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AirGaram's avatar
AirGaram

To me the most iconic pokemon battle would be during Johto League Conference against Gary.

Because, this battle is basically the conclusion of their rivalries ever since the beginning of the series. The battle represents ash and gary’s culmination of their training as a pokemon trainer. Additionally because it features an intense battle with high stakes. The battle, of course, has its own iconic moment, being the final showdown between ash’s Charizard against gary’s Blastoise. In the end, Gary recognized ash’s skill and proceeds to change his goal towards being a researcher and ending their lifelong rivalry.

Makster's avatar
Makster

Electric Shock Showdown (S1 E14)

In the third gym of the Indigo Plateau, Ash faces off against the Electric type gym leader Lt Surge. When it comes to adversaries, I always liked when protagonists go up against those that have similar themes to themselves such as electric type in this case. A better trainer would probably have picked the natural weakness of electricity but instead Ash wanted to test the mettle of his Pikachu against the evolved form Raichu.

What I liked most about this fight is the core themes the Pokemon Anime explores which is the trainer-Pokemon relationship trumps the absolute power of the Pokemon themselves i.e. regardless of how powerful the Pokemon is, it'll always be weaker if you have a strong connection/ strategy between the trainer and Pokemon.

It is shown in this episode as although Raichu is bigger and stronger, Pikachu still wins because Ash understands the match up and utilises the agility to counter Raichu's body slams.

Lastly there's a nice bit of character development between Ash and Pikachu. When given the option of the thunder stone to evolve, Pikachu refuses. And Ash respects this decision.

Sav's avatar
Sav

For me it has to be the first ever battle between Red/Blue/Green (Yellow too?) against Mewtwo.

This is because for many players including myself this was a battle that we couldn't get to before you reach Cerulean City when getting your second badge from Misty.

You had get all eight badges, beat the Elite Four, beat Gary (Blue) and finish the main game before entering Unknown Cave.

The battle was meant to be the hardest and Mewtwo had the best stats too.

I had the Masterball ready but I still battled Mewtwo because I wanted to test myself and it was really important to save the game just in-case you lost...

https://www.youtube.com/embed/yoWCqqlUDKs?feature=oembed

Makster's avatar
Makster
Sav

I always disliked the Unknown Dungeon in Pokemon Red/Blue. It always felt like such a letdown after the highs of beating the Indigo Plateau, facing your rival, and having your squad engrained in history of the league, to then just throwing a Master Ball at Mewtwo.

I guess the Unknown Dungeon and Mewtwo could technically be counted as post-game content or end-game content that are optional to the main story

Sav's avatar
Sav
Makster

That is totally understandable. For nine year old me it was one of my earliest memories of a tough battle bar Blue.

M
Marcus

There are quite a few battles in Pokemon that can easily be considered iconic. In my opinion, it has to be Ash and Infernape vs Paul and Electivire in the Sinnoh League (episode: Battling a Thaw in Relations!).

This is because the entire Sinnoh Region saga has pretty much led up to this point, it showcases not only Ash’s character development but also Infernapes, along with giving everything they’ve got to defeat Paul. Everything is on point in this fight, the build-up, the tension, the dialogue, the action and animation, the special effects, the sound effects, and the music. Definitely one of the most iconic Pokemon battles of all time.

JB
Josh B

My favourite is Ash & Co against Aerodactyl in S01E43- Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon.

Everything about this battle is intense and awesome. Pikachu sets off a team rocket trap and Ash gets captured by the ancient Aerodactyl that has been awoken.

The most epic part of this though is clearly charmeleon evolving into CHARIZARD!! IMO the best pokemon created, a true badass. To finally get to see Ash's nurtured Charmander reach Alpha level is amazing and is one of the standout moments of the earlier seasons for me! This evolution makes the battle one of the most memorable by far.

Letitia Lemon's avatar
Letitia Lemon

I wasn't sure whether to go with anime or game here so I went with game...

SPOILERS AHEAD!

For me, personally... it HAS to be Volo from Legends Arceus! The subtle teases at him having Cynthia's iconic team hinted at throughout with his Togepi and Gible were fun to pick up on, but they mostly just felt like little references as with many of the characters in that game... however, the plot twist of him being the insane villain obsessed with Arceus' power felt like the narrative had been dialed up to 11. As with the original Sinnoh games, the villains were Team Galactic and there was no such evil team established in Legends Arceus at that point, so it really begged the question of who was going to be the threat to the legendaries and, ultimately, the world.

