In Pokémon Journeys, Ash Ketchum took on his greatest challenge of the Pokémon anime, in going toe-to-toe with other Champions as a member of the Masters Eight. Not only did he go toe-to-toe with these Champions, but he defeated them, finally being recognized as one of the greatest Trainers in the world. However, there were still ways in which Ash could have streamlined his efforts and made it is easier on himself, even if that has never been his style.
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Ash chose to stay loyal to his team of six throughout Pokémon Journeys, selecting them once again for the final tournament, leaving many fan favorites from previous series out to dry in the process. Given the limited size of the tournament, it would have been impossible to use every single Pokémon he owns, but some missed opportunities stick out more than others.
Updated on January 5th, 2023 by Tom Steel: Ash Ketchum has finally proved his worth in winning the Masters Eight Tournament, defeating multiple top Champions in the process. With this triumphant victory, Ash now deserves the Pokémon Master title. Ash and his winning team may have impressed at the Masters Eight Tournament, but hindsight will always dictate that he had some better options at his disposal that could have made it so much easier. This list has been updated to include more Pokémon that Ash should have brought back for the Masters Eight Tournament.
15 Goodra Is Another Dragon Type With A Diverse Movepool
Ash was not short of firepower in his Pokémon Journeys team, and he certainly wasn't lacking in Dragon-type options. However, while Dracovish and Dragonite provided decent coverage and diverse movepools, neither really excelled too much at the Masters Eight Tournament, leading to comparisons with Ash's previous Dragon types.
One such example is Goodra. Ash may have released Goodra and then briefly recalled it for the Lumiose Conference before letting it go again, but Pokémon Journeys showed that it liked Ash reuniting with his friends, so Goodra could have come back to help once again. The time apart would have likely made Goodra a more formidable battler, and it may have performed well at against the other Masters Eight members.
14 Snorlax Has Always Been A Reliable Powerhouse
Caught in the Orange Islands arc of the anime, Snorlax is one of Ash's most iconic and powerful Pokémon. While it usually stays with Professor Oak due to its enormous appetite, its loyalty to Ash has never faltered.
Snorlax is known as one of Ash's greatest weapons, as it rarely fails to get not just one, but multiple wins in a battle, regardless of who it's fighting. Given its track record, it is safe to assume that against the Masters Eight, it would have continued to pull more than its weight.
13 Glalie Could Have Been A Useful Mega Evolution Alternative To Lucario
Ice types never really got much exposure with Ash over the course of his Pokémon adventure, but Glalie deserves more praise for its limited performances. Glalie was a valuable part of Ash's Ever Grande Conference team in Hoenn, picking up some valuable knockouts along the way.
Glalie only lost outright in its previous form Snorunt, but was involved in two double knockouts in the Hoenn League. The powerful Ice type would have brought strong offensive moves to Ash's Masters Eight team, but also the exciting possibility of Mega Evolution.
12 Krookodile Is Underappreciated & Underused
Krookodile was the last Pokémon Ash caught during his Unova journey. Despite this, it proved to be Ash's strongest Pokémon in the region, scoring him several key victories across Gyms and battle tournaments.
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Krookodile's feats often go under the radar due to Ash's below-average performance in the Black & White series, but his best accomplishments from this era still deserve to be recognized. Given how far Ash has come since this series ended, there's no doubt he'd be able to put Krookodile's strength to even greater use now, and the Masters Eight Tournament would have been a great place to do exactly that.
11 Bulbasaur Packs A Punch Despite Its Tiny Size
Besides Ash's trusty Pikachu, Bulbasaur is the longest-lasting partner that Ash still owns. Obtained in one of the earliest episodes of the original Kanto arc, Bulbasaur has been through thick and thin, now serving as the honorary leader of the Pokémon at Professor Oak's laboratory.
Bulbasaur is special, much like Pikachu, it commands respect and authority over its fellow Pokémon despite its refusal to evolve. The anime has always made it clear that this has never made Bulbasaur any less strong, so it would've been great to see another tiny powerhouse take names against the Masters Eight.
10 Sceptile Has Beaten The Unbeatable
Ash's Sceptile is a Pokémon with nothing short of a legendary achievement. By far, its most famous feat is defeating Tobias's nigh-unstoppable Darkrai in the Sinnoh League, making it the only Pokémon in the entire region to have accomplished this.
Given that Ash was set up to battle Steven Stone in the first round, it would have been all the more fitting for him to use his Hoenn-era ace to battle against Hoenn's Champion. Between Sceptile's accomplishments and reputation, it easily has the potential to achieve the impossible again.
9 Swellow Brings Alarming Speed & Reflexes To The Table
Over the years, Ash has kept a consistent backbone to many of his various teams. He will have his prized Pikachu, at least one of the specific region's starters and a Flying type. Staraptor and Talonflame are two strong Flying-type Pokémon that helped Ash in decent Sinnoh and Kalos campaigns respectively, but Hoenn's Swellow amassed the best record of the bunch under Ash's guidance.
