Pokémon: 10 Ways Ash Ruined His Likability

Ash is one of the most well-known anime protagonists, but over his long journey, there have been multiple instances where he became less likable.

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For many, Pokémon’s protagonist, Ash Ketchum, is as iconic as anime protagonists come. The plucky young Pokémon Trainer and his trusty Pikachu have been around the world, made plenty of friends and rivals, and won tons of battles in Ash’s never-ending quest to become a Pokémon Master.

With a series as long as Pokémon is, its characters are bound to have some ups and downs in terms of characterization and fan appeal, and Ash is definitely in that category. Whether it’s mistakes that he’s made throughout his journeys or just character flaws, Ash has ruined his likability with at least a few viewers for one reason or another.

10 He Keeps Passing On Opportunities To Catch New Pokémon

The longstanding slogan of the Pokémon franchise has always been “Gotta Catch ’em All”, so one would think that Ash, who wants to be “the very best” would try to catch as many Pokémon as possible, at least to build up the best team he can. But that’s not really the case for Ash.

While Ash sometimes attempts to catch new Pokémon, there are many times where Ash passes on chances to do so. He ends up making do with what he does catch, but it can frustrate fans who see Ash’s decision to not catch certain Pokémon as missed opportunities to make a stronger party.

9 He’s Long Overstayed His Welcome

Pokémon and its anime have been around for over two decades now and some would think that the anime would try to focus on a new trainer after all this time, but Ash has remained the anime’s central character. On the one hand, continuing to follow Ash makes his journey all the more amazing, on the other hand, it makes it ridiculously long.

With all those episodes and seasons focusing on his quest, some could say that Ash’s story has become a little overstretched and tired, and with each new season, it can be hard to hook new viewers on Ash’s story or even keep old ones invested.

8 The Times He’s Gotten A Little Too Overconfident

There have been multiple points throughout Pokémon’s many seasons where Ash has gotten a little too overconfident after an achievement or two. It was especially bad in the first couple of seasons, where Ash’s ego would get bloated after even the smallest of accomplishments, and his attitude could be seen as insufferable during those moments.

The main problem is that each time this has happened, Ash has had to learn the same lesson of humility over and over (usually after losing a battle or some other means), which can be repetitive after a while, especially in later seasons when he shouldn’t have to learn this again.

7 He’s Won A Lot Of Battles Through Luck Or Pity

Ash doesn’t have the worst win to loss ratio in battles, but it’s also not the best for a couple of reasons. There have been quite a few times where Ash has either won a battle through sheer dumb luck and sometimes even pity, his “earned” badges in Kanto being a prime example.

With that in mind, it does make Ash’s skill as a trainer questionable when those moments make it look less like he’s won through his own strength and more because of a random last-minute chance or just because that trainer or Gym Leader just felt like giving him the win.

6 His Many Issues With Evolution

Evolution for Pokémon is a natural process that can change a Pokémon into new forms and unlock hidden potential. Ash is no stranger to the concept, as he’s had quite a few of his Pokémon evolve over the years, but he’s had some issues with it.

To be fair, Ash certainly doesn’t try to force evolution on his Pokémon if they don’t want it (Pikachu or Bulbasaur for example) but there are times where he doesn’t even attempt it, keeping plenty of his Pokémon from gaining untapped strength (such as his Gible or Corphish). The most notable evolution problem was when Ash’s Charmander stopped listening to him after becoming Charmeleon and later Charizard, seeing Ash as weak.

5 It Took Him So Long To Win A Pokémon League

Ash has had a rough time as a contender for almost every Pokémon League he’s ever participated in. Participating in seven different leagues, Ash has only won one of them (the Alolan League), barely making it past the top eight for some of them. His first league was probably the worst since he lost due to his inexperience and lackluster training of Charizard.

From there Ash got better, but he kept losing time and time again. There was a long period of time where viewers assumed Ash would never win a league and the anime would simply invent new ways to make Ash lose. He eventually did win, but it took so long for him to get there.

4 The Many Times When He Was Just Incredibly Clueless

Ash is one of the most energetic and spirited trainers out there, but definitely not the smartest. From day one, it was clear brains were not Ash’s forte, being easily tricked, not looking before leaping, or just acting completely clueless. Sadly, that’s something that hasn’t really changed with time.

If anything, as the years go by, Ash has actually become more clueless and gullible, as he keeps falling for Team Rocket’s schemes and disguises even though he should know better by now. Regardless of what form it takes, Ash’s dimwitted side has rubbed some fans the wrong way.

3 He Keeps Leaving His Pokémon Behind

For every new region Ash visits on his journey, he tends to use the Pokémon of that specific region as his main party. Of course, since trainers can only carry six Pokémon at a time, this forces him to leave a lot of his more experienced ones behind. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, as he’s also training up his new team members, but often it seems like Ash completely forgets that he can call on stronger Pokémon whenever he needs too.

There are even some cases where Ash leaves a Pokémon behind, promising to come back for it one day but never doing so (such as his Primeape and Pidgeot), which makes Ash seem like he’s abandoned those Pokémon entirely.

2 Continuously Making Bad Calls During Pokémon Battles

Ash is a trainer who thinks with his gut rather than his head, although that’s gotten him into trouble more than once. Ash has made some pretty bad decisions when it comes to Pokémon battles, whether it’s a bad strategy, forgetting about type match-ups, or going in with no plan at all.

Fortunately, Ash has gotten better with time, but even experienced trainers still make mistakes and Ash is no exception. The worst part about all of this is that his Pokémon are the ones who suffer most for his bad decisions in battle since they take all the hits.

1 He Keeps Having To Learn The Same Lessons Over And Over

Ash has had some character development for over the two decades the anime has been running, and it’s clear by now he’s not the same trainer he was when he started out. That being said, one of the things that have really bothered viewers of the anime is that his character seemingly is stuck in limbo, regressing then developing, forcing him to learn the same lesson of the day over and over.

Because Ash seemingly keeps forgetting certain things he’s already learned, he continuously has to re-learn those things again after he keeps making the same mistakes, making his story feel repetitive and tiring to keep watching.

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