Remembering Pokemon: 1st Season Gym Battle Rankings

So after getting Pokemon X this past Christmas, my nostalgia started taking over. My mind went back to the TV series, a staple of my late elementary and early middle school years. For the record, I do pop in on the newer shows every so often on Cartoon Network, but I have the fondest memories of the original Indigo/Kanto series most of all. I was thinking of doing a rant based on what I think is the lowest moment of the series, but that will be coming later. I decided to think back on some of the best battles of the series and my mind immediately went to the Gym Battles.

The Gym Battles, as I believe they should be, were the highlights of the season and showed that Ash was continuing his progress as a young trainer. Some of the battles took place in one episode, while others had a couple of episodes and some even had their own story arcs. As I thought back to some of these episodes I tried thinking about each one individually, what worked for them, what didn’t and based purely on my memory, I’m going to rank each Indigo series gym battle from 8 to 1.

A couple things to note before I begin this, this list is purely on my memories of the show…somehow I’ve been able to retain most of the details nearly 15 years later….god it’s been that long? I’m not against rewatching these episodes at a later date and then going back to redo this list if my opinions of the battle have changed. Next, the battles where Ash doesn’t get declared the winner and is just given his badge will automatically be in the bottom of the list, which contrary to popular belief, does not occur in the majority of the battles from this season. Agree or disagree, let me know constructively what you think of my rankings, I’d love to talk more about it.

In addition, I would like to thank the operators of the Screenshots of Pokemon Tumblr page for being the resource of all of the images that you will see in this post and in future writings about the Pokemon series

Without further ado, let’s begin.

8. Celadon City Gym Battle vs. Erika, Pokemon Scent-Sation (Ep. 26)

I thought back to all the episodes where Ash was given a badge…and this was the most infuriating episode of the bunch. Why? Because everyone gets on Ash’s case for hating perfume….when he’s 10. He makes a big production out of it at a perfume store in Celadon and gets kicked out, sans even Pikachu for some ungodly reason. Then we get to the worst part of it WHERE HE’S BANNED FROM ENTERING THE CELADON GYM BECAUSE THEY MAKE THE PERFUME THERE! 

WHAT KIND OF GYM DO THEY OPERATE?!

What the hell?! When I was 10 years old I didn’t understand what was so special about perfume for girls, so why would Ash get banned from a gym because of saying he hates it, again, AT 10 YEARS OLD!

The battle is nothing special either with each competitor losing in quick succession before Team Rocket shows up and their incompetence causes a fire at the gym. Ash rescues Erika’s beloved Gloom and is rewarded with the badge the next day.

Good badge design, though pink isn't in the rainbow.

Not to say that this is the low point of the series, but this was by far the weakest episode that featured Ash receiving a badge. It does have the funny moment of Ash being so desperate to enter the gym that he actually dresses in drag to get past the guards...

Desperate times I suppose....

But even that leads to the gym fire because it was under suggestion from Jessie and James. All in all the episode is just frustrating more than anything and did nothing for anyone, but just portray Erika and her associates almost like dictators which really clashes with the peaceful lady-like persona of Erika in the games and Adventures manga.

7. Cerulean Gym Battle vs. Misty, The Waterflowers of Cerulean City (Ep. 7)

Lemme get this out of the way, Misty has always been one of my favorite Pokemon characters, if only because I loved the way she and Ash worked off of one another. It’s no wonder why this pair was often shipped together, which…I’ll admit I was a part of (thanks for that little gem Suede). That’s why it’s a little disappointing to look back on her first battle with Ash because there was a lot of potential there, but the interference by Team Rocket really hurts the episode. As background, after leaving Mt. Moon, the group is heading towards Cerulean City, which Misty really wants to avoid for some unknown reason. When they arrive in Cerulean, Misty is nowhere to be found and Brock and Ash split up as Ash looks for the gym, when he arrives there, rather than Pokemon battles, he finds a synchronized swimming show with three sisters, Daisy, Violet and Lily (from left to right in the picture below), also the leaders of the gym.

I wouldn't mind working for this Gym.

