Pokémon: 20 Things Brock Can Do That Ash Can’t
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Think Ash is the best trainer in the Pokémon universe? Think again, it’s Brock! As proof, we have 20 Things Brock Can Do That Ash Can’t.
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When most people think of the human characters in the Pokémon series, it’s only natural for them to think of Ash first and foremost. It makes sense, especially because he is the main character of the series and he is the owner of Pikachu, who is the most popular Pokémon of all-time in terms of pop culture.
But is Ash really that great? Does he actually deserve all the attention he gets? I mean, he has been trying to accomplish his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master for 20 seasons now, and he still hasn’t achieved this dream! Plus, his character has a lot of negative personality traits, such as being super cocky at times or being short-tempered and impatient in moments that provoke them, and these aren’t generally traits you want to see in a protagonist you want to be rooting for. Almost makes me wonder if people like Ash for his character or because of his association with the extremely likable and interesting Pikachu?
You want to know who else is extremely likable and interesting? Brock, that’s who! That’s right, I’m talking about the character who went from being a formidable Gym Leader to becoming a sidekick of Ash, assisting him on his journey to become a Pokémon Master. I would argue that Brock is the more fascinating character, though. Whether it be the fact that he was abandoned by his own parents and left to take care of his massive family by himself at a young age, or that he is super caring of others (humans and Pokémon) and will do stuff like cooking to make sure they are happy, or even the slightly creepy fact that Brock falls in love with every female in existence is kind of endearing.
Sure, Brock may be Ash’s sidekick in the show, but there are just so many interesting things about Brock that separate him from Ash, making him more than “Ash’s traveling companion.” In this list, I will be looking at the 20 things that Brock can do (or has done) that Ash cannot.
20 Rock-Solid Gym Leader
Gym Leader of Pewter City. This is the prestigious title that Brock held before he decided to accompany Ash on his own journey to become a Pokémon Master. In this role, similar to the other Gym Leaders in the series, Brock tested the battle skills of various Pokémon Trainers who were brave enough to face off against his assortment of powerful Rock-type Pokémon. One of these Pokémon Trainers was Ash himself, who found out the hard way how difficult it was to defeat Brock. Brock’s Onix dominated Ash in their first battle, but in the second meeting, Ash almost cheated his way to victory by setting off the fire sprinklers to weaken Onix so that Pikachu could effectively zap it to oblivion. Ultimately, Ash decided to forfeit because he felt bad for almost cheating to win, but Brock took pity on him and gave him the Boulder Badge in the end.
19 Brock The Family Man
Having to raise nine kids would be a daunting task for any grown adult, never mind a 15-year-old. But, that is exactly what Brock ended up having to do at that age. After both his parents left him, Brock assumed the role of having to raise his nine younger siblings, and he was up to the challenge as well. Having to do daily things for his brothers and sisters like cooking and cleaning, as well as having to take care of the house and Pewter Gym, Brock was able to balance all of these things and really grew into the mature person that we all know and love. Ash would not know the feeling though since he is an only child and was raised comfortably by his mother. It really shows too, because it always seems that Ash can barely take care of himself.
18 Man Of Medicine
Some say that laughter is the best medicine, and Brock definitely brings the laughs with his goofy antics. But, contrary to that belief, medicine is still the best medicine and Brock is aspiring to be someone who specializes in medicine. If you couldn’t guess from that hint, it is a Pokémon Doctor that Brock wants to become so that he can help take care of injured Pokémon. He clearly is determined as well. He even left his best friends so that he could go back to his hometown and train to become a certified Pokémon Doctor. Trying to attain a Ph.D. in Pokémon seems like a difficult task, but it is all the more admirable that Brock is working so hard to become one. This is clearly not a profession that Ash would be interested in, but if he tried I don’t think he would be successful since he gets frustrated pretty easily.
17 The Apprentice
We have already established how impressive of a feat it was for Brock to become a successful Gym Leader prior to him leaving to join Ash on his journey. But, even more impressively, Brock has helped to groom his own successor to the Pewter Gym throne. After Brock left, the Pewter Gym was in rough shape and he wanted to fix it. So Brock responded by returning home and basically inspired his little brother, Forrest, to become the new Gym Leader. Heck, Brock believed in his brother so much that he straight up gave Forrest some of his own Pokémon to be used for Gym battles! And Forrest has displayed some impressive skill on the show, having almost defeated a Latias in battle, which is a LEGENDARY Pokémon by the way! I’m sure when Ash eventually achieves his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master then he can train his own apprentice, but until then he has himself to worry about.
16 The Need To Breed
The life of a Pokémon Breeder is a peaceful one. This is because you are essentially choosing to raise and breed Pokémon to make them, and future generations of Pokémon, happy and healthy, rather than to use them for their battling abilities. Actually, it was Brock’s original dream to become a dedicated Pokémon Breeder and was the reason why he left his life as a Gym Leader. This makes sense because Brock is so good at taking care of others, and this includes Pokémon. Even though Brock has since changed his job aspirations to trying to become a Pokémon Doctor, he still exhibits the same nurturing qualities towards Pokémon anyways, so he essentially is still a Pokémon Breeder (minus the title).
