Pokemon Fans Agree That This Gym Battle Is An All-Time Classic
The "Pokémon" anime has quite a few filler episodes. In many instances, Ash and whoever his compatriots are will stumble upon a new area. While there, they'll encounter a new Pokémon and have to go through some kind of adventure with this new Pokémon at the center. A hint in case you need it: This new Pokémon will almost always be the center of the "Who's That Pokémon?" game in the middle of each episode.
However, every so often, we get a break from this structure and see Ash really put the pedal to the metal to become a new Pokémon champion. This transpires with Ash battling a gym leader so that he can acquire an essential badge to get further along in his quest. There have been numerous epic match-ups over the years, from Ash's fiery showdown with Blaine on Cinnabar Island to his struggle to take down Whitney's Miltank at the Goldenrod Gym. But when it comes to all-time gym challenges, fans seem to agree there's one, in particular, that truly rises above the rest.
The Snowbelle City Gym match was the stuff of legends
Some gym leaders really give Ash a run for his money. He can challenge them as many times as he wants, but losing just means he winds up doubting his own process and wondering if he truly has what it takes to be a Pokémon master. That's precisely what went down in the Unova region when Ash battles the eighth and final gym leader — Wulfric of Snowbelle City. He specializes in ice-type Pokémon, and when they first fought in "All Hail the Ice Battlefield!" Ash ended up losing. In fact, it only took Wulfric two Pokémon to defeat Ash's three.
This loss sent Ash into a spiral, wondering if he and his Greninja were truly in sync. He got the answer in "A Real Icebreaker!" when Ash rechallenged Wulfric; this time, Ash and Greninja were far more in tune with one another. Things look to be going Ash's way until Wulfric mega-evolves his Abomasnow, but despite this obstacle, Ash still wins.
Fans loved it, as one Reddit thread explains. All kinds of supportive comments for the episodes pour in, with people writing things like, "Easily the best gym battle in the anime" and "I love this battle, visually is great. XY recovered my interest in anime gym battles, the last time had been in Johto." Gamers who've played "Pokémon X" and "Y" know this all too well, as they'd have to go up against his Abomasnow, Cryogonal, and Avalugg to take home the Iceberg badge.