When he challenges the trio, they tell him that they want no part of it after getting defeated soundly by the other three Pallet Town trainers. So soundly, the only Pokemon they have available for battle is Goldeen (and ever Smash Brothers player out there knows how worthless that fish is). Because of this, the girls actually offer Ash the Cascade Badge right away. Ash is hesitant at first, which I find to be admirable, because even after finding out that he’s still behind Gary and the other Pallet trainers, he doesn’t want to take the easy way to catch up to them and even when he decides to accept it, he’s not thrilled with it. But before Daisy can give him the badge, Misty shows up and reveals that she’s Daisy, Lily and Violet’s little sister.

Pictured: One decent trainer and two bullies (in a family sense of course)

After doing the typical ‘big sisters make fun of the runt’ type of routine, Misty offers to take their place as the battler and soon Ash and Misty are battling in the Cerulean pool. While Pikachu refuses to fight Misty, the other battles between Butterfree and Staryu and Pidgeotto and Starmie are actually very entertaining and well animated….that is at least until Team Rocket shows up and wrecks the whole thing with a massive water vacuum which they use to start draining the pool in order to get at the Gym’s 

Pokemon. 

Pikachu finds his way into the water and shocks the Rocketteers and they get sent on their merry way. Ash is given the badge by Daisy, the most likable of the three sisters in my opinion, in gratitude and then it’s off to the next town.

You can thank the Chronicles episodes for saving your character.

Again the Team Rocket interference is where things really hurt the episode, the battle between Ash and Misty was actually very entertaining until they came in and started their rigmarole. If this had been fought to a conclusion I could put it in the top half, but because of how it ended, I can’t in good nature put it any higher on the list.

6. Pewter City Gym Battle vs. Brock, Showdown in Pewter City (Ep. 5)

The very first appearance of Brock, a mainstay on the series for several seasons, came in this episode and we also got our first little bit of battle development for Ash and Pikachu. In this episode, Ash and Misty find their way out of the Viridian Forest and make it to Pewter City. After Ash brushes off Misty’s offer of help, he goes to fight Brock at the gym and he is utterly defeated by Brock’s Onix, a ginormous rock snake, his worst loss of the series to that point. 

.......oh crap

From there he learns more about Brock from a mysterious older man named Flint who says that Brock had been caring for his little brothers and sisters because his father disappeared and his mother passed away….which was retconned right before Hoenn, but that’s another story.

Always the lifesaver, even this early.

Brock has been focused on his family so much that he hasn’t had the chance to strike out on his own. Ash decides to challenge him again, but not before supercharging Pikachu.

In the rematch, this time a 2-on-2 match, Ash loses the first round with Pidgeotto against Brock’s Geodude and when he sends in Pikachu his ultracharging shuts Geodude down. Out comes Onix again which causes Pikachu to shoot his sparks wildly, damaging the gym.

Watch out! WATCH OUT!

Pikachu manages to weaken Onix but not outright defeat him before Brock calls him off, that’s when the sprinkler system activates and weakens Onix further, prompting Ash, with a little help from Misty, to attack Onix nearly to the point of fainting. But he’s prevented by all 9 of Brocks younger siblings from giving the final command. 

Hey how the hell am I still standing here with all this weight on me?!

Ash walks away, knowing that had the sprinklers not gone off he wouldn’t have weakened Onix to that point. Brock later finds Ash and gives him the badge, commenting on his kindness to Pikachu and explaining that rather than being a great Trainer, he wants to be a Breeder but realizes his commitment to his family comes first. 

The first badge we all strive for.

However Flint comes into the picture and reveals himself to be Brock’s father and is willing to take over patriarch duties for Brock so he can go fulfill his dream.

Brock in 15 years...in actual years mind you.

I enjoyed this episode more than the other two previously. This was the first gym battle of the series and using Onix as the primary opponent really gave this episode a larger scale. The battle itself rates higher as well because had the fight continued, Ash would have won even after the sprinklers had been activated. We also see the first time on his journey that Ash has to deal with major adversity during a battle. Granted this episode kind of started the rough ordeal where the logic in the games (electricity having no effect whatsoever on Ground/Rock types) was tossed aside, but for having a pretty compelling battle and some decent development in the face of adversity I can rate this episode the highest of episodes where Ash was given the badge.

