Ash Ketchum's 10 Most Powerful Companions in Pokémon, Ranked (2024)

In nearly every season of Pokémon, Ash Ketchum is accompanied on his ongoing journey by one or more traveling companions. This tradition began with Misty and Brock in the original series, and continued all the way to Journeys with Goh.

Several of Ash Ketchum's traveling companions have teams of Pokémon as powerful as his own. Not all of Ash's friends care about Pokémon battles, and even the ones who do enjoy battling aren't always especially talented, but the strongest among them could still give the reigning World Champion a run for his money.

10 Cilan is a Mediocre Gym Leader

Cilan's Biggest Victory is Against His Brother

Cilan is a Grass-type specialist, and one of the three Gym Leaders of the Striaton Gym. In spite of holding this position, Cilan's heart isn't in battling, instead being passionate about his career as a Pokémon Connoisseur. It's good that Cilan primarily values his talents in other areas, as he's one of Ash's weakest friends.

Cilan's only Pokémon are his Pansage, Crustle, and Stunfisk, none of which are especially impressive. He is able to use them to defeat his brother and fellow Gym Leader, Chili, but when he goes against a more experienced Gym Leader, Skyla, he's easily bested and needs Ash to step in.

9 Serena Grows Significantly During Her Time with Ash

Serena's Focus is on Being a Pokémon Performer

When Serena first reunites with Ash near the start of his adventures in Kalos, her career as a trainer has only just begun. Throughout the XY seasons, she blossoms into an accomplished Pokémon Performer, while also becoming a capable battler.

On her team, Serena has a Pancham, a Sylveon, and her ace, Delphox. Serena doesn't battle often, but all three of her Pokémon consistently pull their weight, and she demonstrates her versatility as a trainer when she commands Ash's team against Jimmy, mimicking his mannerisms as she does so.

8 Goh is More Focused on Catching Pokémon Than Battling with Them

Goh is Carried by His Impressive Collection of Pokémon

Goh travels with Ash throughout Pokémon Journeys, not hoping to become an incredible battler, but to catch every single Pokémon, with his eyes primarily set on Mew. While he catches over one-hundred Pokémon during the series, including Legendary Pokémon, he doesn't actually battle the vast majority of them.

With how many powerful Pokémon are in Goh's possession, he could put together the perfect team to defeat any inexperienced trainer without much effort. Goh's weaknesses become evident when he's put up against a dedicated battler, as seen when he lost to Kiawe.

7 Kiawe Made it Further Than Ash's Other Friends in the Alola League

Kiawe is One of Ash's Only Companions to Compete with Him

Among Ash's large cast of Alolan schoolmates, Kiawe is by far the strongest. A Fire-type specialist who dreams of becoming an Island kahuna, Kiawe is one of Ash's few companions to treat him as a rival, and his Pokémon have the power to actually challenge him.

Kiawe's team consists of his Turtonator, Charizard, and Alolan Marowak. With this team, Kiawe clears the Akala Island and Poni Island trials, and he reaches the top four in his first time participating in a Pokémon League, significantly out-doing Ash's first League performance. In Pokémon Journeys, Kiawe returns and continues to prove his strength, defeating Goh.

6 Clemont is a Formidable Electric-type Gym Leader

Clemont Provided Ash One of his Greatest Battles

Clemont is an Electric-type specialist, and the Gym Leader of the Lumiose Gym. Clumsy, awkward, and a scientific genius, Clemont is one of the strongest trainers in Kalos, and pushes Ash to his limits when he challenges him for a Voltage Badge.

Clemont travels with his Diggersby, Chespin, and Luxray, while keeping his Magnemite, Magneton, and his Heliolisk at his Gym. Although Ash's Kalos team wasn't at full strength when he took down Clemont, the Gym Leader's performance against his friend was still an impressive one. Less impressively, he was also unable to defeat Drasna when they faced off, proving he isn't yet on the level of an Elite Four member.

5 Brock Destroyed Kiawe When They Battled

Brock has Mastered Mega Evolution

One of Ash's oldest friends, Brock is a Rock-type specialist, and the Gym Leader of the Pewter Gym. Brock traveled with Ash longer than anyone else, sticking with him through the original, Advanced, and Diamond and Pearl seasons, and trained a diverse collection of Pokémon in that time.

