The Pokémon franchise revolves around capturing magical creatures called Pokémon and bonding with and befriending them through traveling and participating in battles. Despite the series' motto being "Gotta Catch 'Em All," this spirit was not reflected in the long-running protagonist of the anime, Ash Ketchum. By the time Ash exited the series after an impressive twenty-five-year run, he had owned seventy-eight Pokémon, thirty of which were Tauros he caught in a banned episode, and one hundred and two registered Pokémon if one counts pre-evolutions and Pokémon that he released.

One reason why Ash's registered list is so small is because he didn't evolve several of his Pokémon. Sometimes, the anime writers justified this decision by making it part of the Pokémon's character arc, but more often than not, no explanation was given. Still, many of these Pokémon made up for their lack of evolution with strong character writing. These are Ash Ketchum's best unevolved Pokémon in the anime, ranked by how strong they were and how much of an impression they made.

10 Scraggy

First Appearance: "Scraggy—Hatched to Be Wild!"

During Ash's travels through the Unova region, he is gifted an egg that hatches into a Scraggy. The little Dark and Fighting-type wastes no time in trying to assert himself by picking fights with any Pokémon he sees, regardless of how much stronger they are. Scraggy soon picks off more than he can chew with some wild Galvantula, but Ash and his Pokémon rescue him, and he agrees to join the team.

Scraggy's role in Ash's Unova team is the young warrior who starts headstrong and impetuous but grows into a disciplined and experienced fighter. This growth was shown through his friendship with Iris' Axew, the only other Pokémon similar to him in age, and by how fiercely he fought near the end of the Unovan arc to defend his teammates. The only thing he's missing is an evolution into Scrafty, especially since Iris was revealed to have evolved her Axew into Haxorus in Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

9 Totodile

First Appearance: "The Totodile Duel"

When Ash and Misty set their sights on the same Totodile and couldn't determine whose Lure Ball was used to catch him, they had a Pokémon battle to decide who would be Totodile's trainer. Ash won and used Totodile to replace his Squirtle, who had returned to lead the Squirtle Squad. Although sitting out of many battles, Totodile was all too happy to dance around and enjoy life every time he was let out of his Pokéball.

Totodile's love for dancing is the biggest reason for fan outcry that he never evolved. His final form, Feraligatr, is often depicted as a huge, menacing beast, so the idea of having one who happily dances in place and enjoys life would have been a beautiful shake-up. As he is, Totodile is memorable for his upbeat attitude, but a lack of screentime means that he doesn't stand out compared to some of Ash's other Water-types.

8 Buizel

First Appearance: "Buizel Your Way Out Of This!"

In Sinnoh, Ash and his companions heard of a powerful Buizel terrorizing trainers by a river and sought to capture him. Ultimately, Dawn was the one who caught the Water-type, but she had a hard time raising him, as Buizel was more interested in battling than practicing for Pokémon Contests. Thus, she traded Buizel to Ash in exchange for his Aipom.

Joining Ash did wonders for Buizel, who got to battle against all sorts of powerful opponents as Ash made his way through the Sinnoh League. Buizel mastered Ash's Counter Shield technique, allowing the tiny weasel-like creature to use water to repel incoming attacks. Given that Buizel's entire personality revolved around battle and constantly pushing himself, it's strange and arguably nonsensical that he never evolved into Floatzel since that would help signify another step in his quest.

7 Gible

First Appearance: "A Meteoric Rise to Excellence!"

When Ash met Grandma Wilma, a trainer who could teach the powerful Draco Meteor move to Dragon-type Pokémon, he spotted a wild Gible who was observing in the hopes of mastering the move. After Ash saved the tiny Pokémon from Team Rocket, Gible agreed to join the boy's team. Gible spent most of his time trying to master Draco-Meteor, with Dawn's Piplup always on the receiving end of the attack's failure.

The fact that Gible never evolved is just a major disappointment, especially given Garchomp's status as one of Sinnoh's most iconic Pokémon. Personality-wise, Gible was a fun little goofball who bit people to show affection and maintained a vacant stare as he was blissfully unaware of most things around him. These traits could have led to fun comedic moments where he fully evolved and, if nothing else, given Ash a fully evolved Dragon-type instead of having to wait until Kalos.

6 Rowlet

First Appearance: "First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-Style!"

Born into a family of Pikipek, Rowlet had a hard time distinguishing what was and wasn't food during foraging trips, which led to it getting injured by Mallow's Bounsweet. Ash and Mallow give him food to take back home, and after a battle with Team Rocket, Rowlet decides to follow Ash on his adventures in Alola. The tiny owl spends most of his time sleeping in Ash's backpack, but when his friends need him, he proves a dependable ally.

It would have been amazing to see Rowlet evolve into a Dartrix and Decidueye. Unfortunately, Rowlet becomes so enamored with an evolution-blocking Everstone that he swallows it and only spits it out when he uses the move Seed Bomb. Still, Rowlet stands as one of Ash's best companions for Alola, thanks to his childish personality, love of naps, and dedication to his friends. He also develops several unique relationships, such as a strong friendship with Meltan that allows Ash to capture it and a rivalry with Hau's Decidueye, which drives Rowlet to become stronger so he can defeat it.