Now, we move on to all the battles where Ash WON his badges…whats that? I missed one where he was just given the badge? Just wait til I talk about it, maybe you’ll think about it differently.

5. Fuchsia City Gym Battle vs. Koga, The Ninja-Poke Showdown, Ep. 32

This…is not a very memorable episode, actually check that, it IS a memorable episode…but for PSYDUCK of all characters. 

A Pokemon that crippled one trainer's worth

That’s right, the most inept Pokemon in Misty’s collection got more development in an episode where Ash won a badge. Koga I think really got the shaft in this episode because like the Misty Battle, there’s potential here with a gym leader as a ninja master. To be truthful, the building where the Gym is located in has some good booby trap moments, but all of that goes away when a ninja named Aya appears and challenges Ash to a fight. 

See? Non-stealthy looking ninjas didn't start with Naruto.

Her Venonat is defeated easily with Ash’s Bulbasaur and this is where we meet Koga…Aya’s father….at least until Janine is introduced in the Johto games to be Koga’s daughter. His fight with Ash begins when HIS Venonat evolves in a Venomoth, he defeats Pidgeotto and Ash replaces him with Charmander. The two appear even until the wreckers of the day, Team Rocket show up to disrupt everything…and then the attention gets thrown over to Psyduck.

Star of the episode folks....

This is where the episode really falls apart because this attention on Psyduck comes right the heck out of nowhere. It’s Psyduck of all Pokemon that defeat the Rockets and send them packing and then we get an ultra quick one on one battle between Charmander and Golbat, won by Charmander which earns Ash his 6^th badge to that point.

Huh? I fell asleep...WHAT?! Its over ALREADY!?

Again Team Rocket really wrecks this episode, but the worst idea here was to give Psyduck the spotlight. The development that quack got could have been in its own standalone episode but for whatever reason they decided to put that in a gym battle episode. I mean okay the attention shouldn't be on Pikachu ALL of the time but it just felt off that this was the focus of the episode. To make matters worse, this began the longest stretch of episodes before Ash’s NEXT gym battle, 24 episodes, 26 if you include the two episodes in that stretch that were banned in the US. While it wasn't as big problem in Japan considering they air episodes every single week, in America, Ash didn't fight another gym battle for NEARLY A FULL YEAR.

Takes a full year after he won this one.

Granted we got a pretty epic battle at the end of that long layoff, but there was no reason that the battle prior to that should have been so truncated.

4. Viridian City Gym Battle vs. Jessie, Battle of the Badge (Ep. 63)

Initially, I thought this episode was more hurt by the hype for the first movie than anything else. At least I think it would be…except this episode was made in Japan AFTER the first movie premiered, though it did air here in the States before then. Still, why did I think the episode was hurt because of the movie? Well, we all remember that in the original games, Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket was the leader of the Viridian Gym. And during this episode of the show we do get to see him not only as the leader, but he also steps out of the shadows for the very first time in the series. 

Like a boss.

He also had a bad ass Pokemon that at the time we all knew was Mewtwo under all of those metal plates. 

Like a boss.

This was the very first appearance of the creature on screen and he looked amazingly tough, tossing Gary Oak’s Pokemon around like they were nothing and even able to defeat two of his Pokemon at once, giving him his worst loss in a battle and showing us for the first time that Gary isn't unbeatable.

Wait a sec....Gary in a moment of weakness? What madness is this?!

But as bad ass as Mewtwo’s appearance was, we didn't get to see Giovanni face off against Ash, rather we would get Jessie fighting him because of a mysterious plot point that’s never addressed in the series. Granted Giovanni tries to work things in her and Team Rocket’s favor with giving them three more Pokemon to fight with. 

I thought it was one on one? What are we doing this under, handicap match rules?

With those additional Pokemon, and also electrifying the battle platforms to shock Ash when his Pokemon take damage, Jessie takes an early advantage. 

.....not gonna make a shock pun.

But Ash is soon able to turn the tables on Jessie, whose platform is ALSO electrified, and that’s when all the rules get tossed out the window and Ash sends in Pikachu to finish the job. 

And Pikachu comes in for the save.

