Ash's Pidgeot

**Ash's Pidgeot** (Japanese: **サトシのピジョット** *Satoshi's Pigeot*) was the second Pokémon that Ash caught in the Kanto region, and his third overall.

## History

### Original series

Ash caught Pidgeot as a Pidgeotto in Viridian Forest in *Ash Catches a Pokémon*. Having previously failed to capture its pre-evolution Pidgey and a Spearow, Ash was prepared to fight the Pidgeotto before attempting a capture. However, his Caterpie was easily overwhelmed by the Flying Pokémon. After recalling Caterpie, Ash sent out his Pikachu. Pikachu used Thunder Shock to weaken Pidgeotto, allowing Ash to capture it. Later, Ash used Pidgeotto in its first battle against Team Rocket, but it was ultimately defeated.

In *Challenge of the Samurai*, Pidgeotto was used to weaken a wild Weedle for Ash to capture, but the Weedle escaped when Samurai arrived and challenged Ash to a battle. Weakened by the battle with Weedle, Pidgeotto battled Samurai's Pinsir. Pidgeotto started off with Sand Attack, but Pinsir simply ran through the dust and defeated it with a single Tackle.

In *Showdown in Pewter City*, it battled Geodude in Ash's rematch with Brock. Its Gust proved ineffective on the Rock/Ground type Pokémon, and it was quickly knocked out.

In *The Water Flowers of Cerulean City*, Pidgeotto was used in Ash's Cerulean Gym match against Misty, where it fought Starmie. Pidgeotto started off with Whirlwind, but Starmie jumped into the water and hit Pidgeotto with Tackle. Starmie went for another Tackle but got knocked into the water by Pidgeotto's Wing Attack. Starmie, however, quickly recovered and struck it with Tackle again. As Starmie headed back to attack once again, Pidgeotto used Gust to propel it with great force into the Gym's wall. The battle was interrupted by Team Rocket, who tried to steal the Gym's Pokémon.

Pidgeotto was used in a battle to repel Team Rocket Grunts aboard the St. Anne in *Battle Aboard the St. Anne*, where it joined a group of other Pidgeotto to use Gust on the Grunts.

In *Tentacool & Tentacruel*, Pidgeotto bore Pikachu into battle with a giant Tentacruel, and was the only one of itself, Butterfree, and Zubat to avoid Tentacruel's attacks, allowing Pikachu to attempt to negotiate a truce with the Tentacruel.

In *The Ninja Poké-Showdown*, Pidgeotto was used in Ash's Fuchsia Gym battle against Koga, where it faced his Venonat, which promptly evolved into Venomoth. Pidgeotto tried blowing Venomoth's Stun Spore away with Whirlwind but failed to do so, crippling it. Pidgeotto was put to sleep by Sleep Powder, forcing Ash to substitute it for Charmander.

In *The Battle Of The Badge*, Pidgeotto played a very important part in Ash's Viridian Gym battle. Ash's Bulbasaur and Squirtle were being brutalized by Giovanni's Kingler and Machamp, commanded by Jessie, but Pidgeotto turned the tables by using a Quick Attack and Double-Edge combination to inflict serious damage on her Rhydon.

In *The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis*, Pidgeotto was sent out to battle an ancient giant Gengar. However, its Gust had no effect on Gengar, and it was absorbed by the monster. It was saved after the giant Jigglypuff put the huge creature to sleep.

In *Friend and Foe Alike*, Pidgeotto towed Team Rocket's balloon all the way to the stadium at the Indigo Plateau in order to allow Ash to reach his battle with Ritchie in time. However, this left it too exhausted to battle, leaving Ash with only his disobedient Charizard to fight with once Squirtle and Pikachu were defeated.

In *Pallet Party Panic*, following the Indigo Plateau Conference, Ash made a brief stop at Pallet Town before setting off for the Orange Islands. Traversing through Viridian Forest along the way, he encountered the Spearow he had tried to catch the first day of his journey, who had since evolved into Fearow and was leading other wild Spearow in harassing the local Pidgey flock. Pidgeotto tried to lead the wild Pidgey to safety, but it was badly injured. Desperate to help its fellow birds, Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot and attacked Fearow with Gust and Quick Attack. It led the other Pidgey and Pidgeotto to defeat Fearow. After their victory, Ash released Pidgeot to guard the wild Pidgey so that Fearow would not return for a revenge attack.

