Ash's Incineroar

**Ash's Incineroar** (Japanese: **サトシのガオガエン** *Satoshi's Gaogaen*) is the third Pokémon that Ash caught in the Alola region, and his fifty-first overall.

## History

### Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

#### As a wild Pokémon

Few details are known about Incineroar's past when it was a Litten, except that it endured unknown hardships that have brought those who can understand Litten—such as Meowth and Olivia—to tears. Litten was rescued at some point by an aging wild Stoutland, and the two began to live together. However, Stoutland soon became too old to search for food by itself, leaving Litten to do the gathering.

 File:Stoutland and Litten.png
Incineroar debuted as Litten in *Alola to New Adventure!*, relaxing on the beaches of Melemele Island before it was accidentally stepped on by Ash when he was racing with Pikachu. Litten, in anger, attacked Ash with Ember and walked off.

In *Loading the Dex!*, Litten approached the Pokémon School and watched Samson Oak's Komala. In *First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-Style!*, Litten was seen being fed by Anela in a marketplace on the beach. It saw a wild Rowlet carrying off a wind chime.

In *That's Why the Litten is a Scamp!*, Litten approached Ash and Pikachu to get something to eat. When Ash offered it a piece of the sandwich, it stole the larger portion and ran off, only to be stopped and foiled by an Alolan  Persian. Annoyed by Litten's trickery, Ash promised to catch it. The next day, Ash and Pikachu saw Litten being attacked by the previous Alolan Persian and stopped it. Litten, despite being on the verge of collapse, protested against being brought to the Pokémon Center, biting and scratching Ash all the way there. After being treated, Ash brought it to Professor Kukui's house, but it managed to escape in the middle of the night. Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom followed Litten to an abandoned house, where they discovered that Litten had been gathering food for an old Stoutland. Having learned this, Ash gave up on capturing Litten, leaving it to care for its caretaker. Suddenly, the group was attacked by the Alolan Persian from earlier. Ash had everyone leave the house, where Pikachu and Litten started battling the Persian. Litten eventually defeated Persian and successfully protected Stoutland. The next day, Ash discovered that Litten and Stoutland had relocated. After being assured by Anela that Litten was doing fine, Litten appeared from behind her to grab the fruit she had prepared and ran off into the distance.

In *They Might Not Be Giants!*, Litten was seen when Ash's Rowlet and Lana's Popplio got separated from their Trainers and fought Meowth off when he tried to catch them. It took them to Stoutland, who told Litten to go and help Rowlet and Popplio get back to their Trainers. During their search, the trio got caught by Team Rocket. However, they escaped thanks to Litten and blasted Team Rocket off with their combined attacks. After Rowlet and Popplio were reunited with their Trainers, Litten ran off again.

 File:Litten Stoutland cloud.png
In *One Journey Ends, Another Begins...*, Litten stole a doughnut Ash dropped and was chased back to its home by him. Ash witnessed how Stoutland helped it learn Fire Fang, but Litten was unsuccessful in mastering the move. Later, Litten ran up to Ash, desperate for help with a collapsed Stoutland. After escaping Team Rocket, Ash was brought to its home and carried Stoutland to the Pokémon Center. Litten ran into the emergency room to be with its friend while Nurse Joy informed Ash of Stoutland's condition. When Ash returned to the center the next day to check on Litten and Stoutland, he was shocked to see they had left. Litten practiced its Fire Fang at its home again but failed once more. Displeased with having the same results as its previous attempt, Litten curled up into Stoutland and fell asleep, having a dream where it chased after Stoutland and could not catch up. Litten soon woke up alone and immediately panicked again, searching various parts of Melemele Island for Stoutland.

Upon returning home, one of the supports of the sofa the two Pokémon had been sleeping on broke as a tree shed its last leaf, and a massive storm whipped up over Melemele. Wracked with grief upon realizing it would never see Stoutland again, Litten looked up to the sky and started yowling. Ash and his Pokémon found Litten asleep on the sofa, curled up next to the tree's leaf, and kept visiting it to comfort the Fire Cat Pokémon. While the others were still sleeping beside the sofa, Litten woke up as the rain stopped and saw a cloud formation shaped like Stoutland behind a rainbow, seemingly smiling in approval. Gathered with resolve, Litten offered Ash a Sitrus Berry. Afterwards, Litten agreed to battle Ash and Pikachu and successfully executed Fire Fang. After the battle, Litten allowed Ash to catch it, the Trainer having finally gained its trust. When sent out again, Litten happily joined in with the rest of Ash's Pokémon when he poured out the rest of the Berries in his shopping bag.

