Gen VII saw Ash finally take the biggest of steps toward fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a Pokémon Master when he won the Alolan Pokémon League, the Manalo Conference. Despite it being a recently formed tournament, with its preparations spanning much of the final season of Sun & Moon, this by no means takes away from the integrity of the tournament.
To get to this stage, however, Ash not only had to overcome four different grand trials against four very capable Island Kahunas, but he also had to help his Pokémon grow to be the best version of themselves, all while battling plenty of tough trainers.
10 Hau Took After His Grandfather With Respectful Battling But Had His Own Twist
Ash and Hau create quite the rivalry in the Alola region, with both of them owning a Pokémon from the Rowlet-line. Ever since their first battle, Rowlet becomes driven and determined to win, against Hau's Dartix and later his Decidueye.
Their battle at the Manalo Conference was unfortunately just a 1-on-1 bout, and although Rowlet versus Decidueye was a fiercely competitive and close battle, a 2-on-2 with his Alolan Raichu being involved could have turned this battle into one of the best of the series.
9 Hala Was A Tough First Alolan Grand Trial Test For Ash To Overcome
Hala is an integral figure of the Sun & Moon series and appears several times as a wise and well-respected elder. He is the grandfather of Hau, a previous mentor to Kukui and Guzma, and most importantly he is the Kahuna of Melemele Island.
His grand trial battle with Ash is closely fought with Hariyama and Crabrawler only just losing out to Ash's Pikachu and Rowlet. This battle was integral to Ash and his Pokémon growing and getting to a level where Ash would eventually win the Pokémon League.
8 Ryuki's Erratic Nature Made For An Entertaining Collection Of Battles
In "Aiming For The Top Floor," Ryuki appears as a Dragon-type Gym Leader, seemingly paying homage to Kanto gyms as a kind of tourist attraction. His loud demeanor and music play into his battle style, often distracting and overwhelming opposing Pokémon.
He defeats Kiawe's Marowak and seems on route to defeating Ash's Rowlet before Meltan interferes, prompting it to be changed to a double battle format, Rowlet and Meltan versus Druddigon and Zweilous. Rowlet eventually wins it for Ash but Ryuki's chaotic and energetic approach to battling is oddly refreshing.
7 Hapu & Mudsdale Forced Pikachu To Dig Deep In Order To Win
When Tapu Fini acknowledges her as the next Kahuna for Poni Island, Hapu steps up and faces Ash when he comes calling for his fourth and final grand trial. Hapu and her Mudsdale demonstrate devastating offense with a destructive Z-move, but are ultimately beaten by Ash and his Pikachu after a closely fought battle.
Ash defeating yet another Ground-type with an Electric-type defies logic, but the battle itself is intense and gritty enough to brush over that.
6 Kiawe Was A Close Friend & Fierce Rival
Although any battle that Ash and Kiawe have in the anime is considered to be training or a quick battle between friendly rivals, it doesn't change the fact that Kiawe is one of the strongest trainers that Ash battles in the Sun & Moon series.
He has strong Pokémon upon his introduction in Charizard and Turtonator, but he grows throughout the series, learning new moves, techniques and incorporating Z-moves too. The fact that he ever knocked out Gladion's Lycanroc at the Manalo Conference is a testament to all of this.
5 Nanu Stacked The Odds Against Ash
As the Kahuna of Ula'ula Island, Nanu initially defeats Ash when his Lycanroc goes berserk. The rematch saw Nanu test the limits of Ash's battling pedigree, imposing rules that made it Lycanroc versus three of Nanu's Pokémon in singles bouts.
With the odds stacked against it, Lycanroc comes through its toughest challenge yet and with added help from Tapu Bulu acknowledging it and healing it after the second round, earns Ash the win in this difficult grand trial.
4 Olivia & Her Akala Island Grand Trial Helped Shape Ash's Lycanroc As A Top Pokémon
The Kahuna of Akala Island, Olivia is as likable as she is clumsy. However, what she may lack in spatial awareness and balance, she more than makes up for in fighting spirit, as shown in her grand trial battle with Ash.
Although her Lycanroc and Probopass are beaten by Ash's Rowlet and Rockruff, she serves as a stepping stone for Ash, furthering his Rockruff's character and edging it closer to evolution. The battle itself is closer than it may suggest and was arguably the hardest fought of the grand trial battles.
3 Guzma's Ruthless, Yet Clever Battling Almost Stopped Ash's Momentum
Ash's opponent in the semi-finals of the Manalo Conference, Guzma, is the mysterious and cynical leader of Team Skull. Given a backstory and history with Kukui makes him a compelling character and adds a certain level of unease and intensity to the entire Manalo Conference, having a trainer hell-bent on winning it just to destroy the integrity of it all.
After showing his ruthless side against Lana, his battle with Ash showcases his strategic nature by utilizing a U-Turn Scizor, before his Golisopod's ability sabotages itself. Ultimately, he was still a tricky obstacle that Ash had to overcome in order to get to the final.
2 Gladion Was The Perfect Rival For Ash
Gladion versus Ash as the final match-up of the Manalo Conference made so much sense as they were by far the strongest trainers in the tournament. They had fought previously but going into this 3-on-3 bout, Ash only knew about Gladion's Lycanroc, Silvally and Umbreon, meaning that Zoroark may not have even crossed his mind.
This match arguably deserved a 6-on-6 battle, just as much as or perhaps even more than the Ash versus Kukui bout. Regardless, Gladion pushed Ash to his limit as expected, with Ash finally winning his first Pokémon League and achieving his dream.
1 Kukui Versus Ash Was The Perfect Culmination Of Events From A Fantastic Series
Professor Kukui is a supporting character throughout the entirety of the Sun & Moon series with him hosting and mentoring Ash while he stays in Alola. This makes it all the more interesting when he is revealed to be the Masked Royal, as it adds a whole new secret side to his character.
Furthermore, when Ash wins the Manalo Conference, the two square off in an exhibition match and now that the guise of the Masked Royal has been exposed and dropped, Kukui reveals his four other Pokémon, a complete surprise to the viewer and to Ash. This isn't including Incineroar and Braviary as they were both revealed prior to this moment. Their match is intense and goes down to the wire before Pikachu finally overwhelms Tapu Koko.