Ash's Best Team

[MrMeowPuss]

It's funny I mentioned how powerful Charizard is and give him credit for beating Articuno, but after being with Ash for a short time Pikachu did defeat Dragonite in the Orange League!

 

[Almonds]

Can't say for sure since his Kalos team is incomplete so...

Pikachu: Have him relearn Volt Tackle and deed's done.

Charizard: Win against Articuno was huge

Krookodile: His best ground-type powerhouse.

Sceptile: like many mentioned, the smartest

Staraptor: I'm going to have to wait and see how Hawlucha turns out to be but until then, Staraptor for best flying-type

Froakie: If he evolves, then probably Ash's best water-type. If he doesn't evolve, I'd still say he's one of his best.

 

[L-05308]

Pikachu: Duh.

Charizard: Needs a better moveset than in Best Wishes but he's the guy we all want to see.

Sceptile: He took down Darkrai, that's the most impressive single victory in the entire battle. He also has among the best battle records of all Ash's pokemon.

Kingler: Only pick him above the others because of being evolved.

Snorlax: Always reliable.

Heracross/Glaile/Gliscor: These guys are all versatile and strong battlers.

 

[Supreme Leader Palpitoad]

Pikachu: Ash would, obviously never switch him.

Pignite: It would be much better if Ash used something that has not developed to around its full potential like Charizard.

Torterra: It was reliable as a Turtwig/Grotle but then it was a fallguy. It deserves more time.

Palpitoad: Because he is awesome.

Staraptor: It is his coolest bird.

Gible: Comical and powerful.

 

[Master Cyrus]

Raichu- Because this is a dream
Garchomp-"
Torterra winning a battle-"
Seismotoad- him being used is a dream
Charizard-Remotely possible awake
Venusaur-see dream

 

[Peppermint Phoenix]

Pikachu duh
Charizard balances well the rest as well as being his strongest in OS
Sceptile he's got duh style
Krookodile Style and balance
Snorlax useful
Kingler bamf

 

[Deleted member 72389]

Pikachu:- Because Ash would obviously use him. Besides, he can be quite powerful when the writing isn't holding him back.
Charizard:- I like Infernape too, but Charizard is Ash's strongest fire-type, and perhaps the most powerful out of all of his Pokemon. So, I really can't imagine a Dream Team without him.
Sceptile:- Ash's best grass-type mon! Torterra had potential too, but poor thing never got much of a chance to shine.
Krookodile:- I think he was the best out of Ash's BW team. A definite power-house.
Swellow/Staraptor:- Both are powerful flying types. And either would do well in Ash's Dream Team.
Garchomp/Greninja:- Eh, yeah, I sincerely hope that someday in the future, either Ash's Gible or his Froakie would fully evolve and become another power-house for him. And if that doesn't happen...then there's always Snorlax!

 

[Life]

So essentially this is just my favorite of Ash's Pokemon? Anything from this list is cool with me:

Muk, Kingler, Snorlax, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Tauros, Bayleef (Meganium, pls thx), Quilava (Typhlosion, pls thx), Totodile (Feraligatr, pls thx), Noctowl, Heracross, Donphan, Swellow, Corphish (Crawdaunt, pls thx), Sceptile, Torkoal, Glalie, Staraptor, Torterra, Buizel (Floatzel, pls thx), Gliscor, Gible (Garchomp, pls thx), Scraggy (Scrafty, pls thx), Palpitoad (Seismitoad..?), Krookodile, Boldore (Gigalith, pls thx), Froakie (Hopefully Greninja), Fletchinder (Probably Talonflame), Hawlucha (I get the vibes already).

 

[Five-Gate Omega]

I'd say these six

Pikachu(main partner/unevolved powerhouse

Charizard(powerhouse sweeper)

Sceptile(speed sweeper)

Kingler(versatile wallbreaker)

Krookodile(physical attacker)

Heracross(lead powerhouse)

 

[GaryOak123]

i'd say these 6

pikachu for the reasons mentioned
charizard infernape was nothing special in my mind so charizard is ash's strongest
sceptile took out darkri was ashs powerhouse through hoenn solid pokemon
bulbasaur i know this means theres 2 grass types but i feel bulbasaur is too strong to leave out
squirtle i felt if this guy got some proper attention he could be ashs strongest pokemon
gliscor i personally found him very strong and was dependable in some big battles

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Pikachu: Obviously he would be a part of his team since well...Its Pikachu.