Ash had a powerful Flying type in his team at the Masters Eight Tournament in the form of Dragonite, but Swellow could have brought an extra level of speed and evasiveness. Swellow showcased its resourcefulness throughout the Ruby & Sapphire series of the anime, and may well have been able to help out against Steven, Cynthia, or Leon's slower and heavier hitters.
8 Rowlet Thrives On Being Underestimated
Rowlet is another Flying-type Pokémon that has helped Ash to success through his storied Pokémon journey, and is another case of a starter not evolving, but still being incredibly powerful. Throughout Ash's Alola campaign, Rowlet showcased its adorable personality, but it also factored in the Everstone as its reason for not evolving, while turning that item into a weapon with the move Seed Bomb.
Rowlet would bring Grass and Flying-type moves to the table in its current form, but if it did eventually evolve all the way to Decidueye, Ash would have a Grass/Ghost type with a diverse movepool at his disposal. This evolution would come at the cost of a part of Rowlet's personality, but would bring a heavy-hitting player to this Masters Eight team.
7 Lycanroc Deserves To Defend Ash's Champion Title
Lycanroc is extremely unique among Ash's roster of Pokémon. It boasts the elusive Dusk form and holds a very special feat for being the one to have finally won Ash a Pokémon League, at the Manalo Conference in Alola. It took 22 years since the anime's start, but Lycanroc overcame all odds and gave him his long-overdue title of Champion.
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Needless to say, Lycanroc would have been an incredibly valuable asset against a roster filled with fellow Champions. Its great strength, combined with the added potential of Z-Moves, leaves it plenty of options to do Ash's title justice.
6 Torterra Desperately Needs Redemption
Ash's Torterra is rather infamous among fans for losing every single battle it had in its fully evolved form, other than battles against Team Rocket. Its losses were meant to show how powerful its opponents were, but the fact that it never beat any opponents for itself didn't do it many favors.
A battle against the Masters Eight would have been the perfect opportunity for Torterra to finally end its losing streak. While it likely wouldn't have been the star of any battle, even one win against a Champion-level Pokémon would have done wonders for its reputation.
Melmetal was a powerful addition to Ash's Alola team late in Sun & Moon, but its late evolution left fans wanting more from it. The Masters Eight would have been a perfect opportunity to provide Melmetal with more screen time and show how many unique Pokémon Ash has in his roster.
As a Mythical Pokémon, Melmetal is one of Ash's strongest Pokémon in terms of sheer raw force, able to shrug off powerful hits with ease and briefly match Professor Kukui's ace, Incineroar. It also has a potential Gigantamax form that could have benefited Ash in battle even more if he used it.
4 Charizard Is Ash's Original Iconic Ace
Charizard has been an inescapable icon of the Pokémon franchise for nearly its entire existence, and that statement is no less true for the anime. Except for the Diamond and Pearl series, every single saga of the anime has had either Ash or one of his rivals use a Charizard on their team.
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Ash's Charizard trained in the Charicific Valley for many years, aiming to become the strongest Pokémon it could be, and has returned countless times to get Ash through difficult battles. It's a shame it wasn't able to duke it out with the strongest of them all, especially with the prospect of facing off against Leon's own powerful Charizard in the Masters Eight.
3 Incineroar Needs To Battle In Its Final Form
Ash's Incineroar is one of his many tragic Fire starters, but it went out on an incredibly high note. While still a Torracat, it defeated Professor Kukui's mighty Incineroar in their exhibition battle. It even evolved right after as a final reward, though this used up the last of its energy and took it out of the battle.
Unfortunately, Incineroar was never shown battling after this, leaving its strength in its final form wholly unexplored. The Masters Eight could have been an outstanding battle debut for Incineroar, but this opportunity is now lost.
2 Ash & Greninja's Bond Could Have Swept Away The Competition
With the daunting prospect of facing Mega Evolutions in his Kalos adventures, Ash needed firepower that could help him keep up. He found exactly that when he stumbled upon a special connection with his Greninja. The Water/Dark-type starter picked up impressive victories in each of its three forms, and even went undefeated as a Frogadier.
Ash ultimately released Greninja at the end of his Kalos travels, so that it could help Z2 and Squishy, putting its skills to good use. However, Greninja did return before the Masters Eight Tournament to help Ash and Lucario train, and this appearance made fans wonder if Greninja could have been a better Water-type option for the team than Dracovish.
1 Infernape Deserved To Settle The Score With Cynthia
Infernape is by far Ash's strongest Sinnoh Pokémon, best known for handing its former Trainer Paul a gloriously poetic defeat at the Sinnoh League. While this alone would have made it a great choice for the Masters Eight, Infernape stands out the most because of the various hints that it would be the one to finally defeat Cynthia's Garchomp.
Infernape battled Cynthia once before under Paul's command, and Ash has even imagined himself battling Cynthia with Infernape in the Diamond and Pearl finale. Infernape's return in Journeys Episode 68 showed it was still interested in growing stronger, but unfortunately, the series chose not to follow through on this plot point.
NEXT: 10 Hopes For Ash's Final Pokémon Adventures
