Ash's Greninja

Ash's Greninja was the 75th pokemon Ash caught and his 75th overall.

## **Personality:**

As a Froakie,it was a stubborn,picky Pokemon,displayed by the fact that it had several other trainers that it refused to listen to,either forcing them to return it to Professor Sycamore or abandoning them and returning to the lab itself. It is also extremely similar to Ash personality wise,as it is not afraid to leap into danger regardless of its own safety and doesn't back down from a fight. It is clear that it recognizes these traits in Ash,hence why it was finally willing to accept being taken into Ash's wing. It also has a sense of honor,as demonstrated when it attacked Fletchling just because it made Bonnie cry. In *The Bamboozling Forest*,it is shown to have a good judgment of character,as it became suspicious of Meowth when he pretended to side with it,Pikachu and Chespin under a temporary truce. Froakie is prone to blushing when praised,as shown when being thanked by Bonnie in *A Battle of Aerial Mobility* and Fennekin in *The Bamboozling Forest*. As shown in *Kindergarten Chaos*,Greninja as a Froakie gets embarrassed when losing in a bad way,such as when it lost because of Attract.

Since evolving into a Frogadier,its personality remained largely the same. It is still shown to be loyal to Ash,as shown when it hugged him after its victory in the Coumarine City Gym battle. Greninja is a responsible Pokemon that can take initiative to protect its friends and allies,as shown in *So You're Having a Bad Day*,it volunteered to scout ahead to protect Serena and Chespin after they had gotten separated from the group and defended them from a wild Pangoro. Greninja also appears to be good with younger Pokemon and children. Greninja cares deeply for its friends and would go to great lengths to keep them safe from danger,as seen when it took an attack for Talonflame in the Anistar Gym battle against Olympia in *All Eyes on the Future*. Greninja has even shown to be the peace maker of the group and is usually the voices of reason whenever there is conflict. Greninja is also very wise,offering advice and encouragement to those who need it,as seen in *Catching the Aura of Fate*,when Ash's Lucario had trouble finding balance in its Aura and bond with their Trainer.

Greninja seems to appreciate and respect bravery and selflessness,and as such,aims to be so itself. This is first shown when it took a hit for Pikachu during Team Rocket's attack despite not knowing Pikachu or his trainer,and then proceeded to help them both in combat. It respects those with these traits, as it does Ash. Greninja was impressed and surprised by Ash's willingness to put himself in danger to help a Garchomp that wasn't his Pokemon and barely knew and admired this show of self-sacrifice and selflessness to the point Greninja as a Froakie went alongside Ash to face Garchomp. It also showed genuine concern for Ash's safety when Ash jumped off the Prism Tower. Greninja has been shown to enjoy battling and seems to enjoy the opportunity to fight a strong opponent. Once recognizing Sawyer's Grovyle's strength,it developed a rivalry with it. Greninja's close bond with Ash was also one of his greatest insecurities,as their repeated failure to master the Ash-Greninja form started to weigh heavily on trainer and Pokemon alike. When Ash left Greninja in the Pokemon center after the loss to Wulfric,out of a sense of guilt for Greninja's injuries,a saddened Greninja gave chase as soon as he recovered. It was revealed Greninja also felt responsible for their loss. After fully synchronizing their feelings to save a Spewpa,however,Ash explained to Greninja why he wanted to become a Pokemon trainer,and that he saw his Pokemon as his closest friends. After that,Greninja and Ash came to fully understand each other.

## **History:**

### **XYZ:**

#### **Early life:**

Greninja's early life was first seen in a flashback in *Cloudy Fate,Bright Future*. As a Froakie,it hatched from an egg and initially lived its life alongside other Froakie in a pond. While the other Froakie spent their time playing and dancing,it spent most of its time away from the others training itself. Due to this,it was seen as a disturbance to the group and was attacked. A Nurse Joy healed Froakie and gave it to Professor Sycamore to be given away as a starter Pokemon. It then learned that it could only get strong with a trainer it truly trusted,and thus became very selective of its trainer. As a result,Froakie had gone through several trainers,always returning to Sycamore after either leaving them or being returned for being disobedient. In *Kalos,Where Dreams and Adventures Begin*,Froakie first saw Ash when he was kicked out of the Prism Tower. It continued to observe the group until Team Rocket intervened in Ash and Clemont's friendly Pokemon battle. It volunteered to help out by successfully using its Frubbles to counter Jessie's Wobbuffet,but ended up receiving quite a bit of damage during the encounter. In *Lumiose City Pursuit*,Ash decided to take Froakie to Sycamore's lab,where it was treated and restored to full health. Asking about its trainer,Ash was informed by Sycamore that its trainer had called to give Froakie back.

