Goh from Pokémon Journeys has caught a lot of attention from fans with his incredible catch rate, especially to those familiar with the games who are also well aware that despite its prevalence in the media, the regular red-and-white Poké Ball has one of the worst capture rates available. If Goh wants to catch every Pokémon, there are 26 other types of Poké Balls that would increase his chances of success.
But which one will give him the most bang for his Poké Buck? Ranging from 100 to 50,000 Pokémon Dollars across the games, the various Poké Ball types give different advantages depending on the situation. Starting off your journey and need to capture an injured Pokémon? A Heal Ball will bring it right back to full health. Trying to net a Snorlax? A Heavy Ball will hold the behemoth with ease. With so many Poké Balls, which one will give Goh the most consistent capture rate available? We'll use the process of elimination to determine which Poké Ball Goh should be using.
Right off the bat, we'll eliminate all the Poké Balls that share the regular Ball's capture rate of 1x -- the Friend Ball, Heal Ball, Luxury Ball, Premier Ball and Cherish Ball. We'll also need to eliminate Beast Balls, which have a 0.1x catch rate when used on non-Ultra Beasts -- which we're not sure Goh even knows exist.
The next category to hit the chopping block are the apricot-derived Poké Balls: the Heavy Ball, Lure Ball, Love Ball, Level Ball, Fast Ball and Moon Ball. Being Johto-specific, these Poké Balls would be difficult for Goh to obtain, let alone enough to catch every Pokémon on the planet.
Then there are the Poké Balls with okay catch rates that don't compare to the more specific-scenario Balls; the Great, Safari and Sport Balls all have rates of 1.5x, and the Ultra Ball (ironically, usually the most expensive ball in the game) has a 2x capture rate.
Then we get to the specialty Balls, each with a unique effect. When used in its specific scenario, these balls have varying capture rates ranging from 1x (when improperly used,) to 4x. The Dusk Ball has a capture rate of 3x when used in cave or at night, but Goh tends to sleep at night, so it's not going to be much help.
The Repeat Ball has a rate of 3.5x for Pokémon already registered to the Pokédex -- but Goh usually only wants one of each Pokémon. The Net Ball also has a 3.5x rate, but only for water and bug types, which isn't helpful for catching the 16 other types. Similarly, the Dive Ball only has its 3.5x rate when used while diving, surfing or fishing, which we're not sure Goh's standard water-Pokémon capture technique of "stand at the water's edge and lob Poké Balls," would activate.
The Nest Ball has a 4x capture rate when used on a Pokémon at level one -- but that rate decreases the stronger the Pokémon is. This means that Goh would have a hard time catching full evolutionary lines. The Dream Ball also has a 4x capture rate if the Pokémon is sleeping -- and more likely than not, being pelted with Poké Balls is liable to wake anybody up... Except maybe Ash. And finally, the Timer Ball increases in effectiveness each turn to a max of 4x -- but given that Goh doesn't exactly like to battle...
Before we move onto the Poké Ball Goh should be using, we'll quickly explain why Goh couldn't use the Master or Park Balls, which both have a capture rate of 255x, capturing everything they hit. Master Balls are so rare that only one has actually been used in the anime, all the way back in Season 7, Episode 35, "Whiscash and Ash." As for the Park Ball, they were only available when transferring Pokémon to Pal Park, a location with no anime equivalent.
So what then, is the Poké Ball that not only has the best capture rate, but perfectly suits our throw-happy boy? The Quick Ball of course! With a 5x capture rate if used on the first turn of a battle, the Quick Ball blows the competition out of the water, perfectly suiting Goh. Use as soon as you see a Pokémon? Check! Best rate available and obtainable across every region? Check! Affordable? Well, at 1,000 Pokémon Dollars they're usually cheaper than Ultra Balls, so... yeah.
While it's true that Goh could get between five-10 regular Poké Balls for that price, he gets the same chances of capture in one ball, meaning a full stock will easily net him his quarry, and greatly increase his chances of catching Mew by surprise. If Mew hadn't blessed him with an obscenely high capture rate already, that is.
