How Ash Could Have Won Every Pokémon League.

Recap

The video reimagines Ash as a more strategic trainer and builds stronger teams for each Pokémon League he lost. The narrator argues that a few smarter choices could have changed several outcomes, though one opponent might still have been unbeatable.

• Indigo League: Ash’s loss to Richie is blamed on a terrible day: Ash is exhausted, Squirtle falls asleep, and Charizard refuses to battle. The suggested fix is to lead with Pikachu, then use Kingler against Richie’s Charmander, Zippo, and Tauros against Sparky. The proposed team also includes Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Muk. Pidgeotto is dismissed as having “just lost all the time,” while Muk is praised as an unpredictable wildcard.

• Johto League: Harrison’s close win could become an Ash victory if Charizard faces a more worn-down Blaziken. The revamped team keeps Pikachu, Snorlax, Bayleef, and Charizard, while adding Squirtle and Heracross. The narrator calls Squirtle a much better Water-type choice than Totodile and notes Heracross’s earlier win over Gary’s Magmar. With this lineup, Ash could also take on league winner Jon Dickson.

• Hoenn League: Ash’s final battle with Tyson comes down to Pikachu versus Tyson’s Meowth. The plan keeps Glalie, Swellow, Grovyle, and Pikachu, then brings back Heracross and Tauros in place of Corphish. Heracross offers useful matchups, while Tauros could weaken Metagross first, leaving Pikachu fresher to finish the fight against Meowth.

• Sinnoh League: Tobias is the major exception. The narrator admits that Tobias’s lineup of Legendary Pokémon makes him seem almost impossible to beat, and that no team can guarantee Ash a win. Still, Ash’s strongest available squad would be Heracross, Sceptile, Pikachu, Snorlax, Infernape, and Charizard. The narrator gives Ash’s original choices some credit, but jokes that Torkoal is exactly why fans made fun of the lineup.

• Unova League: The narrator is especially scathing about Ash’s loss to Cameron, calling Cameron an idiot and saying the writers made Ash look foolish. A stronger team—Pikachu, Pignite, Krookodile, Leavanny, Palpitoad, and Snorlax—could beat both Cameron and eventual winner Virgil. Krookodile is presented as a genuine ace, while Leavanny and Palpitoad offer useful coverage against Virgil’s Eeveelutions. Snorlax rounds things out as, in the narrator’s usual words, “an absolute beast.”

• Kalos League: Ash’s final loss to Alain is framed as close but avoidable. The narrator criticizes several choices, including sending Noivern against Weavile and having Greninja use Slash instead of Water Shuriken in the rain. The improved team keeps Pikachu, Hawlucha, and Greninja, then adds Krookodile, Sceptile, and Charizard. Charizard is a fitting pick for the Charizard-versus-Charizard showdown, even if it probably couldn’t beat Alain’s Mega Charizard X outright.

Overall, the video argues that Ash had the Pokémon to win most of these tournaments if he had made better choices and built his teams around his opponents. Tobias is the one matchup the narrator can’t confidently solve.

Personalities Discussed

• The narrator
• Ash Ketchum
• Richie
• Harrison
• Jon Dickson
• Tyson
• Tobias
• Cameron
• Virgil
• Alain