Top Ten Pokemon Characters from the Anime

Top Ten Pokémon Characters! I know I missed a lot so please add your favorites that I missed! Also I only did characters not pokemon so if you want to see the top ten pokemon from the anime, go check out my list!
The Top Ten
1 Misty Misty, known as Kasumi in Japan, is a character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri. She’s the gym leader in Cerulean city & specializes in water Pokemon. In the games, she’s known as ‘the tomboy mermaid.’

In the anime, she’s ash’s first traveling companion. She had three older sisters who did nothing but belittle her, and sick of it & wanting... read more

Not exactly my favorite character, but I really enjoy her realistic personality, which most characters don't have in the series. I didn't like how she abused Ash in the first season, but she became a lot nicer as the series progressed (and Ash wasn't very nice to her either), and I would consider that character development. She also is a tomboy with a girly side too. She had flaws and some moments when I can't really stand her, which is understandable, because it makes us easy to relate with her. Overall I have mixed feelings about her, but she probably has the best development along with Serena.

I love Misty. She may act like a tomboy, but she really cares deeply for her friends and Pokemon. Her personality sets her away from her older sisters who tease her almost all the time. Her relationship with Ash and Brock is what makes the first five seasons of the Pokemon series worth watching. She may also be short tempered, but she tries to save Brock and Ash from trouble or concequences. She may not also not know how to cook, but she surely knows how to defend her friends and her pokemon from villains. Moreover, the relationship Ash and her have is cute, especially when Ash would turn green in envy when someone would flirt with Misty. Or when Misty would be super jealous when a girl flirted with Ash. To be honest, you don't see Ash jealous when Tierno would flirt with the "new and improved" Serena? Because of Ash and Pikachu who destroyed Misty's bike, Misty followed them on their journey to charge Ash for her bike. During their journey, she noticed how kind Ash was to Pokemon and secretly developed a crush on him, and by the looks of things, Ash developed one too on her. Even Brock, Tracey, and other people thought of them as a couple. Ash even kept the handkerchief and the lure (that looked like a mini version of Misty) that she gave him. Anyways, she is a great water-type trainer and loves to battle. She is a fictional Pokemon character that has a personality that no other Pokemon girl can replace her. I miss her a lot. Pokemon is not the same without her or Brock.

2 Ash Ketchum Ash Ketchum, known as Satoshi in Japan, is a fictional main character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. Ash is training to be a Pokemon Master, with his buddy Pikachu. Ash tries to stop the evil Team Rocket from stealing his Pikachu.

I'm tired of this kid too, but I feel like some of the hate has gone too far. Worst trainer? Yeah, someone who could earn 48 badges and make it to the top 16 in every league is the worst. Doesn't catch a lot of Pokemon? What's the point of catching them all if you're not even gonna use them all? Releasing his Pokemon? At least he does it for good reasons, instead of you guys who do it for extra ivs. Doesn't disband Team Rocket? Other villainous teams were disbanded by him. Gary Stu? He worked for his achievements, and the movies are technically not canon.

I agree that it's been 20 years and not much good has come out of him, but come on. Some of the hate does not make sense.

Goodbye Ash. Honestly, he deserved to leave sooner than he did. His development has became stagnant concerning his character and didn't really have a stable personality, just one needed to fit the mood of the current series. DP he became so bland, & BW they had a terrible hard reset on his character. It was really was a sad state, seeing Ash the dead horse constantly getting beaten by writers. Hope new characters do well & wont be "Ash 2.0" & some things get closure for Ash in the 11 episode series

3 Brock Brock is a character from Pokemon and is created by game freak & Nintendo. He was the first gym leader in pewter city, and specializes in rock Pokemon .

In the anime, he travels with Ash after he defeats him . His parents left Brock to take care of nine children by himself while he ran the gym till his dad returned . So he knew how to cook, treat wounds/sicknesses, and took care of Misty's... read more

This was tough for me, I had to choose between Dawn, Misty, Serena, and Brock, because I believe that these characters have had the strongest influence on Ash throughout his journeys. But ultimately I chose Brock. First off, Dawn is my favorite female character in the entire anime series thus far, because of the way she grew with Ash and the unbreakable bonds between her pokemon and Ash's. Same goes for Misty. Serena helped Ash through a lot of his downtimes and learned to stay strong like Ash, but ultimately was a lag-behind kind of character who simply admires but does not really influence. He has helped Ash through hell and is probably THE SOLE REASON why Ash has changed from a s-of-a-b kid into a mature trainer. Out of all the characters, he has stayed with Ash the longest. He acts like a father to Ash and is a great caretaker for the entire Pokemon family, an expert cook, breeder, and pokemon trainer in general. Ash has matured because of Brock, a true role model except when he goes bonkers with nurse joy. He's one hell of a character. Wish I can see him back one day.

