Ash's 20 Rarest Pokémon (2024)

While Pokémon's Ash Ketchum got nowhere near catching them all, he did manage to catch some impressively rare Pokémon over the years. He's caught shiny Pokémon, Mythical Pokémon, fossil Pokémon, and many other varieties in his travels. Some of these Pokémon were obviously rare from the beginning, while the rarity of others only became apparent later on. What makes a Pokémon "rare" can vary a lot, but generally, it means they are difficult to find or possess traits that few members of their species do.

The list discusses how Ash came into possession of these rare Pokémon, what makes them so rare, and what happened to them by the end of the series. Rarity was determined by how the Pokémon is treated within the series, as well things like Pokédex entries which provide a slightly more scientific context. There's obviously a bit of subjectiveness to that, but each of the Pokémon below has something which makes them stand out as rare.

20 Infernape Had An Unusually Powerful Ability

Debut Episode: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, "When Pokémon Worlds Collide!"

When Ash first met Infernape, it was a mere Chimchar under the ownership of his cruelest Pokémon rival, Paul. Paul believed Chimchar had a secret strength to it, but eventually gave up on it as weak, causing Ash to take it in instead. Chimchar actually possessed a powerful ability, Blaze, which would sometimes cause it to go berserk with power in dangerous situations.

Ash helped Chimchar to master this ability and helped it to evolve, eventually taking it all the way to being an Infernape. A fully evolved starter Pokémon is a rather uncommon sight in the Pokémon world, and one that secretly possesses such incredible power is no doubt even rarer.

19 Ash's Krookodile Was Unusually Stylish

Debut Episode: Pokémon Black and White, "A Sandile Gusher of Change!"

Ash first met Krookodile as a Sandile, at which time it led the local group of Sandile. After his encounter with Ash, he began following the group, eager for another battle with Ash. It even evolved as a wild Pokémon into Krokorok while battling Pikachu, something that's only happened once before. Despite its interest in Ash, it took a rather long time for Ash to actually catch Krokorok. He would go on to help it evolve into Krookodile in a tournament battle against Iris's Dragonite.

Ash's Krookodile in particular is known for its odd trait of wearing sunglasses at all times, which helps to increase its confidence in battle. As a fully evolved Pokémon, it's already somewhat rare, but its unique personality and wide variety of moves make it stand out even further.

18 Heracross is Rarer in the Johto Region

Debut Episode: Pokémon Gold and Silver, "A Sappy Ending"

In the original Gold and Silver games, Heracross is extremely rare to encounter, only rarely falling out of trees that have been struck by Headbutt. Ash happened upon a large group of Heracross in the anime, making him quite lucky. One of these Heracross took an interest in Ash and began following him, so Ash happily captured Heracross and added it to his team.

Heracross was also known for its unique Bug/Fighting-typing, although new Bug/Fighting Pokémon have been introduced in the years since. Ash's Heracross was also equipped with some of the strongest moves that a Heracross can learn, like Megahorn and Focus Punch, making it a real competitor in some of Ash's fiercest battles.

17 Sirfetch'd Is a Rare Evolution

Debut Episode: Pokémon Journeys, "Toughing It Out!"

While the Kantonian form of Farfetch'd is considered an endangered species, no such fact has ever been established about the Galarian Farfetch'd, so it might not seem all that rare at first. However, getting a Galarian Farfetch'd to evolve is no small feat, in the games or in the anime. In fact, Ash's Sirfetch'd is the only one of its kind to appear in the anime at all.

Sirfetch'd is a great example of how Ash was capable of taking a fairly ordinary Pokémon and training it up to reach some incredible heights. It never would've evolved without Ash's quick thinking in battle, where he ordered Farfetch'd to use its broken leek as a sword and shield. Being a rather noble Pokémon, Sirfetch'd is incredibly loyal to Ash as a result, and always faces battle bravely.

16 Snorlax Was Always a Powerhouse

Debut Episode: Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, "Snack Attack"

Ash first encountered Snorlax in the Orange Islands, where it was swimming from island to island, devouring all the vegetation in sight. Quickly becoming a nuisance, Ash and co. had to figure out how to stop it, and the easiest way to do that seemed to be to catch it. Snorlax turned out to be one of Ash's strongest Pokémon, equipped with powerful moves like Hyper Beam.

