Highlights
- Despite being a longtime favorite, Ash Ketchum did not use Bug types frequently, focusing on other types like Fire and Dragon instead.
- Steel types were a late addition to Ash's lineup, with powerful Pokemon like Lucario standing out in his journey through various regions.
- Grass and Normal types were among the most common in Ash's lineup, with iconic Pokemon like Sceptile and Snorlax making a lasting impact.
Ash Ketchum was the protagonist in the Pokemon anime for over 25 years. Through his many adventures that spanned 25 seasons, he amassed 48 different Pokemon (not including evolutions). He used at least one Pokemon of every type, with the least being Electric (Pikachu) and Fairy (Mr. Mime).
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Some types have a lot more uses than others, with Ash tending to choose similar Pokemon in each adventure, only really branching out in later stages of the anime. With that being said, here are the Pokemon types that Ash Ketchum used the most in the anime.
Updated May 9, 2024, by Ben Painter: Although Ash has been replaced in the Pokemon anime and is no longer the main protagonist, his memory still lives on. Many fans grew up with Ash as they followed him along his journey that started in the '90s. The '90s kids may have grown older, but Ash remained 10. The Pallet Town trainer has used a lot of different Pokemon throughout his journey; however, 1000+ is somewhat shy of his initial goal to 'catch 'em all.' This update adds three more of Ash's most used types and now offers additional information about each type.
13 Bug - 3
Butterfree, Heracross, Leavanny
- Strongest Pokemon: Heracross
- First Bug Type: Caterpie
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Heracross
- Regions Caught In: Kanto (Butterfree), Johto (Heracross), Unova (Leavanny).
Bug types were infamous in the early anime. Ash's first companion, Misty, was notoriously afraid of Bug types, so maybe that is why Ash did not use so many. His first was Butterfree, which was emotionally let go by Ash during his journey through Kanto, going down as one of the saddest moments in anime.
The standout here is Heracross, the Bug/Fighting type 'mon who proved to be an impressive battler in the Johto campaign with a lot of horn-based attacks, including the Bug move Megahorn. Leavanny was another solid battler for Ash, but due to the amount of Pokemon used in his Unova journey, Leavanny was cast a bit to the side.
12 Rock - 3
Larvitar, Boldore, Lycanroc
- Strongest Pokemon: Lycanroc
- First Rock Type: Larvitar
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Boldore
- Regions Caught In: Johto (Larvitar), Unova (Boldore), Alola (Lycanroc)
As Ash traveled through many regions with Brock, a Rock-type specialist, he never used a lot of the type in his roster. His first was Larvitar, an egg hatched in his care, but it was quickly returned to its mother and did not last for long with him.
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The standout is definitely Lycanroc, which became the rare Dusk form and was a vital part in Ash becoming a regional champion for the first time in the Alola region. Lycanroc used a lot of awesome moves, like Accelerock and Stone Edge, and proved just how powerful Rock types can be despite their weaknesses to other types.
11 Steel - 3
Melmetal, Solgaleo, Lucario
- Strongest Pokemon: Lucario
- First Steel Type: Meltan
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Melmetal
- Regions Caught In: Alola (Melmetal, Solgaleo), Kanto (Lucario)
Despite its introduction as a new type in Generation 2, Ash never used a Pokemon of this typing until his journey through the Alola region, and what better 'mon to use than the Mythical Pokemon Melmetal? Ash only used three Steel types. One is a Mythical, Solgaleo is a Legendary Pokemon, and Lucario is a powerful Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution.
Despite all three being ridiculously powerful, Lucario takes the cake here due to Ash's connection with the Pokemon and the part he had to play in winning the Masters Eight Tournament and cementing Ash's place as a Pokemon Master.
10 Poison - 4
Bulbasaur, Muk, Naganadel, Gengar
- Strongest Pokemon: Gengar
- First Poison Type: Bulbasaur
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Bulbasaur
- Regions Caught In: Kanto (Bulbasaur, Muk, Gengar), Alola (Naganadel)
Poison types aren't really used by Ash a lot; it is a type that is reserved for the evil Team Rocket, so it makes sense that Ash's experience with this type is limited. His first Poison-type was Bulbasaur, who a lot of fans forget is part Poison.
Gengar is his most foray into the Poison-type, and even that is more considered a Ghost-type, but it at least does know a Poison move in Sludge Bomb. Naganadel had a short tenure with Ash, so it is only Muk who has stood the test of time as a pure and full Poison Pokemon of Ash's.
