Throughout his journey in the original Pokemon anime, Ash Ketchum makes a plethora of new friends, both human and Pokemon. Many of his human friends just so happen to be Pokemon Trainers, whether they are Gym Leaders or Pokemon Coordinators. Regardless of what their own individual dreams are, Ash supports them with their goals, and vice versa.
As the series progressed, many fans began to wonder which female protagonist could be Ash’s possible love interest. Some believe the best option to be one of Ash’s former traveling companions, such as Misty or Dawn. Others wonder if she could be one of the protagonists from the movies, such as Bianca or Melody.
Iris and Ash’s Friendship Had a Rocky Start
The Two Ultimately Learned How To Work Together
Iris, a Dragon-type Gym Leader (and later Champion) from the Unova region, also has a counterpart in the original Pokemon anime series. A Trainer from the Village of Dragons, Iris was tasked with raising a newborn Axew on a journey meant to also grant her emotional maturity. At the start of the Unova arc of the anime, Iris is shown to be somewhat shy, and much more interested in adventuring in the wild than conversing with other people. However, after Ash and Cilan officially invited her to join the group, Iris began to open up, though she remained very private for a while. The two were well-known for often bickering with one another, with Iris even leaving the group at one point.
The more the two traveled together, the more Iris began to trust Ash. As his Pokémon grew stronger, so did hers; in fact, her starter Pokémon, Axew, later fully evolved into a Haxorus. Seasons after Ash left Unova, the two reunited at the Masters Eight Tournament, where it was revealed that Iris had become Unova’s Champion. The two appear to be more friends than possible romantic interests for one another, and get along great due to their shared love of battling.
Ash Acted as a Mentor for May
The Two Remain the Best of Friends
As the daughter of the Normal-type Gym Leader Norman, many people in Petalburg City believed that May, his oldest child, would follow in his footsteps. However, May actually was not sure about what she was meant to do in life, and if she wanted to work alongside Pokémon in the first place. She took the chance to become a Trainer in hopes of seeing the world, and decided to choose Torchic as her starter Pokémon due to its adorable looks. However, like many new Trainers, May initially had trouble figuring out how to battle alongside Pokémon.
Thankfully, May and Torchic would meet Ash and Brock, with the former becoming her main mentor. Over time, May grew into a great Trainer, even deciding to take on the role of a Pokémon Coordinator after discovering her love of performing. Even after Ash left for the Sinnoh region, the two remained great friends, with May even watching Ash’s match against Leon near the end of the series. The two may work as possible love interests for one another, but for the most part they appear to simply be friends.
Dawn and Ash Continue To Support One Another
The Duo Have a Signature High-Five
Like May before her, Dawn was also a rookie Trainer when she first met Ash and Brock. In fact, the two would also give her advice on how to become a better Trainer just like they helped their old friend from the Hoenn region. Unlike May, however, Dawn already knew exactly what she wanted to do in life. Like her mother before her, Dawn dreams of becoming a renowned Pokémon Coordinator, able to battle well and create amazing routines for Pokémon Contests.
Many fans believe Dawn to be one of the best friends Ash has ever made. In fact, the two even create a signature high-five that becomes a running occurrence throughout their journey together. However, it is never made explicit if Dawn has a true crush on Ash, or vice versa. Despite that, the two are often shown supporting the other on their adventures, even trading Pokémon at one point in time.
Melody Grew Close to Ash During the Events of the Second Film
Melody Even Kisses Ash as a Greeting
Melody, a supporting protagonist in Pokémon the Movie 2000, is from Shamouti Island located in the Orange Islands. Unlike her sister, Carol, Melody felt out of place on Shamouti Island. As such, she grew bitter and rebellious, her anger at feeling isolated on the island driving Melody and her older sister apart. However, Melody’s opinion of her home would change not long after she met Ash, intrigued by his role as a Pokémon Trainer.
