In a brilliant battle that has just begun in the Pokémon Sword and Shield World Coronation Series Masters Tournament, Leon's Charizard defeated Alain's own Mega Evolved Charizard. Lance, the Pokémon Champion in the Johto and Kanto regions and a member of the Elite Four in the Kanto area, and Diantha, the Champion of the Kalos region, would be the two opponents in the following match. A battle between these two immensely powerful characters is highly anticipated.
Even though Pokémon has been running for three decades and is one of the most popular and successful anime series in history, some episodes will undoubtedly be more cherished and successful than others. The rankings of each episode on IMDb can offer an insight into what can be considered the best episodes of the hit series.
Fiery Surprises! - 8.7
Professor Kukui and Ash continue their exhibition duel, with Ash utilizing Naganadel against Kukui's Lucario. Naganadel makes his X-Scissor debut and uses new moves as well. Afterward, Ash's Torracat then evolves into Incineroar after fighting Kukui's Incineroar in a fiery battle, but not before Ash's Incineroar is knocked out.
The episode was well-liked by fans due to the wonderful battle between powerful and popular Pokémon, with Ash's Naganadel's X-Scissor debut getting all the hype too. The evolution of Torracat into Incineroar is also well depicted, as it is delightful to see Ash now have a stronger evolved Pokémon starter in his collection.
Miare Gym Battle! Satoshi VS Citron!! - 8.7
Ash and Clemont being their Gym battle at Lumiose Gym, with Ash using Pikachu and Clemont using Bunnelby. Clemont then sends out Heliolisk, while Ash swaps to Goodra, with Heliolisk displaying that he knows the moves Flash and Thunder Wave, and Goodra has the Hydration Ability.
There was a lot of hype seeing the Gym battle between the two friends and it was especially pleasing with Ash winning and being able to collect the Voltage Badge. The effects during this battle were also well done, especially the clash between Luxray and Goodra in the final strike, which also made fans consider this among the best battles in Pokémon.
The Double Battle in the Hyakkoku Gym! Gojika's Future Sight!! - 8.7
Ash is in Anistar Gym, preparing for his Gym battle against Psychic-type expert Olympia. The duel will begin with Ash's Frogadier and Talonflame, followed by Olympia's two Meowstics of both genders. While Olympia's strategy first seems unbeatable, Ash finally figures out a solution and defeats her, earning the Psychic Badge.
The battle in this episode is brilliant, due to Olympia's male Meowstic using the Helping Hand Ability and the female Meowstic deploying the Future Sight Ability, which made her nearly unbeatable. The magic of the fight scenes overall are also spectacular to watch, particularly the clash of Frogadier's Water Pulse and the male Mewostic's Psyshock.
Decisive Rival Battle! Satoshi Gekkouga VS Mega Jukain!! - 8.7
The fight between Ash's Pikachu and Sawyer's Aegislash proceeds in the Kalos League semifinals, with the latter restricting Pikachu's movement. Sawyer's Shelgon has since evolved into Salamence, and after Ash's Greninja beats Sawyer's Mega-Evolved Sceptile, Ash proceeds to the finals to fight Alain.
The fight between these two friends was extremely thrilling, and the animation was once again superb. It's also good to see Ash's Greninja go all out and beat a Pokemon with a type advantage, which made the fight more exciting and earned the episode top marks.
Alola's Strongest Z! Kapu-Kokeko VS Pikachu! - 8.8
Ash's exhibition match with Professor Kukui continues, with Kukui using Tapu Koko and Ash using Naganade and Pikachu later on. As the battle goes on, Ash's Electrium Z permanently transforms into a Pikashunium Z, which helps Ash win against Kukui and complete the Manalo Conference.
There were several noteworthy moments in this episode's battle, particularly when Ash's Electrium Z transformed into a Pikashunium Z. This allowed Pikachu to grow stronger and eventually defeat the Legendary Pokemon Tapu Koko, which would have been impossible otherwise.
Super Electromagnetic Hyper Class Battle! - 8.8
Ash and Goh return to Sinnoh in this episode, where Ash encounters Volkner, one of the toughest Pokémon Gym Leaders who is the Gym Leader of Sunyshore City's Gym. Later, Ash and Volkner fight in a World Coronation Series match, which Ash wins. The champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia, is then shown competing in the World Coronation Series in the Master Class.
This episode's fight scenes are very impressive, especially when Volkner's Luxray and Ash's Lucario face each other. The revelation about Sinnoh's champion Cynthia being in this arc also was an exciting moment, as it has been years since she was last seen in the series, which made fans look forward to seeing her meet Ash again.
Alola at Kanto! Takeshi and Kasumi!! - 8.8
Ash and his classmates travel to Kanto for an extracurricular activity and end up in Pallet Town in this episode. It's Ash's first trip back to his hometown after spending so much time in Alola. It also marks Misty and Brock's return, Ash's former travel buddies and popular characters from the anime.
This episode was a breath of fresh air for fans of Misty and Brock, as the last time the trio was seen together has been decades ago, and fans are reminded of how much they miss these characters together. The nostalgia that this episode brought resulted in it receiving high ratings from fans.
When Regions Collide! - 8.8
Following Ash's reunion with his former friends, Ash's classmates in Alola learned about the Mega Evolution and Pokémon Leagues, which were not available in Alola. Surprisingly, both Brock and Misty, who are some of the best Pokémon Gym Leaders, have access to Mega Evolutions. Brock has a Steelixite, and Misty has a Gyaradosite, both of which were used in battles to show off their respective strengths.
This episode is another hit of nostalgia for older viewers of the series, as they get to see Mega Evolutions again. There is also the Z-Moves s and Mega Evolutions battle, which has received a lot of anticipation over time, and the battles that took place in this episode did not disappoint.
The Battle Finale of Legend! - 8.9
In a quest to create a world free of spirits for himself, Team Galactic's Cyrus summons two of the strongest Sinnoh Legendary Pokémon, Dialga, and Palkia. After a fight breaks out between of Team Galactic and Ash and his friends, Cyrus enters a portal created by the two Legendary Pokémon by himself; with his fate being forever unknown.
This episode was particularly nerve-wracking, as we actually see a person who manages to control two of the most powerful Legendary Pokémon who can destroy the world. Furthermore, the animation in this episode was spellbinding, especially when the Legendary Pokémon uses its powers.
Zygarde Fights Back! The Final Battle for Kalos!! - 9.1
Chespie is rescued from the Giant Rock by Ash and Alain, briefly stopping it. Lysandre, the captain of Team Flare, however, makes a swift comeback and seizes possession of the Giant Rock. In order to beat Team Flare and Lysandre, Ash and his companions needed the assistance of a massive Zygandre, which was created when Squishy, a Zygandre Core in Bonnie's care, combined with the other Zygandre Cores.
The episode was considered emotional as Squishy, who has been petted by Bonnie for so long, leaves after defeating Team Flare. It was also satisfying, as Ash and his friends have finally beaten Lysandre after so long. The animation of this episode was at its peak point, especially when Ash and his friends' Pokémon combine their attack and launch it toward Lysandre.
