Summary

• Ash's Snorlax in Pokémon is strong and showcased in intense battles in the manga, not the anime.
• In Pokémon Adventures, Red uses Snorlax effectively in the Indigo Plateau League to secure victories.
• The anime missed showcasing Snorlax's true potential, delaying impressive battles and party combinations for Ash.

Known most for its laziness, Ash's Snorlax in Pokémon is actually one of the strongest on his team. However, its true potential isn't truly showcased until a couple of seasons into the anime. Contrarily, the manga, Pokémon Adventures shows exactly why trainers shouldn't underestimate a Snorlax in battle - within just the series' third volume.

Beginning serialization in 1997, Pokémon Adventures' first arc spans three volumes and follows Red, a trainer in the Kanto region. The manga has the creative team of Hidenori Kusaka and Mato. Red has several Pokémon, including a Poliwhirl, Pikachu, Aerodactyl, and a Snorlax, among others.

This is one of Ash's most impressive battles, showing Snorlax's stamina and hard-hitting moveset with attacks like Ice Punch and Hyper Beam.

His adventures primarily consist of facing Team Rocket while competing with his rival, Blue. In this way, his story is a bit parallel to Ash Ketchum's in the anime. However, Ash's Snorlax doesn't get the chance to shine as quickly as Red's.

Snorlax is Superior in Pokémon's Manga

Given its abilities, stamina, and strength, Snorlax is one of Ash's strongest Pokémon.

In Chapter 40 of Pokémon Adventures, "A Charizard...and a Champion," Red battles Blue to determine who the Champion of the Indigo Plateau Pokémon League will be. The hero uses his Snorlax against his rival's Machamp. Early on, Machamp seems to have the advantage due to it easily stopping Snorlax's attacks, like Mega Punch. It appears to be making quick work of the battle. After being tossed into the air and almost disqualified for being out of bounds, Snorlax increases its Double-Edge attack power with gravity. This singular attack, with the fatigue Machamp gained through the battle, gives the giant Pokémon a victory that proves it is more maneuverable than expected.

In Adventures of the Orange Islands, the second season of Pokémon, Ash catches his Snorlax during the episode "Snack Attack." While the giant Pokémon is capable of battling well defensively and has strong attacks, its true potential and maneuverability aren't shown until "Better Eight Than Never," in the fifth season, Pokémon: Master Quest. When earning his final gym badge in the Johto region, Ash uses Snorlax in a battle against Clair's Kingdra. This is one of Ash's most impressive battles, showing Snorlax's stamina and hard-hitting moveset with attacks like Ice Punch and Hyper Beam. Nonetheless, it took four seasons to reach this point of intensity in a must-win battle.

The Pokémon Anime Missed a Huge Opportunity

Given its abilities, stamina, and strength, Snorlax is one of Ash's strongest Pokémon. However, Red's use of his Snorlax in the Indigo Plateau League Championship shows that the anime's protagonist could've used his companion much more effectively. Typically, his Pokémon is used as comedic relief or to show some of his bumbling nature, making it seem like he is especially inexperienced. Had Snorlax's abilities been employed effectively earlier, Ash could have had more impressive battles and party combinations in his earlier adventures. Instead, the anime delayed capitalizing on Snorlax's skills, despite Pokémon Adventures showing its true powerhouse potential from the start.