Later on,Team Rocket attempted to use a ring-type device against Froakie,but the lab's resident Garchomp got caught in it instead,causing her to go on a rampage after the machine malfunctioned. Ash,along with Froakie and his Pikachu,headed out to rescue Garchomp. In order to prevent her from falling down the Prism Tower,Froakie used its Frubbles on Garchomp's feet and Pikachu broke the device using Iron Tail. While leaving Professor Sycamore's laboratory the next day,Froakie threw a chunk of its Frubbles in Ash's face in order to get his attention. It motioned to a Pokeball lying on the ground in front of it,expressing its desire to join his party. When Ash approved,Froakie happily pressed the Pokeball's button and was caught.

#### **With Ash:**

In *A Battle of Aerial Mobility*,Froakie was introduced to Professor Oak,who was fascinated by the Bubble Frog Pokemon. For most of the subsequent trip on Route 4,Froakie was seen outside of its Pokeball. After a wild Fletchling took a Berry that Bonnie was going to give to a Dedenne,Froakie stubbornly attempted to fight Fletchling,only to lose. After Ash learned that it was only trying to get payback at Fletchling for making Bonnie sad,he and Froakie challenged Fletchling to one final battle by climbing the rocks to match Fletchling's speed. Although Fletchling escaped from Ash's Pokeball once,Froakie later defeated it,which ended in both its defeat and catch. In *Kindergarten Chaos*,Froakie battled Penelope's Sylveon and was about to finish Sylveon off when it was infatuated with Attract and defeated with a Draining Kiss. As the group arrived at the kindergarten where Penelope worked,Froakie was left embarrassed by its loss and stood alone while the other Pokemon played with the kindergartners. When Team Rocket appeared and stole Pikachu and Sylveon,Froakie and Randall,one of the children,were accidentally trapped in Team Rocket's truck during the chaos. Later when Ash entered the truck,the three worked together to break the glass containers holding Pikachu and Sylveon,helping Randall get over his fear of Pokemon in the process. Froakie and Pikachu then defeated Team Rocket and sent them blasting off. Afterward,Froakie and Randall gave each other a fist bump as a sign of their new friendship before the group said goodbye to everyone at the kindergarten.

In *A Rush of Ninja Wisdom*,Froakie battled Sanpei's Frogadier. During the battle,Frogadier used Quick Attack and was able to defeat Froakie,who was unable to keep up with Frogadier's moves despite its stubbornness about winning the battler. Impressed by Frogadier's Quick Attack,Ash wanted to teach it to Froakie with the help of Sanpei. However despite lots of training,Froakie still wasn't able to perfect Quick Attack. Suddenly,Team Rocket attacked the group and caught Pikachu and Frogadier. Thanks to its training,Froakie managed to learn Double Team and used it to free Pikachu and Frogadier. Working with Frogadier,they both used Water Pulse to blast Team Rocket off. In *An Undersea Place to Call Home*,Froakie,in order to save itself and a Skrelp from a whirlpool,jumped on boxes and debris to escape from the whirlpool and reach safety. This gave Ash the idea for the Rock Tomb Climb. In the next episode,Ash used Froakie as his first Pokemon in his Cyllage Gym Battle against Grant. Froakie went up against his Onix. During the battle,Onix used its signature move Rock Tomb,but Froakie used this opportunity to perform Rock Tomb Climb by climbing on the falling rocks. After reaching the top,Froakie used Water Pulse,which dealt major damage to Onix.

In *The Forest Champion*,Froakie was used to battle a wild Hawlucha Ash had befriended. After an exchange of multiple attacks,Hawlucha used Flying Press but Froakie countered with Pound at the last minute,causing a collision that knocked out both Pokemon and ended the battle in a draw. Later,Froakie was seen when Ash caught Hawlucha. It would later have a conflict with Hawlucha in *Forging Forest Friendships*. In the wake of learning Cut,Ash and Clemont decided to have a battle in which Froakie and Hawlucha battled against Chespin and Bunnelby. Ash commanded Hawlucha to use Karate Chop to counter Bunnelby's Mud Shot,but Froakie used Water Pulse on Bunnelby instead. This angered Hawlucha,who wanted to hit Bunnelby. The dispute later escalated,requiring them to be separated by Ash. In an attempt to defuse the tension,Ash decided to train the two in using a new move called "Super Flying Cut". During the training,Ash was kidnapped by a wild Trevenant and both Froakie and Hawlucha got separated from the rest of the group in the process. After finding Ash's hat,the two resolved their differences and sought to find their Trainer. After finding him,they battled Team Rocket,overcoming their Pokemon with their new special move and blasting them off. Froakie and Hawlucha then gave each other a fist bump,solidifying their new friendship.

