Over the course of more than 20 seasons, over 8 generations of Pokémon, Ash’s adventures took him across the Pokémon world. Every time he reaches a new region, he almost immediately has people who want to follow him on his journey, whether with their own motives and goals or just to support Ash.
As Ash bonds with his fellow travelers in each generation, the team dynamics still vary as each has their own quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. That means that some generations are stronger than others.
8th Generation V: Cilan & Iris just couldn’t fill the void Brock & Dawn left
Gen V is the first full series without Brock as one of Ash’s travel companions and suffers from it. Cilan fulfills the role that Brock had over 4 generations and 4 travel regions, and although Cilan was a good companion, Brock’s absence was still fresh and palpable.
Iris is a champion in black and white games and eventually anime, but her attitude sometimes makes her seem more immature than Ash, despite trying to be that way. As a trio, they still work well together, but can’t keep up with teams from other generations.
7th Generation VIII: Ash & Goh need the frequent third member
Ash’s travel companion for Pokémon Journeys is Goh, a Pokémon fanboy who dreams of catching every Pokémon, including Mew. While he and Ash get on really well and have great team chemistry, their team may need a different person since a group of three or four was always the best dynamic.
Chloe joins them on occasion, but it’s not nearly the same as the other generations. However, the fact that they both have different goals – Goh’s catching dream and Ash, who wants to become the best and defeat Leon – means that their goals don’t get in each other’s way and they can ultimately both achieve on the same journey.
6th Generation VII: The Pokémon school group allows different combinations and new dynamics
Ash makes even more friends than before during the Sun & Moon adventures in Alola. He attends the Pokémon School with 5 other students and they, along with Professor Kukui, accompany him on most of his adventures. They all have their own personalities, quirks, strengths, and weaknesses, and while there are so many of them, they all have time to shine.
There are frequent episodes in which smaller groups are formed and gain more individual focus, allowing for different and constantly changing group dynamics per episode. Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, Lillie and Sophocles Anyone who makes it to the Knockout Round of the Manalo Conference towards the end of Sun & Moon feels like such a satisfying conclusion as they have all been given enough character and substance to deserve to be looked after .
5 Generation III: May & Max have given Ash’s team a new look
The team of Ash, Brock, May and their younger brother Max is a strong team in terms of friendships and team dynamics that will outlast the entire Hoenn region and the entire battle frontier arc. As the children of the Petalburg Gym director Norman, May and Max are proud of their father, although May initially wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a strong trainer.
May’s ultimate insight is that she’s better suited to becoming a Pokémon Coordinator as a trainer, which certainly gives the series a new dynamic, meaning that the only focus isn’t always on Ash and his quest to become a Pokémon master .
4th Generation I: Misty, Brock & Tracey helped Ash start his journey
Brock and Misty are synonymous with Pokémon, Ash and his traveling companions. In the first few seasons they toured Kanto and their friendships grew from nonexistent to really strong as the three of them learn a lot along the way.
The arch of the Orange Islands looks Brock goes to help Professor Ivywho have favourited Tracey Sketchit to join Ash and Misty in their exploration of the Orange Islands. Tracey isn’t exactly a bad character, but he doesn’t really add anything essential, and after the strong momentum Ash, Misty and Brock built over the course of the Kanto adventures on the mainland, he had really big boots to fill.
3 Generation VI: Serena, Clemont & Bonnie contributed to the best balanced group dynamic
Even though he didn’t win the Kalos Pokémon League, X & Y is arguably one of the best generations of Ash in terms of his team, Synergy with said team, strategies and travel companions. Serena’s devotion to Ash is clear, but she doesn’t fully define who she is, which allows her to support him when needed, but also to have her own interests.
Clemont’s zest for action and his desire to get better as a gym director also make him a valuable companion, and Bonnie is just adorable. All of the team dynamic feels seamless and not at all forced, which allows one to focus more on Ash’s struggles and progress, rather than distracting her from it.
2 Generation II: The original trio was back
Johto sees the continuation of the dream team: Ash, Brock and Misty. Her momentum continues to grow while remaining familiar, with Misty nagging and arguing with Ash and Brock being constantly distracted by girls. However, since Johto is new to all three, the Pokémon series continues to feel like a journey of discovery where the wonder of new encounters and positive experiences outweigh all negatives.
1 Generation IV: Ash, Brock & Dawn had the best team synergy
Gen VI aside, all of the best generations of the Pokémon anime had Brock as one of Ash’s traveling companions, which speaks volumes about how valuable he is to Ash and Pokémon as a whole. The addition of Dawn to this winning formula makes a great team as she Journey through Sinnoh.
Dawn really bonds with Ash, which is reflected in the fact that they don’t fight constantly, unlike May and Misty. She continues her own positive character arc that fits perfectly with Ash’s goals and ambitions.
About the author
Tom Stahl
(48 published articles)
Tom Steel is a writer and contributor to CBR on all topics related to anime. He is primarily interested in Pokemon, but also in television, film, games, and sports. As a graduate of German studies, Tom almost embarked on the path of journalism and is now looking forward to pursuing it in a different role.