In the original Red and Blue games, there are only 2 Snorlax that can be captured, so at the time of introduction Snorlax was quite a rare species indeed. Despite its power and rarity, Ash didn't end up using Snorlax all that often simply because it ate so much food all the time that he couldn't keep it properly fed while it was traveling with him.

15 Pikachu Had A Special Trait All Along

Debut Episode: Pokémon Indigo League, "Pokémon - I Choose You!"

It's hard to have a list of Ash's Pokémon without talking about Pikachu. Pikachu are generally portrayed as somewhat rare in the anime; Ash has found large colonies of Pikachu before, but characters often comment on the unusualness of seeing a Pikachu in the early seasons of the show.

Ash's Pikachu is considerably stronger than most Pikachu, which drew the attention of Team Rocket, who are certainly convinced it's rare. In Pokémon Journeys, Pikachu proved it had a special ability: Gigantamaxing, which few Pokémon of a species are capable of, making it an even rarer Pokémon than it already was.

14 Lapras Comes from a Nearly Extinct Species

Debut Episode: Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, "The Lost Lapras"

A rare Pokémon that Ash encountered fairly early in his travels is Lapras. Ash found his Lapras in the Orange Islands, where it had been separated from its herd. In the Pokédex entries, Lapras is frequently described as being an endangered species, specifically citing that it has been overhunted to near extinction.

Ash ended up releasing Lapras back into the wild when his time in the Orange Islands was done, mostly because its herd needed it. Ash's Lapras eventually became the herd's leader and would reappear a few times, including in the series' final episodes.

13 Gible is a Pseudo-Legendary Powerhouse

Debut Episode: Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, "A Meteoric Rise to Excellence"

Gible is what is known as a "pseudo-legendary" Pokémon, which are usually both very strong and very rare. Ash has only properly owned two such Pokémon, and one was indeed a Gible. Ash met Gible in the Sinnoh region, where he found it as a wild Pokémon struggling to learn Draco Meteor.

After Ash helped it, it decided to follow him, and he caught it. While several characters have been shown to own Gible, it's almost always noted as being unusual. Ash's Gible is at Professor Oak's lab, but unfortunately, it never evolved, which would've made it even rarer.

12 Dragonite Was The Original Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon

Debut episode: Pokémon Journeys: The Series: "A Test in Paradise!"

Early on in Pokémon Journeys, Ash and Goh encountered a Dragonair that had trouble flying and helped her learn Dragon Dance to fit in with her friends. Later, the Dragonair evolved into Dragonite to save Ash from Team Rocket and ultimately help defeat them, and thanks to the bond that developed between them, Ash decided to capture Dragonite and make her part of his team.

Dragonite is the Pokémon franchise's oldest example of a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, so not only is Dragonite incredibly powerful, but Dragonite and its pre-evolutions are always some of the hardest Pokémon to catch in any game they feature in. The anime reflects this by only ever featuring a handful of Dragonite before Ash catches his own, and throughout Pokémon Journeys, Dragonite was consistently one of Ash's strongest Pokémon and vital to his eventual victory in the Masters Eight Tournament.

11 Gengar's Rare Transformation Won the Day

Debut Episode: Pokémon Journeys, "Best Friend... Worst Nightmare!"

Fully evolved Pokémon aren't very common in the wild, particularly in the anime, so Ash finding a Gengar was already noteworthy. This Gengar was originally caught in Professor Cerise's lab, where it was playing pranks.

Gengar's most noteworthy trait is its ability to Gigantamax, much like Pikachu. However, Gengar only obtained this ability later on thanks to Ash's guidance. Gengar played a critical role in Ash's ultimate victory in the Masters' Eight Tournament, with its Gigantamax ability coming in clutch against Leon.