9 Dark - 4
Scraggy, Krookodile, Greninja, Incineroar
- Strongest Pokemon: Greninja
- First Dark Type: Scraggy
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Scraggy
- Regions Caught In: Unova (Scraggy, Krookodile), Kalos (Greninja), Alola (Incineroar)
The Dark-type was introduced in Generation 2, so it would have made sense to give Ash a Dark-type to help promote that new typing throughout his adventures in Johto. However, he did not catch a Dark-type until Generation 5, when he arrived in Unova and caught Scraggy.
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The Dark-type is known as 'Evil' in Japan. Therefore, it makes complete sense that the good-natured Ash did not have many of these Evil Pokemon. But while this was the case early on, it was relaxed in later seasons, so Ash eventually added some Dark types to his roster. Krookodile, Greninja, and Incineroar have all been big players in Ash's teams. He may not have many Dark-types, but the ones he did have certainly left an impact.
8 Dragon - 6
Gible, Noivern, Goodra, Naganadel, Dragonite, Dracovish
- Strongest Pokemon: Dragonite
- First Dragon Type: Gible
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Gible
- Regions Caught In: Sinnoh (Gible), Kalos (Noivern, Goodra), Alola (Naganadel), Kanto (Dragonite), Galar (Dracovish)
In the original Pokemon series, Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite were the only Dragon-types, and Ash had none of them. In fact, throughout the first three generations, he didn't catch a single Dragon-type. His first came in Gible, and he has had a Dragon on his team ever since.
Goodra, Dragonite, and Dracovish have shown just how powerful the type can be. Ash has had more success in terms of titles in his later career as a trainer, and the fact he included more Dragons in his roster by that point is no coincidence.
7 Ground - 7
Donphan, Larvitar, Torterra, Gliscor, Gible, Krookodile, Palpitoad
- Strongest Pokemon: Krookodile
- First Ground Type: Phanpy
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Donphan
- Regions Caught In: Johto (Larvitar, Donphan), Sinnoh (Torterra, Gliscor, Gible), Unova (Krookodile, Palpitoad)
Although Larvitar was not used by Ash, the Pokemon company does consider that Rock/Ground-type as an official Pokemon of Ash's, so it tips the Ground-type over Dragon to take a total of seven Pokemon.
Donphan (or Phanpy) was Ash's first Ground-type, and they have been present on his team since, with Torterra and Krookodile being the other standouts of his types. Donphan is certainly the most nostalgic, despite it being most commonly known for using a Rock-type move in Rollout.
6 Fire - 7
Charizard, Quilava, Torkoal, Infernape, Pignite, Talonflame, Incineroar
- Strongest Pokemon: Charizard
- First Fire Type: Charmander
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Charizard
- Regions Caught In: Kanto (Charizard), Johto (Quilava), Hoenn (Torkal), Sinnoh (Infernape), Unova (Pignite), Kalos (Talonflame), Alola (Incineroar)
Fire is a very common type for the Pallet Town trainer. Ash usually adds the starter Pokemon of each region to his teams. Charizard is probably second to Pikachu in terms of icons on Ash's team, with Infernape also being up there as well.
There has always been a Fire-type on Ash's team, apart from his side in Journeys: The Series, where he did not use the blazing heat of Fire to his advantage. Perhaps Ash realized that Fire has too many weaknesses in the game, but maybe that is giving him too much credit.
5 Grass - 7
Bulbasaur, Bayleef, Sceptile, Torterra, Snivy, Leavanny, Rowlett
- Strongest Pokemon: Sceptile
- First Grass Type: Bulbasaur
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Bulbasaur
- Regions Caught In: Kanto (Bulbasaur), Johto (Bayleef), Hoenn (Sceptile), Sinnoh (Torterra), Unova (Snivy, Leavanny), Alola (Rowlett)
Tied with Fire-type is one of its counterparts, the Grass-type, and Ash's experience with them comes mainly from the use of starter Pokemon. It is only Leavanny who is not a starter, and only Chespin and Grookey have been missed by Ash when it comes to Grass-type starters.
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Grass is always a useful type to have in the Pokemon games, and Ash clearly sees the potential that they have. Sceptile is certainly the most iconic here. The oversized gecko has won some important battles for Ash, including a triumph over the Mythical Pokemon, Darkrai. Bulbasaur, Bayleef, and Rowelt have also had their time in the sun.
