Top 10 Pokemon Moments That Broke The Internet

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most shocking moments from the “Pokémon” anime and its spin-offs that sparked the most outrage, delight, memes, or discussion on the internet when it aired. We’ll explore the infamous moment and see what the fans thought.

Ever since the Fire Lizard debuted in the anime and caused Ash a lot of havoc, Charizard has been a fan favorite. So, when 2013’s “Pokémon X and Y” came out and the pseudo dragon was getting 2 Mega Evolutions, we were excited. Then, the episode “A League of His Own!” was aired, which gave us THE Charizard battle of all time as X took on Y. Armed with Mega Charizard X, Alain took on Trevor’s Mega Charizard Y in the top 64 bout for the Lumiose Conference in Kalos. After a drawn-out battle with the behemoths slugging it out, Alain’s Charizard overcame its Mega rival and then took out the rest of Trevor’s team to advance in the tournament.

Old school Pokémon fans still remember where they were upon seeing Mewtwo’s incredible aura and playing a role in turning Ash to stone in 1998’s “Pokémon: The First Movie." While the legendary psychic has popped up every so often in the series and films, the O.G. Mewtwo hadn’t appeared since the Johto days. Well, that changed in the “Pokémon Journeys” episode, “Getting More Than You Battled For!” Goh and Ash arrived on an island to search for Mew. Instead, they discovered Mewtwo, the same one from the films. During the episode, Goh and Ash teamed up to battle Mewtwo so the former could capture it. However, it wiped the floor with the 2 trainers in majestic fashion, exciting viewers with this epic return.

If you’ve played an online battle and faced someone with a team filled with legendaries and mythicals, you know how annoying this can be. In the semi-final of the Lily of the Valley Conference of the Sinnoh League, Ash took on the mysterious Tobias, who had a Darkrai that swept the competition on its own so far. Ash’s team put up a valiant effort, even knocking out Darkrai. However, Tobias threw out a Latios that won the battle for him, even if it got knocked out doing so. The audience was annoyed at the cheap way the writers wanted a ridiculously strong trainer to stop Ash from going on to win the tournament. What made it worse is that Tobias hasn’t been seen since.

Since debuting in the anime’s first episode, Pikachu has led the whole franchise as its mascot. Yet in the show, for over 2 decades, its history before being stuffed into the Pokéball against its will has been a mystery. Only drops of information here and there. To welcome the new series, we discovered more of the electric rodent’s origin in the episode “Enter Pikachu!” 4 years before it became Ash’s premier partner, Pikachu was a Pichu in a forest near Pallet Town. Exhausted after several run-ins with wild Pokémon, it’s adopted by a Kangaskhan. After some time, Pichu realizes it’s time to move on. As it waves goodbye, it evolves into Pikachu. Understandably, many fans cried at the wholesome tale.

In 2016, “Pokémon Generations” was released online, which featured short animations based on events from the video games. One episode in particular, “The Lake of Rage," captured the attention of the audience and brought in the most viewers. With Lance of the Elite Four infiltrating the Team Rocket laboratory in Mahogany Town, we witnessed another Gen One favorite being the coolest Pokémon in existence with Dragonite. Not only did it briefly battle the iconic shiny Gyarados, but the dragon-type easily defeated 5 Team Rocket Pokémon at the same time and wrecked the lab, all with stunning animation! Honestly, Lance wasn’t really needed, as Dragonite did it all by itself.

For 19 seasons, Ash had never looked stronger than when he reached the final of the Lumiose Conference in the Kalos League. Armed with the unique Ash-Greninja, it seemed like the Pallet Town homeboy would lift a league trophy. In the final against Alain’s Mega Charizard X, even with a type advantage, Greninja was the first to fall in the epic, incredibly animated fight. Fans were split on the decision for Ash to lose. Some didn’t mind, as it showed progression. But they did point out that losing to Alain meant Ash never beat him, which was disappointing. Others were livid that they were misled by the episode’s promotional material and the translation of the Japanese title, which also hinted at Ash's win.

Shipping is a serious topic. Fans love to debate their matchmaking choices, and Pokémon is one of the best examples. Whenever Ash has a new companion, the audience goes into a tailspin over the new possible romance. But Ash had little love moments beyond THAT Latias scene. Well, that was until the climax of the “XYZ” series. As Serena was leaving for Hoenn, she suddenly turned up the escalator and -- while not shown -- it’s heavily implied from the blushing, the foot movement, and the stunned reaction of the characters that she kissed Ash. AmourShippers, as fans who want Ash and Serena together are called, were delighted. But Pokéshippers, fans of Misty and Ash, were probably less enthusiastic.

After countless battles, capturing Pokémon, befriending many folks, and making way too many memories for a single lifetime, Ash had finally achieved what he strove to do, become a League Champion. To make it even more impressive, he became the Alola region’s first winner. While the “Sun and Moon” series was divisive for its change in art style, that was all forgotten about when Ash faced Gladion in the final of the Manalo Conference. With his Dusk Form Lycanroc taking on the Midnight Form, Ash out-Counter-ed his rival to win his first major League trophy! The only achievement close to this was the much smaller Orange League success. This Alolan news even reached mainstream media, which released articles celebrating the monumental moment.

In 3 minutes and 14 seconds, no Pokémon-related music video has captured as much nostalgia as this. In 2020, Japanese rock band Bump of Chicken had their song “Acacia” turned into a beautiful animated Pokémon video to celebrate the Crown Tundra DLC for “Pokémon Sword and Shield.” Known as “GOTCHA!” it went through the video game’s history, highlighting forgotten and beloved characters and creatures over the entire franchise, alongside a catchy tune. It was filled with many, many easter eggs to get fans to stare at every frame for secrets. As of right now, “GOTCHA!” has amassed 82 million views on YouTube! In comparison, Ed Sheeran’s “Celestial” from 2022 has 48 million, and 2021’s “Electric” from Katy Perry has 52 million.

Finally, Ash had completed what he’d set out to do since he walked into Professor Oak’s lab with a dream. He’s now a Pokémon Master! After over 1200 episodes, during the “Ultimate Journeys” series, Ash entered the Masters Eight Tournament, where the top-ranked trainers in the world competed. Bringing back familiar powerhouses and beloved characters for a delightful trip down memory lane, Ash goes through the tournament to win it all by beating Leon in the final! Once again, mainstream media celebrated the news as though Ash was an IRL competitor, delighting fans even more. It was the perfect send-off for Ash Ketchum. Soon after, he stepped into anime retirement as the series’ main protagonist, allowing the franchise to evolve once more.