The battle here is an absolute mess but this episode gets rated higher because we get to see moments that we hadn’t expected. The first on screen appearance of ‘The Boss’ Giovanni, the first appearance of Mewtwo, the first time we see Gary Oak at a moment of weakness and working to HELP Ash rather than just being an asshole around him. It loses points for the battle but it wasn’t as badly truncated as the Violet City battle, so I’m willing to give it a pass here and rate it higher.

......oh wait a sec! I gotta post a picture of the badge!

A feather design for the EARTH badge? Hmm....

3. Saffron City Gym Battle vs. Sabrina, Haunter Vs. Kadabra (Ep. 24)

This is where I think I may get into some controversy here, but it’s my list and you’ll see my reasoning why here in a bit. While I only list the episode where Ash wins the badge, the three-episode Arc where Ash challenges Sabrina I feel as though are some of the strongest episodes of the first season. It starts with 'Abra and the Psychic Showdown' where Ash challenges Sabrina, a cold and calculating gym leader with powerful psychic abilities. She defeats Ash easily and even shrinks the group down and puts them in a model toy town where they are nearly squashed by a strange doll that Sabrina carries around.

If Japan did 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids'

After getting help from another mysterious stranger, they escape. Ash tries to find out a way to beat Sabrina and after the old man denies him help several times, he is inspired by his courage and tells him that possibly the best way to beat psychic types would be to grab a ghost Pokemon from nearby Lavender Town.

Ash ain't too proud to beg.

The next episode ‘Tower of Terror’ is a terrific episode. After reaching the Pokemon Tower, which thankfully in the show is just an old abandoned tower rather than the graveyard it is in the games, 

Though not any less intimidating...

the kids get spooked into running out of the tower, but Ash goes back in to try to capture a ghost Pokemon …almost getting himself KILLED in the process…no fooling! A chandelier falls on both him and Pikachu knocking both of them out…and the Haunter there pulls the two disembodied spirits out of their physical bodies! Holy crap! 

You know, for.....no I'm not gonna say it here, thats not my phrase.

This does lead to one of my favorite moments where Ash picks Misty up and has her levitating in the air before dropping her to Brock. 

Don't let go!

Soon enough they go back to their bodies and wake up and then it’s back to Saffron, but with Haunter in tow no less!

Ash obviously is planning to use Haunter to win his match...but those plans go out the window when he all of a sudden disappears just as the battle begins, Ash and the gang try to escape, but Misty and Brock get turned into dolls and Ash is saved by the man from two episodes ago. 

The fate Ash escaped

He tells Ash about Sabrina’s backstory where she just focused on developing her powers so much that her emotions manifested themselves into the doll she’s seen carrying around. 

Ash manages to find Haunter, who almost kills Team Rocket in the process, and he gets him to come back with him in the gym….only to have him disappear suddenly AGAIN…god what a dick! 

OH COME ON!!!!

Pikachu gets in there and fights Kadabra valiantly but it’s fought to a standstill. Suddenly Haunter comes out of nowhere and tries to make Sabrina laugh….and it works! 

She's.....actually cute like this

Not only does it work on her, but because her Kadabra is linked mentally to her, Kadabra is rolling on the ground laughing. 

Kadabra not so much

Now here’s where the controversy may come in. The old man, who turns out to be Sabrina’s father, comes in and plays referee for a bit, declaring that Kadabra is unable to battle, thus giving Ash the win. 

Winner by LKO (Laughing Knock Out)

People may consider this another case where Ash was just given a badge, but I disagree, he was declared the winner by Sabrina’s father, and even Brock and Misty approve of him getting the badge when even Ash himself questions whether or not he deserves the badge. 

I still don't know how thats called a MARSH badge...

Bottom line, I still consider this arc to be one of the strongest of the series and while the finish wasn’t in any traditional means, it’s unique enough that I like it quite a bit and can approve of it. Though it is a bit disappointing we don’t see more with Sabrina after she laughs away her problems, but what are you gonna do? It’s still strong enough for No. 3 on this list.

2. Cinnabar Island Gym Battle vs. Blaine, Volcanic Panic, Episode 59

After almost an entire year between watching a gym battle here in the states, and a switch of networks to boot (from UPN to WB...geez wouldn't it be something if they merged...oh wait...), Gym Battles returned with authority in September 1999 when Ash and co. made a visit to Cinnabar Island. At the start in the previous episode Riddle Me This, Ash, with full intention of getting his seventh badge discovers Gary also going to Cinnabar Island……on vacation. Cinnabar has apparently been turned into a resort island with mobs of tourists that are so massive, even the Pokemon Center has no room for our heroes. 

