Among fans of the Pikachu has a reputation for being absurdly powerful, far more so than he really has a right to be. However, Pikachu has also had a number of embarrassing losses over the years. There's one Pokémon Ash owned, however, who never lost even once, and that would be Primeape.
Ash first encountered his Primeape in the episode "Primeape Goes Bananas!", where it was first seen as a Mankey, which then evolved when James kicked it. Primeape famously stole Ash's hat, leading him on a quest to get it back that ended with him capturing the Pokémon. While Ash owned Primeape for just four episodes, the Pig Monkey Pokémon was undoubtedly one of his stronger options throughout that time. It was the first Pokémon Ash captured that was already fully evolved, and also became the first that he left behind with another trainer to improve its skills.
Ash's Primeape Remains Undefeated
Primeape Never Lost a Battle On Screen
Surprisingly, Primeape never lost a battle that it took part in, and it did get to participate in a tournament for Fighting-type Pokémon. Naturally, Primeape's short run on Ash's team contributed to its win rate being so high; with only 2 appearances, those being its introduction and its departure episodes, it didn't have much of a chance to lose. Primeape was a bit unpredictable in battle, prone to rages that could lead to it rampaging out of control. It easily defeated Team Rocket in its debut episode, and in "The Punchy Pokémon," won against a Machop and a Hitmonlee.
With the series now concluded, many of Ash's long-departed Pokémon returned to him before the end, such as Butterfree and Pidgeot, but Ash never reunited with Primeape. It's a shame, as he and Primeape did develop something of a bond during the tournament, only to part ways immediately after. Primeape was definitely a powerful Pokémon to give to Ash so early in the series, so it seems likely the writers realized it might be a bit too strong and decided to write it out. This unintentionally left Primeape absolutely undefeated, and to this day, is Ash's only Pokémon with such a distinction.
Ash's Other High Win Rate Pokémon
Ash Had Several Pokémon Who Were Rarely Defeated
As far as runners-up for the title of highest win rate go, Ash has a couple of other Pokémon that came close to Primeape's win rate. Ash's Snorlax stands out, with an 11-3 record, winning about 80% of the battles it participated in. Ash's Aipom went 9-3 before trading it to Dawn, giving it a solid 75% win rate. Ash's Infernape, another monkey-themed Pokémon, had a record of 17 wins, 6 losses, and a draw, giving it about a 73% win rate. Ash's Krookodile wasn't used in too many battles either, but still managed to go 4-1, giving it an 80% win rate.
I Can't Believe It, But Pokémon's Original Ending for Ash Was Ridiculously Depressing
The original head writer for the Pokémon anime had a particular ending in mind for Ash and Pikachu, and it was a serious downer of a finale.
Of course, there's far more to life than just winning, and that's true even in the Pokémon world. Primeape's unpredictability and rage would likely have caught up to it eventually, had it stuck around. While losing is never fun, there is value in it, as it often presents a learning opportunity, a chance to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it for next time. Ash would never have been able to become World Champion without losing some important matches along the way, and learning to handle a loss with grace and humility is a skill anyone can benefit from.
Primeape may be undefeated on screen, but that doesn't make it Ash's best Pokémon. Perhaps some day, if Ash does return, he'll have Primeape with him again, or maybe even have evolved it into an Annihilape. Until then, though, Primeape will always hold this unique distinction among all of Ash's Pokémon.
Pokémon
- Release Date
- 1997 - 2023
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
- Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne He, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
Cast
Rica MatsumotoSatoshi (voice)-
Ikue OtaniPikachu (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku
- Franchise(s)
- Pokemon
- Creator(s)
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