surprise. While some might be thrown off their game by this, Leon hardly even acknowledges it, and manages to force Dracovish to switch—although not before taking massive damage in the process.
6Riolu Evolves at the Perfect Moment
Pokémon Journeys, “Sword and Shield… The Legends Awaken!”
Ash and his Riolu had a special connection, even before it hatched from its egg. Ash trained Riolu up with special care and attention, as one commonly does with Baby Pokémon in both the anime and the games. When Chairman Rose launched his plan and freed Eternatus, Ash attempted to put a stop to this by battling him.Riolu struggled a bit at first, but when an attack looked to be going for Ash, it stepped in and blocked the attack, then dramaticallyevolved into Lucario. It uses Aura Sphere for the first time, and easily defeats Rose.
While it is possible for a Pokémon to learn a new move during battle, it is not and has never been possible for a Pokémon to evolve in the middle of a battle in the games (excepting Mega Evolution, of course). The anime uses mid-battle evolutions frequently, acting as last-minute power-ups that often turn the tide of battle.
5Ash Invents His Own Move
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, “Shield With a Twist!”
While there are a huge number of Pokémon moves in the video games, there’s still a finite number of techniques which Pokémon can learn and use. In the anime, however, it’s entirely possible for someone to come up with their own technique—just as Ash did.During his gym battle with Fantina, Ash developed a strategy named the “Counter Shield,” which typically involved the Pokémon spinning in place and firing off its attacks as it spun, creating a field of energy around it that could block incoming attacks and damage opponents at the same time.
There are very few moves which can perform offense and defense at the same time in the games, and certainly none as effective as the Counter Shield, which can even block status moves.Ash’s Counter Shield techniquewould be adopted by other trainers as well, including his rival Paul and even Leon.
4Contest Battles Require Fighting With Style
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, “Going For Choke!”
Contests were a new addition toPokémonRubyandSapphire, offering a new way for Pokémon to compete with one another. They naturally made their debut in the anime around the same time, andMay became a Coordinator—a trainer who specializes in contests. May’s quest to be a Top Coordinator eventually led her to a climactic match with a disguised Jessie in Kanto.Their contest goes into sudden death overtime, and May manages to eke out the win by freezing Jessie’s Pokémon solid.
The contests in the anime are very different from in the games, and involve a “contest battle,” where one not only needs to win, but do so with style. This is a lot more compelling than the simple judging of Pokémon stats used in the games, and led to some incredible moments over the years, just like this one.
3Charizard Combines 2 Moves into One
Pokémon the Original Series, “Better Eight Than Never”
Gym battles are often some of the toughest fightsin the games, and so too are they in the anime. However, the way anime battles work can make them a lot trickier than a straightforward battle. When Ash challenged Clair, for example, her Dragonair continually ducks underwater to avoid attacks from Ash’s Charizard. Ash ultimately solves this problem by simply using Charizard’s fire breath to evaporate all the water in the arena, leaving Dragonair with nowhere to hide.Ash then has Charizard perform a combo move, combining Fire Spin and Seismic Toss for a “Flaming Seismic Toss” that wins the battle.
As cool as it would be, using the terrain to one’s advantage has never been a thing in thePokémongames. There are moves, such as Dive, which could allow one to avoid being hit temporarily, but these didn’t exist at the time. Even weirder is Ash’s ability to combine two moves into a new technique, something which happens with some frequency in the anime.
2Ash and Gary Give a New Meaning to “Heated Battles”
Pokémon the Original Series, “Can’t Beat the Heat!”
Ash is finally battling Gary, after 270 episodes, as part of the Johto League. The battle comes down to Ash’s Charizard vs. Gary’s Blastoise, giving Gary the type advantage. Ash orders a Flamethrower, which misses, but turns the rocks on the ground red-hot.This gives Ash a strange idea: ignite the entire battlefield to give Charizard the advantage. With the entire arena red-hot, Blastoise can’t move around freely, forcing it to take attacks head-on. Charizard manages to get close, grab Blastoise, and perform a Seismic Toss, ultimatelydefeating Gary and moving Ash on to the next round.
Again, messing with the field of battle was not a mechanic in the games at the time. Later games added “terrain effects,” which alter the battlefield’s effects, such as Grassy Terrain restoring HP and boosting Grass-types. Even still, it’s not possible to direct an attack at something other than a Pokémon.
1Psyduck’s Headaches Made It a Powerhouse
Pokémon the Original Series, “Lights, Camera, Quacktion!”
In the games, Psyduck is a rather mediocre Pokémon that doesn’t really stand out all that much. Even its evolution, Golduck, isn’t particularly powerful. However, you’d never know that from watching the anime.Misty’s Psyduck was frequently useless, until it got a headache, at which point it became an absurdly powerful Psychic user.In one episode, Psyduck used Confusion, a rather low-level Psychic attack, to free over a dozen Pokémon that Team Rocket had stolen, levitating all of them with its power at once.
Of course, in the games, Psyduck can use Psychic-type moves at any time it wants, so long as it knows the attack. This headache restriction keeps Psyduck from being too overpowered, but there’s no real basis for it in the games; it’s derived entirely from Psyduck’s Pokédex entry, which mentions its bad headaches.Pokémoncertainly got a lot of mileage out of Psyduck’s headaches, though, making it one of the best cases of breaking the game rules.
