But more than any trainer in the series, Ash seems to put the well-being of his Pokemon above all. This has led to him having to make some difficult decisions in the past and release some of his loyal companions, making for some tearful goodbyes. Many of these came as a major shock to anime viewers at the time, but none were as surprising as Ash releasing arguably the strongest Pokemon he’d ever trained; Greninja.
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Why Did Ash Release His Greninja?
Ash has surprisingly released some of his best Pokemon over the years. From Butterfree, to Lapras, and Goodra, Ash has had to make some tough calls in the hopes of acting in his Pokemon’s best interests. As surprising as these releases have been, most fans were completely caught off-guard by Greninja’s exit, even when considering Ash’s history of reluctantly letting his Pokemon go.
Ash caught Greninja as a Froakie, making it the first Pokemon he caught in the Kalos region.
The little Water-type proved to have a very unique personality right from the beginning, as it was depicted as being incredibly stubborn and picky when it came to choosing a trainer. Froakie had already rejected a handful of trainers prior to meeting Ash, and only decided to stick with him due to both sharing similar personalities. The strong bond shared between the two led to Greninja to achieve the Ash-Greninja form, differentiating it from any other Pokemon Ash has trained.
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At the time of its release, Greninja was Ash’s strongest, most resourceful Pokemon. Pikachu has been a mainstay of Ash’s party for years, and while it’s always been a consistently powerful member of his team, Greninja stood out as a better-rounded party member. Its usefulness in battle alongside the connection it shared with Ash are why its departure was such a surprise for fans.
At one point during their adventure both Ash and Greninja were faced with a dilemma following their battle against Xerosic and the aftermath of the Giant Rock’s destruction. Plenty of the Giant Rock’s roots remained underground, which would prove to be disastrous if left alone. When Z2 requested that Greninja and Z2 aid it in tracking down the remaining roots, Greninja’s strong sense of duty kicked in, prompting Ash to let his companion go off on its own path.
Other Pokemon Ash Has Released
Greninja’s farewell was an emotional one, but it wasn’t the only tear-jerking goodbye Ash had with one of his Pokemon. When Ash saw that his Goodra seemed more comfortable in the Wetlands with its friends, he tearfully let it go its own way. The same thing happened with his Butterfree in Kanto, though it wasn’t nearly as valuable a member of Ash’s party as Goodra and Greninja were.
Ash even tried to release his first and closest companion, Pikachu, when he saw that it was happy spending time with others of its kind. While some might criticize this as Ash being too willing to weaken his team for sentimental reasons, it shows that Ash isn’t solely focused on winning, and instead does his best to do what’s right for his Pokemon in the long run.
Ash constantly changes Pokemon with every region he enters, with Pikachu standing as the only consistent member of his party. Though many of his Poke companions are left with Professor Oak for safekeeping, Ash has had to move on from some amazing Pokemon. What made Ash’s Greninja’s release so surprising to many was the bond the two shared, which seemed akin to the one Ash has with Pikachu and Charizard. Though it’s out of the picture now, fans might very well see Greninja make a return sometime in the future, if only to help its trainer out one more time.
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