Machamp first appeared as a Machoke inA Tale of Ninetales, when Machoke is accidentallytraded toRed alongside Blue's other Pokémon. During the three days that Red has them, he attempts to get them to relax and open up to him, with little success. A few days later, during which the only new Pokémon Red had captured were aKrabby andDiglett due to theirdisobedience, Machoke was pitted in a battle against awildNinetales whenPika injured him usingToxic and forced him to run towards Red's new party. Though he initially failed to hold his own against the fox's intense flames, the tables turned when he suddenlyevolved into a Machamp, due to being traded, and subdued the enemy using his four strong arms. The two boys each threw aPoké Ball, one of which captured Ninetales. Though Blue didn't object when Red claimed his ball had caught him, Blue argued that it was his Machamp that weakened him, so he should keep him, which he did. They then traded back each other's Pokémon, while keeping the caring attitude that Red installed in them.
Machamp in the Pokémon League
InA Charizard...and a Champion, Machamp battled against Red and hisSnor during thePokémon League. Machamp started off by blocking Snor with his four arms and preventing him from attacking. After a brief fight of strength, Machamp easily lifted Snor with his four arms before spinning him about withSubmission to render Snor dizzy andslamming him onto the floor. After Snor hit the ground, Red quietly told Snor to useHarden in anticipation of Machamp's next attack. However, Machamp instead attacked the ground, using the shattered debris as a lever to catapult Snor into the air and out of the battlefield. Just as Snor was about to be disqualified for going out of bounds, he plummeted from mid-air and crushed Machamp with aDouble-Edge andToxic combo. Noting Machamp to be down to a third of his health, Blue sent Ninetales out in its place.
In a flashback shown inElectro Magneton, Machamp battled a wildMagneton in thePower Plant and usedFocus Energy to increase his critical-hit ratio before defeating it with a strong finger thrust, though he injured a leg in the struggle.
InDouble Dealing with Deoxys, Machamp is used in a double battle alongsideScizor against Red and his Snor andGyara. Scizor, with Machamp in his pincers, flies above Snor and drops Machamp, who proceeds to grab Snor's body and useSeismic Toss. Machamp follows up by rushing in front of Snor and performingLow Kick, tripping Snor and sending him crashing into the ground, knocking him out. Blue follows by having Scizor attack Gyara withSteel Wing, knocking him out too. Red next sends outPika andAero as his last two Pokémon. Red has Aero useTake Down on Scizor, which dealt norecoil damage due to hisRock HeadAbility. Aero follows up withDragon Claw on Scizor, so Blue switches him out forRhydon. Seeing an opening, Red has Pika attack Machamp with an electric attack. To Red's surprise, the attack is suddenly redirected. Blue smirks and reveals that Rhydon has theLightning Rod Ability, which causes allElectric-type moves to be redirected towards it. Since Pika's Electric attacks had no effect, Pika jumps into the air and delivers anIron Tail onto Machamp's head. The battle ended in a tie.
Machamp and Blue
InDon't Doubt Deoxys, Blue sends out Machamp and Scizor to attackOrm's horde ofShuckle, which had bound itself to Blue. Machamp blasts that Shuckle withHyper Beam, while Scizor attacks withMetal Claw. Rhydon shows up from underground and defeats the head Shuckle, scattering the rest. Blue reveals that Scizor and Machamp were simply a diversion for Rhydon to attack.
InThe Final Battle VII, Machamp appeared alongside the rest of Blue's team when he was checking to make sure they all survived the petrification caused byMewtwo andDarkrai.
Personality and characteristics
Like most ofBlue's Pokémon Machamp is serious, calm, and focused. Machamp is slightly reserved as well and tries to stay out of the way unless he is needed. He is very loyal to hisTrainer and is the powerhouse of Blue's team, often overwhelming his opponents with his strength.
