Ash's friends

''This article is about Ash's main and temporary traveling companions. If you were looking for a general list of people Ash has met on his journey, see Character of the day.''

Ash's friends are the traveling companions that Ash Ketchum has had with him on his journey on his quest to become a Pokémon Master. While he started his journey alone, many people have joined his party while touring the Pokémon world; usually at least one new companion joins—and another leaves—every time a new region is visited.

Johto is the only region where Ash did not acquire a new friend that would travel with him, excluding, who came back after his absence.

In the, Ash's friends are not traveling companions, but rather classmates, since Ash is attending the Pokémon School instead of traveling around the Alola region. Later in the series, Ash and his Alolan friends form a team under the supervision of Aether Foundation, known as the Ultra Guardians.

Misty


Misty joined Ash in Pokémon Emergency!, traveling with him because she wanted him to replace her bike, which was destroyed by his. She would continuously travel with him until Gotta Catch Ya Later!, when she returned to Cerulean City nearly full-time to lead her family's Gym, though she briefly traveled to Hoenn and met up with Ash's group in The Princess and the Togepi and A Togepi Mirage!, and again from The Scheme Team until A Real Cleffa-Hanger to "escort" her back home. She met up with her friends one more time. She and Brock also appeared in Alola, Kanto! and When Regions Collide!, where Ash and his classmates from Pokémon School visited Kanto, and returned in SM102 and SM103, where she and Brock visited Alola.


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Brock


Brock first joined Ash in Showdown in Pewter City after Ash d him in the Pewter City Gym. After his father offered to take over the duties of Gym Leader, Brock followed Ash through Kanto, leaving briefly from Poké Ball Peril to A Tent Situation to work for Professor Ivy. In The Rivalry Revival, Brock returned to be with Ash and until Gotta Catch Ya Later!, though he, unlike Misty, would return shortly, in You Can Never Taillow, sticking with Ash until Home is Where the Start is!. He would again return in Two Degrees of Separation!, and so traveled through Sinnoh with Ash until Memories are Made of Bliss!. He and Misty also appeared in Alola, Kanto! and When Regions Collide!, where Ash and his classmates from Pokémon School visited Kanto, and returned in SM102 and SM103, where he and Misty visited Alola.


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Tracey Sketchit


After left to work for Professor Ivy, Ash's traveling group was down to two, as it had been for the first five episodes of Kanto. However, this would not last very long, as in The Lost Lapras Ash met a Pokémon watcher named who essentially invited himself along for the rest of the Orange Islands saga. Traveling with Ash, he wished to attain his ultimate goal of meeting, which he did when Ash returned to Kanto in A Tent Situation. After this, he remained in Pallet Town to be Professor Oak's assistant in The Rivalry Revival.


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May


Ash may have traveled to Hoenn alone; however, shortly after his arrival, he met, a young girl who desired to travel around the world and a fellow Trainer who was just starting her journey, and then ended up destroying her bike just like that of Misty. Though she initially did not care for, she eventually found Pokémon Contests, in which she competed while in Hoenn and then later in Kanto. May traveled with Ash through the entire saga, from Get the Show on the Road to Home is Where the Start Is!, after which she went off to Johto to compete in Contests there. She, like, reappeared briefly during the to compete in the Wallace Cup from A Full Course Tag Battle! until Strategy with a Smile!.


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Max


Max is 's younger brother. He does not have any Pokémon of his own because he is too young, but he often befriends certain Pokémon. He traveled with the group from There's no Place Like Hoenn until Home is Where the Start Is, when he went home to Petalburg City. However, he made a promise to Ash that as soon as he got his own Pokémon, he would Ash.

Dawn


Like his journey into Hoenn, Ash ventured to Sinnoh alone, where, in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!, he would meet, the daughter of a Top Coordinator wishing to follow in the footsteps of her mother. From that point, after saving Ash's Pikachu and having her bike fried in a similar way to May's and Misty's, Dawn would travel with Ash and Brock through Sinnoh, which she did until Memories are Made of Bliss! when all three friends split up.

Dawn rejoins Ash's group in the in Piplup, Pansage, and a Meeting of the Times! to compete in the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup. Dawn would leave the group in Goodbye, Junior Cup - Hello Adventure! and travel to Johto to compete in the Wallace Cup.


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Iris


Iris is said to be a wild girl, as proven by the fact that she swings on vines. She decided to travel throughout Unova and the Decolore Islands with Ash from Enter Iris and Axew! until Best Wishes Until We Meet Again!