15 Master Chef
Among Brock’s many talents, and probably his most signature, is his ability to cook delicious food for both humans and Pokémon alike. Coming from a background where he ended up having to cook and feed his siblings every day, it makes sense that Brock has perfected his craft of making delectable dishes for humans. But even cooler, he has also perfected making Pokémon food as well, so that he gains the trust and friendship of the Pokémon he is feeding. Think of Brock as the Gordon Ramsey of the Pokémon universe, but without the yelling or cursing. Ash, on the other hand, is not known for cooking at all. It’s a good thing he has Brock around to cook for him though, or else he might have starved by now.
14 A Mega-Evolving Master
Mega Evolution is a relatively newer form of evolution and a specialized one at that. To achieve it, a Pokémon Trainer has to combine a Key Stone with the Mega Stone that his/her Pokémon is holding. Sounds complicated? Well, to make it even more intricate, there are only 46 different Pokémon that are able to Mega Evolve. Even though Ash has a Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution in Charizard, he has still not found himself utilizing this powerful new type of evolution. Brock, though, has not only Mega Evolved his Steelix into a Mega Steelix, but he was the first character in the series to perform a Mega Evolution! In terms of the anime, this makes Brock a pioneer of this newer evolution. Perhaps one day, Ash will do it too. When will it happen? Your guess is as good as mine.
13 Brock The Fashionista
When Ash and Brock both decided to enter the Pokémon Dress-Up Contest, which is essentially a contest where Pokémon are judged on how well they can imitate other Pokémon through dressing-up or impersonations, I think most people would have assumed that Ash would have won because his Pikachu is a master of imitating other Pokémon. Much to the surprise of everyone though, Brock ended up winning the competition with his Croagunk, who expertly impersonated a Politoed and impressed the judges in the process. This win led to Brock receiving a Pokémon Egg that would go on to hatch into a Happiny, but more importantly, the competition victory over Ash is something that Brock can brag about anytime Ash gets a bit too cocky.
12 A Strange Kind Of Radar
Brock has a very, uh, “unique” skill where he can identify cross-dressing men because he “lacks attraction” towards them. Surprisingly, this has come in handy on a number of occasions, especially because there have been times where male antagonists, like Team Rocket’s James, have disguised themselves as women to try and trick Ash and his friends. This is not an ability that Ash can say he has, so Brock one-ups him in this regard. Although, it is important to note that Ash is the only cross-dressing male to have fooled Brock. This occurred when he dressed up as a girl named “Ashley” to gain access to the Celadon Gym, which he was previously barred from entering. I don’t know how Ash fooled Brock with his disguise, but it is pretty impressive nonetheless.
11 Ultra-Prepared
Where would Ash be without Brock’s insanely high preparation skills? Equipped with a seemingly bottomless bag that is very similar to the magical bag Mary Poppins used, Brock always seems to have something to help out with any situation. Think you might be lost? Brock can pull out a map to help find your way. Is your Pokémon hurting or hungry? Oh, would you look at that, Brock can just magically whip out some health potions or Pokémon food. His preparedness is so crazy that he once pulled out a whole dining table and tea set from his (also magical?) backpack. Without Brock, Ash’s Pokémon journey would have probably been a total disaster. I mean, have you seen his tiny backpack? I bet it isn’t even magical!
10 Quick On The Draw
I thought Ash was supposed to be the potential Pokémon Master. After the initial debut of Pokémon, when Ash was introduced as the main character in the show, it took him not one, but two episodes to finally catch a Pokémon successfully. Much to the disgust of Misty, Caterpie was the first Pokémon that Ash captured, and it really did not put up a fight as Ash had to merely throw his Poke Ball at the Bug-type Pokémon without actually battling it. Brock, on the other hand, caught his first Pokemon only ONE episode after his debut in the show. He caught a Zubat who was originally attacking a scientist named Seymour. Now, even though it was Ash’s Pikachu that weakened the wild Zubat with his Thunder Shock attack, we all know that Brock was more than capable of battling and catching the Zubat on his own. And that does not void the fact that Brock caught one quicker than Ash did.
9 The Gift Of Giving
As we enter the season of giving, one example of a “giver” would have to be Brock. When Ash accepted a bet with Team Rocket to see who could catch more Pokémon in the Safari Zone, Brock unselfishly assisted Ash in an attempt to win. Brock caught a Tauros with one of Ash’s Safari Balls, and even though he could have probably just kept it for himself since he was the one who caught it, he gave it to Ash because that is just the kind of guy that Brock is. And what did Ash end up doing with this Tauros? He deposited it away to Professor Oak’s laboratory, not even considering that Brock may have wanted to use it for battles. Even worse yet, Ash has not even attempted to repay Brock back by catching him a Pokémon to use. Seems like Brock is the Santa Claus in the friendship and Ash is the Scrooge.
