Pokémon: Ash’s Best Companions, Ranked

Ash has had tons of companion accompany him throughout his journey. Here are the ones that really stood out.

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Pokémon would never have been the success it is had it not featured strong supporting characters to go along with Ash’s journey. After each series arc has been completed, the show brings in new companions for Ash to travel and we bid goodbye to the previous ones.

In this list, we’ve considered every character who has traveled with Ash a companion, meaning even one-time appearances count. We’ve also considered Pokémon whom Ash didn’t treat as his pets to fall under the “companion” requirement. This gives us a wide range of companions to choose from, but here are the best ones Ash has had over the years.

Updated on October 19th, 2020 by Josh Davison: With over two decades under its belt, the Pokémon has found Ash traveling with several people and Pokémon throughout all the regions of the Pokémon world. Each region presents new challenges, new foes, but also new friends and companions. Each one brought a new element to the show and interacted with Ash in different ways. Some companions perfectly meshed with Ash’s eager and confident personality while others challenged Ash in their own way. We’ve expanded the scope to include more of Ash’s companions!

15 Professor Kukui

Professor Kukui of Alola introduced an interesting dynamic to the show: the teacher who sticks with his students. Professors of other regions largely stayed at their laboratory and only traveled out to meet Ash and his companions on special occasions, but Professor Kukui was there with Ash and company through much of their time in Alola — as both Kukui and the Masked Royal.

That’s another quirk of Kukui compared to other Pokémon professors; Kukui likes to battle. He, his Incineroar, Venusaur, Empoleon, Lucario, and Braviary proved to be a powerful team that Ash himself had to battle in the Pokémon League of Alola. Kukui was a different kind of Pokémon professor, and it made him all the more memorable.

14 Lillie

Lillie is another companion that came from the Alola Region. Lillie didn’t have any Pokémon at the beginning, as she was quite scared of touching a Pokémon. This changed when she got her Alolan-native Vulpix, and the two became the best of friends. Despite all of this, she has a wealth of Pokémon knowledge.

She even went on to participate in Pokémon battles and became an “Ultra Guardian” once the Ultra Beasts began to become a problem in Alola.

13 Greninja

Greninja was a different kind of partner Pokémon. Ash raised Greninja from a Froakie, and it became one of his most reliable companions. After evolving into a Frogadier and into a Greninja, this Pokémon formed a special bond with Ash that enabled it to change its form into the “Ash-Greninja.” This form proved quite powerful, even if it drained Ash’s stamina as well as Greninja’s.

Greninja proved an indispensable resource in the Kalos Pokémon League and in the battles against Team Flare, and it proved to be one of Ash’s most beloved companions, becoming as popular as Pikachu himself.

12 Team Rocket

It’s a strange feeling when your greatest enemies also prove to be some of your most reliable friends, but Jessie, James, and Meowth have been there with Ash since the beginning. Even when old friends depart as Ash travels to a new region, Team Rocket remains with Ash through Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, the Battle Frontier, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar. They’ve even helped Ash save the world on a few occasions — you can’t steal Pokémon and take over the world if the world has been taken over by Team Galactic or Team Magma.

11 Charizard

Ash’s Charizard is another unique companion in the grand scheme of the Pokémon anime. As a Charmander, it bonded quickly with Ash, but it became stubborn and disobedient as a Charmeleon and Charizard. Despite that, its battle against Blaine’s Magmar is still one of the most memorable in the entire series.

This Pokémon left for training in the Valley of the Charizards once Ash left Kanto, but has returned on several occasions in the time since when Ash needed some extra Pokémon muscle. It even traveled with Ash again in Unova and during Pokémon Journeys. It’s a very strong Pokémon and one of the most popular in the series.

10 Sam

On one hand, this kid lasted all of just one movie in Pokémon 4ever, and yet he’s supposed to have been on the show since the very beginning. We’re of course referencing the fact that Sam grew up to be Professor Oak.

Having been sent to the future, Sam and Ash become the best of friends at an alarmingly quick rate, to the point that Ash openly wept when Sam went back to his time. Since they became so close in such a short space of time, we think Sam deserves to make it to being named as Ash’s best companions. Plus, he kept having an impact on Ash’s life as Professor Oak.

