Grass-type Pokemon have always felt like the little brother of Pokemon types — they're beloved, but never really considered all that cool or interesting. Out of the original three starting Pokemon in the Kanto region, everyone loved to hate and poke fun at Bulbasaur, since it wasn't featured on a Game Boy game cover in the United States.
Also, it didn't help that Venusaur was considered by many to be a less exciting design compared to the other two final forms. Let's take a look at some Grass-type Pokemon that Ash Ketchum never caught during his adventures, from the Kanto region up until his time on the Alolan Islands in the anime.
Updated April 27th, 2022 by Jerrad Wyche: Since Pokemon was launched, the Grass-types in the series have felt as if they've always fought an uphill battle in terms of relevance. Not only did most kids on the playground choose the Water or Fire-type starters with each new generation, but those who chose Grass also had to debate why they made the right choice. It didn't help that Ash Ketchum, the main character in the Pokemon anime, also skips out on training Grass-types, despite the anime now covering adventures in the Galar region featured in Pokemon Sword & Shield.
15 Hoppip
Now, no one's going to blame Ash for never catching a Hoppip, but it does happen to be a Grass-type Pokemon he never ended up catching. The neat thing with Hoppip isn't only that it's a Grass and Flying dual-type, but that its color drastically changes in each of its two evolutionary forms.
This may sound like a simple design choice, but it isn't the most common design formula when it comes to the series. They all have a rotund body shape, but it goes from being magenta with Hoppip to a bright green as Skiploom, and finally landing at its vibrant blue final form of Jumpluff.
14 Cottonee
In the anime episode 'Cottonee in Love!', there was an interaction where Ash lead a Cottonee in battle as though he was its trainer. However, that was the extent of their relationship. This Pokemon benefitted, as it became much better in battle from both an offensive and defensive perspective.
The reason the two worked together is that the specific Cottonee encountered was trying to prove itself in front of a fellow Pokemon it was infatuated with. People do strange things in an attempt to win over people they have a crush on, and it turns out Pokemon sometimes act in a very similar manner.
13 Deerling
The Pokemon anime tends to do a relatively good job at showcasing Pokemon, and the uniqueness they bring to the series overall. Deerling is a Pokemon that would have been neat to see on Ash's roster, simply because of how its appearance changes based on the season.
The Normal and Grass dual-type would be a key indicator of the passage of time, though, so it's easy to understand why writers would never let Ash catch it and keep it on his team for an extended period of time. The last thing these creative teams want is a telltale sign of time, and how it's standing still or moving forward. Deerling's biggest strength may have ended up being its downfall for the anime.
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11 Pumpkaboo
When looking at the entire roster of Grass-type Pokemon, it's easy to identify Pumpkaboo as a lovable, timed-event type of creature. Having it be a part of a Halloween or horror-like episode makes sense for the anime, but Ash strutting around with a living pumpkin in the middle of the summer doesn't feel right.
The typing combination of Ghost and Grass is neat, and something Ash never had the fortune of experiencing since his Rowlet never evolved. Maybe one day the tiny owl will make its way back onto his main team, and fully realize its potential as an aviary archer.
10 Bellsprout
Bellsprout is sadly one of the Kanto region's native Pokemon that's often forgotten about when fans become nostalgic. For them, it's easy to remember Grass-types like Bulbasaur or Oddish, but the yellow flower bulb that turns into a Venus flytrap gets lost in the mix.
Even when fans remember the Flower Pokemon, they often forget that it not only evolves into Weepinbell, but also has a third and final form named Victreebel — obtained by giving Weepinbell a Leaf Stone and leveling it up at least once.
9 Tangela
Is Tangela a Grass-type Pokemon worth catching? When the Kanto region is home to so many different Grass-types, and you already own the Grass-type starter, it's safe to say that Tangela isn't a creature that would be yearned for.
When the franchise finally decided to give it an evolutionary form it certainly became more interesting, but not enough for it to contend with other Grass-types. There should be no reason why fans are confused as to why Ash never caught a Tangela, when they likely never went out of their way to acquire one either.
