

In the show, Ash Ketchum hasn't caught any legendary Pokémon and he loses a
lot of battles and people say that he is a pathetic trainer. Why does he not
catch legendary Pokémon to expand his arsenal?


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2013-11-07T02:38:26.307
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pokemon
Why doesn't Ash Ketchum catch legendary Pokémon?


There are several reasons to that:

  * It's a TV show, you wouldn't watch a TV show where the hero is absolutely the strongest and no one has a chance of defeating him, right? Think of what would happen should Ash have caught Dialga, Palkia or Arceus.
  * It disrupts "the balance", it was portrayed in the anime that most legendary pokemon serve a role as some sort of "god" of a force of nature, (Kyogre of the Rain, Palkia of space, etc). If you capture them, you might disrupt the balance by "not letting them do their jobs".

Those are the two excuses I know.


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2013-11-07T13:07:39.740
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Look what happens in the movies when a legendary leaves its post. Mass chaos
and destruction would happen (though I suppose that is debatable. I've counted
two legend trainers that I can remember, so it might just be the ORIGINAL
legends and their young are safe to catch).

Though I do agree somewhat: it would be nice if Ash could at least capture
them and call on their aid while generally leaving them alone.


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2014-05-16T22:18:04.310
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Moral quandries aside,

He has yet to get a lasting grip on a master ball, and except in the Safari
zone, you'll notice he's never been good at capturing pokemon (his pokemon-
per-badge ratio is pretty low). He also very rarely buys or gets anything
better than the most basic pokeballs if you notice. And if you've ever played
the games, you'll know how important those better balls are for better
captures.

So, in short... shoddy equipment.

Also, second reason... if you notice, he rarely captures, period (again, with
the exception of the safari zone). He's more like the coach that focuses on
training his team rather than the coach who trades for better players. (Also,
remember his experience with Charizard... he knows too powerful pokemon types
can be hard for him to handle, and later on he just kept in the habit as far
as I can tell. I mean, think how often he had to get skin grafts.


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2015-09-29T15:36:44.973
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I'm going to answer this question with a bit more respect for the show and Ash
as a character than most people give it credit for. I think there are some
reasons Ash doesn't catch legendary pokemon.

## Ash only obtains a pokemon when it is natural - it's never forced

Ash's pokemon are not an "arsenal". Ash's stated goal is indeed to become the
best pokemon trainer of all time. There is an implication that this means
catching "them all", but in the context of the show, and Ash's character, this
is considered to a long-term goal. There is no panic of missed opportunity
when an encounter with a legendary pokemon does not lead to a capture.

To Ash, being a "master Pokemon trainer" means, first and foremost, treating
his captured pokemon with respect and maintaining a friendship with them. He
always does what he thinks is best for them. As such, any time he obtains a
pokemon, it it's a natural thing; not forced. If it doesn't happen, then it
doesn't happen.

Lastly, the anime often contrasts Ash's personality against those who would
weigh and measure a pokemon's stats. Ash is no scientist - I think we would
all agree he isn't very smart. He bases almost all his decisions on instinct -
he cares not for statistics and min/maxing, which would realistically be
required to become a Pokemon Master. The show does this on purpose - it
considers getting out there to experience life a superior way of learning than
sitting at home reading stats (this is probably most exemplified by May's
brother Max). For this reason, Ash will never freak out about the potential
lost by failing to capture a legendary pokemon.


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