While Ash Ketchum has certainly proven himself worthy of being called one of the best battlers in his version of the Pokemon universe, fans that are more familiar with the games have questioned his ability to battle. Battling in the games and in the anime follow two totally different trains of logic, as the former is much more quantitative and objective while the latter is much more affected by intangibles. This is particularly true with movesets, as Ash has been making do with moves that would be considered subpar in the games.
So what if Ash was a battler in the games? What would be the best ways to utilize the Pokemon on his current roster from Journeys from a competitive perspective?
Note: These movesets were heavily inspired by those made by the folks in charge of the Smogon University website, and some of the Pokemon listed might have different abilities from what they actually have in the anime.
6 Pikachu
Moves: Extreme Speed, Volt Tackle, Surf, Volt Switch
Ability: Static
Held Item: Light Ball
Of course, Pikachu will not be as powerful as he is in the games, since Pokemon kind of have to be fully evolved to reach their full potential. A consolation for that, however, is a held item specially designed for Pikachu: the Light Ball. It doubles both its Attack and Special Attack, which will be quite useful for the moveset given to it here.
Extreme Speed is essentially Quick Attack but better, being stronger and having higher priority. Volt Tackle is a move that Pikachu is familiar with in the anime, and it’s being brought back for its immense power compared to other Electric-type moves. Instead of Iron Tail, Pikachu will be using Surf for Ground-type coverage. And even though Thunderbolt is undoubtedly powerful, it will be replaced by Volt Switch for, well, switching. This moveset best utilizes Pikachu as a high-octane attacker, which is something Ash would definitely like considering his style of battling in the anime. In terms of ability, Pikachu is keeping its rarely seen but situationally useful Static.
One more thing: Pikachu’s already proven capable of Gigantamaxing, so it has that going for it in formats where Dynamaxing is legal.
5 Gengar
Moves: Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Dazzling Gleam, Energy Ball
Ability: Cursed Body
Held Item: Black Sludge
Ash’s Gengar’s anime moveset is reasonably solid, especially with Ice Punch to cover Ground-types, but having Night Shade is just pointless with (1) having better moves available and (2) already having Shadow Ball. Therefore, Shadow Ball will be the only move Gengar will keep, the rest being replaced by Sludge Bomb, Dazzling Gleam, and Energy Ball. Along keeping the Ground-type coverage, it gain coverage for Dark-types with a Fairy-type attack, and it gains another STAB move in Sludge Bomb.
In terms of ability, Gengar supposedly has Cursed Body, but it is never seen utilized in the anime. Regardless, it will be useful in the games where the capability of using certain moves will matter a bit more. It will have the Black Sludge as a held item to constantly heal HP, which is fitting since Gengar is currently the only Poison-type Ash has on hand, though Choice Specs would work too to further boost its Special Attack power.
4 Dracovish
Moves: Fishous Rend, Outrage, Psychic Fangs, Crunch
Ability: Strong Jaw
Held Item: Choice Band
The newest member to Ash’s team so far is arguably the most viable in competitive Pokemon, as it’s been banned to Smogon’s Uber tier. Its moveset in the anime is currently unknown as it hasn’t been used in battle yet, but for a hypothetical appearance in a game, it should run one of its standard sets.
Its ability is also unknown, though it’s safe to assume it has the one it’s most commonly associated with, Strong Jaw. It works best with its given moveset anyway, specifically with Fishous Rend, Psychic Fangs, and Crunch. Fishous Rend, in particular, is its signature move and is the reason why it’s been so commonly used in the current meta. Alongside that are Psychic Fangs that can break screens, Crunch that can lower Defense, and a STAB Dragon-type move, Outrage. It will be holding a Choice Band to make its attacks even more potent than usual.
3 Sirfetch’d
Moves: Close Combat, Poison Jab, First Impression, Knock Off
Ability: Scrappy
Held Item: Life Orb
The latest Pokemon on Ash’s team to fully evolve, Sirfetch’d is best used as a physical attacker, and will be utilized as such with this moveset.
There are already one or two Choice-locked Pokemon on this team, and giving Ash another would be a bit much. Instead of a Choice item, Sirfetch’d will have a Life Orb on hand to boost attacks without locking it in every time. It will have Scrappy as an ability to not be walled by Ghost-types, and its moves will cover all of its bases: Close Combat for STAB, Poison Jab for Fairy-types, First Impression for Psychic-types and priority, and Knock Off for Ghost-type super-effective damage and crippling item-reliant Pokemon.
2 Dragonite
Moves: Dragon Dance, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Roost
Ability: Multiscale
Held Item: Heavy Duty Boots
Ash’s first capture in Journeys already has half of its moveset down, as it already uses both Dragon Dance and Dragon Claw regularly. However, its two other moves are not as fitting. Hurricane is a special attack, and Hyper Beam, while insanely powerful, is a two-turn move, making it a no-go for competitive use. The other half of its moveset will be replaced by Earthquake and Roost, the former being a check to Rock- and Steel-types and the latter for healing. That healing works great with its hidden ability, Multiscale, which it might already have in the anime considering how many hits it can take.
Dragonite will have Heavy Duty Boots as its held item. While entry hazards are mainly just a gimmick in the anime, they’re staples in the competitive scene and should be dealt with accordingly, especially for Flying-types.
1 Lucario
Moves: Nasty Plot, Aura Sphere, Vacuum Wave, Flash Cannon
Ability: Inner Focus
Even though it’s arguably Ash’s ace in Journeys, Lucario has an atrocious moveset for gameplay. It has three overlapping Fighting-type moves (Aura Sphere, Reversal, and Force Palm), no Steel-type move, and Double Team which is banned in most competitive formats.
This needs an overhaul. First is its ability. While, like most of Ash’s Pokemon in Journeys, its ability is unknown or at least not utilized, it will be given the best one among the three choices; Inner Focus. Second is its held item, which is another Life Orb. Then, the moves.
It will get to keep Aura Sphere, but it will get some extra coverage to replace its surplus of Fighting-type moves. First is Vacuum Wave for priority. Then, it will get an extra STAB move in Flash Cannon. Finally is Nasty Plot, which will boost its Special Attack. It should go without saying that Ash’s Lucario will decidedly be a special attacker.
NEXT: 5 Of The Best Battles Of The Pokemon Anime (& 5 Of The Worst)