Charizard: Charizard is an obvious choice since may regard him to be one of Ash's biggest powerhouses. We've seen Charizard prove himself time and time again against opponents, even taking down an Articuno before. He's got tons of moves as his disposal and not to mention he is a candidate for mega evolution.

Squirtle: Squirtle is that small speedy lil guy that Ash can always count on. Teach him maybe Ice Beam or something and he's good to go. He's got Hydro Pump and his Rapid Spin does come in handy. Not to mention he could learn the counter shield.

Snorlax: THIS THING! Every time Ash throws Snorlax, there's some serious ass kicking. When Snorlax is awake, this fatso just destroys everything in its path. Snorlax usually takes down two Pokemon before going down and it does have some powerful moves like Hyper Beam and Ice Punch.

Heracross: Also another candidate for mega evolution, Heracross has proven recently how big of a powerhouse it is. Heracross does have some great moves like Mega Horn, Hyper Beam, and Focus Punch. Not to mention Sleep Talk has come in handy.

Sceptile: Sceptile is another one of Ash's most powerful grass type Pokemon. He's very fast and he's a hard hitter when it comes to moves like Leaf Blade. This guy took down that infamous Darkrai in the Sinnoh League so he's clearly proved himself.

 

[Legacy]

Pikachu
Charizard
Bulbasaur
Squirtle
Pidgeotto
Butterfree

 

[DracoMan]

Okay...

Pikachu, 'cause the two are inseparable.

Super Special Awesome Charizard!

Sceptile. Cool Hand Sceptile.

Greninja, assuming Froakie evolves (and I hoe he does).

Garchomp (if Ash can get that shiftless Gible to evolve).

Krookodile, shades and all.

He should also keep Infernape on standby, just in case any of the aforementioned Pokémon end up on the DL.

So essentially this is just my favorite of Ash's Pokemon? Anything from this list is cool with me:

Muk, Kingler, Snorlax, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Tauros, Bayleef (Meganium, pls thx), Quilava (Typhlosion, pls thx), Totodile (Feraligatr, pls thx), Noctowl, Heracross, Donphan, Swellow, Corphish (Crawdaunt, pls thx), Sceptile, Torkoal, Glalie, Staraptor, Torterra, Buizel (Floatzel, pls thx), Gliscor, Gible (Garchomp, pls thx), Scraggy (Scrafty, pls thx), Palpitoad (Seismitoad..?), Krookodile, Boldore (Gigalith, pls thx), Froakie (Hopefully Greninja), Fletchinder (Probably Talonflame), Hawlucha (I get the vibes already).

Way to narrow it down, buddy.

 

[XYZ Nexus]

My dream team for Ash would be: Pikachu (Obvious), Charizard (Very strong cause it did defeat Arcticuno in BF), Sceptile (Defeated Darkrai at the league even though the whole region couldn't.), Greninja, Krookodile (Awesome), and Snorlax because of that bulkiness.

 

[Lluksonak]

Charizard (Very strong cause it did defeat Entei in M03)

It lost to Entei, actually. It defeated an Articuno though.

I'd like to see Ash with(Pikachu is pretty obvious so I'll list 5):
Donphan
Infernape
Charizard
Heracross
and Kingler

 

[EliteTrainerXeos]

Before you read anything, I'd like to point out that this will be a rather long and detailed post but please note that spoiler tags will be used to conceal the paragraph's of text, and also that even though the topic could be considered one's opinion, I actually really put a lot of though into this. So with that said, read on and enjoy. I'm basing this dream team purely on 3 factors;

Bond: The bond between Ash and his Pokemon is something that is important for them to understand one another. It requires there to be an underlying amount of trust, friendship and reliability between them so it shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to picking the right Pokemon.

