Over the years, Ash Ketchum has traveled to countless places and met an incredible number of people. As part of his neverending quest to be the best Pokémon trainer in all the land, he has frequently teamed up with some other trainers and companions to travel with. These companions often play an important role in Ash's quest, and fans are very passionate about which of them they like and which they don't.
Ash's first two companions were Brock and Misty. Eventually, these two would be replaced, and each arc of the anime would have new friends for Ash. Here are all of the main companions he's had over the years, ranked by how likable they are.
13 Bonnie
Joining Ash on his quest through the Kalos region was Clemont's little sister, Bonnie. The siblings would accompany Ash for some time. Bonnie was very young and to put it frankly, kind of annoying.
Bonnie had a very whiny, child-like voice in the English dub, and her constant cries of "DEDENNE" grew tired very quickly. On top of this, she was very immature and the gang spent a lot of time taking care of her like she was their own child.
12 Max
It's unclear why the writers of the anime want Ash and the gang to travel with young children so often, but it's kind of irritating in many instances. Bonnie was an annoying child, and Max isn't much better.
The younger brother of May, Max is a bit of a know-it-all and a bit pretentious for someone who isn't even old enough to have his own Pokémon. He frequently criticizes Ash's battle strategy and likes to act like he knows everything despite rigidly sticking to boilerplate rules and strategies.
11 Cilan
On the opposite end of the maturity spectrum from Max and Bonnie is Cilan, who is arguably one of the most mature of any of Ash's companions. Cilan is both one of the gym leaders of Striaton City and a Pokémon Connoisseur.
Cilan is typically shown to be level-headed, calm, and rational. He is sort of the "adult" of the gang in the Unova arc of the anime. Cilan is cool, but he's a bit boring.
10 Clemont
Joining Bonnie as part of Ash's gang in the Kalos arc is her older brother, Clemont. This young inventor is typically the leader of the Lumiose City gym, but he takes a break from his duties to travel with Ash.
Children's anime characters are not typically super deep, but Clemont is very two-dimensional. He wants to invent things, but his contraptions often fail, and he's shown to be kind of nerdy and non-athletic. That's about the extent of his character. However, he is much less annoying than Max or his own sister.
9 Dawn
There is a lot of debate around Dawn, and whether or not she is a great character. Many love Dawn, but many others think she's a boring ripoff of May. The two do share a lot of similarities in personality and motivation, but Dawn is a little less interesting.
Dawn is Ash's travel partner in the Sinnoh arc. She's a bit milquetoast and sometimes uninteresting but is a nice person who is kind and helpful to others. She's also more confident than May, which is nice.
8 Sun and Moon Classmates
It's hard to fully separate Ash's friends in the Sun & Moon arc. Rather than a couple of people that travel around the region with him, Ash instead has a huge group of classmates that he stays in mostly one place with: Mallow, Kiawe, Lana, Lillie, and Sophocles. These are, of course, the trial captains from Alola in the games (save for Lillie) and one of his most recent groups before the end of the Alola arc.
Each of these characters has a certain personality, but it's hard to see them all fleshed out completely with so many competing protagonists. However, none of them are strictly unlikeable, so they rank somewhere in the middle.
7 Tracy
Temporarily replacing Brock in the early arcs of the anime was Tracey, an artist and Pokémon watcher that accompanied Ash and Misty.
He knows a ton about Pokémon and is typically very level-headed and mature. He was a cool replacement for Brock for a short time, but fans were ultimately happier when Brock returned.
6 Iris
For almost the entirety of the Unova arc of the anime, Ash is accompanied by Iris, an aspiring Dragon Master. Iris is brimming with personality and very outspoken.
She's a stark contrast from the cool and collected Cilan, often shown being wild, active, and quick-thinking. Interestingly, Iris is not said to be a gym leader in the anime, despite being one (and eventually Champion) in the games.
5 May
After the departure of Misty, Ash would make a new female traveling friend in May. This Pokémon Coordinator would accompany Ash throughout the Hoenn region alongside Brock and her younger brother Max.
While vain and a bit argumentative, many fans consider May to be one of the best companions Ash has ever had. Rather than battling, May has a passion for Pokémon Contests, in which she frequently participates. She's protective of her brother, Max, but also (thankfully) stands up to him when he's being argumentative or snide.
4 Serena
Joining Ash alongside Bonnie and Clemont is Serena, a trainer and Pokémon Performer from Vaniville Town. Serena is the perfect companion for Ash. She's supportive but a bit directionless, which is fine for the most part, but a little more drive would rank her higher on this list.
Serena and Ash also have a strange will-they-date-or-won't-they dynamic, which is a bit strange for a series like this. Some people like it but it's a bit strange when it comes to 10-year-olds on a children's show.
3 Misty
The very first traveling companion for Ash (other than Pikachu) is the outspoken and faithful Misty. This gym leader and lover of Water-type Pokémon first joined Ash to keep track of him when he ruined her bike, saying she would follow him until he finally paid her back.
Misty is a strong counterpart to Ash's antics but still became one of his biggest supporters and best friends. She has returned to the series a few times over the years, and fans are always excited to see her.
2 Goh
Ash's newest and current companion is Goh, a young trainer that plans to catch every single Pokémon. Goh is a cool guy, both in terms of his style and his personality. A bit of a longer, Goh is very driven on his goals and very smart in terms of Pokémon knowledge.
He's a great counterpart to Ash: equally driven but with the goal that many make fun of Ash for not meeting — catching every Pokémon. His ultimate goal is to meet and maybe catch Mew.
1 Brock
The quintessential companion for Ash is also the one that traveled with him for the longest: Brock. Save for some short-lived absences, Brock's time on the show spanned several seasons, accompanying Ash through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh.
Brock is mature, intelligent, and driven. His one flaw is his never-ending objectification of every woman he meets (with rare exceptions). He's often very helpful to Ash in terms of battle strategies, offering pointers and info that help make Ash a better trainer.