Her goal is to become a Dragon Master, she left the group in order to travel to Blackthorn City in the Johto region and challenge Clair, to gain more experience towards her goal.
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Cilan


Cilan, a Pokémon Connoisseur and one of the Gym Leaders of the Striaton City Gym, travels with and  in their journey through Unova and the Decolore Islands from Dreams by the Yard Full! until Best Wishes Until We Meet Again!.

Cilan decided to depart from the group in order to further his skills as a Pokémon Connisseur, starting off by heading to Dewford Town to take part in a fishing tournament held by Mr. Briney.


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Clemont


Clemont is an inventor Ash met after being ejected out of the Lumiose City Gym. His backpack, called the "Clemontic Gear", carries a variety of inventions and gadgets. He traveled with Ash from A Battle of Aerial Mobility! until The Future Is Now, Thanks to Determination!, then rejoined the group in The Moment of Lumiose Truth!, he decided to stay in Lumiose City in Till We Compete Again! when Ash returned to Kanto.


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Bonnie


Bonnie is Clemont's little sister. She is a young and cheerful girl, who despite being too young to officially train Pokémon, holds a great interest in them. She is proud of her big brother's accomplishments, but is not above criticizing him. She started traveling with Ash in A Battle of Aerial Mobility! and stayed in Lumiose City with her brother when the group went their separate ways in Till We Compete Again!.


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Serena


Serena is a beginning Pokémon Trainer from Kalos who met Ash once before when they were younger. While the daughter of a famous racer, Serena eventually sets her goal to become. She started traveling with Ash in Giving Chase at the Rhyhorn Race! until Till We Compete Again! where she traveled to the Hoenn region to participate in Pokémon Contests in order to further her skills.

While traveling with Ash, she cut her hair short and changed into her new outfit in A Showcase Debut!.


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Lana


Lana is one of Ash's classmates. She enjoys many seafaring activities such as fishing while riding on. She was the first of Ash's classmates in the series to meet Ash when she accidentally fished him up while he was riding on a. They would later meet again at the Pokémon School and become classmates when Ash enrolled himself.


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Kiawe


Kiawe is one of Ash's classmates. He is very gruff compared to his classmates and makes deliveries between islands on his. Ash first spotted Kiawe flying on his Charizard when he was lost in a forest. They formally met while Kiawe was in a battle with Team Skull and Ash joined in, making Kiawe the last of Ash's classmates Ash would meet.


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Lillie


Lillie is one of Ash's classmates. She is terrified of physically interacting with Pokémon, and tends to freeze up whenever one Pokémon enters her personal space. She was the second of Ash's classmates he would meet. She was watching a race between,  and  as Ash accidentally stumbled upon the racing track and spotted Lillie on the other side. They became classmates when Ash enrolled himself at the Pokémon School shortly thereafter.


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Sophocles


Sophocles is one of Ash's classmates. He enjoys inventing helpful devices and machinery. He met Ash while he was having a race against  and  and they ran him over when he accidentally stumbled upon the track. They became classmates when Ash enrolled himself at the Pokémon School shortly thereafter.


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Mallow


Mallow is one of Ash's classmates. She is talented cook for both people and Pokémon, and is a self-proclaimed poster girl at her family's restaurant, Aina's Kitchen. She met Ash while she was having a race against  and  and they ran him over when he accidentally stumbled upon the track. They became classmates when Ash enrolled himself at the Pokémon School shortly thereafter.


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Verity


Verity is one of 's traveling companions in I Choose You!, which is set in a continuity different from the main anime. She is a vibrant and ish Pokémon Trainer who seems to enjoy adventures. Her mother is a famous Trainer back in her home region of Sinnoh. Because of that, she expects a lot from Verity, which puts a lot of pressure on her. She met Ash when they were both chasing after an. She then joined him and Sorrel on a journey to the Raizen Mountains, where was said to live. After meeting Ho-Oh, Verity left Ash and Sorrel to continue on her own journey.


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Sorrel


Sorrel is one of 's traveling companions in I Choose You!, which is set in a continuity different from the main anime. He is a young whose goal is to become a Pokémon Professor. He is interested in Legendary Pokémon. He met Ash and Verity when he chased after an. Although he initially had no interest in interacting with them, he later met them again in a cave to shelter from a rain. The three Trainers became friends and decided to travel to the Raizen Mountains together, where was said to reside. After meeting Ho-Oh, Sorrel left Ash and Verity to go on his journey and meet more Legendary Pokémon.


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Haunter


Haunter briefly accompanied Ash from The Tower of Terror to Haunter versus Kadabra, helping Ash in the Gym Battle against Sabrina before it was left with her.