Strength: Obviously seeing as it's a dream team, the chosen candidates have to have a fairly decent amount of power in order for it to even be called a dream team to begin with. Though you can't win anything with just strength alone.

Experience: Each of the Pokemon that Ash has at his disposal all have had a great deal of experience throughout the time since he caught them, and the fact that they've managed to evolve, learn new moves and be used in situation to help Ash climb higher towards his goal is another important factor. Some of them may have more experience than others but that doesn't mean those with less can't surprise those with more.

Now with that said, time for a few honorable mentions.

Spoiler

Heracross: Heracross has been a relatively reliable Pokemon that Ash has called upon several times since it's capture in Johto to help him triumph in a few gym, frontier and league battles. Putting the sapstick with Bulbasaur to one side(See what I did there?), it has shown that it is a Pokemon worthy of making the cut by defeating Nando's Kricketune in the memorable league match in Sinnoh, and even putting up some resistance to Tobias's Darkrai before it was halted. The reason why it didn't make the cut is, although it has shown to be a Pokemon that has enough strength, Ash really hasn't sprouted any sort of tight-knitted bond with it, and it's main use really has been a Pokemon that's used to overcome tricky hurdles along the way.

Infernape: Now people are probably thinking "Is he crazy?" But I have a good reason for why it didn't make the cut. Ever since it was taken under Ash's wing from Paul as a Chimchar, it's been used constantly from that point on in order for it to show it's true strengths and prove a point to Paul that it's not worthless. The whole issue with it spanning out of control when Blaze activated was a nice way for it to kindle a bond with Ash and show it that not everyone is cruel, but the problem was spread across it's entire evolutionary stage and for the most part, from when Ash obtained Chimchar, to it's match with Ash against Paul as an Infernape, the goal has been to prove Paul wrong. Sure, it is crazy strong, can take plenty of hits and still dish out damage to foes like Aggron and Electivire, even without Blaze being used it surely is a Powerhouse of Ash's. But the fact remains that Ash has several other Pokemon that can best Infernape, thus the reason why it didn't make the cut.

Torterra: I bet people are also wondering why Torterra didn't make the cut but the reason for this is more simple then people think and that is that it hasn't really prevailed, has it? Sure, as a Turtwig things looked promising though it took a turn for the worst as it evolved. It gained tremendous power as a Torterra yet it's speed issues became it's eventual downfall. It hasn't done anything remotely worthwhile other then aid Ash in disposing of Team Rocket, so it's true strength has just been covered up. It's had a few moments where it could shine such as the fight with Palmer's Rhyperior as a Grotle but really it doesn't shine bright like some others. Besides, we all know that Ash has another Grass type Pokemon at his disposal.

Krookodile: Krookodile is a Pokemon that I was tempted to put in for the dream team, however when putting facts against one another, it was knocked from the cut. Krookodile is one of Ash's Pokemon that isn't afraid to go all out no matter who the opponent is. It's tough, has stamina and a considerable amount in power that which I think rivals Torterra, Heracross and Donphan. It's certainly forged a bond of sorts with Ash since he met it as a Sandile, and I'm sure that it bloomed when he aided it with evolving into a Krokorok and capturing it later on. In terms of battle wise, it's been a major asset along the Unova route, helping in a few gym matches and being a Pokemon Ash considers reliable. It's able to tussel with foes like Dragonite and defeat Stephan's powerful Sawk, yet the problem lies with it's lack of experience. It's remained remotely free and seems to have a carefree lifestyle outside of being used for battles therefore I don't think Ash would pick it above other Pokemon he would choose.

Talonflame: Assuming that Fletchinder evolves, which is most likely certain seeing as each of Ash's regional birds are at their final stage, is a Pokemon that I can see Ash considering, yet he has several fire type and the other regional birds that he could choose instead. At this point we don't know to what extent what Fletchinder can really do, but if it can hold it's own and evolve to Talonflame, this thing could potentially put Staraptor in 2nd place for sure. The fact that it's part Fire type gives it the edge over the other 5 birds who are Normal/Flying, so if it can learn some good moves and earn it's place on Ash's Kalos team as more than just a means for finding Team Rocket, then maybe it'll prove me wrong. For now though, Ash has another Fire/Flying type Pokemon that we all know all to well.

