Ash's Torkoal
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 Ash's Torkoal | ||||||||||||||||||
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Ash's Torkoal (Japanese: サトシのコータス Satoshi's Cotoise) was the fourth Pokémon that Ash caught in the Hoenn region, and his twenty-fifth overall.
In the anime
History
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
Hoenn
Torkoal first appeared in All Torkoal, No Play. The group found Torkoal in the Valley of Steel being attacked several times by a group of Steel-type Pokémon. As they reached the end of the valley, a Steelix revealed itself as the Steel-types' leader in the valley and began a battle with Torkoal. Despite the type disadvantage, Steelix was able to dominate the battle. Ash thought back to Flannery's Torkoal and then commanded it to use Overheat. Steelix was then defeated, and before the other Steel-types attacked, Steelix got up and issued respect to Torkoal. Ash then asked Torkoal if it wanted to join his team. Torkoal agreed to the idea and tackled Ash to the ground.
In the next episode, Ash introduced Torkoal to the rest of the group's Pokémon, which it greeted by releasing smoke from its nostrils. At a game carnival thrown by Team Rocket, Torkoal attempted to go on its back legs to kick a soccer ball, but ended up falling flat on its back. It was captured by Team Rocket along with Treecko and Corphish, but rescued by the intervention of Watt, Wattson, and Electrike. After Electrike evolved into Manectric, Torkoal was so happy that it engulfed them all in smoke. Ash and Wattson then decided to have an informal rematch, and Ash decided to put Torkoal up against the newly evolved Manectric. Torkoal was shown quickly to be very good defensively, using Iron Defense to avoid damage from Manectric's Bite, and its shell was tough enough to absorb Tackle without taking damage. Torkoal pushed back with an Overheat, the powerful attack blasting through Manectric's Thunder Wave and scoring a direct hit. Manectric then began to use Charge and held firm even against two more Overheats and a Flamethrower. Manectric let loose a devastating Thunder Wave, which Torkoal couldn't counter as its power had been drained from successive Overheats. Thunder Wave hit and knocked out Torkoal in a single hit.
In Balance of Power!, Ash used Torkoal as his second Pokémon in his Petalburg Gym battle against Norman, Torkoal went up against Norman's Slakoth. Torkoal used Flamethrower to overwhelm Slakoth's Blizzard, with Flamethrower overpowering and defeating Slakoth. Next, Torkoal took on Norman's Vigoroth. Its Overheat was dodged, and Vigoroth used a powerful Scratch, defeating Torkoal in one hit.
In Pearls are a Spoink's Best Friend, Torkoal befriended a Spoink and, along with Ash and the gang, helped it to recover its lost pearl. They were later reunited in Clamperl of Wisdom when Spoink was floating in the ocean off Maisie Island. Again, Torkoal decided to assist with the search effort for Spoink's lost pearl, at one point diving into the water before having to be rescued itself.
In Vanity Affair, Ash used Torkoal in a practice battle with an unknown Trainer and his Scizor. Scizor used Fury Cutter and Torkoal used Flamethrower, only to make Scizor dodge and switch to Hyper Beam, which Torkoal protected itself from with Iron Defense. Scizor then attempted to use Metal Claw, but Torkoal successfully stopped Scizor in its tracks with a powerful Overheat, which knocked it out and gave Torkoal the win.
Ash decided to use only his Hoenn team, which included Torkoal, to compete in the Ever Grande Conference. In From Brags to Riches, Torkoal and Corphish battled Dominick's Tropius and Swalot in a Double Battle. It managed to hold on after being hit by Bullet Seed, as its Iron Defense was more than enough to block the attack. It was blown back by a powerful Gust but managed to hit Tropius with Flamethrower. After a collision of Torkoal's Overheat and Tropius's Solar Beam, both Pokémon were knocked out of the battle. Corphish went on to win the match for Ash, allowing them to advance into the next round.
In Shocks and Bonds, Ash used Torkoal as his first Pokémon in his Full Battle against Katie in the Victory Tournament. It went up against her Venomoth. Venomoth used Stun Spore, and Torkoal blocked it with Iron Defense. Venomoth then used Disable, preventing Torkoal from using Iron Defense for a while. Torkoal then used Flamethrower, which Venomoth dodged. Katie then recalled Venomoth and sent out her Golduck, who had a type-advantage. Torkoal used Body Slam, which was successfully countered by Hydro Pump. Golduck then used Fury Swipes, defeating Torkoal.
In Choose It or Lose It!, Ash used Torkoal as his third Pokémon in his Full Battle against Morrison in the Victory Tournament, it went up against his Steelix. Steelix used Dragon Breath, which Torkoal blocked with Iron Defense. Torkoal used Overheat, and Steelix countered with Dragon Breath, with Overheat overpowering Steelix's Dragon Breath, dealing with major damage. Torkoal used Flamethrower, and Steelix used Dragon Breath, which was evenly matched and created smoke. Taking advantage of the smoke, Steelix used Dig. Torkoal used Iron Defense, but it didn't help as the attack came from below, and Steelix used Dragon Breath again, hitting Torkoal and knocking it out.