Ash promised to return for it after he was finished in the Orange Islands, a sentiment that he still held in *Fighting Flyer with Fire*, where it appeared in a flashback when seeing Falkner's Pidgeot reminded him of his friend.

### Pokémon the Series: Black & White

Pidgeot appeared in a flashback as a Pidgeotto in *The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!*, when Ash recalled the night he was stuck in a snowstorm and his entire team, including Pidgeotto, helped keep Ash warm.

### Pokémon Journeys: The Series

In *Partners in Time!*, Pidgeot appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle against Leon's Charizard.

In *Heroes Unite!*, Pidgeot appeared in a fantasy while Ash reminisced about the Pokémon he'd caught on his journey.

In *The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!*, Pidgeot reunited with Ash when it saved Pikachu from being captured by Team Rocket. Seeing that the members of its flock had grown up, Ash invited Pidgeot to rejoin his team, which it accepted.

## Personality and characteristics

Ash's Pidgeot did not undergo as much character development as his other five original team members, as it had far fewer episodes focused on it. However, it was loyal and had an extremely strong relationship with Ash, the only one of his original six Pokémon he had never been on bad terms with before or after capture. It always followed his orders to the letter, even when this ran the risk of self-injury, such as when taking on Fearow, Jessie's Arbok, and the Ancient Giant Gengar.

Early in Ash's journey, Pidgeotto was one of his primary battlers, but it was gradually weeded out as an everyday battler after Ash added more Pokémon to his team. It was typically used to blow away Smokescreens, pop holes in Team Rocket's balloon, or conduct aerial searches.

## Moves used

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

### Moves improvised

 **Description:** A variation of Gust, used to force the foe to evade. This technique was used once by Pidgeotto in *Ash Catches a Pokémon*. Pidgeotto slams its wings together, creating a small airflow around its wings, forcing Jessie's Ekans to jump away.

## Trivia

* Pidgeot is the first Pokémon of the Normal and Flying types to have been owned by a main character in the anime.
* Pidgeot is the first of Ash's Pokémon:
	+ To have been caught in an evolved form.
	+ To have used a move that causes recoil damage, in this case, Double-Edge.
* Pidgeotto never won a Gym battle under Ash's ownership; though it took a strong lead against both Misty's Starmie and Giovanni's Rhydon (under Jessie's command), neither battle was officially called for Ash.
* Pidgeot is the only Pokémon that Ash has had in his active team at the time of a Pokémon League Conference that has not been seen participating in a League battle.
* Pidgeot is the only member of Ash's original team of six that was never seen using Tackle.
* Pidgeot is the last of Ash's released Pokémon that has reunited with him, and the only one to have permanently rejoined his team.
* Out of all the Pokémon that were obtained and evolved in Kanto during the original series, Pidgeotto took the longest to evolve, at 78 episodes.
* Pidgeot is Ash's oldest caught Pokémon to currently be under his ownership.
* Pidgeotto's evolution into Pidgeot has been teased or, at least, influenced by the first opening of the anime, which displays Ash throwing a Poké Ball containing a Pidgeot to battle a Fearow.
* Pidgeot made a cameo appearance in the tenth Japanese opening theme, Spurt!. However, it did not return in any episodes aired with the opening.
	+ It also appeared in the correspondent dub opening alongside Larvitar's mother, thus making it the only one of Ash's Pokémon to have its Spurt! scene carried across to the dub opening.
* In Pokémon Yellow, it is possible to catch underleveled Pidgeotto in Viridian Forest, possibly as a reference to Ash's Pidgeotto.

## Gallery

Ash's Pidgeot using GustAsh's Pidgeot using Quick AttackAsh's Pidgeot, as a Pidgeotto, using Sand AttackAsh's Pidgeot, as a Pidgeotto, using WhirlwindAsh's Pidgeot using Wing AttackAsh's Pidgeot, as a Pidgeotto, using Double-Edge
## Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Pidgeotto and Pidgeot.