Ash first met Farfetch'd in Toughing It Out! during a visit to Wyndon after hearing about it from a Trainer whose Chewtle had been defeated by it. As soon as he and Goh encountered it, the latter attempted to catch it but failed, even when trying to battle it with his Kantonian Farfetch'd. Afterwards, Ash battled the Galarian Farfetch'd with his Riolu and managed to defeat it. After Farfetch'd had been healed in a Pokémon Center, Ash saw its eagerness to have more battles and asked if it wanted to come along with him, which it agreed to.
In Solitary and Menacing!, Farfetch'd was the first Pokémon that Ash used in his World Coronation Series battle against Bea and her Hawlucha at the Fighting Dojo. Despite putting up a tough fight, Farfetch'd found it difficult to keep up with Hawlucha's speed, and it was ultimately defeated.
In JN051, Ash used Farfetch'd in a World Coronation Series battle against Genba and his Gurdurr at Rock Tunnel. Despite Gurdurr's formidable physical strength, Farfetch'd eventually emerged victorious, increasing Ash's ranking. Soon after, Ash was challenged by Rinto and his Gallade. Gallade easily dodged all of Farfetch'd's attacks before using False Swipe on it, taking it down without actually making it faint.
Personality and characteristics
Facing its regional variant
Farfetch'd is a very prideful Pokémon, tending to engage others in battle in order to hone its skills. Even when it is at the brink of defeat, it refuses to give up, pushing its body to the absolute limit. Upon seeing Ash sharing the same battling spirit and passion, Farfetch'd agreed to join his team after Ash offered to help it grow stronger, and it immediately resumed training with Riolu after its capture. As shown in JN051, Farfetch'd generally acts cold and aloof towards its Trainer, and is only interested in strength. It has even been seen rushing into battle against Ash's orders when particularly engrossed in a fight. While its raw power was enough to defeat Genba's Gurdurr, it was completely outmatched by Rinto and Gallade, who were completely in sync with each other.
Ash's Farfetch'd appears to have a mutual rivalry with Goh's own Farfetch'd. While the two are normally friendly to each other, they are prone to bickering, which leads to them clashing with their leeks.