Yeah I know you guys are active trainers, but we have to make room for the folks on vacation, sorry!

While there, they meet another mysterious gentleman (jeez I’m sensing a theme here) speaking in riddles that Misty is able to figure out fairly quickly, they discover that the previous gym has been destroyed somehow. While searching for a place to stay, they find the man’s hotel and after thwarting a theft attempt by Team Rocket, the man gives Ash another riddle to get him to the new Gym. After solving the riddle Ash finds the Gym in a Magma Chamber. First off I love the location of this battle, unique, unusual and all sorts of memorable. The gym floor is literally suspended by chains over the magma adding a real element of danger here as well.

Whoa....what a location

The mysterious man appears as well revealing himself to be Blaine and the fight is soon on….with Ash falling quickly behind thanks to his Squirtle getting KO’d and Charizard acting like a dick.

Yeah, not like I saved your life from an abusive trainer you son of a....

Pikachu manages to make things even….with a very deus ex machina-like attack of a Rhydon’s metal horn (Seriously the game logic is just out the window here). But that’s before Blaine reveals his main Pokemon, Magmar. And Magmar is just awesome through and through.

I could so hear Kane's theme music playing when he enters the match

He reflects Pikachu’s electric attacks and just uses his abilities such as Fire Punch to knock Pikachu back before unleashing a fire blast attack that almost knocks Pikachu off the edge of the gym floor. Ash wisely forfeits the match there, realizing that Pikachu was extremely close to becoming like Anakin Skywalker at the end of Revenge of the Sith. Yeah, six years too soon for that joke, but hey it’s the best comparison I can make.

The following episode deals with Ash trying to find some way to beat Blaine when Team Rocket starts putting the chamber on ice. This begins a series of earthquakes on the island that threaten to bubble over into an eruption that threatens the safety of the island. After half of the gym floor breaks off the chains and falls into the lava, Magmar starts throwing rocks to try and stop the lava flow but he can’t do it all himself. After initially not throwing rocks in, Charizard gets off his lazy ass and starts actually doing something. With assistance from Geodude and some cool off help from Staryu and Starmie, the disaster is averted.

So.....what now?

Ash, after first asking if Blaine is going to give him the Badge, which I don’t blame him for seeing as how he saved AN ENTIRE FREAKING ISLAND, is awarded a rematch with Blaine…ON THE TOP OF A VOLCANO! 

Tell me...this is not awesome

This was just plain AWESOME, setting plays such a role in memorable conflicts and it is a shame that in later seasons of the show the setting for Gym Battles are usually just so standard.

And while Blaine of course is going to use Magmar…Charizard actually stands up and puts himself in the fray. For the first time since evolving from Charmeleon, Charizard is actually going to take part in a full battle and goddamn if it’s not one of the best in the entire series. 

I think the term 'Slobberknocker' was made for battles like this

Both creatures go at it, trading blows and changing up momentum, including a scene where it appears that Magmar gets Charizard submerged in the lava. When they emerge, Charizard unleashes an EPIC seismic toss that clinches the battle and the seventh badge for Ash.

GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY!

So if this is as epic a match as I’m describing, why is it only No. 2 on this list?

....thats the last time I save a Pokemon from an abusive trainer....until Unova.

Yeah Charizard just wanted to fight Magmar and didn’t give a damn about listening to Ash. What happens a little further down the road also plays into why this isn’t No. 1 but the bottom line is that this is just poor writing once again. This SHOULD have been where Ash and Charizard got on the same page and Charizard starts listening to Ash full time, but that doesn’t come for about another 50 episodes. Believe me, I’ll be talking about this in one of my next writings.

Until then, here's a badge that should reflect my opinion of what comes later this season....

Despite my gripes about the aftermath of this battle, it’s still one of the most memorable fights in Pokemon history I think and I look forward to watching it again another time if I decide to redo this list later.

I think it’s pretty obvious what No. 1 is now, but I’m still gonna go over it.

