Ash Ketchum has journeyed with many traveling companions throughout the Pokémon anime, but there is one of Ash's friends who is stronger than all the others. Though not all of Ash’s friends shared the same ambitions as Ash had, many of them did become accomplished Pokémon trainers in their own right. Some were already quite skilled by the time Ash met them, as there were a few who were already gym leaders at that time.
Most of Ash’s friends and traveling companions had their sights set on accomplishing their own goals. The friends that Ash traveled with allowed the anime to explore different aspects of the Pokémon world, not just limited to battling and the Pokémon League. Audiences learned about Pokémon Contests and Pokémon Showcases, as well as learning about what it takes to be a Pokémon Breeder.
While Ash’s rivals in the Pokémon anime often taught Ash more about what it means to be a Pokémon trainer and new battling strategies, his friends were often instrumental in expanding his narrow worldview and teaching him more about Pokémon and their inherent nature. Luckily, Ash was always game to learn new skills from his friends, which only served to improve his own skills as a Pokémon trainer too. Some friends stood out more than others, especially when compared to Ash, regarding their skills as Pokémon trainers. Pokémon Journeys and Pokémon Master Journeys have given the anime the chance to revisit some of Ash’s old friends, making it interesting to see which of Ash’s past traveling companions were the strongest then and now.
Misty And Brock In Kanto & Johto
Misty and Brock traveled with Ash throughout the first two regions of the Pokémon franchise. Brock, however, did travel further than the Kanto region and the Johto region. Both Misty and Brock in the Pokémon anime are on relatively equal footing when it comes to their skills as Pokémon trainers.
Though Misty wasn’t technically the Cerulean City Gym Leader when she and Ash met, she has been presiding over the Water-type gym since the third iteration of the Pokémon anime, Ruby and Sapphire. Misty is also an aspiring Water Pokémon Master. Misty’s strength as a trainer lies in her ability to overcome her fears. She used to be terrified of Bug-type Pokémon but traveled with Ash to Murcott Island, which is famous for its rare Bug-type Pokémon. She was also deathly afraid of Gyarados, despite it being a Water-type Pokémon, due to a traumatic childhood incident, but was able to tame one near the end of Misty's run as Ash's traveling companion. Her determination to overcome her fears and her resolve to show her sisters that the Cerulean Gym needed to provide a proper battling experience proved Misty’s mettle as a trainer. However, her bias in favor of typically “cute” Pokémon did severely limit the power potential of her team, especially during her journey with Ash.
Brock, much like Misty, was a Pokémon Gym Leader in Pewter City, specializing in Rock-type Pokémon. He traveled with Ash through many regions, not just Kanto and Johto, but also Hoenn and Sinnoh. Despite his considerable skills as a Pokémon trainer, Brock’s true passion lies in caring for Pokémon. On his journeys with Ash, he learned a lot about taking care of Pokémon and becoming a Pokémon Breeder, skills which he also passed on to his friends, and is now pursuing becoming a full-fledged Pokémon Doctor. Brock’s strength as a Pokémon trainer comes from his knowledge of Pokémon care-taking. He knows the limits and strengths of the Pokémon he trains better than anyone. Brock does manage to give Ash a run for his money on numerous occasions during their practice battles, but his heart wasn’t in Pokémon battles as much as it was in care-taking, and it often showed in his strategy, which lacked creativity and even determination.
May In The Hoenn Region
May, one of Ash’s other companions in the Hoenn region besides Brock and May’s little brother Max, went on a substantial developmental journey throughout the third generation of the Pokémon anime. Though she was initially quite afraid of Pokémon, May later discovered her passion for being a Top Pokémon Coordinator and entered lots of Pokémon Contests across the Hoenn region. May has quite a strong team on hand nowadays, which includes a Blaziken, Venusaur, Glaceon, and Beautifly. Since the Pokémon anime Ruby and Sapphire, May has traveled to the Kanto and Johto regions, competing in Pokémon Contests there as well.
May’s strength as a trainer lies in her competitive spirit. She knows what her Pokémon are capable of, both in terms of beautiful presentation and in terms of battling – and while she knows that Contest battles and standard Pokémon battles are very different beasts, she learns a lot from Ash on her journey and incorporates that into her strategy. Her biggest weakness as a trainer is her own self-esteem; she’s prone to giving into rival Harley’s attempts at bullying, letting it affect her performances and the way she works with her Pokémon.
Dawn In The Sinnoh Region
Similar to May, Dawn had a dream of becoming a Top Coordinator like her mother Johanna. She traveled all across Sinnoh with Ash, his Pokémon partner Pikachu, and Brock, entering Pokémon contests across the region. She was the runner-up in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, the most competitive tournament for Pokémon Coordinators. Her team includes some interesting and unconventional choices, including a Piplup that refuses to evolve, a Quilava, a Togekiss, and the massive Ice and Ground-type Pokémon Mamoswine.