#### With Ash

In *A Shivering Shovel Search!*, Litten was seen training with Kiawe's Turtonator to master Fire Fang, but was still unsuccessful in mastering the move. Later, when Ash was stuck inside an enraged Palossand's body, Litten got caught in its body as well when protecting Rockruff. Palossand began absorbing Litten's life force, causing it to be unable to leave Palossand's body. Thanks to everyone's combined effort, Snowy was able to freeze Palossand with Powder Snow, stopping it from absorbing life force. Litten mastered Fire Fang and used it to break free from Palossand's body. Afterward, Litten and Ash returned Palossand's lost shovel, calming the Sand Castle Pokémon down.

 File:Ash Litten Delia Anela.png
In *Alolan Open House!*, Delia visited her son and took a liking to Litten and gave it the nickname **Litty** (Japanese: **ニャビーちゃん** *Nyabby-chan*). At first, her sudden approach made Litten freak out, but once she started petting it, Litten got more comfortable. Delia later used Litten in a battle against Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp of Team Skull, who were attacking the Pokémon School.

In *Currying Favor and Flavor!*, Litten assisted Ash in clearing the trial in Lush Jungle, where it battled a Totem Lurantis. It initially had the upper hand until Lurantis called its ally Castform, who created harsh sunlight using Sunny Day. As Litten struggled with Lurantis' now immediate Solar Blades and Castform's Water Guns, Ash sent out Rowlet to assist it. With the help of Rowlet, Litten was able to fight on equal ground against its opponents. After a hard-fought battle, Rowlet managed to defeat Castform, allowing Litten to use Breakneck Blitz to knock Lurantis out as well. Having cleared the trial, Ash was rewarded a Grassium Z.

In *Pushing the Fiery Envelope!*, while Ash was watching a Battle Royal on TV, Litten became agitated when it saw the Masked Royal's Incineroar. When Ash and his classmates later went to visit the Battle Royal Dome during a special event where anyone could volunteer to face the Masked Royal in a Battle Royal, Litten jumped down from the stands to the arena, prompting Ash to take part in the Battle Royal, joined by Kiawe and Sophocles. Although Kiawe's Marowak and Sophocles' Charjabug were soon defeated by Incineroar's Darkest Lariat, Litten managed to survive the attack. However, Litten's counterattack with Fire Fang was stopped cold by Incineroar, who proceeded to defeat Litten with a Bulk Up-enhanced Throat Chop. This defeat later inspired Ash to teach Litten Flame Charge. Some days later, during Litten's training, the Masked Royal challenged Ash to a one-on-one battle. Still not having completely mastered Flame Charge, Litten struggled throughout the battle. However, thanks to Ash's determination, Litten was able to evolve into a Torracat, perfecting Flame Charge in the process. Although the evolution and the Speed increase from Flame Charge gave Torracat more edge in the battle, to the point where it even managed to damage Incineroar a bit, it was still eventually defeated by its evolved form. Afterward, the Masked Royal declared that he and Incineroar were now Torracat's rivals.

 File:SM080.png
In *A Young Royal Flame Ignites!*, Ash and Torracat were present at the Battle Royal Dome to watch a Battle Royal between the Masked Royal and Mad Magmar. Seeing the Revengers play dirty to distract Incineroar, Ash and Torracat entered the battle and joined the Masked Royal and Incineroar in a tag team battle against Mad Magmar's Magmortar and Mr. Electric's Electivire. Despite the interference of the Revengers, Ash and the Masked Royal eventually won the battle after Torracat learned Revenge, which it used to knock out its opponents. Torracat and Incineroar later went up against Viren's Pangoro and were able to quickly defeat it using Flame Charge and Darkest Lariat, respectively.

In *Securing the Future!*, Torracat joined the rest of Alola in showering Necrozma with light so it could return to its normal form.

 File:Torracat Stoutland.png
In *Memories in the Mist!*, Torracat was reunited with Stoutland, who was brought back as a spirit due to the effects of Tapu Fini's mist. After showing its former mentor how much stronger it has become since they last met, Stoutland helped Torracat evolve its Ember into Fire Blast. Later, after Torracat mastered its new move, the mist lifted, and Stoutland's spirit returned to the afterlife.