Todd Snap


Todd Snap accompanied Ash, Misty, and Brock from Pokémon Paparazzi to The Breeding Center Secret. He later meets up with Ash again in Moving Pictures during his journey through Johto, trying to take a photograph of the legendary. They meet an elderly couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and Todd has the honor of taking their anniversary photo for them. Later on, in Freeze Frame Todd finally finds Articuno and manages to get a photograph of it. He then departs from the group once more.

Ritchie


Ritchie accompanied Ash, Misty, and Brock from The Mystery is History to A Promise is a Promise while he was searching for a mysterious Pokémon that can be found in the Whirl Islands, which turned out to be a.


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Mr. Briney


Mr. Briney accompanied Ash, Brock, May, and Max as they traveled to from On a Wingull and a Prayer! until Sharpedo Attack!.


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Professor Birch


Professor Birch accompanied Ash, Brock, May, and Max as they traveled through the forests of from A Three Team Scheme! until Seeing is Believing!.


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Cheryl


Cheryl accompanied Ash, Brock, and Dawn through the Eterna Forest from Some Enchanted Sweetening! until An Angry Combeenation!.


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Barry


Barry accompanied Ash, Brock, and Dawn from Barry's Busting Out All Over! until Jumping Rocket Ship! while Ash was trying to earn the. He then traveled with them to the Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament from Stopped in the Name of Love! until To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!.


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Lyra


Lyra met Ash, Dawn, and Brock during the Johto Festival in An Egg Scramble!. She and Khoury accompanied them to Lilypad Town and left the group in Bagged then Tagged! when she returned to Johto.


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Khoury


Khoury met Ash, Dawn, and Brock during the Johto Festival when Lyra introduced them in An Egg Scramble!. He and Lyra accompanied them to Lilypad Town and left the group in Bagged then Tagged! when he returned to Johto.


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Bianca


Bianca first met Ash in Minccino Neat And Tidy where she gave him his Badge case from Professor Juniper. She later accompanies him, Iris, and Cilan for a short time on their way to Nimbasa City. However, upon hearing that Ash had three Badges, she was inspired to catch up to him and left to collect Badges on her own. Since then, Bianca has temporarily joined the group numerous times during their journey from Emolga the Irresistible! until Emolga and the New Volt Switch!, then temporarily rejoined them from Crisis at Chargestone Cave! until Evolution Exchange Excitement!.


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Luke


Luke first met Ash, Iris, and Cilan in his hometown where they helped him produce a movie. At the end of Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokémon Knight"!, he accompanies them to Nimbasa Town, where he stays with them during the Club Battle tournament, before heading back home at the end of The Club Battle Finale: A Heroes Outcome!.


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Meowth


After reportedly being "disbanded" from Team Rocket in Meowth's Scrafty Tactics!, Meowth was found unconscious by Ash's Tepig and Iris's Axew. The group nursed him back to health and invited him to accompany them so as to protect him from Trainers wanting to capture the only talking in Unova. He used his ability to speak to humans and Pokémon many times during their travels together.

He later revealed their travels to be a facade to gain their trust for a mission, and reunited with Jessie and James in Crisis from the Underground Up!.

He would later team up with Ash and his friends for real in A Conspiracy to Conquer! after losing the rest of Team Rocket to the control of the mysterious Madame X and her, though the team was initially distrusting of him until seeing Madame X in action for themselves. Ash and Meowth were eventually the only ones not by Malamar, thanks to Meowth using  on both their faces. After the Malamar was revealed to be the true mastermind and was soon after defeated, Meowth returned to the newly freed Team Rocket.

Stephan


Stephan decided to travel with Ash and co. in Climbing the Tower of Success! after taking part in a competition with them. He left the group after winning the Clubsplosion tournament in Commanding the Clubsplosion Crown!.


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Meloetta


Meloetta decided to travel with Ash and his friends from Piplup, Pansage, and a Meeting of the Times! until Unova's Survival Crisis!.

Cameron


After Dawn left the group after the Junior Tournament, Cameron decided to join Ash, Iris, and Cilan. He left the group after he won his eighth and final Badge against Marlon from Goodbye, Junior Cup - Hello Adventure! until The Road to Humilau!.


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N


After meeting with Ash and the others again in Saving Braviary!, he agreed to travel with them to Driftveil City. After an encounter with Team Plasma, N was forced to leave the group in Secrets From Out of the Fog!.

Alexa


Alexa, a journalist from Kalos, met Ash and friends in The Journalist from Another Region! on Harvest Island. She traveled with the group through the Decolore Islands, and joined Ash on his journey to Kalos, but officially split with Ash in Kalos: Where Dreams and Adventures Begin! because her sister Viola was away from Santalune Gym.