Still reading? Good!, because now we can get down to the real deal, the six that will form the ultimate dream team! Let's being withhhhhh;

Pikachu

Spoiler

Okay seriously, who didn't expect this guy who has constantly been on our screens for 17 years not to claim a place?

Anyway Pikachu is Ash's signature Pokemon, his long time friend, his family and cherished partner, constantly travelling with Ash has caused him to be called upon in hundred's of situations that has forged a bond between him and Ash so strong that there's not a force powerful enough to break it, even the tearful yet trolling episode; "Pikachu's Goodbye". With that out the way Pikachu has been used in near enough every single battle Ash has had, he's been there and experienced everything not only in battles but by being out of it's Poke Ball, it's able to get a feel of freedom more so than the other Pokemon he carries on his personnel while travelling. Now for one thing, I don't see the "Resetting Pikachu" issue across a new region a big deal, and nore should it count mainly because the reason for that is the demographic age that the anime is aimed at, but that's not what I want to discuss here.

Pikachu has most definitely shown it's worthy, time after time being a powerful ally despite it's size and has shown it's evolved form to the door twice without resorting to evolving. Ash has developed countless strategies surrounding Pikachu that have earned him many victories, such as the counter shield move and making Pikachu able to put up a decent fight while airborn. Not only that but the trust is strong enough for Pikachu to rely on Ash when the situation doesn't go to plan, like when Ash directed Pikachu to battle while being blind from Inkay's ink. Pikachu has learned several moves such as Iron Tail, Volt Tackle and Electro Ball that have been relied on as somewhat of a Finishing move of sorts, though Thunderbolt still remains the sole staple move of choice to be used.

Despite all the high praise, the bond and the experience, Pikachu does lack in certain areas such as it's defensive capabilities, however this is something that Ash doesn't see as a hindrance and will find a way to prevail with his trusty partner.

Charizard

Spoiler

Another Pokemon I'm sure everyone expected to be on the team, and here it is.

The 1st of 3 Pokemon that make up the Basic type triangle. Aside from Pikachu, Charizard is the Pokemon that has been through pretty much everything. Lonliness, Happiness, Rebellious, Jealousy, Love. This thing has so much personality it's funny to think that it acts like a Human more than it does a Pokemon. Sure, in the begining things wouldn't go to plan between it And Ash, but due to the heartwarming time spent together to strengthen the bond and trust, he's become incredibly reliable and a close partner to Ash to the point he's become Ash's secret weapon.

Throughout all the regions, Charizard has somewhat been literally called upon as the pillar of Hope to see Ash through something, and Ash's decision to leave it at the Charicific Valley may have been a tough one, but it helped it to grow, and the reunion between them was certainly enjoyable, and again in Unova too. Charizard has done more than just prove that it's tough, taking down foes such as Articuno, Magmar, Dusclops, Dragonite among others, it's versatile and can withstand a lot while still easily being able to get out of some tough situations. Easily taking a place on the team.

Sceptile

Spoiler

Do you remember that I said Ash had another grass type Pokemon more better than Torterra? Yeah, I meant Bulbasaur. I'm not joking.

Sceptile is the 2nd of the basic type triangle on Ash's dream team, and it's a Pokemon with a unique personality of it's own, acting all tough and quiet as a Treecko, and evolving to be a swift, nimble yet love stricken Grovyle before reaching it's peak as Sceptile. But the experience it's earned along the way has shaped it to become a severe powerhouse and clearly blows Torterra out of the water in so many epic proportions. Sceptile has been used strategically for many situations, mainly for it's speed and power in several matches including frontier and league matches and has showed that it's a valuable asset to the team. This thing is fast and makes Torterra a living tortoise that it is, however Sceptile's feats are incredible, managing to keep up with Deoxys while in it's speed forme and even have enough time to charge and land a Solar Beam on it as well. It has huge power too, being able to leave Regirock immobile, and even took out Tobias's Darkrai which is an incredible feat considering it tore up the Sinnoh Gyms without losing once.

