Ash vs Red Rap Meanings

ASH – Verse 1

Yo my name is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town.

(In the first line of the rap battle, Ash introduces himself to his opponent by his name and where he comes from . This is usually how Ash usually introduces himself to others in the Pokemon anime. Ash’s full name is Ash Ketchum. His home is Pallet Town, which is located in the Kanto Region of the fictional Pokemon World)

And this stupid silent freakshow is going straight down.

(Ash tells Red that he will defeat him in this rap battle. In the Pokemon games, when talked to, Red never seems to respond, thus he is always “silent”. Ash mocks this)

If you think you’re going to win you’ve made a serious blunder.

(Blunder is mistake. Ash tells Red that he is making a mistake if he thinks he will defeat him in this rap battle)

Shock you with my trusty Pikachu…Thunder.

(Pikachu was Ash’s first Pokemon as well as his only Pokemon to travel with him throughout the entire anime. In the process, the two have trained, bonded, and battled together, becoming very close friends. Pikachu is an electric type Pokemon and one move he used in the anime is thunder. Ash tells Red that his Pikachu will finish him off with its thunder, which fainted people and Pokemon alike)

So here’s the famous Red, the star of the first games

(Red is the protagonist and playable character of the first generation Pokemon games- Pokemon red, blue, green, and yellow- as well as their later generation remakes- leaf green and fire red)

But are you really Red if 8-year-olds can change your name?

(The Pokemon franchise, including its video games, is mainly targeted at a very young audience of around ten, and eight year olds fit that category. At the start of a Pokemon game, players themselves have the option to name the character they play as, including Red)

I run the show, everyone knows ‘bout Pikachu and Ash,

(The Pokemon anime is popular worldwide, with Ash and Pikachu being the lead protagonists since the very first episode. As a result, Ash and Pikachu are very well known and Ash "runs the show". However, "show" could also refer to the rap battle and Ash claims he's owning it)

You get replaced, each genera-tion throws you out like trash.

(Red has since been switched as the main/playable character of the Pokemon games in following new generations, after generation one)

While you stay stuck in Kanto, I have travelled ‘round the world!

( The Pokemon world is divided into several regions: Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Battle Frontier, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola. Red only did his Pokemon journey in Kanto while Ash did his in all the listed regions, going beyond just Kanto)

Catching ‘mon, winning badges, followed by hot girls.

(Each Pokemon world region has a Pokemon league. To compete in it, a trainer must obtain eight ‘ gym badges’ by winning against eight ‘gym leaders’ each in Pokemon battles. As he traveled the regions, he has caught Pokemon from across the regions, earned many gym badges, and made many friends, some of which traveled with Ash on his journey. Many of his traveling friends are females)

I’ve rhymed you down into the ground, so let’s see what you’ve got.

(Ash says he's already defeated Red and doesn't fear what Red has to bring to the rap battle)

But wait, I think I know already: Dot. Dot. Dot.

(As established earlier in the rap battle, Red never speaks in the Pokemon games he appeared in. When he is being spoken to, he never seems to respond and thus dot, dot, dot. Ash again mocks him for this)

RED – Verse 1

I normally don’t talk, but it’s a special occasion, Time to use my rhymes to cause Ash Ketchum’s obliteration.

(Although Red don’t speak, this rap battle is an exception. He will use his raps to destroy Ash)

You’re a child.

(This line could be referencing Ash's childish personality, like him being immature, shown in the anime. This is no surprise as Ash is only a ten year old kid.Red looks down upon Ash because of this. This could also be referencing how Misty and Iris, two of Ash's former traveling companions, always mock Ash for his childish nature. Iris is known for saying, "You're such a kid" to Ash)

All you do is lose, cry, and whine.

( Ash lost every single Pokemon league he competed in so far, except the Orange Islands, which many fans consider unofficial. He also lost a considerable amount of times against gym leaders, rivals, and other random trainers he faced. Many of those battles he lost were at times when he was supposedly a more experienced/powerful trainer, like his first battle against Trip in Black and White. Ash also is impatient, like when having to wait for a gym battle, and is known to whine a lot because of it. Ash at several times in the show was a crybaby.)

I’m Red! I’m the greatest trainer of all time!