10 Larvitar Was Technically Ash's First Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon

Debut episode: Pokémon: Master Quest: "Hatch Me If You Can"

Late into Ash's journey through Johto, Ash met a Larvitar displaced from its home on Mt. Silver by poachers and decided to bring it home. Ash developed a deep bond with Larvitar during their travels, but after arriving on Mt. Silver and defeating the poachers, Ash had to let Larvitar go so it could be with its mother.

Like other Pokémon of Ash's, Larvitar's status as a pseudo-legendary Pokémon means that it's both hard to catch and incredibly powerful. Every Pokémon game to feature Larvitar typically gives it a very small spawn rate and only in late-game areas, and over twenty years since its debut, Tyranitar is still one of the most powerful Pokémon in the game. Sure enough, very few Larvitar besides Ash's have ever appeared in the anime, and while it wasn't much of a battler, the strength of various Tyranitars shows how much potential it had.

9 Lucario Is One Of Ash's Rarest & Strongest Pokémon

Debut episode: Pokémon Journeys: The Series: "Caring for a Mystery!"

While battling a trainer in Vermillion City for the World Coronation Series, Ash's latent aura abilities resonated with a Riolu egg, and upon hatching, Riolu became the newest member of Ash's team. Riolu eventually evolved into Lucario when Ash fought Rose to prevent the Darkest Day, and with help from Korrina, he became Ash's first Pokémon to use Mega Evolution, an ability that was used to great effect against Cynthia and Leon.

While modern games allow people to catch Riolu in the wild as opposed to needing an egg, it always has a very low spawn rate, meaning that Riolu and Lucario have always been some of the rarest Pokémon in the series. Naturally, very few Riolu and Lucario appear in the anime, but just like in the games, they tend to be very powerful, with Ash's Lucario arguably being the strongest Pokémon in his Journeys team after Pikachu.

8 Goodra Was Ash's First Official Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon

Debut episode: Pokémon The Series: XY: "A Slippery Encounter!"

Ash first caught Goomy after it was forced out of its home in the wetlands of Kalos by a rampaging Florges. By the time Ash made his way to Goomy's wetlands, it had evolved into a Goodra and was strong enough to defeat the Florges, and Ash decided it was best to let Goodra go so it could protect its home from future threats, although it would return to battle with Ash on several occasions.

Goodra is another pseudo-legendary Pokémon, and as such, it and its pre-evolutions tend to be hard to catch whenever they appear, something the anime reflects with Ash being one of only three trainers in the Pokémon anime to own a Goodra. Likewise, Goodra is also a very powerful Pokémon in every game it appears in, and while it was part of Ash's Kalos team, it was consistently one of the strongest Pokémon available to him.

7 Lycanroc Gets a Unique Evolution

Debut Episode: Pokémon Sun & Moon, "The Guardian's Challenge!"

Ash's Lycanroc evolved from a Rockruff he caught in Alola, which on its own isn't a particularly rare Pokémon. However, Ash's Rockruff evolved into the extremely rare Dusk form Lycanroc, radically elevating its rarity.

While other Midday and Midnight Lycanroc are seen, Ash's is the only Dusk Lycanroc known in the anime. In the games, only certain Rockruff with a rare ability can evolve into Dusk Lycanroc. Ash's Lycanroc also had an unusual "berserk" state where its eyes turned red, which it eventually learned how to control, and made it a key player in Ash's Alola League team.

6 Dracovish is a Bespoke Pokémon

Debut Episode: Pokémon Journeys, "A Pinch of This, a Pinch of That!"

Ash's Dracovish is truly one of a kind, as it was created by Ash and Goh directly from fossils. Dracovish is made up of two different fossils jammed together, so it's unlikely that any other trainer has one. Ash's Dracovish was quite powerful and became an essential part of his Journeys team.

During the Masters' Eight Tournament, Ash's Dracovish underwent a strange awakening, where it projected energy spikes from its body which it could attack with. Since Ash's Dracovish is literally the only one, it's impossible to say how noteworthy that is, but no one had seen anything like it.

5 Naganadel Came from Another Dimension

Debut Episode: Pokémon Sun & Moon, "The Professors' New Adventure!"

Ash encountered Naganadel back when it was still a Poipole, a rare type of Pokémon known as an Ultra Beast, which comes from another dimension. Ash was able to encounter this thanks to his work as one of the Ultra Guardians, who responded to the sudden appearances of Ultra Beasts in Alola.