4 Dawn Dawn is a character from Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. In the games diamond, pearl, and platinum version she was one of the playable characters you can choose from. She will be an assistant for professor Rowan if you choose her male counterpart, Lucas.

Dawn has also appeared in the anime as the first and only co-star like character in seasons 10-13 . Dawn also appeared for a... read more

I don't see why people think Dawn is so annoying. For me, I saw her as a brave, determined, playful, sweet, ditzy, girly, fun-loving, character. And not only is she lovable, but she's a role model with the reason being because she's relatable. She got cocky and lost appeal rounds in two contests. And this made her question her ability to achieve her dream. But afterwards, Dawn beat May in the Wallace Cup, and had won a major amount of maturity because of it. This was a very important lesson that we all need to learn and for me, it was portrayed very well with her. And besides, Misty was rude, Iris was annoying, and Serena I can't begin to describe. And May was great, but Dawn is the winner!

I found Dawn to be the most compelling character in the entire anime. Her relationship with Ash is different than those with every other female companions. They inspire each other with their ideas and each one is able to take those and make it their own, e.g. the Counter Shield. May and Misty simply learned from Ash and though Serena does provide some inspiration for Ash and he to her, it's not to the same extent as Dawn. I just honestly don't see that great of a relationship/friendship between Ash and Iris. I think that Dawn's relationship with Piplup is adorable.

I enjoy that Dawn cares about her appearance and is fashionable because it only further contributes to her dream of being a top coordinator, especially due to the fact that they introduced the idea of dressing up for contests in this generation.

One of my favorite thing's about Dawn's character arc is that it is relatable. She is over-confident initially in her contest appearances. However, that changes really quickly and she loses in the first round two contests in a row. She demonstrated real emotion there and a real struggle and I think that's relatable to. Overall, I think her character arc is the most interesting and I like her relationships with her pokemon as well as her other companions and rivals.

5 May May is a female companion to Ash in the generation 3 anime. She was also the female character in Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire. May (anime) debuted in the 275th episode, "Get the Show on the Road!" She was going to be a trainer, but wasn't excited about it. After meeting a contest coordinator, she decided to do contests instead of gym battles. She has a younger brother named... read more

I think her outfit rocks, I love the bandanna style and I have a special attachment to her design because my first game was Emerald and May's the girl main character in Emerald. I like the fact that the writers didn't put in a lot of hints at May being together with Ash because I detest Ash and every Pokegirl, even Serena, deserves better. She also has a nice personality, with mood swings so extreme it's hilarious, like one moment she's nice and gentle and the next she's seething in anger (at Max most of the time) so she's not too abrasive (like Misty) but not too girly and gentle (like Serena). Also I ship May and Drew, they're so cute together!

May is awesome! She was so unexpected at first disliking Pokemon than later loving them! And her development is so subtle yet makes sense. She used to hate Pokemon, be inpatient, & complain for a break. But then later on she got used to things & would be patient, never complain for break, & obviously love Pokemon! And she is a perfect blend of tomboy & girly! Like she likes shopping & usually not an action girl & makes sure max & ash behave, yet she likes traveling, scary houses intrigue her, and look at how she dresses & how she rode her bike in the beginning! She's awesome!

6 Serena Serena has proven to be a kind and polite girl but she can also be openly rebellious towards her mother, Grace. In Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!, she refused to wake up when Grace ordered her to, and gave a sassy response to her mother's call to watch the news. This tumultuous relationship was best demonstrated when Grace made her practice Rhyhorn riding, an activity Serena had hated doing... read more

If Serena didn't blush and crush over Ash, she would be more hated then Iris and that's saying a lot.

Personally the writers seemed to try and re-write the girly girl Dawn was, and created Serena. Only problem was, Dawn was girly without being stereotypical like Serena. Dawn had actually had a full team a Pokemon, meanwhile Serena is over here with her starter, an eevee because of the new eeveelution and only caught 1 Pokemon in 40 episodes! Serena also is only interested in Ash, Cooking sweets, and how she looks!

If she didn't have a crush on Ash most people would glaze over her and not pay attention! I personally think she's a failed clone of Dawn. Also, most of her fans are perverted 20 year olds or people born in the B/W Generation. If you remover her crush on Ash, she has nothing but stereotypical traits.

