Over the course of Ash Ketchum's entire journey in the Pokémon anime, he has caught countless species of Pokémon, learned a lot of lessons, and made numerous friends, but he has also had his fair share of rivals. A good rival pushes you to be the best version of yourself through pure competition.
Ash has had a number of rivals like that over the years, with them coming in all shapes, sizes and personalities. While many of Ash's rivalries have stemmed from budding friendships, a number of his best rivalries have had extra motivations and emotions involved, adding extra heat and tension - the main ingredients required for a fierce rivalry.
10 Ash Was Too Friendly With Ritchie To Demand Retribution And A Rematch
Ritchie was a recurring friend and rival to Ash throughout his Kanto and Johto adventures over several series, with the two having a lot in common and similar tastes in Pokémon. While Ritchie chose to nickname his Pokémon, he still had the likes of Butterfree, the Charmander-line, Pikachu and Taillow.
The nature of Ash's loss to Ritchie at the Indigo Plateau Conference was humiliating and not the right way for their clash to end, even if it was still in line with Charizard's character at the time to not obey Ash.
9 Barry Behaved Like A Rival But Never Truly Proved It In Battle
Contrary to his role in the Gen IV games, Barry was less active as a rival in the anime, as he did not actually clash with Ash all that often in terms of Pokémon battles. However, Barry did consider Ash and Paul to be his rivals even if their own rivalry eclipsed anything including him.
Barry's energetic persona could come across as being rude at times, but in reality he just got excited about partaking in fierce battles against strong opponents.
8 Kiawe And Ash Fired Each Other Up
Out of all of Ash's friends at the Pokémon School during his time in Alola, the Fire-specialist Kiawe was the one who helped to keep Ash motivated with his burning intensity, with the two sparring on numerous occasions.
This was a rivalry in the friendliest of senses, with the two trying their hardest in battles against one another in order for them both to improve. They would actively turn most things into a competition, but at the end of the day, they were also great friends. Kiawe lost to Gladion in the semi-finals of the Manalo Conference, which would have set up a final against his buddy, but ultimately Ash and Gladion's rivalry was due some closure.
7 Trip Had An Intense But Bizarre Rivalry With Ash
Trip is often regarded as one of the most disliked characters in the Pokémon anime, not just due to his general attitude, but because he was introduced to the series immediately following Ash's best rival of a similar personality, Paul. Not only did he have a lot to live up to in succeeding Paul as Ash's rival, but it felt rather forced, especially with Trip constantly getting the better of Ash in their meetings until their impending Pokémon League clash.
Regardless, there was still an intensity between them that legitimized the rivalry somewhat, with Ash's losses to Trip fueling his desire to eventually get the better of him, even if the final 1-on-1 battle and victory for Ash felt anti-climactic.
6 Bea Is Just The Sparring Partner That Ash Has Been Yearning For
Bea has become a fiercely competitive rivalry to Ash in the Pokémon Journeys series, although it is ultimately all in good faith and in the name of competition. Bea's Fighting-type Pokémon and intense battle style brings the best out of Ash, especially as he has two Fighting-types of his own this series, Lucario and Sirfetch'd.
With Bea picking a win and a draw in their first two Pokémon World Coronation Series bouts, it has done more to fuel their rivalry than many of Ash's previous rivals managed in an entire series.
5 Gladion And Ash's Rivalry Was Decided In The Manalo Conference Final
Gladion initially only gave Ash the time of day due to his recognition by the great Tapu Koko, but would begin to see him as a special trainer, friend and fierce rival. Their rivalry was a classic case of Ash losing a few times before getting his ultimate revenge when it mattered at the Pokémon League.
The final round of the Manalo Conference was a terrific conclusion to their rivalry, although it arguably should have been a 6-on-6 bout, which is the least that their rivalry deserved. Them both having different forms of Lycanroc, not only spurred the Pokémon on to battle harder, but made their interactions and clashes all-the-more intense and entertaining.
4 Gary Oak Was Ash's First True Rival
Given that Gary Oak is known as Ash's first and main rival, it is often assumed that he is also Ash's best rival in terms of the rivalry they have shared. However, the two kids from Pallet Town rarely ever faced off, which arguably needed to happen more often to make Ash's eventual victory over Gary in the Silver Conference feel much more important.
Regardless, Gary's arrogance and annoying behavior towards Ash near the beginning of their journey certainly played a role in motivating Ash to be better and try to keep up with his rival.
3 Ash And Sawyer's Rivalry Made Complete Sense And Was Executed Perfectly
In Pokémon X & Y, not only was Ash's team of Pokémon one of the best that he has ever had, but he enjoyed some good and unique rivalries during his time in Kalos. His friendship and rivalry with Sawyer was handled well, with Ash dominating and defeating Sawyer in their first meetings but with Sawyer actively making notes and learning from the experience.
Sawyer would even get a victory over Ash due to this learning and training, showing his character development and advancement, and the two promised to have their rematch at the Kalos League, setting the stage for later down the line. Their semi-final bout was intense, and although Sawyer lost, he was happy to admit he respected Ash, wrapping up their good-natured rivalry in a pleasant and satisfying way.
2 Alain And Ash Were The Worthy Finalists At The Lumiose Conference
Alain and Ash's rivalry just worked. What started with Alain researching Mega-Evolution and happening upon witnessing Ash's bond with his Greninja, turned into an intense but friendly rivalry between two trainers who just wanted to get better and stronger.
In their previous battles, Alain's Charizard was highlighted as his ace and would often help him sweep through opponents, but he saw Ash's Greninja as a potential threat to that dominance. The two promised one another to have their final match at the Lumiose Conference, and through convenience and fate, the two faced off in the final. Although Ash arguably should have won his first Pokémon League there and then, Alain had been given enough backstory and character to warrant beating Ash, which was often not the case with Ash's previous Pokémon League defeats.
1 Paul Was Ash's Most Intense And Fierce Rival
Ash's main rival in Diamond & Pearl, Paul was arrogant and ruthless on his quest to being the strongest trainer out there. He would punish and discipline his Pokémon for showing weakness, even releasing them in some cases.
Not only did this disgust Ash, but he would ultimately end up adopting Paul's discarded Chimchar, who eventually earned victory for Ash in their final showdown in the quarter-finals of the Lily of the Valley Conference. Not only were his Pokémon fired up for revenge in that bout, but Ash had previously lost to Paul on several occasions meaning he was also questing for revenge. Despite their disagreements, they both learned a lot from one another and earned each other's respect, which is ultimately what a good rivalry should be about.