Top 10 Iconic Pokemon Evolution Scenes

What Ash’s Rockruff lacked in size, it made up for with its temper. Luckily, it channeled that rage into something constructive: befriending Tapu Lele. Then, after a few rocky spars, Rockruff earned some of the legendary’s power and finally grew out of its first stage. Instead of mirroring Ash’s growth, the episode smartly frames this evolution as the culmination of Rockruff’s own journey. Sure, this wouldn’t be the last time Ash’s rock-type lost control. But, seeing Rockruff’s efforts manifest in a slick new transformation is still a step in the right direction. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it comes in the shape of the effortlessly cool Dusk form. That epic howl to the sky is very well deserved.

There’s always something special about a starter’s final evolution, and Goh’s is no different. It couldn’t have come at a better time, either. Eternatus is waking up, Goh’s losing ground against Milotic, and his Raboot only wants to fight with its ineffective ember attack. But, after Goh learns to embrace his partner’s unorthodox style, the newly-minted Cinderance completely tears up the turf. Type-advantages be damned. That final, striking Pyro Ball is as good an endpoint for their journey as you could ask for. In fact, if this were any other match, we’d say Cinderance deserves a red card. But, something tells us there’s no ref in all of Galar who could douse this pair anymore.

Ash’s Krabby spent most of Kanto warming a spot on the bench. So, when it finally got a chance to shine in the Indigo League, it didn’t sink, it swam. As a matter of fact, it swam all the way to its next form, Kingler. Then, with a hyper-beam, a crab-hammer, and a few stomps, Ash’s novice partner 3-0’d Mandi out of the entire tournament. Ironically, this victory is so unforgettable that it almost makes you forget this is Kingler’s first ever fight. If this is what it’s capable of without any real experience, then Kingler is no mere benchwarmer. It’s a total star-player.

This evolution works for all the wrong reasons. On paper, Grovyle’s star-crossed love-affair with a Meganium is a great motivator for its ascendance into Sceptile. The only thing is, Sceptile doesn’t get the girl, and it doesn’t get a power-boost, either. Instead, Grovyle’s evolution is unable to use any of its old moves. Having Sceptile learn, grow, and adapt to its new form added a weight to this evolution that we’d never gotten before. And yet, it’s precisely because of that struggle that makes Sceptile’s debut so gratifying. Yes, Sceptile completely falls on its face, but it’s all in service of a much greater character. That end-result even makes this embarrassing showcase feel worthwhile.

From an abandoned Chimchar to a moody Monferno, this Sinnoh fire-type developed one of the greatest storylines of any of Ash’s partners. But, the best part is that it didn’t stop there. When Monferno’s blaze ability sets it off on yet another fiery rampage, Ash becomes the first trainer capable of quelling its flames. After everything Monferno went through, there’s just nothing better than seeing it finally evolve into the proud Infernape. Especially since it christens the new form by sending Team Rocket flying off again. This moment works because it understands that neither Inferape or Ash got here alone; they did it as partners.

It doesn’t matter whether it came out hard-boiled, scrambled, or sunny side up; the fact of the matter is that Togepi finally spread its wings. Literally. It had some help from a colony of Togepi, but really, this moment is more about Misty's efforts as a trainer. After all, she spent most of her time in the series holding Togepi close to her chest. So, seeing it finally take flight feels like the visualization of everything Misty brought to the show. It’s a shame Misty and Togetic part ways at the end of the episode, but at least they ended things on one hell of a high note.

Most of the time, last-minute evolutions turn exciting moments into extraordinary ones. That still happens here, just not in the way most expected. Rest assured, the showdown between Ash’s Torracat and Kukui’s Incineroar is still incredible. And, given the matchup, it’s only natural that it ends with Ash’s partner evolving into Incineroar itself. The only issue is that, by the time Torracat shapes up, it’s already been K.O.’d. Even though this marked a disappointing end to Torracat’s fight, this scene strikes the perfect balance of hilarious and heartfelt. If anything, it gets props for delivering one of the most unexpected evolutions in the whole series, and that’s saying something.

One of Ash’s best partners ever deserved an equally iconic debut. Thankfully, the show delivered, and then some. Against a group of rogue shinobi, Ash’s Frogadier decides to show them what a real Water Shuriken looks like. But, Greninja’s slick entrance isn’t even the most epic part. The twist of this episode is that it’s two evolutions for the price of one. Just as soon as Greninja appears, he and Ash awaken to their battle bond form. As the first time anything like this ever happened in “Pokémon,” the hype is impossible to resist. After a debut like this, it’s really no surprise Greninja became the de-facto scene-stealer of the Kalos arc.

Ash has caught plenty of Pokémon in his day, but none of them compare to the one he actually raised. He nurtured Riolu from an egg to a baby to a trusted member of his team. In return, Riolu leapt into battle to protect its trainer from Chairman Rose. Along the way, it also happened to unlock a jaw-dropping evolution into Lucario. The aura Pokémon wraps things up with plenty of style, but the fight’s not the point of this scene. The real heart of it all is the culmination of Ash and Riolu’s bond. Seeing their relationship reach such an epic climax is easily representative of “Pokémon” at its very best.

Charmeleon’s final evolution is rightfully a big deal. Just not for Ash. See, the fire-type was in the middle of a rebellious hot-streak, and instead of growing out of it, Charizard was more disobedient than ever before. In the whole franchise, this might be the only one of Ash’s partners to evolve without him doing anything. And yet, it’s because Charmeleon grows on its own that makes this moment feel so monumental. It chose to evolve, just like it chose to save Ash from becoming a splat on the ground. In doing so, this one scene emphasized everything that Ash and Charizard would eventually become, and you can’t get any better than that.