Misty and Ash share nothing in common, one's a gym leader, the other one is a travelling trainer. They have no similarities, with one of them being very crude and commanding, Ash being caring and determined. Misty is very rude to Ash, and while she might be a friend, I don't think Ash is going to be in a long-term relationship with Misty. Serena on the other hand is much more likely to end up with Ash. Her dream is to become Kalos Queen, but almost all her morals and values originate from Ash's ideals. We find out that one of her dreams is to be in a relationship with Ash, and to travel with him around the regions. She's never been annoyed by Ash (except for his behaviour after his loss to the Snowbelle City gym) and has a serious crush on him.

7 James

A great character with a sad background story. I can understand why he ran away as a child. He loves to be free and he loves to be with his friends and his Pokemon. I don't think Team Rocket is the right place for him though. He is such a caring person and that is something, that doesn't really fit to a Team Rocket member. I always thought of him, Jessie and Meowth having their own little team. And I always enjoyed the episodes where Ash and Team Rocket worked together.
Best frenemies forever.

I love James! His personality is the best, he is the softy of the Team Rocket trio and that is so cute. And his bottle cap collection. But he has had a ruff past and you kinda have to feel sorry for him. Even though he's part of the evil team.. He isn't really evil. James cares for all his Pokemon and friends very much. He's a very sweet young man.
James is also the Mighty Flaming Moltres!

James is the true Pokemon Master. He gets beat up by everyone, even his own Pokemon, and he still stays all adorable and optimistic. Whenever he gets a Pokemon for his team in the show, he asks them politely. Ash isn't even that nice to his Pokemon at all, excluding Pikachu. Not to mention...
James is the Mighty Moltres.

8 Clemont Clemont originates in Pokemon XY, created by Nintendo & game freak. is a gym leader of the lumoise city. He specialized in electric Pokemon and is known as a genius.

In the anime, he traveled along with ash in seasons 17-19. He was able to do so by building a robotic version of himself, called clembot. He went on his journey with ash to become more courageous. Mostly what he did was make inventions... read more

Sure, he's a bit annoying, but at least he's not Ash. Ash, who's as dense as a bag of hammers, always wants to kill him... all to be a Pokemon master! That's what I think about Ash, anyway. He's a dork.
Clemont, however, is different in every way. He's an avid inventor who dreams of working for the Science Department of Kalos, and is really friendly. He treats Bonnie like a father, and Serena like a husband. So we can forgive him for not trying to win Gym Badges too much.

Cool guy that never gives up on inventing even if most of his inventions blow up in his face he still puts his heart into everything he does! Gotta love Clemont!

Clemont is sssooo FABULOUS! I mean look at this guy, every time he has an idea his glasses do a little fab flash thing. Next to Cilan he's the most fabulous and sassy character.

9 Jessie

She needs to be higher on this list, honestly, just LOOK at the episode with her and Blissy, I used to dislike her, but with that and the episode where she (and James) spent the last of their money (and bottle caps... Does that even count? ) to make it seem like Meowth used Payday to get him out of trouble really made me appreciate both of them. I absolutely love the trio, and I personally think that
1: They should be all in one on this list, I find it really strange that so many people like James better.
And
2: They are really some of the best characters, here are a few episodes I love, they show the best (and.. er... the WORST...) of Team Rocket:
129
48
155
134

She is awesome, Jessie definitely diseves to be higher than pikchu! Jessie actually has personally! Pikachu can't even talk! Jessie is so cool and is the leader of the team rocket trio and team rocket (Jessie James and meowth) are my favourite characters in the anime! Jessie Is so awesome and she can be serious and also funny unlike pikachu! Pikachu is the real criminal, he always hurts team rocket and blast them of every single time!

10 Max

Max: Hey Ash, who's that girl over there?
Ash: Oh, that's Clemont's sister, Bonnie. *smirks* You interested?
Max: Woah Ash! You're not dense anymore. But to answer your question...*blushes* maybe...

Come on! This needs to happen in XY&Z!

He may have been 7, and had a kinda know-it-all attitude at first, but he is another person who matured throughout the series and probably will become a Pokémon trainer soon!

Max may be a know-it-all, and annoying, but damn it, he's so funny and extremely adorable... Plus he matured...

The Contenders
11 Pikachu Pikachu (Japanese: ピカチュウ) are a species of Pokémon, fictional creatures that appear in an assortment of video games, animated television shows and movies, trading card games, and comic books licensed by The Pokémon Company, a Japanese corporation. A mascot of the Pokemon franchise, it's considered to be the most iconic character of all Pokemon species, as well as a major character in Japanese... read more

Sometimes I doubt Ash's Pikachu is a Ditto with his constant mimicking of other Pokemons. He would be a true badass if only he got a better trainer than Ash. He is the only Pikachu in the whole Anime whom I find cute.

Ok so Pikachu is the Trademark Pokemon. It doesn't mean that it's the best character. Sure, Pikachu is cool, but anyone out there a Lucario fan like me?

