The Pokémon anime introduced the world to a hard-headed but determined 10-year-old named Ash Ketchum from Palette Town. His goal was to become the greatest Pokémon trainer the world has ever seen by becoming Pokémon Champion and catching every single Pokémon. Along his journey, he met and befriended several people. Out of all of them, he had special bonds with a select few making up not much more than a couple of handfuls. Let's now look at and rank Ash's 10 best friends from worst to first, through the latest season of Pokémon.
10 Serena
Serena works as a character and companion to Ash because she offers a unique perspective that he hasn't fully experienced yet. Most of the kids by Ash's side are people with set goals or destinations in mind. Serena never really had that, and unlike Dawn who followed in her mother's footsteps, Serena rebelled against that idea for herself. She and Ash have an affectionate bond with one another, and she's often paired with him in fan fiction describing Ash as an adult and parent in the future.
9 Sam
Sam has a case for being one of the most interesting and affected characters in the entire series. He happens to be a 10-year-old kid who was sent 40 years into the future by the legendary Pokémon, Celebi. He's a smart kid who is pure and kind-hearted with not an ounce of hate in his soul. As a Pokémon watcher and sketch artist, he's very similar to Tracey in terms of what he brings to the table skill-wise. Ash felt for Sam, as the idea of being sent so far into the future is a terrifying prospect to most adults, let alone children.
8 Clemont
Clemont is arguably the smartest person Ash has ever had by his side, and like Brock, is a Gym Leader who brings a wealth of battle knowledge alongside him. He's an inventor whose mind is constantly thinking about the next potential breakthrough on the horizon.
The moment he became a true friend to Ash is when he vowed to save Pikachu. Clemont looks up to Ash quite a bit, but respect is mutual and Ash encourages Clemont to be the best inventor he can be and to never quit creating.
7 Max
Max, the younger brother of May, is one of Ash's younger companions and hails from Petalburg city. He starts as a kid who's too smart for his own good, spending much of his time criticizing Ash for using a Pikachu. Max builds a strong bond with Brock, which is neat to see. That friendship always seemed stronger and closer than his one with Ash. By the end of their time together Max comes to learn that Ash is a top-tier battler and understood that there's plenty to learn from people with unorthodox approaches to challenges.
6 May
May is very much the female equivalent to Tracey, one of Ash's best friends we'll get to next. The funny thing about that is that May and Brock often went on shopping trips together, and Tracey was Brock's replacement in the show.
Her younger brother is Max, a smart kid who also happens to be a friend of Ash's and was the topic of conversation in the last entry. Her real weakness is that she sometimes cared a little too much about her appearance, which caused frustrations to arise within Ash.
5 Tracey
Tracey is hit or miss with Pokémon fans as he was the first replacement companion the show introduced. After Brock went on his way to further pursue Pokémon breeding. He's a sketch artist who loves looking at Pokémon and drawing them going about their lives naturally. His journeys with Ash are long over as he now works as an assistant under Professor Oak. He's super friendly and kind and serves as a great balance to Misty who tends to be a bit more aggressive and can often come across a lot ruder than she intends to.
4 Misty
Is Misty the type of friend Ash agreed with all the time and has nothing but happy memories of? Well, the answer to that, if you watched even seconds of their interactions with one another, is clearly no. She did however happen to be the exact type of person Ash needed by his side during his journey. Misty was difficult and hard-head, but she did offer Ash a perspective in which she was willing to let him know he was making the wrong decision. It's important to surround yourself with people who aren't simply going to blindly back your every decision.
3 Dawn
Dawn is super adorable and is often the companion that fans pair with Ash when thinking about where characters ended up as adults. She has a unique dream of becoming a successful Pokémon coordinator, which is the people who raise Pokémon with the sole intention of them competing in Pokémon contests. It doesn't hurt that her first Pokémon was a Piplup, a welcome addition to Ash's crew. Dawn was always determined and focused on her goals, traits that Ash had but was strengthened by proximity.
2 Brock
Brock has become a bit of a meme over the years thanks in large part to his somewhat problematic behavior. It wasn't that out of line considering he was a young man with plenty of hormones swirling around. With that in consideration, he was still an excellent friend to Ash and came through when he needed him.
As a cook and Pokémon breeder, Brock often had Ash's back when it came to providing him with sustenance as well as relevant information when Ash needed it most. Brock also happened to be a Gym Leader, which is pretty awesome.
1 Pikachu
When considering who Ash's best friend is, how can anyone argue with Pikachu? From his very first day in which he set out on his journey to becoming the world's greatest Pokémon trainer, Pikachu was by his side. Though their relationship starts in a frustrating and difficult place, the bond they build is almost unmatched in the world around them. As a fan, you know that at the end of the day Pikachu would do anything to save Ash, and the same can be said for Ash if Pikachu was ever in dire need of rescue.