5 Snivy

First Appearance: "Snivy Plays Hard to Catch!"

Shortly after acquiring his first Unovan gym badge, Ash encountered a Snivy who had abandoned her previous trainer to live in the wild. Ash initially had trouble overcoming her Attract move, which infatuates Pokémon of the opposite sex, but thanks to his female Pidov, he captured Snivy and added her to his team. Snivy quickly established herself as one of Ash's strongest Unovan Pokémon but was later overshadowed by his Krookodile and Pignite.

It's unfortunate that Snivy never evolved, as this would have fit with her storyline about personal growth and self-confidence. Still, Snivy played an important role on Ash's team thanks to her mature and calm demeanor and was instrumental in helping Pignite overcome his insecurities. Snivy also developed a rivalry with Iris' Emolga, disapproving of how the flying squirrel would manipulate and abuse others for her benefit.

4 Oshawott

First Appearance: "In The Shadow of Zekrom!"

When a new Pokémon trainer named Trip went to Professor Juniper for his first Pokémon, she presented him with the choice between Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott. Though the Water-type put his best foot forward, he was devastated when Trip chose the Grass-type Snivy. Oshawott took an instant liking to Ash when the young trainer stopped by the professor's lab, and after escaping from the lab to follow him, Juniper agreed to give Ash his Pokéball.

The reason Oshawott never evolved is likely because of how adorable he is. Despite his small size, this sweet otter is proud, boastful, and energetic, eager to receive Ash's love. Oshawott can easily fly into a panic if he thinks he can't win a fight or if anything should happen to his beloved Scalchop. He's also a hopeless romantic, falling for any cute girl he sees, which always ends in comedic levels of heartbreak. Evolving such a distinct personality would've resulted in a jarring change, especially because Oshawott's evolutions are decidedly less cute.

3 Squirtle

First Appearance: "Here Comes the Squirtle Squad"

When a group of Squirtles was abandoned by their trainers, they formed a gang called the Squirtle Squad, which caused mischief and mayhem in a small town. Following a meeting with Ash and friends and a battle with Team Rocket, the squad helped to put out fires, which earned them the title of honorary firefighters. Since Ash saved the life of the leader, Squirtle decided to follow him on his adventures in Kanto and Johto before returning to his squad, though he would temporarily reunite with Ash a few more times.

It's never explained why Ash's Squirtle never evolved, though since the greatest fear conjured by Ghastly in "The Ghost of Maiden's Peak" was a Blastoise, it's possible the small blue turtle could fear the consequences of evolving. Regardless, Squirtle became one of Ash's most trusted Pokémon in the early seasons of the anime, and his development from an immature troublemaker to a more mellow and natural leader helped play a big role in turning the entire Squirtle species into one of the most iconic Pokémon from Generation I. He also had a great friendship with Bulbasaur, as the two had contrasting personalities that played off one another beautifully.

2 Bulbasaur

First Appearance: "Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village"

When Misty tried to capture a wild Oddish, she didn't know that it was a resident of a hidden Pokémon Village guarded by a Bulbasaur that distrusted humans. However, Ash won Bulbasaur's trust when he risked his life to protect the village from Team Rocket. After a battle to prove Ash was worthy of being his trainer, Bulbasaur became the first starter Pokémon he captured and one of his most reliable battlers.

In "Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden," Bulbasaur actively fought against evolving, which allowed him to learn the move Solar Beam early. The anime doesn't explain why Ash's Bulbasaur refused to evolve; several theories exist, such as not wanting to change who he is or wanting to prove that he could be strong as a Bulbasaur. Regardless, Bulbasaur has some of the best character development of Ash's Kanto team and eventually becomes a leader and mediator for the Pokémon Ash has with Professor Oak.

1 Pikachu

First Appearance: "Pokémon - I Choose You!"

Since Ash slept in and missed his chance to claim a Squirtle, Bulbasaur, or Charmander, Professor Oak gave him a Pikachu for his first Pokémon. Unfortunately, Pikachu refused to listen to Ash's commands, knocking away his Pokeball and electrocuting Ash every chance he got. However, Ash finally won Pikachu's respect when he stood up to a swarm of Spearow, and the two became one of the most iconic anime duos.

Ash considered evolving Pikachu into Raichu to defeat Lt. Surge but ultimately decided not to when Pikachu made it clear that he didn't want to change who he was to win a battle. While this choice likely came because Pikachu is the mascot of Pokémon, it still makes for a powerful story about carving one's path, which helped to define Ash's unique battle style. As a character, Pikachu perfectly compliments Ash: he is friendly, silly, and refuses to give up until he has given all that he can in battle, which has allowed him to take down legendary Pokémon. Pikachu is the most recognizable and celebrated Pokémon in the franchise, and the anime played a huge role in building his legacy.

NEXT: Celebrate 25 Years of Pokémon Gold and Silver With These Lugia and Ho-Oh Plushes