Ash Ketchum & Snorlax Timeline
When Ash and his gang come to the Orange Islands, they find themselves on one of the lesser known islands that is home to a bunch of grapefruits. When they are about to enjoy one, a lady comes running out and states that they aren't for people to just eat, they are a business. She explains that there is a thief on the loose, and that a bunch of grapefruit have gone missing. Ash and gang decide to help check it out, when they discover the culprit -- a Snorlax. Ash decides that he is going to battle Snorlax in order to get him to stop. He sends out his Bulbasaur, but Snorlax just simply uses Body Slam to take Bulbasaur out, and continues to eat. Eventually, Ash gets fed up and with the help of a wild Jigglypuff's Sing, Ash is able to catch Snorlax last minute before Ash, too, falls asleep. Snorlax is the second Pokemon Ash catches on the Orange Islands, even though he definitely didn't expect to catch one.
Ash quickly begins to realize that Snorlax is going to be a hassle to take care of. Is this because Snorlax really is a pain, or is it because Ash at this point is an inexperienced trainer? I believe it's the second one. Although Snorlax does need a lot of food to feel sustained, Snorlax does tend to listen to Ash most of the time about not eating until he is told to do so. Although at this point in time in the Kanto region I do believe that Ash loves his Pokemon, I am not sure if the two really have a relationship. A relationship begins to blossom later on when Ash sends out Snorlax to fight against a Rhydon in order to save Pikachu. In this battle, Snorlax uses Mega Punch, an attack that pleasantly surprises Ash. This is the first battle that Ash uses his Snorlax, and he begins to realize that there may be hope between the two.
The comedy level in Ash and Snorlax's relationship begins when Ash accidentally sends Snorlax out in a battle. Snorlax comes out sleeping, but Ash is unfortunately unable to send him back into the PokeBall because it breaks. The only reason Snorlax wakes up isn't because the trainer, Gulzar, sends Gloom to attack Snorlax. However, because he smells Gloom, Snorlax gets up with the desire to EAT Gloom! For those who may not know, Gloom's smell is suppose to be horrible, yet Snorlax is attracted to that smell. Or, at least, Ash's Snorlax is. Gulzar gets mad and runs away because he states that he doesn't want to get eaten. Snorlax immediately falls back to sleep after the battle is over. This is a big issue because Snorlax needs to make it up a mountain in order to go to a Pokemon Center and fix his PokeBall. Ash, Tracey, and Misty try to come up with clever ideas to get him moving. One of the ideas is to dress Ash up as a giant apple. This works for a little bit, all the way up the first hill, until Snorlax catches Ash. When he tries to bite into him, he realizes it's fake, gets angry, and falls back to sleep. After creating a raft to push Snorlax down stream, the group gets attacked by Team Rocket. Snorlax wakes up when he realizes his friends are in danger, and uses Hyper Beam to defeat them. Snorlax starts running, which seems like he's running to hug Ash, so Ash runs back giggling. However, Snorlax is really just running towards a big barrel of food. Ash laughs and states, "I think Snorlax loves to eat just a teeny bit more than it loves me!" After Snorlax eats all of the food, he falls into a deep sleep. Nurse Joy informs Ash that Snorlax probably won't wake up for weeks. Therefore, Ash decides to send Snorlax to Professor Oak for awhile.
Ash contacts Professor Oak and tells him to send Snorlax right away because he needs a Pokemon that is at least 80kg to participate in a competition called Pokemon Sumo. When Snorlax gets up on the scale for his weigh in, he completely shatters it into pieces. Snorlax, being the goof that he is, doesn't want to wake up even though the competition is starting. When the announcer talks about how the winner will get a year supply of food, Snorlax perks up and runs out with Ash to the battle field. Snorlax ends up being the 35th winner of the annual Sumo competition. Ash and Snorlax share a big hug, and then Snorlax runs over to the food he deserves. He actually ends up eating the year supply in minutes! Misty makes a joke, stating she is glad they won't have to carry it around with them.
Ash uses Snorlax in a few other big battles: One against Gym Leader Clair for a rematch, and another against his rival, Gary. Snorlax and Ash actually come up with some strategic battle plans, showing how the two have developed their relationship. Although Kingdra was a tough opponent in Clair's Gym Battle, Snorlax ends up defeating it by using Ice Punch to get away (even though it isn't effective really against a Dragon Type), and then Hyper Beam to knock it out successfully. Ash realizes that Snorlax has a lot of stamina and good defense, and can easily take attacks without KO'ing. This comes in handy during battles, and allows Ash to tire out his opponents. We see this as well in his battle against Gary's Arcanine. Snorlax is able to knock it out with one HyperBeam, and take down Nidoqueen as well. Unfortunately, Snorlax loses to a Houndoom when it uses Counter and sends back Hyper Beam at it.
