Time for another semi-in-depth analysis of the Pokémon anime and Ash’s battle records! Just like before, we’ll be getting answers to the following questions:
- How many Gym leaders did Ash fight?
- How many Elite Four members did Ash fight?
- How many awards did Ash actually earn?
Seasons 3-5 cover the Johto region and introduce a new generation of Pokémon. Ash is slightly wiser, and has learned a lot from his frequent losses in Kanto. But, has he learned enough that he actually starts earning his badges?
The criteria for a win to count is the same as before. Ash must defeat the Gym Leader, Elite Four member, or Champion, either by knocking out all the opposing Pokémon, or if the opponent forfeits.
I’m going to count battles with characters faced in future or past seasons as long as there is a definitive winner.
| Gym Leader / Badge Given | How did the battle finish? | Ash earned the badge because… |
|---|---|---|
| Falkner / Zephyr | Falkner’s Pidgeot was knocked out by Ash’s Charizard | Ash defeated Falkner fairly |
| Bugsy / Hive | Bugsy’s Scyther was knocked out by Ash’s Cyndaquil | Ash defeated Bugsy fairly |
| Whitney / Plain | Whitney’s Miltank was knocked out by Ash’s Pikachu | Ash defeated Whitney fairly |
| Morty / Fog | Morty’s Gengar was knocked out by Ash’s Noctowl | Ash defeated Morty fairly |
| Chuck / Storm | Chuck’s Machoke was knocked out by Ash’s Bayleef | Ash defeated Chuck fairly |
| Jasmine / Mineral | Jasmine’s Steelix was knocked out by Ash’s Cyndaquil | Ash defeated Jasmine fairly |
| Pryce / Glacier | Pryce forfeits before either of the Pokémon got knocked out | Ash defeated Pryce fairly |
| Clair / Rising | Clair’s Dragonair is knocked out by Ash’s Charizard | Ash defeated Clair fairly |
In Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the Pokémon League is still at the Indigo Plateau in Kanto. In the anime, the big single-elimination tournament is the Silver League Conference, taking place in a town at the base of Mt. Silver. Ash performs better in this tournament, making it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated. But, does he battle any of the Silver Elite Four or the Champion?
| League Member | Did Ash defeat this person? |
| Will | Never encountered |
| Koga | Technically, yes, but I’m not counting it |
| Bruno | Did not battle him |
| Karen | Never encountered |
| Lance | Did not battle him |
I wasn’t sure if I should count Ash’s battle with Koga at first.
Koga, who you might recognize, was the Fuchsia Gym Leader in Gen I. For Gen II, he got promoted to Elite Four member, and appointed his daughter, Janine, as the new Fuchsia Gym Leader. Ash battled Koga previously and won the Soul Badge from him fairly. But, Ash does not battle or even see Koga again for the rest of the anime (He DOES battle Koga’s sister again, though). I decided not to count Ash’s retroactive victory over Koga for the Johto League, since the only time they battled was for a Gym Badge. Had Koga fought Ash a second time in the series, I would have counted it.
It doesn’t make a lick of difference in the long run, since Ash didn’t fight anyone else in the Elite Four. Ash also didn’t battle Champion Lance, despite meeting him multiple times over the course of the series.
So, going by the game’s rules, Ash qualified for the Silver League by earning the 8 Johto badges fairly. However, he would not have placed in the Hall of Fame as he did not defeat any of the Pokémon League members.
Thanks to glorious character development, Ash’s skill as a trainer is improving, and he was able to earn his Johto badges through hard work and strategy instead of getting them as “Thank you” gifts. He even got the Rising Badge without the extra bullshit that Clair puts you through in the games (I’ll be salty about that until I die).
Hopefully, Ash keeps this pace going for Hoenn (and actually fights the region’s Elite Four).
Interesting Times with CaptainHoneydew 
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