To say that Sceptile isn't strong is an understatement, it certainly is one of Ash's top 10 best Pokemon and it's feats and strength certainly earn it a place on the team.

Greninja

Spoiler

Froakie just had to be that one water type starter of Ash's that is cool as hell in it's base form, though it has to break the tradition and evolve as much as I don't want it to.

The 3rd and last part of the basic type trilogy is Greninja, though of course nobody can say for sure if Froakie will even evolve but let's assume it did. Already Froakie has shown so much personality, acting on it's own accord and helping strangers against bad guys, getting caught instead of it's friend, and stopping a crisis in a huge city as it was a live broadcast, and that's all in one episode before Ash even caught it. Though we're here to talk about Greninja.

This thing is Sceptile's double, it's counterpart or whatever you want to call it. We know Greninja are fast, swift and nimble hence the name but with the personality Froakie is showing, Greninja is set to be Ash's best water Pokemon ever. This could be the turning point of Ash actually having a powerful and fast Water type Pokemon at his disposal so let's just hope it does fully evolve because it's needed and would easily rectify a place on the team. Also, Water Shuriken anyone?

Hawlucha

Spoiler

I'm probably gonna get responses like; "This episode hasn't aired yet, so how can you tell if it'll be any good?" And in response to that I say to you; This is my bet, my whim if you will.

We know that Ash catches Hawlucha next week, and we've only had 2 short previews and several screenshots. But from that alone, you can tell that this Hawlucha isn't a slacker, it isn't bland and a weird choice for Ash to have on his team, it's something different which I like for a change. The concept of Ash being memorized by it wanting to finish battles with cool and powerful moves tells me that Ash will rely on it a lot this series like he does with Froakie. And I'm okay with that.

Also in the preview, we saw this thing take on Pokemon like Machamp, Ursaring and Conkeldurr, I mean come on people, those Pokemon are like 2-4 times bigger then it is, but it doesn't care, it's showing them who's boss and that size doesn't matter, this thing isn't afraid to go crazy and let loose on any Pokemon standing in it's way, and I think this is a nice development for Ash as it certainly fits his reckless nature. Not only that, but I feel that Hawlucha easily can take the place of any of Ash's regional birds and then some. Though Talonflame would be the reserve instead of Hawlucha, though we'll get to see a fight between these too soon so we'll see just who is better.

Gliscor

Spoiler

Remember me saying that Krookodile lost out on being in the team? This is the Pokemon that snatched the last spot right from under it's rather excessively long nose.

Gliscor is a Pokemon that to me, is seen as powerful yet quirky, though it's certainly a threat. It's issues with being a coward and scared to fight before evolving have long gone and now stands a really cool looking Pokemon that Ash can call upon to do some damage. X-Scissor, Fire Fang and Giga Impact are just some of the moves that give it good coverage in battle, being able to take out Paul's Torterra and make a dent in it's battle with Candice and Byron. I feel this thing has the edge over Krookodile, but also Heracross as well, being able to get back up and deliver some more after taking numerous hits. I think Gliscor is a worth Pokemon that would do Ash proud as part of the team, and hopefully cause it to grow stronger along the way.

Phew..Writing all that has made me think a lot about Ash's Pokemon, and I don't think I'll look blindly over some of them again.

I hoped those that read this enjoyed what I had to say and respect my opinion and decisions. For those that went TL;DR, well I can understand why. xD

 

[Yash]

Pikachu
Charizard
Heracross/Donphan
Sceptile
Staraptor/Snorlax
Greninja (if it gets there)

is what I would go with.

 

[Talon87]

Ash replaces all his Pokemon every region but what if he stuck with the same team and just developer them. Out of all the Pokemon he caught so far, what 6 would you pick for him and why?