8 The Officer Jenny Identifier
I would not fault you if you assumed that every Officer Jenny that appeared in the series was the same one (or, at least, various clones of her), but that is not the case. Truth be told, the multiple Officer Jennys are all a part of one huge, extended family and they all occupy various regions and towns individually to serve and protect. Understandably, pretty much every character on the show cannot tell them apart (including Ash), which makes sense since they all look completely identical to each other. I say “pretty much” because there is actually one character who has the ability to distinguish them, and since you have gotten this far in the article, you can already be certain that it’s Brock. And it’s true, Brock has the amazing ability to recognize every individual Officer Jenny, and this may have to do with the fact that he also views them as potential love interests.
7 The Grittiest Jelly Donuts
You would think that someone who is as skilled at cooking as Brock would know the difference between rice balls and jelly-filled donuts. Unfortunately for Brock though, he was kind of set up for embarrassment by 4Kids when the company brought the English dub of the show to Western audiences. I guess they thought that American children would be confused by what a rice ball is since it is a Japanese food after all. So instead, Brock’s line of dialogue was hilariously changed to him referring to the food as jelly-filled donuts, when they were clearly not that. And henceforth, a meme was born, and a funny one at that. And I present this question: Has Ash ever produced a funny meme involving food confusion? I think not.
6 Racial Controversy
Brock has and always will be viewed as an integral character in the Pokémon series as a whole. So, it was a pretty confusing and infuriating time when he was written out of the show and replaced by Tracey Sketchit, a character who could only be described as a very “meh” addition to the show. Which bears the question though, why was a character as beloved as Brock replaced with someone as bland and forgettable as Tracey? Simple, the writers were worried that Brock’s appearance might be considered racist and tried to avoid potential criticism by writing him out of the show. When they eventually found out that nobody actually cared about Brock’s look, they would bring him back, much to everyone’s delight. So far, Ash has not created any controversy himself, which some may see as a good thing, but you got to admit that controversial storylines are definitely more fun and interesting to read about.
5 Mr. Maturity
If there was ever someone in Ash’s traveling posse you could designate as the “default adult,” since they are all children, it would have to be Brock. Since he was essentially forced to become a parent-figure to his siblings at a young age, it really shows in Brock’s personality and traits. It always seems like when something goes awry or a problem presents itself to the group, Brock is always the most level-headed and willing to offer advice on how to remedy the situation. He also offers tons of tips to Ash to help him out when it comes to Pokémon, similar to how a parent would offer life advice to a child every step of the way in their development.
4 Brock The Solo Artist
Did you know, that underneath Brock’s vast knowledge of Pokémon and his mature nature, lies a highly talented performer/songwriter? Okay, maybe “highly talented” isn’t the best way to describe it, especially since Brock only performs his incredible song “Brock’s Paradise” when he needs to act as a distraction. Also, he usually gets booed by the audience whenever he performs it. With these minor details aside, you’ve got to admire Brock’s confidence and bravado when it comes to him performing in front of a crowd because that is difficult! Plus, I personally think his song is VERY catchy. But, music taste is pretty subjective I guess. Even though Brock has been a team player when it has come to performing for distraction purposes, we have yet to see Ash take one for the team and sing and dance himself. C’mon Ash, be a team player!
3 Brock The Rock Expert
Everything about Brock just screams “Rock-type Pokémon expert.” Think about it. He was the Gym Leader of the Pewter Gym, which was filled with ROCKS! When Pokémon Trainers defeated Brock, they would receive the BOULDER Badge. The main Pokémon Brock used while he was a Gym Leader was Onix and Geodude, who are both ROCK-type Pokemon. If that doesn’t describe someone who is a master of Rock-type Pokémon, I don’t know what does. Since then, Brock has branched out to use other types of Pokémon, but that does not void his expertise when it comes to Pokémon made of stone. Meanwhile, Ash is attempting to become an overall Pokémon Master, and he seems more interested in training various types of Pokémon, rather than be specialized in training one type.
2 He Can Do It With His Eyes Closed
There has been much debate in regards to the status of Brock’s eyes, and whether they are opened or closed? This debate has since been answered though, as Brock has actually opened his eyes fully on a number of occasions, especially when he is swooning over potential love interests. Which really makes me think about how impressive it was for Brock to accomplish everything he has without eyesight. The dude goes on adventures, performs everyday tasks and chores like cooking, and even engages in Pokémon battles, all this while having impaired vision! Even better yet, when you think about it, Brock defeated Ash at Pewter Gym WITH HIS EYES CLOSED! That has got to be pretty disheartening. Perhaps when Ash eventually becomes the very best Pokémon Trainer, he can try attempting to Pokémon battle with his eyes closed too.
1 Ladies’ Man
It’s easy to shoot down the notion that Brock is a ladies man whenever you see the countless times that the various Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys have rejected him in the past. But the list of women who have fallen in love with or shown interest in Brock romantically is pretty long. This list includes a girl named Temacu, who was about to fall into a fountain when Brock arrived to catch her. After that, she decided that she actually wanted to marry Brock! I guess Brock saving her from getting wet was enough for her to want to spend the rest of her life with him. Another example is Holly, who was Brock’s Tag Battle partner, and she showed her feelings when she became jealous when Brock was flirting with other women. And these are only a couple of examples, people! The list is even longer.
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