8 Snover
The Sinnoh region is a chapter in Ash's adventures where he generally didn't catch many Pokemon. Outside of the two starters he acquired, he managed to only catch less than a handful of Pokemon. These Pokemon were Buizel, Gligar, Starly, and Gible.
Though Snover was both Grass and Ice-typing, it seems Ash didn't feel it was worth pursuing. The Ice-type isn't something Ash is attracted to, and in all of his time as a Pokemon trainer he's only ever owned two Ice-type Pokemon — Snorunt and Lapras.
7 Exeggcute
It seems like sometimes Ash decides not to catch certain Pokemon, due to him experiencing an awful event or situation revolving around that creature. For Exeggcute, Ash's interaction with the Grass-type involved its final evolutionary form, Exeggutor.
The episode deals with Ash and his friends coming upon a small town hosting a carnival, with a magician people find boring. It culminates in Ash having to stop a roaming mob of Exeggcutor from destroying the city, all while preventing them from being killed by the carnival owner — who planted a bomb.
6 Seedot
Seedot is a Grass-type Pokemon that at first seems unassuming, but can grow and evolve into a dangerous and effective Grass and Dark-type protector of the forest. It's surprising that, despite seeing the potential of Nuzleaf first-hand, Ash never pursued it or its base form, Seedot.
The creature also showed its willingness to work and play with other Pokemon, and by the end of the episode in which they're featured all of Ash's Pokemon are having a blast with the group of Nuzleaf they met.
5 Oddish
Oddish, despite never being owned or captured by Ash, is responsible for one of his closest connections to a Grass-type Pokemon. If it wasn't for Ash and Misty stumbling across an Oddish next to a hidden village, Ash would have never met and acquired his beloved Bulbasaur.
This happened as a result of Misty trying to capture the tiny creature, and Bulbasaur stepping in to protect its Pokemon pal. It isn't uncommon for a Pokemon to play a heavy role in Ash's Pokemon journey without being captured by the energetic adventurer.
4 Lotad
Ash likes to act like he's down to Earth and a cool customer, but he's much more prideful than he lets on. Lotad, the Grass and Water-type from the third generation of Pokemon, is a niche beloved creature who turns into a fan favorite when it reaches its final form, Ludicolo.
Brock, one of Ash's closest friends, owned and trained a Lotad and helped it reach its final form. Very rarely does Ash catch a Pokemon if one of his companions already owns it. It's unclear if this is due to him not wanting to copy them, or if he feels it's also sort of his Pokemon.
3 Skiddo
Skiddo isn't too interesting, a Grass-type Pokemon that's nothing more than a furry goat. The reason Ash never caught this adorable Pokemon is very similar to why he never obtained the Fire-type horse from the Kanto region, Ponyta.
Ash's only major interaction with Skiddo is when he rode it during Grace's race training. He also used that same Skiddo to chase after Team Rocket, in an attempt to thwart their plans. The creature was only used for transportation, and Ash never learned what moves it was capable of performing.
2 Phantump
Phantump is a Pokemon that at first glance looks adorable, but the more that is learned about the Grass and Ghost-type, the creepier it becomes. At their core, Phantump are the souls of dead children who have possessed tree stumps in the forest.
This makes it quite understandable why Ash wouldn't bother catching this nightmare-inducing creature. It also doesn't help that Ash was kidnapped by Phantump's final form, Trevenant, when he was training for an important gym leader battle in the Kalos region.
1 Chespin
Imagine being the only starter of a given type that Ash doesn't own. That's the case for Chespin, as it happens to be the only Grass-type starter that Ash never obtained throughout the series.
In a vacuum, it paints Chespin in a terrible light, but it's not the Pokemon's fault. The Kalos region was a point in the anime where the creators made a conscious decision to develop a deep bond between Ash and his Froakie. So much so, it resulted in the creation of a unique version of the Pokemon — Ash-Greninja.