1.  Vermillion City Gym Battle vs. Lt. Surge, Electric Shock Showdown, Episode 14

I think back on the whole series of gym battles from the first season and I can’t think of a better overall episode than Electric Shock Showdown. Everything about this episode works. We start off as an exhausted Ash and friends take a trip to the Pokemon Center after finally arriving in Vermillion City. When they arrive there we see several Pokemon laid out on hospital beds, all defeated by the City’s gym leader Lt. Surge.

Even a Sandshrew got beat down....damn that must be a powerful creature

Ash shakes this off this thinking Pikachu won’t have a problem, typical of his early over confidence. When they arrive at the Gym we get our first look at Surge and you can tell right away that he’s a force to be reckoned with, TOWERING over the group. 

Seriously, I'd be scared out of my wits if I saw a man that size.

After mocking Ash’s Pikachu, he reveals his main Pokemon to be its evolved form, Raichu. 

.....what is with this gym and size?

Surge brags about its increased electrical powers and when the fight occurs it’s apparent that Pikachu is overmatched as he loses quickly.

And I thought the loss to Onix was bad....

While Pikachu is recovering at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy brings up the idea of evolving Pikachu using a Thunderstone that she obtained. Ash is conflicted and leaves the choice up to Pikachu who rejects the idea of evolving outright. 

Not here, not now, not ever

Soon enough, Pikachu is ready to go for his rematch and while initially it looks like it will be a repeat of the first match, Pikachu unleashes its speed to start to run circles around Raichu, leaving it completely in the dust since Surge evolved Raichu so quickly that it didn’t learn any speed attacks.

Stand still so I can crush you!

After avoiding a last ditch Thunderbolt attack that’s so powerful it blows out the windows of the Gym, Pikachu finishes Raichu off with a quick attack and an electrified slap of its tail across Raichu’s face. Raichu, weakened by the previous attack falls to this attack and Ash wins his third badge.

No snark here, the episode is that good.

All told this episode showed the best of the franchise and some surprisingly mature conflicts for this show. We see Pokemon getting seriously hurt and left severely bandaged by Raichu’s attacks. Surge and Raichu themselves offer a big intimidation factor aided in large part to the lighting when we meet them for the first time. Vermillion’s gym did not turn on the lights until AFTER the fight was about to begin and when we see both Surge and Raichu for the first time, they are not fully in shadows, but also not fully in the light. Even during the battle the lighting is rather subdued, almost as if the battle would occur at night.

All we need is a good announcer and this has a more epic feel if thats possible.

Also in this episode, Team Rocket DOESN’T go after Pikachu…in fact, they ROOT for him to win against Raichu 

If you can really call this rooting.

It’s an interesting swap of circumstances that shows that while Team Rocket can be bumblers, they have an immense respect for Pikachu and its abilities.

I think even going back and watching all these episodes, I don’t see this one moving from this spot, even when I was a huge Poke-fanatic this was the episode I looked forward to seeing the most multiple times. It showed that Pikachu could still be at a disadvantage but find a legitimate way to win a fight, minus any shenanigans and breaking of in game logic (not counting specific stat numbers here).

This was also Ash’s first official victory over a gym leader and you can tell that while he knows he has two badges already, he’s well aware that he was given those two and has yet to fully win. This is what makes his decision to let Pikachu choose whether to evolve or not more impactful. He WANTS to win not only for himself but to prove to both Misty and Brock that he has progressed as a trainer. In addition, he also wants to be sure that the one Pokemon who’s been with him since the beginning of his journey is on board with it.

The animation of the battles also deserves mention here, I have a problem with most mainstream shonen shows for having vastly inconsistent fight animation because of budget, but here the animation of both creatures fighting deserves to be applauded, especially since it was the first time Pikachu got to run like a speed demon.

So that’s the list. I welcome any constructive criticism on this list and I’d be willing to chat more if people would be willing to listen. Next time I write, I will be talking about a moment from the end of the original Indigo/Kanto season that still makes me shake my head and wonder ‘what the hell were the writers thinking’. There are some hints as to what that could be in this piece, so keep that in mind. Until next time, I’m the OtakuJock and its time to Catch Em All again!