The Pokemon Ash caught during the Diamond and Pearl years

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have finally arrived on the Nintendo Switch, and in honor of the games' release, let's take a trip down memory lane to take a look at some of the Pokemons that Ash (Satoshi) caught during the Diamond and Pearl years.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl

Starly/Staravia/Staraptor - Ash's first Pokemon caught in the Sinnoh region is Starly. He encountered one when his Aipom accidentally knocked it in the woods. As the story progresses, his Starly evolved into Staravia, and finally into Staraptor, which knows the powerful Brave Bird attack.

Turtwig/Grotle/Torterra - After saving Pikachu and friends from Team Rocket, Turtwig became part of Ash's team. It later evolved into Grotle, and then Torterra.

Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape - Abandoned by Paul because of being weak, Chimchar became part of Ash's team and their friendship deepens as the story progresses. It later evolved into Monferno and then after that, Infernape. Infernape has a lot of anger issues but Ash managed to be in sync with this Pokemon. 

Buizel - Originally belonged to Dawn, Ash obtained this Pokemon in exchange for his Aipom because this Pokemon is more battle-focused than being contest-focused. With its speed and agility, Buizel can outperform even the strongest Pokemon it battled.

Gligar/Gliscor - Known for being the weakest link of the pack of Gligars, Ash befriended it and spent the rest of the adventures honing its skills until it evolved into Gliscor.

Gible - Friendship by chomp at first, Ash's Gible is known for using Draco Meteor with disastrous and hilarious results, always hitting Dawn's Piplup with it.

BONUS: Riolu/Lucario - If you think Ash's Sinnoh Pokemon friends are limited to those above, did you know that he also has another Sinnoh Region Pokemon in his current roster? Fast forward to today's Pokemon Journeys, Ash obtained a Riolu from an egg he and Goh encountered. When became part of Ash's team, his Riolu faced countless trials right to the moment it evolved into Lucario while Ash and Goh tried to thwart Chairman Rose's evil plan. Later on, Ash even got the chance to Mega Evolve his Lucario with the Mega Stone and the Lucarionite, and they put it to good use against Bea's Gigantamax Machamp for the spot at the World Coronation.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are now on sale for the Nintendo Switch!