In the Pokémon series, Ash Ketchum made a lot of friends and companions, ranging from his first friends in Misty and Brock to his current companion, Goh. Ash's tenacity and goofiness make him someone easy to get along with, and his goal to become a Pokémon Master is inspiring.
There are many other anime characters that Ash could be friends with should a crossover between their respective series occur. From Luffy's ambitious nature to Kiyo's more soothing personality, Ash would get along with these characters because they have dreams and aspirations as he does, or they could be helpful to remind him to enjoy the journey so far and slow down once in a while.
9 Luffy's Ambition To Become The Pirate King Is Much Like Ash Wanting To Be A Pokémon Master (One Piece)
Shonen anime often has the theme of the protagonist wanting to become the best at a certain position unique to the series. For Ash, it's a Pokémon Master; for Naruto it's the Hokage. In One Piece, it's Luffy aiming to become the pirate king. Luffy and Ash having their own big dreams and ambitions will be something that they can bond over together. Additionally, both of them like finding creative solutions to solve any problems. As long as Luffy doesn't try to rob Ash or do anything to terrorize the Pokémon world at large as a villain, he and Ash could easily become friends.
8 Gon Wants To Find His Father By Becoming A Hunter Like Him (Hunter X Hunter)
Gon has huge dreams to meet his father by becoming a Hunter like him in Hunter x Hunter. Despite how tough the journey is, Gon never gave up on his goals, making him a determined individual similar to Ash. However, unlike Ash, Gon actually gets to meet his father, while Ash has yet to actually see his father in the anime series. Both of them could bond over their fathers (or lack of a father), as well as their respective journeys so far.
7 Azusa Would Remind Ash To Take A Break And Enjoy The Journey (I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level)
Azusa might not know a lot about Pokémon, but she has a lot of magical spells and potions she could use to help out Ash in a pinch. She's carefree and laidback, and this could help balance Ash's excitable personality.
Azusa would be a great person to remind Ash to enjoy his journey so far and relax every once in a while. Even though it is good to work hard towards one's dreams and goals, it also is just as important to sit back and enjoy life.
6 Bell Cranel Wants To Become A Great Adventurer (Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon!?)
Bell is another person with dreams to become a great adventurer and help others. Similar to Ash, he also gained a lot of companions and allies along his journey so far and grew stronger over time. The two of them could bond over learning about each other's journeys so far and continue to encourage each other to reach for greater heights.
5 Kohana's Hardworking And Supportive Attitude Would Go Well With Ash's (Magic Kyun! Renaissance)
Kohana's hardworking and kind attitude would be encouraging for Ash. Kohana wants to follow in her mother's footsteps to become great at floral arranging with her Light of Arte. Even though there were some obstacles to her goals, including her almost dying from overusing her abilities while her Light of Arte was in a precarious state, she recovered and continued working towards her dreams. Kohana and Ash could bond over trying to reach their goals, as well as their numerous near-death experiences.
4 Joey And Ash Could Bond Over Springing Into Action As Well As Their Overall Growth (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Joey Wheeler, also known as Jonouchi Katsuya depending on the version of Yu-Gi-Oh!, could get along with Ash due to their action-oriented tendencies. Both of them are supportive and protective of their friends, and they also had rocky beginnings when he and Ash started as a duelist and a Pokémon trainer respectively. However, both of them grew stronger over time, and they could bond over sharing each other's journeys. Ash even won the Alola championship while Joey became so strong that Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, considers Joey to be third in his top five duelists.
3 Cecily Would Be A Supportive Friend (Kenja No Mago)
Cecily from the anime and manga series Kenja No Mago would be a great supportive friend for Ash. She is always willing to stick up for herself and her friends whenever they encounter trouble, so she and Ash could easily bond over this.
Additionally, Cecily is a generally nice person. Her soothing presence would be nice for Ash to be around whenever he needs a break from training or battling.
2 Clear's Optimism Would Be Perfect For Keeping Ash Motivated (DRAMAtical Murder)
Clear from the visual novel and anime DRAMAtical Murder would be a great, optimistic friend for Ash to have around. He loves to sing, he often has a cheerful, peppy attitude, and he can also cook fairly well. All of this combined would be a great for helping cheer up Ash whenever he is feeling down from a harsh defeat or failure, and his amusing antics would entertain Ash for sure. Ash, meanwhile, could tell Clear about the many places he travelled to so far as a trainer.
1 Aoba Suzukaze Could Be Fun To Hang Out With (New Game!)
Aoba from the game-designing anime New Game! is a fun girl to be around. Similar to Ash, Aoba has big dreams - hers are to become a great game designer. With much dedication and hard work, she even achieves being promoted to the lead character designer of a game her company is working on in her second season. Even though Aoba and Ash have very different goals, both of them are hard workers who are determined to reach their dreams, no matter how difficult they might be. They would be able to bond over this shared determination and get along well.