In *A Stealthy Challenge*,Froakie was training with Ash and Pikachu when Bonnie noticed Sanpei in the water. It went rescued him and his Greninja,who were previously attacked by Saizo and his Barbaracle. After thwarting another attack,the group decided to help Sanpei find a mansion so he could deliver a secret document given to him by his mentor. Eventually,after they and their trainers were separated from the rest of the group,Froakie and Greninja encountered Saizo once more and had a rematch. However,neither their joint attacks nor the involvement of Pikachu gave them the upper hand. The three are eventually trapped in rocks by Barbaracle's Mud-Slap,which also blinded Pikachu and Greninja. Froakie managed to break free and evolve into a Frogadier; it weakened the Collective Pokemon with its new move Aerial Ace before Saizo fled the battle. After reaching the mansion,it was revealed that Saizo was in fact Sanpei's mentor,who had been testing his student and that the document was actually blank. Frogadier and Greninja had a battle at the end of the episode but the outcome was unknown.

In *The Green,Green Grass Types of Home*,Ash used Frogadier as his third and final Pokemon in his Coumarine Gym Battle against Ramos. Despite being at a type disadvantage,it went up against Weepinbell,which had already defeated Fletchinder and Hawlucha. Frogadier was eventually able to defeat the Flycatcher Pokemon with Aerial Ace,which overcame and destroyed its Grass Knot. It then went up against Ramos's last Pokemon,his Gogoat. In *A Fashionable Battle*,Ash used Frogadier and Hawlucha for his Double Battle against Sawyer. They went up against Sawyer's Treecko and Bagon and won. However before Ash and Sawyer could continue their battle,they were interrupted by the commotion caused by Valerie's Fashion Show. Later in *Rivals: Today and Tomorrow*,Ash used Frogadier as his third Pokemon in his three-versus-three battle against Sawyer. It went up against Treecko,despite the type disadvantage. During the battle,Treecko suddenly evolved into Grovyle,learning Leaf Blade in the process. Despite this development however,Frogadier took advantage of smoke,created by the collision of its Water Pulse and Grovyle's Bullet Seed,to get into the air and attack Grovyle with Water Pulse from behind,defeating the Wood Gecko Pokemon. After the battle,both Frogadier and Grovyle were impressed with the other's abilities and developed a rivalry with each other.

In *Cloudy Fate,Bright Future*,Frogadier's past was revealed by Olympia,who also predicted it would gain great power. In the next episode,Frogadier was used along with Talonflame in a Double Battle against Olympia's two Meowstic at the Anistar Gym. In *The Legend of the Ninja Hero*,Frogadier was seen training with Ash. It then met up with Sanpei and his Greninja again. Frogadier watched the battle between Sanpei's Greninja and Nihei's Venusaur with great interest and was shocked when Greninja was defeated. It then followed Ash and his friends and saw the shrine dedicated to the Hero Greninja. When the village was attacked,Frogadier and Ash,along with Sanpei and Greninja,chased after the kidnappers of Hanzo,the village elder,but were confronted by Heidayu and his Bisharp. In the next episode,Frogadier,along with Pikachu and Sanpei's Greninja,began to battle Heidayu's Bisharp. Bisharp easily overcame their combined efforts,but it was defeated due to the intervention of Saizo and his Barbaracle. Later,Frogadier joined Pikachu and Sanpei's Greninja in a rematch with Bisharp but they still struggled against the Sword Blade Pokemon. While the three Pokemon struggled to stand after being subjected to Bisharp's Snarl,Heidayu ordered Bisharp to finish Pikachu off with Shadow Claw. At the last moment,Frogadier got up and jumped in front of Pikachu to protect him,causing it to evolve into Greninja and learn Water Shuriken. Following its evolution,Greninja was matched with Bisharp due to its new powerful attack. Hearing Ash's words of encouragement,Greninja mysteriously transformed into a new form that would later be known as Ash-Greninja. With its new power,Greninja knocked Bisharp out with a powerful Cut. Afterward,the torrent of water surrounding it dissipated and Greninja reverted to its normal form,leaving Ash confused over what just happened.