4 Fighting - 8
Primeape, Heracross, Infernape, Pignite, Scraggy, Hawlucha, Lucario, Sirfetch'd
- Strongest Pokemon: Lucario
- First Fighting Type: Primeape
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Heracross
- Regions Caught In: Kanto (Primeape, Lucario), Johto (Heracross), Sinnoh (Infernape), Unova (Pignite, Scraggy), Kalos (Hawlucha), Galar (Sirfetch'd)
Eight different Fighting Pokemon have made their homes in Ash's Pokeballs. Primeape was Ash's first one, which was given away by him early in his career as it needed a lot of training. Pokemon like Infernape and Heracross were punching Pokemon that cemented their way into fans’ hearts in the early series.
However, Lucario is the standout here. A fan favorite Pokemon, Ash added the Aura Pokemon to his team in the final chapter, and it showed its immense strength in battle and was the only Pokemon to Mega Evolve with Ash. Fighting types are common in the Pokedex, so it is no surprise that Ash used many on his journeys.
3 Normal - 9
Pidgeot, Raticate, Tauros, Snorlax, Noctowl, Swellow, Staraptor, Aipom, Unfezant
- Strongest Pokemon: Snorlax
- First Normal Type: Pidgeotto
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Snorlax
- Regions Caught In: Kanto (Pidgeot, Raticate, Tauros, Snorlax, Aipom), Johto (Noctowl), Hoenn (Swellow), Sinnoh (Staraptor), Unova (Unfezant)
Normal-type is the second most common typing in all the Pokemon games, so it makes complete sense that Ash would have a large number of them. However, when it comes to non-flying Pokemon of Ash's, there isn't a lot to choose from.
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For a long time in Pokemon, there was no such thing as a pure Flying Pokemon, so every regional Bird Pokemon also received the Normal typing, which added a lot to Ash's total. Although Ash had 30 Tauros for the purpose of this list, only one of each species has been counted. There is no question about it that the sleeping and eating machine of Snorlax is Ash's most iconic Normal-type, and a lot of fans can resonate with the creature's behavior.
2 Water - 10
Squirtle, Kingler, Lapras, Totodile, Corphish, Buizel, Oshawatt, Palpitoad, Greninja, Dracovish
- Strongest Pokemon: Greninja
- First Water Type: Squirtle
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Kingler
- Regions Caught In: Kanto (Squirtle, Kingler, Lapras), Johto (Totodile), Hoenn (Corphish), Sinnoh (Buizel), Unova (Oshawatt, Palpitoad), Kalos (Greninja), Galar (Dracovish)
The most common typing in all of Pokemon is the Water type, so by comparison, Ash should have a lot of this type. His first was, of course, Squirtle, who became a legend among fans for the use of his sunglasses. Again, Ash used a lot of starter Pokemon, so Totodile, Oshowatt, and Greninja add to the numbers here.
There are also many that Ash chose to use in battles that weren't starter Pokemon, with Corphish and Dracovish being prime examples of this. When it comes to creating a story in the anime, Water Pokemon were useful for putting out fires or helping Ash traverse water. A Water-type was needed for each of his teams.
1 Flying - 13
Butterfree, Pidgeot, Charizard, Noctowl, Swellow, Staraptor, Gliscor, Unfezant, Talonflame, Hawlucha, Noivern, Rowlet, Dragonite
- Strongest Pokemon: Charizard
- First Flying Type: Pidgeotto
- Pokemon That Lasted The Longest: Noctowl
- Regions Caught In: Kanto (Butterfree, Pigeot, Charizard, Dragonite), Johto (Noctowl), Hoenn (Swellow), Sinnoh (Staraptor, Gliscor), Unova (Unfezant), Kalos (Talonflame, Hawlucha, Noivern), Alola (Rowlet)
It may come as a surprise to some, but the type that Ash uses the most is Flying. The Pallet Town trainer had a habit of catching each region's common bird, so that is a large reason why this type is his most used.
Flying-types were useful for Ash as he used them to follow Team Rocket, keep smoke at bay, and also as a means of flying around the various regions. Flying-types were useful for a story perspective. Pokemon not used for transportation were Charizard and Dragonite, who are some of Ash's most powerful battlers. On top of that, they are also two of Ash's most iconic Pokemon.
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