(Red has some pretty impressive achievements as a pokemon trainer and he lists those achievements in the following lines. Red’s achievements were done on his first year as Pokemon trainer in only four episodes. Ash on the other hand, still has a long way to go when compared to Red)

I’ll crush you, I’ll break you, sweep your team and you’ll be done.

(Red, picking up from the previous line, states that he would destroy both Ash and his team of Pokemon in battle)

You could never ever hope to beat the Champion!

(Red is the Kanto Champion, beating the Kanto league and elite four. Ash, however, only made the top 16 when he competed in the Kanto league and at the time of this rap battle's release, he still has yet to win a league. Because of that, Red says that Ash shouldn’t even think of defeating him)

Took Team Rocket down, by myself, when I was only ten.

(Team Rocket is a major criminal organization that seeks world domination and capturing powerful and rare Pokemon. It is l ead by Giovanni, who is also the Viridian City Gym Leader. When Red challenged Giovanni at the Viridian Gym, he claimed that he would battle him as the enemy of all Pokémon, instead of a Gym Leader. After Red defeated Giovanni, Giovanni offered him the Earth Badge as a proof of his victory. Red, however, refused to take a Badge from the Boss of Team Rocket. Seeing this, Giovanni turned to his minions, informing them that from that moment onwards, Team Rocket would be officially disbanded. As his battle with Red had reminded Giovanni of how Pokémon could be taken as fun rather than business, he decided that he wanted to find a new path for himself and his Pokémon, without being the Boss of Team Rocket any longer. He then turned back to Red, now offering the Badge to him not as the Boss of Team Rocket but as the Viridian City Gym Leader. Red accepted the Earth Badge and left, heading for the Pokémon League)

You can’t stop three dumb losers who keep blasting off again.

(Jessie, James, and a talking Meowth are a trio of low ranking Team Rocket agents. They showed up to sabotage Ash in pretty much every episode, trying to steal his Pikachu. Every episode they show up in, they are defeated and their defeat in would end with them “blasting off”. However, Ash only temporarily defeats them every episode and they would just keep coming back, never being stopped for good. While Red was responsible for the end of the entire Team Rocket, Ash struggles to stop three low ranking Team Rocket agents)

You released your Pokémon and then cried like a little girl.

(One line from the original Pokemon theme song is "Gotta catch em all!" and Ash's last name, Ketchum, is even a play on that line. Ash's goal is to become a Pokemon Master, which can include catching many Pokemon. Despite all this, Ash still let go of some Pokemon he caught, which often leaves him in tears. Some notable instances are when he released his Butterfree and when he left his Charizard in the Charicific Valley of Johto. )

I caught every single Pokémon in the entire world!

( Red didn't actually catch all Pokemon, but he did catch all 150 Pokemon from Generation 1, which were all that were known back then. This amount significantly triumphs Ash’s amount by more than double. While Red was about catching Pokemon, Ash has been about getting rid of them)

If we had a real battle and we truly got acquainted, I guarantee the screen would read “Ash Ketchum fainted.”

(When a Pokemon is defeated in a Pokemon Battle in the games, the screen would read, "[] fainted". Red is saying that Ash will not win this rap battle)

ASH – Verse 2

You think you’re such a master but you’re not all that great.

I have over fifty badges while you have a measly eight.

(Ash traveled many Pokemon World regions and defeated their gym leaders along the way, winning many gym badges. Red only battled the gym leaders of one region and thus has less gym badges)

Sure you completed the dex, but just the Kanto one, man.

(Red only caught every Pokemon from Generation One, which are all Kanto Pokemon. This accounts for the fact that Red stayed in Kanto while Ash traveled beyond. In the following generations after Red's, newer Pokemon were introduced)

Tell me, have you even heard of a Darmanitan?

(Picking up from the previous line, a Darmanitan is from far after generation one, being from the Unova Region that Red hasn’t traveled to. Red would likely not know about this Pokemon)

When there’s a new generation travel to a brand new nation,

(At the start of a new generation in Pokemon, a new region, ‘nation’, would be introduced. At that time Ash would wrap up his journey in another region and start an adventure in the new one)

While you’re on a cold vacation facing your refrigeration!