Brock doesn't live to battle, having dreamed of being a Pokémon Breeder in his younger days, and currently studying to be a Pokémon Doctor, and yet he's found the time to master Mega Evolution. With his Mega Steelix, Brock was able to thoroughly trounce Kiawe, during his visit to Alola. The rest of his team consists of Forretress, Ludicolo, Blissey, Croagunk, and Marshtomp, with Geodude, Crobat, Sudowoodo, and Comfey left at his Gym.

4 Dawn Defeated May in a Pokémon Battle

Dawn Has a Full Team of Six Pokémon

The Diamond and Pearl seasons of the anime are arguably just as much about Dawn as they are about Ash. Dawn's journey to becoming a top Pokémon Coordinator is treated with the same importance as Ash's desire to beat Paul and win the Sinnoh League and, because of the nature of Pokémon Contests, this means Dawn participates in more significant battles than nearly any other companion.

Dawn's team of Pokémon includes her Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Togekiss, Quilava, Ambipom, and Mamoswine, making her one of the only girls to travel with Ash to have a complete roster. She fought her way to the finals of the Sinnoh Grand Festival and, although she loses to her rival, Zoey, Dawn does defeat May, who has beaten Zoey, at the Wallace Cup.

3 May Learned to Be a Trainer From Ash

May Defeated a Trainer Dawn Never Could

May is the first traveling companion in the series to meet Ash after he's become a knowledgeable trainer. As a rookie trainer starting her journey in the Hoenn Region, accompanying him gives her the chance to learn from his experience, and this gives her a massive leg up on her quest to become a Pokémon Coordinator.

At any given point, May will have some combination of her Blaziken, Beautifly, Venusaur, Wartortle, Glaceon, Skitty, and Munchlax on her person. During her time with Ash, May reached the top eight of the Hoenn Grand Festival as a rookie Coordinator, and the top four of the Kanto Grand Festival. She later defeats a trainer Dawn never could, Zoey, and she only loses to Dawn herself when they battle because she deliberately doesn't use her strongest possible team.

2 Misty Bested Ash After He Became The World Champion

Ash's First Traveling Companion is Also One of his Strongest Friends

The first trainer Ash befriended after leaving Pallet Town, Misty is a Water-type specialist, and the Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym. During her time with Ash, Misty's team, and her battles, were largely unimpressive. Every time she returns to the series, however, she proves to have grown far tougher than the last time she was seen.

Misty travels with her Psyduck, Staryu, Starmie, Politoed, Azurill, Clauncher and, having mastered Mega Evolution, her Mega Gyarados. She also keeps many other Water-types at her Gym. Shortly after Ash defeats Leon and is crowned the Pokémon World Champion, Misty defeats him in a battle, albeit with Ash having used one of his weakest Pokémon.

1 Iris is One of the Eight Most Powerful Trainers in the World

Iris is the Champion of Unova and a Participant in the Masters Eight Tournament

Among all of Ash's traveling companions, only Iris can be considered his equal as a trainer. From the time she was a little girl, Iris dreamed of becoming a Dragon Master, and trained in the hopes of achieving this goal. Iris was already stronger than most of Ash's companions during her time traveling with him through Unova and, in Pokemon Journeys, it's revealed that she's ascended to become the Champion of the Unova League, and one of the top eight trainers in the world.

Iris' known Pokémon are her Haxorus, Dragonite, Excadrill, Gible, and Emolga, but she's guaranteed to own at least one more. These Pokémon brought Iris to the top seven of the World Coronation Series, earning her a place in the Masters Eight Tournament, which Ash competes in and ultimately wins. Iris may have lost in round one of the tournament, but there's no shame in losing to Cynthia, the third-strongest trainer in the world, and she certainly performed better than any of Ash's other companions could have.

Pokemon

Expanding across a multitude of media, including TCGs, video games, manga, live-action movies and anime, the Pokémon franchise is set in a shared world of humans and creatures with a wide variety of special abilities.

Created by

Satoshi Tajiri

First Film

Pokemon: The First Movie

Latest Film

Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle

First TV Show

Pokémon

Latest TV Show

Pokémon Horizons

First Episode Air Date

April 1, 1997