Most of the answers you've received so far have focused on powerhouses, concerned with which Pokémon are likeliest to win battles. But when you ask me which six Pokémon I'd want to be stuck with forever, and given that this is the anime we're talking about where story and characters should matter most of all, then I definitely choose the Pokémon which 1) offer the most iconic personalities with 2) the least overlap. And so with that said, my list would be:

1. Pikachu For the Electric contribution, we've got to go with Ash's starter. When it comes to character development, the writers have been resting Pikachu on his laurels since the days of Johto. It's understandable why viewers who pick up the series today might not feel like Pikachu has much of a clear, definable personality. But if you go back to the season that started it all, you'll soon find that Pikachu, per his prominent role in the show, is one of the easiest characters to define. Stubborn. Courageous. Loyal. Proud. Doesn't like to be petted or touched by strangers. The list goes on. Indeed, I think that a six-permaslots premise would help Pikachu out immensely: because the writers have left Pikachu on the backburner for years as, pressed for time, they focus on the latest belles of the ball in each region. It's entirely understandable, but it can leave viewers scratching their heads over the fact that the ostensible star of the show seems to be so devoid of character development in recent years.

2. Charizard The easiest follow-up pick, one which appears to be on just about every list in this thread thus far. Charizard isn't just powerful -- he's got a lot of character to him. It was fun if short-lived to see the writers create a friendly rivalry between Ash's Charizard and Iris's Dragonite. If Ash's slots were permanently locked in place and Charizard were on the team, then I imagine that Charizard would be paired off with someone else in the roster and would treat them as a sparring partner and rival, much as he did with Iris's Dragonite. Given Charizard's pursuit of power, it could also be a fun avenue to explore were the writers to have Charizard make rivals and/or friends in each region just as Ash does. For example, if in Unova this would be Iris's Dragonite, perhaps in Sinnoh it might have been Paul's Magmortar or Electivire; perhaps in Kalos it would be (if we ever get this far) someone's Greninja or Chesnaught.

3. Bayleef It seems most of your replies have continued the power trend by nominating Sceptile next, but I have to go with classic Chikorita. Well, Bayleef now. And hopefully one day a Meganium, we'll see. The thing with Chikorita/Bayleef is, she has one of the richest personalities of any of Ash's Pokémon. Chikorita stands out amongst the burgeoning crowd of Oakmon as the Pokémon who had deep affection for Ash. Written as something of a jealous lover, Chikorita (and later Bayleef) was an absolute delight to watch in Johto, one of the season's few brilliant gems. Affectionate. Sensitive. Independent. Loyal but, unlike Pikachu, prone to tantrums in which she feigns disloyalty when Ash hurts her feelings. Doesn't really care about the rest of the world -- so far as she's concerned, it's just her and Ash. I guess one way to sum Chikorita up would be to say that she's a tsundere and an amaenbo rolled into one. She's a girl who wants to be spoiled but doesn't want to have to ask for it. The fact that she hasn't historically been much of a team player leaves the door wide open for further character development. The fact that she is hugely competitive for Ash's attention allows for much minor conflict between her and Pikachu, Charizard, and others. Easily in my top three for Best Ash Pokémon Of All Time, I'd love to have Bayleef back on the team. Sceptile is cool and all, powerful certainly, but when it comes to richness of character he's no match for either Bulbasaur (the lovably gruff wise old man of the Kanto group) or Bayleef.

