The Pokemon anime might take tons of inspiration from the games, but there’s plenty of ways that the series has deviated from its source material over the years. As far as continuity goes, the anime and games exist in separate universes. That’s allowed for the anime to get creative with how it portrays certain elements of the Pokemon world.
A Pokemon can learn all sorts of different moves throughout its lifetime. The games offer players tons of different Physical, Special, and Status moves they can teach their Pokemon. The anime has featured many of these moves in its countless battle sequences. But there have been times where the writers decided to flex their creative muscles and add their own spin on some moves as well. Players won’t find these unique attacks in any Pokemon game.
10 Gust Counterattack
Ash’s Pidgeotto made use of this move pretty early in the anime’s run. The move was used by the aforementioned Normal/Flying-type when facing off against Jessie’s Ekans. Though not all that powerful, it did force the Team Rocket Pokemon to move out of the way.
The move seems to be an improvised version of Gust, which was a signature move of the Pidgey line in Gen I. Similar to its game inspiration, Gust Counterattack doesn’t bring that much to the table.
9 Rocket Punch
As Ash’s signature Pokemon, Pikachu has had more screen time than any other pocket monster in the series. As a result, it’s used its fair share of anime exclusive moves. Pikachu used Rocket Punch against a Hitmonchan in the episode, “The Punchy Pokemon”.
It seems to be some sort of Electric-type move that has Pikachu jab its opponent with all its might. That might not seem like much, but it was pretty effective in the anime.
8 Flaming Tackle
This moved was used by Egan’s Flareon in the episode, “Some Like It Hot”. The Fire-type Eeveelution seemed to be well trained, knowing a variety of powerful and useful moves.
Flaming Tackle is likely some sort of altered Flame Wheel. With both attacks, the user is engulfed in flame before charging its opponent with a physical strike. This proved to be a powerful move when it debuted but sadly has never been brought back.
7 Air Lens
Most Pokemon moves tend to give what they do away in their names. That’s the case for many of the anime-exclusive moves as well, save for a few. Blaine’s Magmar’s Air Lens is one of those moves that falls under the latter category.
Air Lens seems to be a defensive measure. Magmar heats up the air around its arms and then uses them to repel Electric-attacks. Blaine used this against Ash’s Pikachu, making Magmar a tough foe to take down.
6 Aerial Submission
Ash’s Charizard always stood out in a fight and gave fans some of the most memorable battles in the series. The aloof Fire-type has improvised quite a bit over the years.
Aerial Submission has Charizard spin while flying, which damages the Pokemon near it. It lacks the flashiness of other moves, but it gets the job done.
5 Thunder Armor
One thing the anime can visualize better than the games is the combined efforts of various Pokemon in battle. Ash’s Pikachu and Swellow made for a pretty good team, as illustrated by their improvisational prowess.
Thunder Armor has a fancy name but is really just Pikachu using its Thunder to cover both itself and Swellow. The move increased their Speed and Attack, giving them an overwhelming advantage in battle.
4 Volt Tail
Ash’s familiarity with Pikachu has led to some amazing moments of ingenuity in battle. Pikachu’s Volt Tail is one of many great improvisational attacks the anime has given fans.
The move starts as a normal Volt Tackle, which Pikachu then swaps out for an Iron Tail. The combination of the two leads to an incredibly powerful attack that most can’t handle.
3 Frubble
Ash’s Greninja still stands as one of his most recognized. It was certainly a Pokemon that he had a lot of success with, and that might be thanks to its penchant for improvisation.
As a Froakie, Greninja showed off that skill with its Frubbles. The little Pokemon made use of them against Jessie’s Wobbufet and proved early on that it would be a vital part of Ash’s team.
2 Ice Jet
Ash’s Buizel often goes ov4erlooked as a member of his party. The crafty water-type has had its fair share of memorable moments in the anime, with its use of Ice Jet being the one that stands out.
Buizel first uses its Aqua Jet while launching itself towards a Pokemon using an Ice-type move. The combination of the two makes for a devastating attack that shows off Buizel’s versatility in battle.
1 Flaming Seismic Toss
Be it the games or the anime, Seismic Toss is one of Charizard’s most impactful moves. This anime-only variant makes it all the more effective.
Charizard used this move against Clair’s Dragonair while it was itself being attacked with Dragon Rage. The combination of Seismic Toss, Fire Spin, and Dragon Rage made for an intense move you can only really see in the anime.