In At the End of the Fray, Ash used Torkoal as his second Pokémon in his Full Battle against Tyson in the Victory Tournament, it went up against his Shiftry. Torkoal used multiple Flamethrower attacks, but Shiftry used its Agility to dodge them all. It then hit Torkoal with its Mega Kick. Shiftry used Shadow Ball, knocking Torkoal back. Torkoal used Flamethrower again, but Shiftry jumped and dodged. However, Torkoal jumped and allowed Flamethrower to hit Shiftry to the ground, defeating the Wicked Pokémon. Then it went up against Tyson's Hariyama. Torkoal used Flamethrower, but Hariyama used Arm Thrust, blocking the attack and allowing it to move closer, with Hariyama being assisted by its Thick Fat Ability, which halved the power of Fire-type attacks. Hariyama got close enough to Torkoal and used Brick Break on it, knocking it out.
Kanto Battle Frontier
In The Right Place and the Right Mime, Torkoal met the rest of Ash's Pokémon back in Kanto at Professor Oak's Laboratory, striking up a quick friendship with Cyndaquil. After Ash decided to challenge the Battle Frontier, he left Torkoal and Glalie with the rest of his Pokémon.
Torkoal was brought back to Ash's team in Overjoyed! to battle Brandon's Registeel, having mastered Heat Wave during its time at Oak's lab. It managed to hit with a Flamethrower and Body Slam, impressing Scott, but failing to do any significant damage to Registeel. Registeel jumped onto the offensive with Zap Cannon, which Torkoal blocked, but after using Lock-On, Torkoal was forced to defend itself with Iron Defense. Torkoal avoided taking too much damage but was paralyzed. Torkoal used Body Slam, and managed to transfer the paralysis to Registeel, preventing Brandon from countering with Metal Claw. Registeel threw Torkoal, but Torkoal used the wall to re-direct another Body Slam. Brandon was impressed but called Ash over-confident. Torkoal unleashed Heat Wave, but Brandon had Registeel break free from the attack and Ash ordered another Flamethrower. Registeel blocked Flamethrower with Sandstorm and trapped Torkoal in the vortex, but Torkoal pushed the sandstorm back onto Registeel with Heat Wave. Torkoal then used the power of the Sandstorm to strengthen its Body Slam. Torkoal remained on top of the battle, but Registeel used Lock-On followed by another Zap Cannon. The explosion broke apart the Sandstorm, and although Torkoal seemed to hold on, it collapsed and Ash lost his second match with Brandon.
Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
Torkoal was reunited with Ash at the Lily of the Valley Conference in An Old Family Blend!, where it was sent to spend some time with Ash training, helping to unfreeze Ash after Glalie froze him with Ice Beam.
Torkoal was the second Pokémon Ash used to battle Tobias's Darkrai after Heracross in The Semi-Final Frontier!. It launched a Flamethrower that was countered by a powerful Dark Pulse which wiped out Torkoal upon contact.
Pokémon the Series: Black & White
Torkoal was reunited with Ash in The Dream Continues!, where it and the rest of Ash's Pokémon posed in a group photo with him.
Personality and characteristics
Torkoal, as Brock pointed out, is quite an emotional individual and very friendly towards people and other Pokémon. Its hardened shell added a defensive element to Ash's otherwise agile Hoenn team, which often proved difficult for any opponent to overcome. Torkoal has a habit of crying and releasing smoke from its nostrils and back when it is happy. It will usually do this every time it's released from its Poké Ball and when it wins a battle. Although not ill-intended, the smoke will usually blacken any surrounding anything or anyone around it. This was demonstrated relatively often when Torkoal was first captured. It has a slight comic element to it, most notably when it tried to play a soccer carnival game in Manectric Charge! and fell over in the process.
Moves used
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Artwork
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| Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire |
In the games
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Advanced Generation: Pokémon Number Battle!
Torkoal appears in Pokémon Advanced Generation: Pokémon Number Battle!.
In the manga
In the Ash & Pikachu manga
Ash's Torkoal first appeared in I'll Win With My Own Battle Style!!, where it battled Norman's Vigoroth. In Start Of The Pokémon League!!, it fought Morrison's Steelix.
In the TCG
Ash's Torkoal is featured in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The following is a list of related cards.
| Ash's Torkoal Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats. | |||||||
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| Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
| Ash's Torkoal | 
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Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Sky-Splitting Deoxys | 009/019 | ||||
Trivia
- Torkoal is Ash's only Fire-type Pokémon who has no evolutionary family.
- Torkoal is the only Pokémon Ash caught in Hoenn that isn't capable of evolving.
- Torkoal is Ash's only Pokémon from Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire that he didn't catch through the usual method of battling it first.
Related articles
- For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Torkoal.
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
