There are some characters in the Pokémon anime that get most hate from viewers. This could be due to their personality traits, their various actions in their appearances in Pokémon, or both. Even though these characters might be disliked for justifiable reasons, including abandoning Pokémon or upsetting other characters, some of the hate they earned from fans is unnecessary.
This included some characters being disliked for simply having a crush on another character, temporarily replacing other characters as traveling companions, or being less strong trainers compare to the main protagonists.
10 Goh Is Ash's Most Recent Traveling Companion
Goh was disliked thanks to his hyperactive personality and his determination to catch every Pokémon. His method of catching Pokémon depended on him simply throwing a Poké Ball at the target without doing anything to weaken it first, imitating the game Pokémon Go.
However, there are also many other hyper and excitable personalities that other characters have, including Misty and Barry. Additionally, Goh might be incredibly inexperienced at catching Pokémon and training, but he slowly is getting better at being a more effective trainer for his team, especially for his Cinderace.
9 Paul Abandoned Chimchar But He Got Better
Paul is hugely despised by viewers as one of Ash's rivals that abandoned the Pokémon, Chimchar. However, Paul slowly, but surely, grew as a trainer and a person throughout his run in Pokémon. This culminated in an epic conclusion to his and Ash's rivalry at Sinnoh's Lily of the Valley Conference.
Even though he came off as one of the cruelest of Ash's rivals, he developed the most over time, albeit in subtle ways. He never abandoned any Pokémon after Chimchar. Even though Paul was a tough trainer to his team, it did help his Pokémon get stronger over time.
8 Todd Snapp Is Hated By Viewers Thanks To His Hyperactive Personality
Todd Snapp initially appeared immature to viewers, due to his obsession with getting the best picture possible rather than focusing on the situation at hand. However, this trait of his mellowed out in his later appearances, much to the relief of viewers that initially disliked him.
Even though he stayed hyperactive and excitable about getting a great picture of other Pokémon, he also became more focused on any urgent matters when they occurred. This included dealing with villainous teams like Team Rocket.
7 Fans Disliked Tracey Sketchit Since He Temporarily Replaced Brock
Tracey technically existed to temporarily replace Brock as the mentor figure. Out of all of Ash's traveling companions, Tracey endured individual character development unique to himself as a Pokémon Watcher. This included befriending and becoming partners with Scyther, as well as bonding with Ash, Misty, and their respective Pokémon. Even though he later became Professor Oak's assistant and rarely appeared since then, he made a considerably fun companion by Ash and Misty's sides while Brock was away.
6 Iris Was Despised By Some Fans Thanks To Her Occasional Hypocrisy
Some fans thought Iris was hypocritical since she was often as immature as Ash, but she did have some good insights at times. This, coupled with her love of Dragon-type Pokémon, made her into a more likable companion. Though she did not become a Dragon Master, she became the new Champion of the Unova region. It also helped that her personality mellowed out slightly, making Iris a bit more likable to fans that first disliked her.
5 Clemont Was Hated For Being An Ineffective Gym Leader
Clemont was hated as he neglected his duties as a Gym Leader. This included creating the Clembot to fight foes, only for this invention to kick Clemont out of his gym. It also did not help that many of Clemont's actual inventions ended up self-destructing or working improperly, despite his best efforts.
However, Pokémon's Clemont intended to use machines to help Pokémon and people co-exist, which should not be underestimated. Even though Clemont's goal was ultimately difficult to achieve, he did make some machines that worked, and his love of inventing won over some fans.
4 Serena Was Disliked Over Her Crush On Ash
Some fans disliked Serena due to her crush on Ash, but another major reason was based on her position as a Pokémon Performer. Being a Pokémon Performer made her almost too similar to Dawn, who was a Pokémon Coordinator. Some viewers felt that the two were too similar, both in their personalities and respective professions. It left Serena without a unique character. Much of her appearance during her time by Ash's side focused more on her potential romantic development with Ash, than her having her plotlines like Misty, Dawn, and the other female companions did.
3 Misty Was Hated For Getting In Fights With Ash
Misty might have a hot temper, but other characters also got into fights with Ash among his other companions, including Iris and May. Even though she is the tomboy sister compared to her older sisters that run the Cerulean Gym, Misty is a tough trainer in her own right.
She also had some endearing bonds with her Psyduck, Togepi, and other Pokémon on her team that made her more likable to fans. Her hot temper also mellowed out by the end of traveling by Ash and Brock's sides, which also helped redeem her to some fans that initially disliked her.
2 Barry Got Hate For His Hyperactive Personality
Viewers mainly disliked Barry because he's incredibly hyperactive. He also opposed Ash as a Pokémon trainer, albeit as a weaker rival. However, Barry grew after observing Ash battle Gym Leader Fantina and made it past the preliminary round of the Lily Of The Valley Conference. Even though Barry lost to Paul and was nowhere as strong as Ash, by the end of the main cast's time in Sinnoh, he still grew as a person and as a trainer. He was also more sympathetic and caring to his Pokémon than Paul was in the beginning, which earned some admiration from fans.
1 Ash Was Hated For Overstaying His Welcome To Some Fans
Even though Ash is the main protagonist in Pokémon, some fans hugely dislike how he seemingly overstayed his welcome. Some fans thought that Pokémon should switch up the main protagonist, especially since Ash is now the Alolan Champion. Others disliked Ash as he still made bad mistakes during his time as a trainer, despite the good developments he had. However, it is unlikely that Ash will be replaced anytime soon, and Ash has a lot of growth to undergo before he becomes a complete master. This continued journey is especially emphasized with the World Coronation Series being introduced in Journeys.