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Korrina


Korrina, the Shalour City Gym Leader, met Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie in Mega Revelations! on their way to her hometown. The group accompanied her as she traveled to Geosenge Town to understand and master the Mega Evolution of her trusted partner,. She left the group at Pomace Mountain in The Bonds of Mega Evolution!.


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Sawyer


Sawyer met Ash, Serena and Bonnie in A Fashionable Battle! in the Laverre Gym, where he was asking for a Gym Battle with Valerie. He recognized Clemont as the Lumiose City Gym Leader, as he had had a Gym Battle with him in Battling with Elegance and a Big Smile!. He left the group in Rivals: Today and Tomorrow!.

In A Full-Strength Battle Surprise!, after battling Ash and winning, Sawyer decided to accompany him and his friends to Snowbelle City. In the following episode, he watched Ash battle Wulfric before leaving to train for the Lumiose Conference.


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Squishy


Squishy first met Ash and the group in From A to Z!. After saving it from Team Flare, the group took it with them with Bonnie taking care of it. Later, it left the group in Forming a More Perfect Union! and disappeared along with Z2.

Professor Kukui


Professor Kukui is the teacher of Ash's class in Pokémon School, and his caretaker while he stays in the Alola region. As the class's teacher, Kukui often travels with Ash and his classmates when they go to other islands.

Unbeknownst to Ash and his friends, Professor Kukui is also The Masked Royal, the famous masked Trainer who fights in Battle Royals in the Battle Royal Dome with his partner.


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Olivia


Olivia is the Island Kahuna of Akala Island. She traveled with Ash, his classmates, and Professor Kukui during their first group trip to the island. In Currying Favor and Flavor!, she watched over Ash's trial in the Lush Forest. In the following episode, Ash battled Olivia in a grand trial Double Battle and won.


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Nebby


Nebby was a that was briefly entrusted to Ash from A Dream Encounter! to 10,000,000 Reasons to Fight! by,  and the Guardian deities. It was targeted by Faba due to its ability to open Ultra Wormholes. In Faba's Revenge!, it evolved into, and then in Revealing the Stuff of Legend!, with the help of the Guardian deities, it evolved once more into. After Ash and his friends' adventures in the Ultra Deep Sea it disappeared in 10,000,000 Reasons to Fight!, making a short reappearance in The Professors' New Adventure!.

Nebby would later appear in Filling the Light with Darkness!, being pursued by. In Full Moon and Many Arms!, Nebby temporarily reunited with the Ultra Guardians, but after freeing from Necrozma's absorption, Nebby was absorbed instead. It was freed during the final confrontation in Securing the Future!, where it combined its power with Ash,, and Lunala to give enough Ultra Aura to Necrozma to return it to its Ultra form. After Ash and said goodbye to, Nebby and Lunala traveled back to Alola with the Ultra Guardians.

Gladion


Gladion is 's older brother, and Ash's rival in the. In Revealing the Stuff of Legend!, Gladion and Lillie reunited with Ash and the rest of Lillie's friends, and joined forces to rescue Lusamine, who had been abducted by a.

In Filling the Light with Darkness!, it was revealed that Gladion had joined the Ultra Guardians as its seventh member. Together with Ash and his classmates, they traveled to 's home world in Ultra Space, and were able to restore light to.


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Acerola


In Tough Guy Trials!, Ash and his Pokémon arrived alone on Ula'ula Island to challenge its grand trial. There, he met Acerola and the Island Kahuna, Nanu. After being defeated by Nanu, Acerola joined Ash to help him train for his upcoming rematch, following Ash's defeat at Nanu's hands in the grand trial. Once Ash eventually won the rematch, she said goodbye to him and promised to visit Melemele Island sometime.
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Dia


In SM100, Ash and Pikachu were sent to an alternate dimension Hau'oli City that had been devastated by a. A Trainer named and the  he befriended saved Ash and Pikachu from being devoured by the Ultra Beast. With the help of their Pokémon and the Z-Power granted by the alternate Melemele Island's Tapu Koko, Ash and Dia were able to send Guzzlord back to the world it came from.
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Trivia

 * Every starter Pokémon has been owned by either Ash or one of his friends.
 * Alexa is the only human companion, main or temporary, to accompany Ash through the end of one series to the start of the next.
 * In the, Ash had the most temporary companions.
 * is the only one of Ash's friends that Ash has met prior to the beginning of the series.
 * is the first of Ash's friends that has left the group in the middle of a journey.
 * Ash's Alolan classmates are the first main characters who do not appear in every episode of their series following their debut.