As she was chosen to be the Festival Maiden for the annual Legend Festival, Melody decided to welcome Ash by giving him a “traditional welcome kiss” on the cheek, much to the horror of Misty. Though she initially did not care much for her role as the annual Festival Maiden, Melody realized how loyal she actually was to Shamouti Island during Lawrence III’s reign of terror. She was also the one to play the ocarina at the end of the film, reviving Lugia and the Legendary birds of Kanto. Though it is likely that Melody has a crush on Ash, it is never truly stated if he feels the same way about her.
Bianca Gave Ash a Farewell Kiss at the End of Pokémon Heroes
However, Some Believe It Was Actually Latias
In Pokémon Heroes, Ash and his friends travel to Alto Mare, a beautiful Venice-inspired city in the Johto region. During the events of the film, Ash and the others learn about Latias and Latios, two Legendary Pokémon whose father, another Latios, sacrificed his life to save Alto Mare. In order to stay safe, the heroic Latios’ children live in Alto Mare’s secret garden, where they are looked after by Lorenzo and his granddaughter, Bianca. As she is her best friend, Latias has a tendency to take on Bianca’s appearance in order to look around the rest of Alto Mare.
Bianca enlisted Ash’s help when Team Rocket’s Annie and Oakley captured the Soul Dew as well as Latios. She was also captured alongside her grandfather, but thanks to Latios’ sight-sharing, Ash and Latias were able to locate their new friends. At the end of the film, Bianca created a portrait of Ash and Pikachu as a thank-you gift, and even gave Ash a kiss on the cheek. However, an ongoing debate still occurs due to the fact that it may have actually been Latias in disguise, taking on her best friend’s appearance in order to meet Ash.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Misty Is One of Ash’s Oldest Friends
Misty Has Been Known To Get Jealous From Time to Time
Though the two would later get along, Ash and Misty’s relationship was once rather awkward. When Pikachu was injured by a horde of wild Spearow, Ash tried to escape the avian Pokémon by borrowing Misty’s bicycle in order to reach the nearest Pokémon Center. Unfortunately for Misty, the bicycle would end up ruined, resulting in her choosing to follow him until the other Pokémon Trainer repaid her for the damages. As time went on, Misty stopped bringing up her lost bicycle as often, simply happy to be traveling around Kanto with her new friends.
Misty’s dream is to become a Water-type Pokémon Master, while Ash wants to become a Pokémon Master who has befriended every known Pokémon. Over the course of many seasons, even ones where they are not traveling together, the two become the best of friends, even though they are prone to bickering. Misty remains one of the most popular candidates for a possible love interest because of her friendship with Ash, though whether they truly have feelings for one another is never explicitly stated. However, Misty does often get jealous whenever another girl expresses interest in Ash, though she is quick to claim that she finds the idea of being his girlfriend gross.
Serena Is Perhaps Ash’s Most Popular Possible Love Interest
Serena Developed a Crush on Ash During Their Journey Together
Though there are many possible love interests who are never explicitly revealed to have crushes on Ash, Serena breaks the mold by showcasing that she really does like the other Pokémon Trainer. Coming from Vaniville Town in the Kalos region, Serena was raised by her mother, Grace, who was once a professional Rhydon racer. Although Serena was shown to be very knowledgeable about caring for the species, she wanted to break away from her mother’s shadow and find her own destiny. She would later realize her desire to become a top Pokémon Performer and work hard towards her goal of becoming Kalos Queen.
With her partner Pokémon, Fennekin, Serena joined Ash’s Kalos-based traveling group early in the series, as she admired her childhood friend. As he helped her when they were younger, Serena sees Ash as her biggest source of inspiration as well as her crush. In fact, when Serena bids farewell to the group before departing for the Hoenn region, Serena rushes up to her friend as the atmosphere around them changes; it is then heavily implied that Serena bid Ash farewell with a kiss. The two smile at one another as Serena descends the escalator, while the other party members are left stunned. Similarly, when this moment premiered, many Pokémon fans were very surprised.
Pokémon
- Release Date
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1997 – 2023
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
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Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
- Writers
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Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku
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Rica Matsumoto
Satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)
