In Primeape Goes Bananas, Ash learned that Gary had already caught 30 Pokémon, and he aspired to catch more for himself. Soon afterward on Route 7, a friendly wildMankey ate some of Brock's food. Ash took this opportunity to catch the Pokémon, but the Poké Ball failed, instead catching a rice ball. Mankey was angered and chased the group, beat up Ash, and stole his hat. Mankey gleefully teased Ash as the young Trainer fumed over having his beloved cap stolen. Team Rocket decided this was the perfect opportunity to plot how to capture Pikachu, with Mankey approaching the trio out of curiosity. James kicked it out of sight, and this angered the Mankey so much that it evolved into Primeape. It proceeded to punch Jessie in the face, sending her face-first into a rock, then viciously attacked the other Team Rocket members. After it beat up Brock, chased Ash and Misty down Route 7, and followed Ash into one of Team Rocket's pitfalls, Ash made several attempts to catch the rampaging Primeape. Eventually, his Charmander finally defeated it. Ash caught it and unleashed it upon Team Rocket, where it brutalized them and sent them blasting off into a nest full of wild Primeape.
Primeape and Ash after winning the P1 Grand Prix
Ash considered using Primeape in his match against Erika in Pokémon Scent-Sation!. However, after thinking back to Primeape's explosive aggression, he decided not to, as its brutality would likely cost him the match.
In The Punchy Pokémon, after leaving Celadon City, Ash and his friends met a man named Anthony who was training to win the P1 Grand Prix, a tournament for Fighting-type Pokémon. Anthony's daughter, Rebecca, wanted him to stop spending so much time away from home training. Brock and Ash volunteered to enter the tournament to discourage Anthony, with Ash entering Primeape. In the first match against a Machop, Ash saved Primeape from a nasty fall, which caused the usually vicious Pokémon to become closer to Ash. Primeape listened to Ash's instructions and eventually won the tournament. Anthony offered to train Primeape for Ash, promising to train it to become a P1 champion, so Ash left Primeape with Anthony. Primeape, unlike the other Pokémon that Ash has given to another Trainer for training, hasn't been seen since.
In Heroes Unite!, Primeape appeared in a fantasy while Ash reminisced about the Pokémon he'd caught on his journey.
Personality and characteristics
Despite its few appearances, Primeape was naturally mischievous, but it also showed itself to be particularly irritable. Primeape's short fuse made it prone to explosive outrages and merciless violence. However, Ash saw through this flaw and went on to catch Primeape in the hopes of using its ample energy for battles. Primeape's potential shone through during the P1 Grand Prix event in The Punchy Pokémon, where its athletic prowess and sheer power was able to be utilized. Underneath the explosively violent personality, it had a softer side, which allowed it to bond with Ash.
Primeape (as a Mankey) was briefly mentioned by Ash in Distant Blue Sky!, when he told to Sunny the story of when he got his cap stolen by a Mankey. In this episode, Ash left his old cap as a gift for another Mankey.
Ash's Mankey appeared in Clefairy Tale. It was initially a member of a larger group of Mankey pursued in a forest by Ash and his Fearow. After Fearow cut the Mankey off and Pikachu attacked them with Thunder Shock, the Mankey panicked and slammed into a Beedrill nest, causing both groups to be attacked by the swarm of angry Poison Bee Pokémon. Later, after discovering that his Mankey was only a Grade D capture, a disappointed Ash started walking around and came across a man who offered him a map of Mt. Moon to find Clefairy. Ash offered the man his Mankey in exchange for the map, only to later find out that the map was false and that he had been scammed.
was captured in its fully evolved form at the time.
Ash captured by weakening it in battle with a Pokémon other than Pikachu.
was left with another Trainer for training, and the only one among them that has not reunited with Ash since its departure.
During Pokémon Sunday on June 27, 2010, presenter Shokotan chose Primeape in her ideal team for Ash.
Primeape has gone the longest without making a physical appearance out of Ash's non-temporary Pokémon.
Among the Pokémon Ash owned for more than one episode, Primeape holds the record for the fewest onscreen appearances, appearing in only two episodes (six including flashbacks/fantasies).