In *Meeting at Terminus Cave*,Greninja was used by Ash to retrieve Squishy,who was captured by Team Rocket at the time. After Squishy defeated Team Flare's Pokemon and ran away,Greninja battled Celosia's Manectric and Bryony's Liepard,who chased after Squishy. During the battle,it transformed into its Ash-Greninja form and easily beat Manectric and Liepard back with its great speed and power,forcing Team Flare to retreat. During the battle,it was shown that Ash and Greninja share each other's pain and exhaustion while Greninja was in its Ash-Greninja form. Afterward,Greninja and Ash fell to their knees in exhaustion. In *A Meeting of Two Journeys*,Greninja was first used to battle Sawyer's Sceptile. It was eventually able to defeat Sceptile with Aerial Ace upon transforming into Ash-Greninja. Its transformation was noticed by Alain,who was passing by. The next day,Alain requested a battle with Greninja and Ash agreed. During the battle between Greninja and Alain's Charizard,Charizard Mega Evolved while Greninja again evolved into Ash-Greninja. In the end,Charizard was able to defeat Greninja with Blast Burn.

In *The Synchronicity Test*,Clemont developed an invention that would monitor Ash and Greninja's pulse so the group would know more about Greninja's transformation ability. Greninja was sent out to spar with Clemont's Luxray to try and trigger the transformation. Despite multiple attacks being exchanged,the battle was eventually called off since both Pokemon became tired and Greninja's transformation still hadn't taken place. After Alain showed up,he and Ash agreed to have a rematch,with Greninja battling Alain's Charizard once more. During the battle,Charizard Mega Evolved and managed to hit Greninja with a powerful Thunder Punch. This triggered its transformation into Ash-Greninja and it was able to match Charizard in combat with its increased power. However,the battle was called off when Ash collapsed from exhaustion. When Ash regained consciousness,he realized that he and Greninja would have to be more careful in using the transformation. Thus,he vowed to train harder in order to perfect it.

In *Championing a Research Battle*,Ash and his friends met up with Diantha,who battled Ash and Greninja with Gardevoir after hearing of the latter's special power. Eventually,Greninja and Ash reached the point where they could transform into Ash-Greninja. Diantha was impressed by its special form,as Greninja started to gain the upper hand. It was able to keep up with Gardevoir's speed and strike it. Diantha finally had Gardevoir Mega Evolve and repel Greninja's attacks. However,before the battle could progress any further,both Greninja and Ash passed out again from exhaustion. As a result,Gardevoir had to fend off Team Rocket while the two regained consciousness. Greninja and Ash soon recovered and vowed to fully master their newfound transformation.

From *A Full-Strength Battle Surprise* to *Seeing the Forest for the Trees*,Ash and Greninja faced a major personal crisis in being able to perfect the Ash-Greninja form. Ash first started having doubts about himself after Greninja lost to Sawyer's Sceptile during their three-on-three battle,having been unable to transform. Later on,Ash and Greninja finally managed to activate the form during the Gym battle against Wulfric but despite that,Greninja still lost due to being frozen by Avalugg's attacks. Blaming himself for their loss,Ash decided to leave Greninja at the Pokemon Center and walked off into the Winding Woods alone. It the following episode,Greninja left to look for Ash. With Squishy's help,they reunited during a blizzard and worked together to save a bunch of Spewpa that were trapped on a tree branch hanging above a cliff. As a result,they were able to get their feelings in sync and Greninja was able to perfect the Ash-Greninja form. Afterward,Ash and Greninja,along with some forest Pokemon,sought shelter in a cave where the two promised to start over again. Later on,they reunited with the group and returned to the Pokemon Center. There,Greninja showed Ash its Pokeball and rolled it over to him,just like the time when it was first caught,signifying their resolve to start over again.

In *A Real Icebreaker*,Greninja was Ash's final Pokémon during the rematch against Wulfric and it battled his Abomasnow this time,despite having a severe type disadvantage. During the battle,Greninja proved to hold its own against Abomasnow. As a result,Wulfric revealed his Key Stone and Mega Evolved Abomasnow. Against Mega Abomasnow,Greninja had a much harder time but after an exchange of attacks,it eventually finished Abomasnow off with a powerful Aerial Ace. This gave Ash the win and earned him his final Kalos Badge,the Iceberg Badge. In *A League of His Own*,Ash used Greninja in the first round of the Lumiose Conference,where it faced Titus's Altaria. Greninja transformed into Ash-Greninja during the battle,shocking the spectators,and defeated Altaria with a single Water Shuriken. In *A Riveting Rivalry*,Greninja was used as Ash's final Pokémon in the semifinals. It faced off against Sawyer's Sceptile again,during which both Pokemon transformed into their more powerful forms. In *Down to the Fiery Finish*,Greninja was Ash's final Pokemon used in the finals against Alain. After defeating Alain's Bisharp,it faced off against Charizard.