(After becoming the unstoppable Kanto Champion, Red climbed to the summit of Mount Silver in the Johto Region. Mount Silver is a snowy mountain with freezing temperatures. Red stopped his Pokemon journey there, waiting for a new champion to arrive and battle him. While Ash continues to travel and train throughout the regions, Red lives his cold life)

I’m Ash! They wanted me for Frontier Brain,

(A Frontier Brain is a powerful Pokemon trainer who looks over a certain Frontier Facility in the Battle Frontier of the Pokemon World. They are like the gym leaders of the Battle Frontier, but instead of giving out badges, they give out symbols to trainers that defeat them. After conquering all seven Frontier Brains, Ash proved his trainer skills as a Pokemon trainer and was offered the title of a Frontier Brain)

But I said no so I could go around the whole world to train!

(Ash denied his offer as Frontier Brain as a result of wanting to continue traveling and training to become a Pokemon Master)

Battling a legendary your Charizard almost died,

(Legendary Pokemon are the most powerful of Pokemon and can be very hard to defeat in battle. Red encountered the Legendary Pokemon Mewtwo in the Cerulean Cave. It proved to be extremely tough to beat, easily defeating almost all of Red's Pokémon and almost killing his Charizard)

Mine beat an Articuno, Sceptile beat a Darkrai!

(In Ash’s first Battle Frontier Pokemon battle, his Charizard defeated a Legendary, Noland’s Articuno. Later, during the semi finals of the Sinnoh League, his Sceptile also defeated a legendary, Tobias’s Darkrai.)

Who will everyone remember when they’ve gotten gray and old? The hero of their childhood or the one who lost to Gold?

RED – Verse 2

How many times will you start all over again?

(Every generation, Ash travels a new Pokemon region. Along the way, he would spene a considerable amount of time training the new Pokemon he catches in that region. He would use these Pokemon to win badges and compete in a Pokemon League, which he would lose. When Ash travels his next region region at the start of a new generation, he leaves behind all his pokemon except Pikachu. He would have to catch new Pokemon that he would have to train from scratch. His Pikachu would seem to get weaker and needs to be re-leveled up. New badges would have to be won for another Pokémon league that he would again lose. Basically the same thing happens each generation)

I may only have eight badges, but at least I’m not still ten!

(Red only battled the eight gym leaders of Kanto and thus only won eight badges, a number much lower than Ash, who won gym badges from across the regions. On the other hand, despite the Pokemon series being one of the longest series running to date, Ash has stayed ten years old, as revealed in the first episode of the Black and White series. Red, however, did age, currently being sixteen. This could be saying that he has more experience and training as a trainer, due to that Red has been on his Pokemon journey longer)

You beat your rival once in every match you’ve fought to date.

(Ash has lost more times to his first rival, Gary Oak, than won. Only defeating him in Pokémon leagues. The same is true for many other rivals, such as Trip and Paul.)

I never lost to mine and even killed his Raticate.

(Red has never lost to his rival, Blue)

You may be better known, but I couldn’t care less,

At least I’m not the one prancing around in a dress.

(In the episode Pokemon Scent-scation! Ash was banned from the Celadon Gym for insulting the perfume the gym was known for manufacturing. Jessie, James, and Mewoth helped him get in the Gym with a girl disguise. Ash wore an orange frilly dress along with a blonde wig with a pink ribbon and red high heels. Since then, Ash has continued to wear a dress to disguise as a girl in later episodes)

You met Mewtwo, he turned you into a rock.

(In the first Pokemon movie Mewtwo Strikes Back, Mew and Mewtwo were emanating large auras of psychic energy in preparation for their most powerful energy blasts. As Ash ran between them, demanding them to stop their battle, the two blasts of energy hit Ash. Due to the magnitude of concentrated power, Ash was turned to stone)

When I met Mewtwo, threw my master ball. Caught.

(Red battled a wild Mewtwo in the Cerulean Cave. He used his Mega Charizard X to weaken it enough for him to catch it with a Master Ball)

You’re pathetic, one look from me will freak out a Gastly,

(Gastly is a ghost type Pokemon is known for its scariness, haunting abandoned buildings. However, Red says that he is so intimidating, even a Gastly would be scared of him)

You’re wasting my time. See ya never, Ashley. –

(Red believes Ash isn’t even worth the battle. Ashley is the name given to Ash when he was disguised as a girl. Ash has used Ashley a few times in the Pokemon series, which Red mocks)