9 Tracey

There’s truth to the matter that Tracey seemed rather one-dimensional in the season he was featured, as his main attribute was sketching things, but we think that’s selling Tracey short. He was a great companion for the normalcy he provided in Ash’s journey; the value of a straight man shouldn’t be counted out.

Tracey was there for support when needed, while he kept his distance when he wasn’t required. He was also a calm character who didn’t annoy Ash in any way. unlike many others. They were always seen on good terms and departed as friends too.

8 Max

Younger characters have generally been scrutinized more for them being seen as additional load than contributing players, with Max being considered as such by many. However, he did have some great stories in the movies and him taking over Misty’s role as Brock’s handler was a great touch.

Max was also significant for being the first character to whom Ash could be a mentor, which provided for some good storylines where Ash took the boy under his wing. We’ll keep on waiting for that fated battle between these two that Ash had promised Max upon their last meeting.

7 Serena

Ash had some subtext of romance with earlier characters like Misty and Dawn, but Serena was the first instance where we had an outright romantic interest seen on the show. Her infatuation with Ash did come across as weird on occasion, which puts her down in the list.

However, Serena’s unconditional support was a trait we loved about her, as she was a change from the norm where Ash’s companions only traveled with him for their own reasons. Serena being there for him through thick and thin was a quality we adored about her, and her romance with Ash has aged well over the years.

6 Clemont

Before Clemont’s debut, Ash had been seen with mentor-like figures or companions who had different goals than him. So, Clemont’s presence was most welcome as he was a character very much like Ash was.

It was good to see two like-minded characters bouncing ideas off of each other, and it helped that they had great chemistry as friends. Clemont’s dynamic with his younger sister ensured he had characterization of his own away from Pokémon as well; not to mention his cute appearance made us like him even more.

5 May

Fans might not think much of Max, but no-one argues over the quality of May, who was a lovely character to follow. She was the first instance on the show where the viewer cared for someone other than Ash’s own goals.

May brought with her the Pokémon competitions, which injected new life on the show after so much focus had been given on battles. Her relationship with Ash was generally cordial, a good change from his more challenging dynamic that had been with Misty. Overall, we were made to care for May’s accomplishments, something Pokémon hadn’t succeeded for a supporting character before.

4 Misty

You can’t blame anyone if they feel Misty is the best companion so far, as Pokémon would never have been a success if Misty hadn’t stolen the show. It was due to her first interaction with Ash that fans were hooked on her character, and her development into a person with a softer personality was a pleasure to watch.

Misty’s fierceness made her a well-rounded character too, as her love and devotion toward her Pokémon meant she had many layers to her. She also worked very well as Ash’s friend and the one he constantly butted heads with.

3 Dawn

If there was ever a perfect group of companions we’ve seen in the series it would have to be the one where Brock, Ash, and Dawn were together. Each of them complimented the others perfectly, and Dawn might be the most responsible for this.

Unlike May and Misty, she had more of a positive mindset to things, which gave way for her catchphrase of “No need to worry!”, words that became a recurring gag all fans loved. Dawn never needed to be in the spotlight or have specific storylines dedicated to her to stand out, as her likability factor made her a face viewers wanted to see as much as they could.

2 Brock

The show has never attempted to bring in any companion who could take Brock’s place as Ash’s best friend, and we can see why because that just doesn’t seem possible. Being talented in a wide array of things, Brock had the necessary maturity that Ash needed around him.

Of course, it was the recurring habit of his to fall madly in love with any female character that fans really liked about him, as well as Brock being brought down a peg by his handler for that series. No matter what situation Ash found himself in, he had the surety that Brock would be there to guide him through every problem.

1 Pikachu

There couldn’t have been anybody else at the top, as Pikachu and Ash are basically the same person by now. They’re a match made in heaven, best friends till the very end, and the backbone of the show that has gone on for two decades.

Ash has never treated Pikachu as his pet, with the two coming across as the best of pals traveling the world and hoping to achieve the best. The love they have for each other is real enough to be felt, and Pikachu has shown his loyalty for Ash time and again. It doesn’t hurt that Pikachu is just so adorable that nobody would want him to ever leave Ash’s side.

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