Dawn’s strength as a trainer is evident in her creativity, which rivals even Ash’s creative battling strategies that he portrayed in the later seasons of the anime. She combines her Pokémon’s moves in unique ways to play to their strengths, including a move called Flame Ice, which involves two types of moves that are normally each other’s polar opposites. Dawn was prone to overworking her Pokémon at times, however, which proved her determination but also showed that she sometimes forgot to think about her Pokémon’s individual needs.
Iris In The Unova Region
Though Ash Ketchum's second traveling companion in the Unova region, Cilan, was a Gym Leader at the Striaton City Gym (as well as an A-class Pokémon Connoisseur, meaning that he can identify compatibility between a Pokémon and its trainer), Iris is the real stand-out Pokémon trainer of this traveling trio. Iris dreams of becoming a Dragon Master. It is often mentioned throughout the anime that Dragon-type Pokémon are some of the hardest types of Pokémon to train, but Iris manages it beautifully, and became an incredibly strong trainer in her own right, putting together an impressive team including a Haxorus, a Dragonite, a Gible, an Excadrill, and an Emolga.
Like Ash, she tends to catch Pokémon she makes a connection with, which is perfect for her becoming a Dragon Master, alongside her ability to read Dragon Pokémon’s minds. Iris’ determination to become a Dragon Master rivals Ash’s determination to become a Pokémon Master, and neither is willing to give up. They are always ready to learn if it means getting one step closer to their goals.
Clemont In The Kalos Region
Clemont is the Electric-type Gym Leader for Lumiose City. He’s also considered something of a genius, creating many inventions to help him and his friends during their journey (though not always successfully). Unlike Misty, Brock, and Cilan who are all Gym Leaders quite early on in a trainer’s journey in their respective regions, Clemont’s Pokémon Gym requires trainers to have four badges in order to challenge him, or his stand-in robot Clembot. His team includes a powerful Luxray, Heliolisk, Magneton, and Diggersby.
Clemont’s strength as a trainer is linked to his scientific background – he approaches battles analytically, studying his opponents’ strategies to think of the perfect offense. This does also come at a cost. It’s harder for him to emotionally connect with his Pokémon and his own feelings are sometimes repressed as a result, but his journey with Ash teaches him a lot and his relationship with his Pokémon, especially Chespin and Luxray, is bettered as a result.
Kiawe In The Alola Region
Kiawe was one of Ash’s closest friends in the Alola region. What’s interesting about their relationship is that they functioned as both friends and rivals. Ash and Kiawe had similar battling ambitions, though Kiawe’s goal is to become Akala Island’s kahuna.
Kiawe specializes in Fire-type Pokémon, and his team includes a Charizard like Ash once had, Turtonator, and an Alolan Marowak. Kiawe also managed to make it to the top 4 of the Alola Pokémon League, which is the League that Ash finally managed to win after all these years. Kiawe shares his Pokémons' fiery nature and is always in sync with them, which allowed him to use Z-Moves quite early on as a trainer, a skill that requires total trust in one’s Pokémon and the wisdom to respect the power Z-Moves can provide.
Goh In Pokémon Journeys
Pokémon Journeys and Pokémon Master Journeys function somewhat differently from previous Pokémon anime iterations. Instead of traveling to one specific region, Ash now travels to all the known regions with his friend Goh, working as research fellows together for Professor Cerise. Both Ash and Goh love Pokémon equally, but Goh’s goal is to catch one of every type of Pokémon, including the mythical Pokémon Mew.
Goh is an accomplished Pokémon trainer simply because he’s already caught an impressive number of Pokémon, including the Water-type legendary Pokémon Suicune. But, despite his prowess as a Pokémon collector, Goh is relatively inexperienced as a Pokémon trainer or battler, and Ash shows him the ropes numerous times throughout the series. His Drizzile evolves into an Inteleon because it took its training regimen into its own hands, not because of Goh’s skills as a trainer.
Who Is Ash's Strongest Companion?
There’s little doubt as to who Ash’s strongest traveling companion is now. In the time since the Pokémon Black and White anime, Iris has become the Unova Champion and has reached the final eight in the World Coronation Series in Pokemon Master Journeys. Ash is also competing in the World Coronation Series, which is a competition that trainers from all over the world can enter. The winner of the World Coronation Series is determined to be the strongest trainer in the world, a title which is currently held by the Galar Region Champion, Leon. Other trainers in the top eight include the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, Alain, who managed to beat Ash at the Kalos League; Steven, who is the Champion in Hoenn, and Lance, who is Champion in the Johto region.
Iris’ incredible journey to become a Dragon Master has certainly seen her grow as a trainer in the Pokémon anime and become one of Ash’s strongest friends to date, and her spot in the top eight of the World Coronation Series is well deserved. Iris, like Ash, knows that becoming a region’s reigning Champion isn’t enough to prove to the world that you’re a Dragon or Pokémon Master. Her meteoric rise through the ranks of the Unova Pokémon League is incredibly impressive, yes, but it is the relationship she has with her Pokémon, Pokémon that are traditionally tough to raise and train, that makes her stand out as Ash’s strongest traveling companion of all time.