After several exchanges of attacks,Ash and Alain had their Pokemon use Water Shuriken and Blast Burn,respectively. As Greninja unleashed all of its power into the attack,its Shuriken grew to massive size and changed to a fiery red-orange color. Both Pokemon then fired off their attacks,with both scoring a direct hit on their opponent. Although initially,both Pokemon were still standing, Greninja wasn't able to take the damage and soon fainted,causing Alain to win the Lumiose Conference. In *A Towering Takeover*,Greninja,along with Ash and his other Pokemon,was taken captive at the top of Prism Tower by Lysandre,who intended to use their Bond Phenomenon for his plans. In the next episode,it and Ash were hit by a miniature version of the Team Flare's Mega Evolution energy ray,designed to control them but they broke free using Bond Phenomenon. Greninja,along with everyone else,battled Lysandre's Pyroar and Shiny Mega Gyarados. The battle finally concluded in *Rocking Kalos Defenses*,when Greninja and Charizard hit Gyarados with a respective Cut and Dragon Claw,allowing Pikachu to finish the Atrocious Pokemon off with a Thunderbolt. Greninja later helped Serena's Braixen,Steven's Metagross,and Professor Sycamore's Garchomp fight against the Giant Rock. Greninja managed to sense Chespie's location inside the Giant Rock and managed to throw a Water Shuriken into its body,marking the location.

After the resurrection of the Giant Rock,which was now controlled by Lysandre,Greninja,Pikachu and Alain's Charizard managed to destroy Lysandre's control device,allowing Squishy and Z2 to destroy the Giant Rock. In *Facing the Needs of the Many*,Greninja detected the presence of one of the Giant Rock's remaining roots. After transforming into Ash-Greninja,it was able to see the root's underground source and used Water Shuriken on it,causing the root to wither away. After Xerosic revealed his plans to create Neo-Team Flare and kidnapped Clemont,Ash sent Greninja to follow him. It helped Ash and his friends defeat Xerosic in battle,leading to Xerosic's arrest. However,parts of the Giant Rock still remained. After Squishy appeared and saved Bonnie from another root,it led Greninja and the group to Z2,who requested Greninja to help it and Squishy detect and destroy all of the Giant Rock's remnants. Greninja accepted Z2's request and bid farewell to Ash and his friends. In the following episode,Greninja was seen destroying a root,with Squishy and Z2 watching nearby.

### **Journeys:**

In *Catching the Aura of Fate*,Greninja reunited with Ash and Pikachu,and accepted its former Trainer's request for help in training Lucario. After quickly defeating Lucario in a sparring match,Greninja witnessed the Aura Pokemon run off in frustration. Greninja found Lucario and offered it some advice in order to strengthen its Aura abilities,showcasing that it needed to be in perfect balance. However after sensing a cluster of giant roots that was attacking Ash and Goh,Greninja and Lucario went back to help the boys. Greninja and Lucario teamed up to take the roots down through a combination of Water Shuriken and Aura Sphere. Greninja then bid goodbye to Ash,Goh and Lucario. Greninja reappeared in *Aim For The Eight*,sensing Lucario as it drew power from its allies' Aura during Ash's battle against Raihan in Galar. In *Whittle While You Work*,Greninja sensed Lucario once again as the Aura Pokemon drew power from its Aura during Ash's battle against Cynthia in the Masters Eight Tournament. In *Partners in Time!*,Greninja appeared as a vision to Raichu during his battle against Leon's Charizard. In *Heroes Unite*,Greninja appeared in a fantasy while Ash reminisced about the Pokemon he'd caught on his journey.

### **Horizons:**

Greninja visited Ash when he decided on a new journey,much to his surprise. Greninja was with Ash when he visited Ciel Phantomhive. Greninja helped Ash find 5 Alolan Vulpix. The mission accomplished,Greninja decided to stay with Ciel for some training.

## **Moveset:**

* Water Pulse
* Bubble
* Pound
* Double Team
* Cut
* Aerial Ace
* Water Shuriken
* Night Slash
* Shadow Sneak
* Acrobatics
* Chilling Water
* Ice Punch
* Dark Pulse
* Hydro Cannon

## **Gallery:**

As A FroakieFrogadierGreninja