We truly see the bond between Ash and Snorlax during the Second Frontier Battle, where Ash sends out a Normal Type (Snorlax) against Fighting Types. Snorlax is able to use moves like Reject in order to dodge, or lessen the damage done by the the Fighting Types. Snorlax gets hit by Ice Punch, but doesn't knock out from it at all, probably due to Snorlax's ability, Thick Fat, which allows him to get burned or frozen without damage. Ash shows another side of their bond by telling him to use Rest while he is frozen in the ice in order to bring back some energy to use Hyper Beam again to win. While the opponents Pokemon is punching at the ice, Ash tells him to keep resting and gaining his strength back. Finally, the punches get through the ice, but Snorlax quickly dodges what could hav been a fatal blow with the motivation of Ash's screams. In the end, Snorlax is able to defeat not one, but two Fighting Types, allowing Ash to win the battle. The two share another cute hug at the end as well.
I think overall, it was very important that Ash decided to send Snorlax to Professor Oak for awhile after the Orange Islands. This is because Ash was not strong enough as a trainer to know how to battle with a hefty Pokemon like Snorlax. Snorlax needed time to relax with Professor Oak while Ash went off and learned more about battling and the Pokemon World. When Snorlax returns to help Ash battle in later episodes from Advanced Generation, Snorlax and Ash are finally able to form that bond that is needed for success. This allows Ash to win many difficult challenges with Snorlax.
Snorlax's Personality
Ash's Snorlax is an extremely lazy Pokemon, only responding to food or sometimes a battle. We see how big it's appetite is when it consumes an entire years worth of food in minutes. Ash's Snorlax shows us that it allows it's hunger to overcome it's senses. We see this before Ash even catches it when it tries to eat Misty's Goldeen, and later when Snorlax belongs to Ash, it tries to eat Gulzar's Gloom. I am not sure if Snorlax didn't recognize them as Pokemon, OR, if this is a hint in the anime that Pokemon do eat each other. However, Snorlax proves himself with it's great strength and fitness. Snorlax is seen to be an awesome swimmer, and is extremely agile even with it's weight. His powerful moves in battle makes him a key-player on Ash's team, even if he doesn't always keep him in his party of six Pokemon.
Despite its laziness, Ash's Snorlax is an extremely affectionate Pokemon. It is clear that it is happy to be close with Ash, even though it didn't originally expect to be caught by a trainer. When it is awake and focused, it is extremely loyal to Ash. It is often willing to fight for Ash, and is happy when they win battles together. The two even have a special stance that they do when they win a battle: this is when they both put their arms up, like they are showing off their muscles. We also see Snorlax and Ash hug multiple times. We later see Snorlax wake up by Ash's scent at Professor Oaks place (assumed scent because he couldn't see that Ash was there when he was asleep), and he smiles and waves.
Snorlax's Move Set Throughout the Anime
Below are all of the attacks that Ash's Snorlax uses throughout the Pokemon Anime Series. They are listed in order of use, as well as the episode that it appears in. Click the link of the episode to view my gallery portal of each one. There you can see more images of the attacks being used, as well as Snorlax interacting with Ash.Moves & EpisodeBody Slam - - - Snack Attack!, Episode 94Headbutt - - - Snack Attack!, Episode 94 Mega Kick - - - Snack Attack!, Episode 94 Mega Punch - - - Bound For Trouble, Episode 104 Hyper Beam - - - Pokemon Food Fight, Episode 107 Ice Punch - - - Better Eight than Never!, Episode 254 Tackle - - - The Right Place at the Right Mime, Episode 410 Reject - - - Wheel of Frontier, Episode 423 Protect - - - Wheel of Frontier, Episode 423 Rest - - - Wheel of Frontier, Episode 423 |
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Best Memories
I want to close off this section by posting some of my favorite pictures, in order, of Ash and Snorlax's memories together throughout the anime series. These are pictures that are goofy, sincere, or happy. I am very glad that Ash was able to learn how to appreciate this big sleepy Pokemon, and that the two were able to find a true friendship in the end. You can also click each image to take you to a gallery from the episode that it's from. However, feel free to just hover over the image to see my small description.
