Top 5 Gym Pokemon from the anime

Pokemon Gyms are where some of the strongest trainers and creatures in the franchise and found.

Whether in the anime series or the games, Pokemon Gyms have leaders with incredibly powerful partners. Those up to the task of facing a Gym Leader often find themselves in trouble.

Gym Leaders tend to have multiple Pokemon at their disposal. They are all powerful, but a signature Pokemon typically comes out last. They are the toughest and are used to showcase the Gym Leaders' strength in battle.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.

Top 5 Gym Pokemon from the anime

#5 - Brock's Onix

Onix was the first Gym challenge that Ash and many players of the Pokemon games faced. Brock could be considered an easy opponent for those who selected either Bulbasaur or Squirtle.

In the series, however, Ash could only battle with his Pikachu. That saw Brock dominate and Ash truly only won the Boulder Badge from the Pewter City Gym due to some unlikely circumstances. This happened to Ash a lot, actually.

#4 - Blaine's Magmar

Blaine's Magmar was an absolute powerhouse. It had no issue dealing with Pikachu and would surely have put any of Ash's other Pokemon away, apart from Charizard of course.

Magmar and Charizard had the first truly epic showdown in the Pokemon anime. The battle was as intense as it could have gotten, with Charizard eventually squeezing out the victory. That didn't take away from the might of Magmar though.

#3 - Whitney's Miltank

Miltank was just as devastating to trainers in the anime as it was in the game series. Just like the players of Gold and Silver, Ash was run over by Whitney's Miltank. It defeated Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Pikachu. Ash lost to this massive cow Pokemon and had to come back to the Gym for a rematch. Ash was able to put the environment to use, like he had many times before, to pull out the win.

#2 - Drake's Dragonite

Drake appeared in the Orange Island arc of the Pokemon anime series. He was the Orange Crew Supreme Gym Leader of the Orange League, crowning those who defeated him the Champion of the Orange Islands.

Drake's Dragonite was the last Pokemon to be used in his battle against Ash. It defeated Charizard, Squirtle, and Tauros. It even decimated Team Rocket's plan mid-battle, before falling to a massive Thunder from Pikachu.

#1 - Wulfric's Avalugg

Ice-type Gyms can either be a breeze or the toughest battle throughout any region. Wulfric was the latter for Ash. His Avalugg was not only a defensive juggernaut, but an offensive menace.

It defeated Ash's Hawlucha, Talonflame, and Greninja in the same battle. Not many Gym Leaders can say they have defeated two of Ash's fully evolved Pokemon in a row. This is what forced Ash to train his Greninja for a rematch.