For the first three seasons of the Pokémon anime, the main goal for Ash was to defeat the region's gym leaders, earn their badges, and challenge the Pokémon League to prove he was the very best, like no one ever was. However, that formula changed after his journey to Alola, where he has now decided that he simply wants to be the best without earning gym badges as well.

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Looking back on Ash's journey through the first six regions of his adventures, it's easy to see that, despite how far he has come as a trainer, there were many gym battles that could easily be classed as his worst battles of all time. Even worse still, he didn't even earn many of his early gym badges and it's no surprise that Charizard decided to ignore him for the majority of Kanto.

10 Setting Off Sprinklers Against Brock's Onix

Onix uses bind on Pikachu

In Ash's first-ever gym battle against Brock, he gets absolutely wrecked by Brock's Onix, thanks in no small part to his team of only Pikachu, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto, all of which were weak to either Rock or Ground-type Pokémon.

Instead of going out into the wilds and catching a Grass or Water-type Pokémon like any other trainer would do, he comes back the next day to brute force his way through the battle, only winning when Pikachu's electricity accidentally sets off the fire suppression system and douses Onix in water, severely weakening it. This battle would, unfortunately, set a precedent for the majority of his Kanto gym battles.

9 Misty's Battle Being Interrupted

Ash and Misty's battle being interrupted by Team Rocket

After reaching the Cerulean gym and being unsatisfied with Misty's sisters simply giving him the Cascade Badge, Ash and Misty have a brief battle that, in all honesty, could have gone either way thanks to Pikachu refusing to battle his friend.

Since they hadn't appeared much in the episode yet, Team Rocket decides to - literally - crash the party and steal all of the Water-type Pokémon living in the gym. Thanks to some quick thinking by Ash, the Pokémon are saved and he is given his second gym badge as a reward, without even finishing his battle with Misty.

8 Rescuing Erika's Gloom

Ash rescuing Erika's Gloom from the burning gym in Pokemon anime

Thankfully, Ash's battle with Lt. Surge was a lot more eventful, with both Ash and Pikachu growing as partners and coming out on top despite the enormous difference in power between Pikachu and Lt. Surge's Raichu. However, this would be a one-off occurrence and Ash would return to obtaining gym badges without earning them in most of the following battles, including against Erika.

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Despite starting off strong, Team Rocket once again attacks the Celadon gym and a fire starts inside the building, forcing everyone to evacuate. However, Erika's Gloom apparently didn't get the memo, so Ash races back inside to retrieve it. Thankful for Ash saving her Pokémon, Erika grants Ash her badge without finishing their battle again.

7 Befriending A Haunter To Defeat Sabrina

Pokemon Sabrina, doll, and Haunter

The first season of Pokémon was something of an experiment, with many dark storylines such as Metapod being cut in half by a bloodthirsty Pincir, but one of the more memorable moments was in Ash's battles against Sabrina. After being thoroughly defeated by her Kadabra and Pikachu refusing to battle Sabrina again, Ash sets off to find a Ghost-type Pokémon in Lavender Town, befriending an affectionate Haunter in the process.

Before the battle even begins, Ash is having issues as the Haunter disappears on him, only to reappear pulling faces at Sabrina, making her laugh and reverting her to her happier state. Thankful for Ash's help in making her happy, she gives him her badge, once again without a proper battle.

6 The Easiest Gym Battle In Kanto

Ash vs Jessie in the Viridian Gym battle in Pokemon

The final gym battle for Ash should have been his most difficult, especially after the amazing battle between Charizard and Blaine's Magmar that preceded it. However, Giovanni's Mewtwo breaks out of its cell just in time for him to abandon the gym and leave it to his three worst minions, Team Rocket.

Even after being given some of the gym's Pokémon to use, including a very powerful Machamp and Kingler, Team Rocket proves that battling really isn't their strong suit and are soundly defeated by Ash's Pikachu, with the gym badge falling from the sky into his hands when they blast off again.

5 Sweeping Wattson

Ash tries to give his badge back to Wattson in Pokemon anime

Watson's match was laughably one-sided, with Ash's Pikachu being supercharged by a mechanical Raikou and powerful enough to sweep through Watson's team of three in a matter of seconds. Although Wattson accepted his defeat, he was disheartened by just how badly Pikachu was able to put him in his place and wanders off to clear his head, but not before giving Ash the Dynamo Badge.

Even though Ash tries to give the badge back, knowing full well that he didn't earn it this time, Wattson refuses to take it back and, instead, challenges him to a rematch once his newly obtained Electrike has grown in strength, a battle that is much less one-sided.

4 Thunder Armor

Pikachu Swellow Thunder Armor

Of all of Ash's gym battles in Hoenn, his double battle against Tate and Liza is easily his most infamous thanks to both a questionable team choice and a questionable strategy that involves literal plot armor. Unable to get past Solrock and Lunatone's strengths, Ash instructs Pikachu to use Thunder on itself while riding on Swellow, which should have knocked out at least one of his Pokémon.

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Instead, the Thunder somehow turns into armor that allows Ash to once again brute force his way through the battle and win in one of the dumbest ways possible. At this point in his adventure, he had both Corphish and Grovile he could have used as well and didn't pick either of them in a battle against two Rock-type Pokémon.

3 Only Bringing One Pokémon To A Three vs Three Battle

Ash vs Elesa in Pokemon anime

The battle against Tate and Liza might be infamous in Hoenn, but his battle against Elesa is arguably one of his worst gym battles of all time. After staying up all night to think of a strategy, Ash struts into Elesa's gym with a strategy in mind, which turns out to be using only Palpitoad and not bothering to bring any other Pokémon in case his strategy doesn't work out.

Thankfully, after Palpitoad loses and Ash forgets what gender his Snivy is, despite it being a core aspect of how he caught her in the first place, Pikachu has had enough of his trainer's Unova nonsense and zaps Ash into next week before jumping into battle himself and taking a win.

2 Clay's Mess Of A Battle

While Clay's battle isn't nearly as bad as others for Ash and started out fairly strong, its ending left little to be desired and it definitely wasn't one of his finer moments in Unova. Using a team of Oshawott, Snivy, and, for some reason, Roggenrola, Ash manages to come out on top against Clay's Krokorok and Palpitoad, but once Excadrill appears, Ash returns to his Kanto ways.

Roggenrola is at a huge disadvantage against the Ground/Steel-type Pokémon, yet it manages to not only hold its own long enough to evolve into Boldrore, but also win the battle despite its inexperience.

1 Whitney's Infamous Miltank

Pokemon anime Miltank and Whitney

While Ash's Kanto gym battles mostly involved winning them without actually earning them, his Johto gym battles were the complete opposite, as he learns very quickly against Falkner that he can't simply brute force his way through them anymore.

After losing to Whitney's sweeping Miltank, Ash returns the next day for an unofficial rematch, where he is barely able to win against it after losing with both Cyndaquil and Totodile. Despite only defeating one of her Pokémon, Whitney gives Ash her badge anyway and apparently doesn't want to have an official three vs three match with him.

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