In *A Timeless Encounter!*, Torracat and Ash were sent to the past after accidentally startling a Celebi while training. There, they encountered and befriended a younger version of Kukui and his Incineroar, who was a Litten at the time. By borrowing Kukui's Firium Z, Ash and Torracat performed Inferno Overdrive for the first time. Later, Ash received a Firium Z of his own by helping out a Totem Trevenant before Celebi returned him and Torracat to the present day.

In *Getting Down to The Ire!*, Ash used Torracat in his Manalo Conference battle against Guzma, where it went up against Scizor. Guzma quickly recalled Scizor with U-turn in favor of Golisopod, putting Torracat at a disadvantage. However, Torracat still managed to deal a good amount of damage on Golisopod. Then, just when it used Fire Blast, Golisopod used its Emergency Exit Ability to swap places with Scizor against Guzma's will, resulting in Scizor taking the hit instead. Being doubly weak against Fire-type moves, Scizor was instantly defeated. Afterward, a disapproving Guzma sent Golisopod back out again to continue battling Torracat. The battle continued in the next episode, where Torracat wound up getting poisoned by Golisopod's Poison Jab. This, combined with its exhaustion, led to its defeat soon after.

 File:SM143.png
In *Exhibition Unmasked!*, Torracat was sent out first in Ash's exhibition battle against Kukui. Torracat used Flame Charge to boost its Speed and try to overwhelm Kukui's Incineroar with it, but its opponent's experience in Battle Royals allowed it to see through this tactic. Incineroar countered with a powerful Blast Burn, only for Torracat to absorb the attack into the flame sac on its neck. While this powered it up, Torracat could not keep the flames under control, causing it to overheat. Having no other choice, Ash recalled Torracat and switched it out for Lycanroc.

In *A Full Battle Bounty!*, Ash chose to use Torracat against Kukui's Venusaur after it had defeated Rowlet. Having gotten the flames of Blast Burn under its control, Torracat quickly overwhelmed Venusaur and used a powered-up Fire Blast to take it out of the fight. Ash recalled Torracat again, saving it for the final confrontation with Incineroar.

In *Fiery Surprises!*, Torracat was sent out against Kukui's Incineroar. As Torracat recovered from an unintentional overload of energy it had sustained earlier, it had a hard-fought battle against Incineroar, with both Pokémon landing and receiving hard blows. As Torracat's energy was pushed to the limit, both Ash and Kukui commanded Inferno Overdrive to be used against each other's Pokémon, and the two overpowered fireballs melded, causing a storm of fire energy. The two Pokémon leaped into the blaze to trade blows, with Torracat landing a super-effective Revenge. As the two emerged from the firestorm, they stared each other down until Incineroar collapsed. Just after it was declared the winner, Torracat suddenly evolved into Incineroar. However, the expended energy from the evolution caused it to pass out while still standing and thus be unable to continue battling.

Following Ash's decision to travel the world, he left Incineroar, along with his other Alolan Pokémon, with Professors Kukui and Burnet, before heading back to Pallet Town.

 File:Ash and Incineroar.png
### Pokémon Journeys: The Series

In *That New Old Gang of Mine!*, Incineroar greeted Ash upon his return to Alola and also met Goh.

In *Helping the Hometown Hero!*, Incineroar attended a party to celebrate the return of Lillie and her family after they found Mohn.

In *Paring Pokémon While Parrying!*, Incineroar watched Ash's match against Leon. In *Partners in Time!*, Incineroar appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle against Leon's Charizard.

In *Bearing Down Easy!*, Incineroar was shown to have rejoined Ash's team. During the episode, it destroyed some ice so Ash and his friends could chase after a Beartic. It later used its heat to protect everyone from the Beartic as it trained how to control its powers better.

## Personality and characteristics

Before being caught by Ash, Litten was a stubborn Pokémon that tended to keep its emotions and motives hidden. Its closest friend was an old Stoutland that once helped it when it had lost consciousness. Litten was seen training itself with Stoutland's guidance and protected and cared for Stoutland in its ailing state. Litten had a very close relationship with Stoutland, and deeply cared for it, as evidenced by Litten's dreams about it. Litten had difficulty getting close to humans but seemed to get along well with Anela, whom Litten would visit when it needed food during its time as a wild Pokémon. It is also very knowledgeable about Hau'oli City and is often seen wandering around different parts of it. For this reason, it was suggested by Stoutland that Litten guided Rowlet and Popplio back to Ash in *They Might Not Be Giants!*.

