Although Pokémon’s Ash is now a Champion, his early loss in the Indigo League should have not come as a surprise. The trainer finally proved he had what it took in Pokémon Sun and Moon, earning his place as the Champion in the Alola region, before moving on to win the Coronation League in his final season in the anime. However, given the tests required to enter the Indigo League, Ash qualified based on his merits as a person, not a trainer.
To enter the Indigo Pokémon League as a challenger, trainers are required to earn eight gym badges. This proves that they are ready to face other trainers of their caliber. In the case of the games, this would mean battling the Elite Four and the most recent Champion in the region.
Despite being a great trainer and an even better person, however, Ash was unable to make it to the top of the Indigo League of his native Kanto region. He lost to Ritchie, his friend and secondary rival. Still, Ash’s journey to the Indigo League proves he wasn’t prepared for the battles ahead of him.
The Majority of Ash’s Gym Badges Weren’t Traditionally Earned
Pokémon: Indigo League, produced by OLM Inc.
Gym badges are traditionally earned by defeating a gym leader in battle. These battles typically fall under official League rules defined throughout each region. Nonetheless, Ash wins the majority of his battles by alternate means involving bravery and compassion. Though these are strong markers of his character and personal merits, they don’t mark him as a great battler. In reality, he only traditionally earned three of his eight badges. He truly defeated Lt. Surge, Koga, and Blaine. The rest of the gym leaders he faced, his matches were interrupted or involved flukes that gave him an edge.
The other gym leaders – Brock, Misty, Erika, Sabrina, and Giovanni – either gifted him a badge, or the matches were altered from their norm. In his match against Brock within “Showdown in Pewter City“, the sprinkler system was set off, allowing Pikachu a type advantage after being supercharged. The gym leaders of Cerulean City neglect their duties, causing Misty to step in for “The Water Flowers of Cerulean City.” Interrupted by Team Rocket, Misty’s sisters award Ash the badge anyway for defending the gym. Misty even points this out in “Electric Shock Showdown” saying Ash has badges only because Brock and her sisters felt sorry for him.
Ash’s Loss Was For The Best: It Helped Him Grow As A Trainer
Similarly, against Sabrina, Ash’s Haunted used humor to psychically incapacitate the gym leader. This gave him the Marsh badge. Unlike Gary, Ash didn’t face Giovanni at the Viridian City gym. He faced Jessie, who was standing in for her boss during the rise of Mewtwo. Nonetheless, he qualified for the Pokémon League by possessing the eight badges. If it can be assumed that other trainers earned their badges traditionally through battle, Pallet Town’s rising star didn’t have a chance at the title of Indigo League Champion.
However, while Ash’s loss in his first League was disappointing to fans, and it set up a trend of the protagonist always falling short of true greatness, Ash learned a lot during his attempts and his battling skills significantly improved as a result of his losses throughout Pokémon.
Pokémon: The Indigo League is available on Netflix.
WATCH ON NETFLIX
Pokemon
- Created by
- Satoshi Taijiri , Ken Sugimori , Junichi Masuda
- First TV Show
- Pokemon
- First Episode Air Date
- April 1, 1997
- Video Game(s)
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violet , Pokémon Legends: Arceus , Pokemon Snap , Pokémon GO