Once again, there's no reason to suspect anyone else has ever used one in battle, yet Ash was able to use Naganadel in his Alola League battles. Ash eventually released Naganadel so that it could return to its home dimension, where it's presumably a bit less unique.

4 Ash Finally Caught A Box Legendary With Solgaleo

Debut episode: Pokémon The Series Sun & Moon: "A Dream Encounter!"

While Lillie is typically the one to have the Cosmog Nebby in the games and most adaptations, the Pokémon anime instead put Ash in that role, although Lillie was still the one to give it its name. Faba's machinations eventually led to Nebby evolving into a Solgaleo, and after saving Lusamine from a wild Nihilego, Nebby left Ash to live in Ultra Space, although it returned to help Ash and his friends deal with Necrozma.

As a "box legendary" i.e. the Pokémon that appears on a game's cover, the player can typically only obtain one Solgaleo in any game it appears in, and because of that, Nebby is one of the rarest Pokémon Ash has ever obtained. Similarly, Solgaleo is also one of the strongest Pokémon in the game, and when Nebby finally evolved into Solgaleo, it was easily one of Ash's strongest Pokémon in the few battles they shared.

3 Greninja Unlocked a Never-Before-Seen Transformation

Debut Episode: Pokémon XY, "Lumiose City Pursuit!"

Ash's Greninja was first met in the Kalos region as a Froakie, which Ash worked hard to help evolve. In fact, Ash and Greninja's relationship was so close that they were able to make use of a previously unknown power: the Bond Phenomenon.

When bonded with Ash, Greninja takes on traits that cause it to look more like him (the "Ash Greninja" form), and its power is radically increased. However, this comes at Ash's expense, since he feels the pain that Greninja does in battle. Ash's Greninja remained in Kalos, dealing with the aftermath of Team Flare's evil schemes.

Debut Episode: Pokémon Sun & Moon, "Show Me the Metal!"

Ash's Melmetal was first met as a Meltan in Alola, which looked a little different from most due to its hex nut having been used in Team Rocket's food truck. Meltan and Melmetal are classified as Mythical Pokémon, one of the rarest categories of Pokémon that there is.

While many Meltan were shown initially, these Meltan eventually merged with Ash's Meltan so it could evolve, creating the first known example of a Melmetal. It was a core member of Ash's Alola League team, which led him to his first champion title. Ash's Melmetal remained behind in Alola with Professor Kukui.

1 Noctowl is Ash's Only Shiny Pokémon

Debut Episode: Pokémon Johto Journeys, "Fowl Play!"

As a species, there's nothing particularly rare about Noctowl, as it's a common Pokémon in the Johto region. Ash's Noctowl, however, is a shiny Pokémon, rare variants with a different color scheme than others of its species.

At the time that Ash encountered his Noctowl, the rate of seeing shiny Pokémon in the games was around 1 in 8192, making it a sight so rare that most players never saw one. Ash's Noctowl was also notably smaller than others of its species, making it even rarer. All these factors come together to ensure that Noctowl is Ash's #1 rarest Pokémon.

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Pokemon

Created by

Satoshi Taijiri , Ken Sugimori , Junichi Masuda

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Pokemon: The First Movie

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Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle

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April 1, 1997

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Summary

Spanning over twenty-five years, Pokemon, known as Pocket Monsters in Japan, is the multimedia franchise created jointly by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. Conceptualized by Satoshi Tajiri in association with Ken Sugimori and Junichi Masuda, Pokemon is set in fictional worlds where people live together with tamable creatures known as Pokemon. Humans who catch, raise, and battle the creatures are known as Pokemon Trainers. They head out on extensive journeys across their continents to raise their Pokemon with the ultimate goal of competing in tournaments to become the champion. Pokemon spans several massive properties, from a long-running animated series to a successful trading card game, to the medium that started it all, video games. In addition, Pokemon began the "two-game" trend where two versions of a game would release and include different Pokemon/features between the versions, encouraging players to meet up with others and trade so they could "catch 'em all."