 File:Litten fiery disposition.png
Its first encounter with Ash did not go over so well: he accidentally stepped on Litten's tail while running along the beach, and it responded by burning his face with Ember. Encounters with Litten after that were unpleasant for Ash as well, as Litten tended to attack him or steal his food, showing off cunning and slick characteristics to its enigmatic personality, such as in *That's Why the Litten is a Scamp!*. When Stoutland thought it would be a good idea for Litten to join Ash, Litten wasn't keen on the idea, but its mentality started to change when Stoutland collapsed due to ill health, and it was desperate for him to help it. After grieving and ultimately accepting Stoutland's absence, Litten began trying to offer its food to Ash, much like it had done with Stoutland. Despite their growing relationship and mutual trust, Litten still shows a tendency to burn Ash in the face even after befriending him, though now, it seems to be done mainly as a sign of affection toward him, much like Charizard before it.

After being taken in by Ash, it has reflected its solicitous nature over Stoutland on its new teammates. This was showcased in *A Shivering Shovel Search!*, when it protected Rockruff from being eaten by an angry Palossand and was even fine with Rockruff sleeping next to itself, despite putting the fact that it did not want to play with it earlier. This shows Litten is willing to open up to its new family despite its innately frisky nature. Litten is cold and apathetic towards strangers; however, in *Alolan Open House!*, when it was introduced to its Trainer's mother, it couldn't resist being stroked gently under its chin.

 File:Ash Lycanroc Litten sparing.png
Since its capture, Litten has grown close to its Trainer and helps fellow Pokémon. For example, in *The Ol' Raise and Switch!*, it helped Snowy warm up towards Ash and even offered Snowy a Sitrus Berry. Despite growing to care for others more, it still tends to become somewhat aggressive, as shown in *Pulling Out the Pokémon Base Pepper!*, when it got angry towards a nearby baseball, and in *Now You See Them, Now You Don't!*, when it got annoyed at Ash's Lycanroc. As seen in *Night of a Thousand Poses!* and *Mission: Total Recall!*, Litten tends to spar with Lycanroc on occasion, even when it is separated from its Trainer. This friendly rivalry with Lycanroc was again shown in *Don't Ignore the Small Stufful!* when it fought with it over who could eat their food the quickest. Despite this, Incineroar does get along with Lycanroc, as they often hang out when they are not sparring or bickering.

Since learning about the Masked Royal's Incineroar, Litten was keen on battling it. However, their first battle ended quickly, as, despite essentially being a three-on-one, Incineroar proved to be much stronger than its opponents combined. Some days later, they had a rematch, during which Litten evolved into Torracat. This battle marked the start of their rivalry, which eventually culminated at the Manalo Conference's exhibition match against Professor Kukui, when Torracat finally managed to defeat its rival and, somewhat poetically, ended up evolving. Despite its rivalry with Professor Kukui's Incineroar, Ash's Incineroar still cares for it, as it moved to help out Incineroar from the Revengers' Pokémon after they unfairly ganged up on it. This was shown in *Turning the Other Mask!* when it became distressed when it couldn't see Incineroar after the Masked Royal called it back into its Pokéball. Litten also has a strong sense of smell, as seen in *Pushing the Fiery Envelope!*, when it immediately recognized the Masked Royal as Professor Kukui after sniffing his scent.

## Moves used

### Z-Moves used

 A **†** shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

## Trivia

* Out of all starter Pokémon owned by main characters, Incineroar, as a Litten, took the longest to join its Trainer's team, being caught 20 episodes after its debut.
* Incineroar is the only Pokémon Ash obtained in Alola that he had to battle before catching.
* Both of Incineroar's evolutions occurred while fighting Professor Kukui's Incineroar.
	+ Litten's evolution into Torracat had a unique animation sequence, as it became covered in a red-orange flame while evolving, with some parts of its body highlighted in purple right as it finished transforming.
	+ Torracat's evolution into Incineroar marks the first time in the anime that a Pokémon has fainted right after its evolution.
* Incineroar is the only one of Ash's Fire-type starter Pokémon to have never known Flamethrower.
	+ Incineroar is also the only one of Ash's Fire-type starter Pokémon to have not suffered neglect or mistreatment by a human prior to its capture.
* Despite evolving in *Fiery Surprises!*, it took Incineroar until *Bearing Down Easy!* to use a move, 143 episodes later, thus marking the longest period any of Ash's Pokémon has taken to use a move after evolving.
* Incineroar is the only one of Ash's Pokémon not to have battled onscreen since its evolution.
* Incineroar is the last starter Pokémon that Ash has caught in the anime.
* Torracat is the only one of its species to have appeared in the anime.

## Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Litten, Torracat, and Incineroar.