Ash first met Sirfetch'd as a 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 Sirfetch'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!, Sirfetch'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, Sirfetch'd found it difficult to keep up with Hawlucha's speed, and it was ultimately defeated.
In JN051, Ash used Sirfetch'd in a World Coronation Series battle against Genba and his Gurdurr at Rock Tunnel. Despite Gurdurr's formidable physical strength, Sirfetch'd eventually emerged victorious, increasing Ash's ranking. Soon after, Ash was challenged by Rinto and his Gallade. Gallade easily dodged all of Sirfetch'd attacks before using False Swipe on it, taking it down without actually making it faint.
In JN056, Sirfetch'd accompanied Ash to Kalos in order to take on Elite FourWikstrom's Hall of Chivalry training course, along with Goh and his Scyther. During the course's second challenge, a booby-trapped maze, Sirfetch'd fell into a trap hole, and although Ash pulled it up, it dropped its leek. Ash jumped down into the hole and managed to return the leek to Sirfetch'd. In the third challenge, Sirfetch'd took on Wikstrom's Aegislash, while Ash himself engaged Wikstrom in a swordfight. When Ash started to get overpowered, Sirfetch'd remembered Ash's selflessness while retrieving its leek and defended him from Wikstrom's sword, at the cost of taking a hit from Aegislash's Sacred Sword. However, Sirfetch'd was then able to evade a second Sacred Sword using its newly learned Detect. Sirfetch'd then followed through by hitting Aegislash with Brutal Swing and was prepared to attack again when Ash told it to stop as Goh and Scyther were able to retrieve the key and win the challenge.
Personality and characteristics
Facing its regional form
Sirfetch'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, Sirfetch'd agreed to join his team, after he offered to help it grow stronger, and it immediately resumed training with Riolu after its capture.
As shown in JN051, Sirfetch'd generally acts cold and aloof towards its Trainer, even attacking Ash with its leek, and is only interested in working towards its goal of becoming a Leek Master. It was even seen rushing into battle against Ash's orders, particularly when it is 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. However, during Wikstrom's Hall of Chivalry challenge in JN056, Sirfetch'd started to bond with Ash when he saved it from falling and retrieved its leek for it. Seeing Ash's selflessness, Sirfetch'd later defended him from Wikstrom's sword, choosing his safety over a battle victory.
Ash's Sirfetch'd appears to have a mutual rivalry with Goh's Kantonian Farfetch'd. While the two are normally friendly to each other, they are prone to bickering, which leads to them clashing with their leeks.
Farfetch'd marks the first time Ash has caught the same Pokémon as his current travelling companion, though Goh caught the Kantonian Form of Farfetch'd while Ash caught the Galarian Form.
Related articles
For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Farfetch'd.