4. Oshawott For much the same reason that I'd love to see Bayleef representing the Grass slot, Oshawott is my surefire pick for the Water slot. When the writers set out to create Unova, it was clear to all from the start that they had taken a back-to-the-drawing-board approach and asked themselves, "What did we do right in earlier seasons that viewers absolutely loved? Let's identify those things and do them again." Sometimes it worked out, sometimes it didn't. Oshawott is a clear case of where it worked out spectacularly. Not since Chikorita had we had a Pokémon who out of the box was as rich a character as Oshawott was. And not only was he rich: he was novel! We'd never had someone quite like Oshawott before on Ash's team. Where do I even start ...? A wanna-be knight, Oshawott is lovably boastful yet cowardly when it comes time for him to face off against an opponent with a type advantage. We've never had a Pokémon on Ash's team before who, on seeing that his opponent is a Grass or Electric type, turns to Ash and is like, "Yeaaaaaaaaah ... can I sit this one out? ^^; I think I'm gonna sit this one out" and walk with purpose away from the battle and towards the bench. He's got goofy looks and personality that don't seem to attract any ladies yet at the same time do not prevent him from being a bit of a ladychaser. (And his gag is better managed than run-into-the-ground Brock's too. =P) He's a Water-type Pokémon who, for the first half the year we knew him, was afraid to open his eyes underwater. I mean, how original is that!? The concept itself is common worldwide -- millions upon millions of children and adults don't want to open their eyes underwater. But in Pokémon? To have anyone be afraid of opening their eyes underwater? And to have it of all people be a Water-type animal!? That's crazy. Crazy good. Because it lends the character some depth. It gives us something to work with when telling stories. Oshawott doesn't suffer the blandness of the regional birds Ash catches. And he doesn't suffer the "Seeeeeeeen it! ~_~" familiarity of characters like crybaby Tepig (a Cyndaquil clone if ever there was one). Oshawott is crazy unique, a remarkably stand-out character amongst the dozens of Pokémon Ash has already captured. It says a lot that, despite the similarities Oshawott bears with other Water-type starters like Squirtle, Totodile, or Dawn's Piplup, he somehow still stands out to us as more unique than all of them combined. The same way I was very sorry to see Bayleef go when we headed off to Hoenn, I was very sorry to see Oshawott go when we arrived in Kalos. Froakie has been one hell of a lackluster replacement thus far and honestly none of the Kalos cast has had as much heart or fun personality as Oshawott. I really miss the guy, and I would gladly have him on Ash's team again.

5 and 6. Wild Cards! For the final two slots, I'm pretty open. To avoid sameyness, it'd be nice to pull from other regions and types. So that means probably "no" to any of the other starters (as we have all three core starter elemental slots covered already) and it also means I'd probably give priority to Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Kalos before giving it to Kanto, Johto, and Unova. But at the end of the day, what I'm most interested in is the character with the most personality, with the most character. I want someone who has already given us a lot to love and someone who promises to give us much more to come. So like, you can pretty much scratch off the list a Pokémon like Ash's Palpitoad. But a number of his other creatures would be perfectly fair game. And I'm not saying that you can't pull from the same type more than once. For example, if Ash winds up with a Talonflame and if Talonflame proves to have a flipping amazing personality, I'm not going to say "No" to him being on the dream just because we already have Fire/Flying Charizard. I'm just saying that ideally it'd be nice to have better type and regional coverage than to have a bunch of type or regional overlap.

At the end of the day, I don't want a bunch of muscleheads on Ash's team. One or two muscleheads is enough. What I want more than anything is a strong, rich cast. If we're tied at the hip to these six forever, then I want them to be six friends who stand out from one another. I don't want "the Fire Charizard, the Grass Charizard, the Water Charizard, etc." I want teammates who complement one another not only in terms of types and regions but in terms of personalities, goals, ambitions. To use Star Wars as an example, Star Wars is not a popular franchise for having ten carbon copies of Luke Skywalker. Star Wars is popular because you've got the (one) Yoda, the (one) C-3PO, the (one) Han Solo, and so on. Imagine how boring Star Wars would be if everyone were Luke Skywalker, just from a different planet and with a different colored lightsaber. That's how I feel about Ash's dream team. While he's got a lot of awesome powerhouses, we're not looking to clear the Video Game Championships here. We're looking to create a cast of characters that keep us entertained for the next ten years.

 

[Jersey Jimmy]

Hard mode: no Pikachu.

-Charizard
-Kingler
-Snorlax
-Sceptile
-Infernape
-Staraptor

Honorable Mentions: Heracross, Corphish, Gliscor

 

[jackatlasred]

I got

Charizard
Sceptile
Snorlax
Hawlucha
Frogadier
Goodra