Then the battle begins... and oh what a battle! The same Spiritomb lead as Cynthia, the ICONIC piano that sends chills down any Gen 4 player's spine as soon as they hear it, from having developed a crippling fear of the instrument in their childhood years, to the epic remix of the rest of her battle theme... then enter Giratina and its powerful theme too. My boy, the Pokemon equivalent of the devil, being summoned to battle alongside Volo making it a 7v6 unfair battle... but then, ONE MORE PLOT TWIST... Origin Giratina making it an 8v6 and you truly feel outmatched as you square off against this high level, high power team plus both forms of Giratina afterwards. Giratina is, by far, my favourite legendary and what an introduction it had in this game; being brought into the final battle and used as, essentially, a cheat to make the Cynthia 2.0 fight all the more terrifying, as well as unbalanced... and that's why I love this battle so much. It did everything right from a narrative standpoint, to the setup of Volo mirroring Cynthia's team, the music, the Giratina summon AND 2nd phase- everything combined just made it the perfect battle.

And, for bonus funsies... enjoy Alpharad's reaction to Volo's battle because of how relatable (and hilarious) it is:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/g1sNFH9QrPU?feature=oembed

Paul's avatar
Paul

How can it not be Ash's very first gym!

This is the first major battle Ash and Pikachu have and shows us how determined they are to overcome any obstacle.

There is of course one huge issue with this fight...it would NEVER work in a game but thats not the point.

Ash could have sidelined Pikachu or taken an easy way out an accept Mistys help (use water type) however he is too cocky and reject this help.

Later though this cockyness becomes determination and both Ash and Pikachu train hard and eventually beat Brock.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/XI05EmFaOgM?feature=oembed

EveOnlineTutorials's avatar
EveOnlineTutorials

Status Quo? Whhaatttt?


My nomination is the battle between Ash and Gladion, which took place in the Pokemon Anime universe, IMO it is one of his greatest achievements, but this being said, it was also the point that the show changed forever, So with Ash winning the league and becoming a champion it proved that the writers wanted to put Ash more predominately in the series instead of "stuck in a loop" as the "small guy". It showed that Ash was ready for the bigger leagues.

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

Same as Paul I want to nominate Ash's very first PvP battle with another trainer: the iconic battle with Brock.

The reason I picked this fight is different - it focuses on character development, revealing Ash's true identity. Despite being over-optimistic, Ash resists taking the easy path even as the battle turns in his favor. This move was fundamental in building relationships between Ash, Brock, Misty, and most importantly, Pikachu. Trust built there lasted the whole series.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/UL3EFG5fHkk?feature=oembed

Paul's avatar
Paul
Sturmer

I actually forgot about that. For some reason in my head I remember Brock conceding.

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer
Paul

I started to rewatch the show with my son like 4 days ago, so it's kinda fresh for me =)

Shovel's avatar
Shovel

For me I think the most iconic Pokémon Battle of all time is Pikachu vs Spearow. It’s one of the most famous first battles where Ash and Pikachu get attached by a flock of Spearows.

There’s hoards of Spearows about to attack him, and he looks like he’s about to get destroyed/murdered. At this point, Ash & Pikachu don’t really get along as they’ve just met. In a brave muster of courage Pikachu gathers enough electricity to send a shocking thunderbolt across all of the Spearows really highlighting how much Pikachu was willing to put itself on the line to protect their trainer .

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uOAhGXf53Oo?feature=oembed

Limal's avatar
Limal

In my opinion, the most iconic battle is Ash against Gary Oak in Episode 59, "The Ties That Bind".

This battle is memorable because Ash is finally facing a challenge he initiated 58 episodes ago. Gary has clearly been ahead all this time, putting in significant effort, while Ash has mostly relied on luck or help from friends. This episode highlights Ash's growth and determination.Here is a clip, but avoid watching if you’re trying to avoid spoilers.

https://youtu.be/AG4GSlMhGHs?feature=shared

TheGreatestBanana12's avatar
TheGreatestBanana12

I think the most iconic battle has to be between the Mew and Mewtwo and the Pokemon vs the clone Pokemon it was an epic fight but it was also fight that had a lot of meaning behind it and of course the moment where Ash gets turned to stone and the fighting stops had a big impact no one will forget that moment if you saw the movie.

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