Pikachu makes the show! More than any of the people, we watch it for the pokemon!

12 Iris Iris is from the Pokemon bwhite version & Pokemon black 2 & white. She ether was the gym leader in Opelucid city in white version. She first appeared to aid Bianca, Burgh, and the playable character when Bianca's Munna was stolen, & acted as a bodyguard. In Black 2 & White 2, she was the champion. Iris specializes in dragon types... read more

I think iris is a wonderful character. A breath of fresh air after 2 regions with contests. Yes she is annoying at times with her "What a kid" catchphrase but blame the writers. It's not Iris' fault that the writers completely restarted the season. They do that almost every region.

Iris is really sweet, adventurous, and has a lot of similarities to Ash which is why they're friends. She playfully teases him but cheers and cares about him just as much!

I'd say she's one of the most unique main characters. Too bad people are too hung up on a _single_ catchphrase and act like she killed Ash or something. Finally we have a main character who is a competent battler and not afraid to get mud on her hands. Maybe I'll sound weird for some people for saying this, but despite BW's flaws, I enjoyed Iris' character and I didn't get bored watching her like I did with other characters

Iris needs to be number 1. She becomes the Unova Champion and she a strong/independent female character like Misty. The only thing that is annoying is when she calls Ash "a little kid", but Ash IS a little kid and he does do a lot of stupid things. So yeah, Iris is amazing and so pretty too in my opinion.

13 Cilan Cilan is one of the three Gym Leaders of Striaton City's Gym, known officially as the Striaton Gym, in Pokemon Black and White. In the anime, he is classified as an A-class Pokemon Connoisseur and traveled with Ash Ketchum in the Unova region. He first debuted in Triple Leaders, Team Threats!.

I like Cilan and I thought he and Iris were a breath of fresh air. I remembers hearing bad things about Best Wishes and hearing so much about Iris and Cilan being horrible characters, but boy was I proven wrong.

He's cute and Burgundy bullies him! He stood up to ash and is a very good sport! I think he's unique and mysterious.

I love Cilan, he is pretty cool and humorous. As well as being fabulous at the same time!

14 Bonnie Bonnie is created by game freak & Nintendo. She was in Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, as Clemont's (the electric type gym leader of Lumiose City) younger sister. She gave out quizzes to trainers who came to challenge the gym, who if they get it wrong would have to challenge a trainer.

Bonnie also appeared in the Pokemon anime in seasons 17-19. She wasn't old enough to have a Pokemon, as she was younger... read more

What happened bonnie should be in top ten not in top twenty three. And even
top 5 should be ash, red,greninja,misty and brock other ash's friends should be just below.

Bonnie is so cute she should be up this list with her brother!

You're a keeper! Will you please take care of my brother?

15 Giovanni

He's a awesome villain boss!

16 Meowth Meowth, known in Japan as Nyarth, is a Normal-type Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Ken Sugimori, it was first introduced in the Pokemon Red and Blue, and is also known as the mascot of Team Rocket in the anime. At level 28, it evolves into Persian.

Meowth has three forms. Its Alolan form is a dark-type Pokemon, and can be evolved into Alolan Persian... read more

People, watch 'Go West Young Meowth'! It's really sad, Meowth is rejected time and time again and joins a stray street gang, and then you find out why Meowth actually joined Team Rocket - because he was sad and angry.

Most clever and funniest character ever. The way he thinks and talks, and various times he cheat innocent Pikachu and Ash :)) I don't understand Japanese, but I love to watch Japanese version just to listen how he speaks.

Hey! Why did all of you twoips put me down so low? Watch "Go West Young Meowth" and put me up there!

17 Gary Oak Gary oak appeared in the anime series in seasons 1-5 . He was ash's rival and childhood friend . Though they had a dispute once they fought over a rusty pokeball they wanted for luck, which broke after they fought over it . Gary was the grandson of professor oak . He had cheerleaders & his own car. There where a lot of things he did to irritate ash, such as write things addressing ash, to picking... read more

Gary is Ash's BEST rival in my opinion. Yeah, he's not as strong as Paul or Alain, but he cares about his pokemon and the one who knew Ash the longest. They're childhood friends before they became rivals. At first, they are fierce competitors, with Gary always one step ahead of Ash and Ash struggling to keep up. Its not an instant hate relationship like Ash and Paul. Nor is Gary always bragging with no reason like Trip. Nor is he always nice like Ritchie. At the end of the Orange Islands Arc, he beat Ash who won the league with the same name. In the Johto Arc, he became more polite and kind, humbled from his defeat in the Indigo League. Still, he keeps the fire igniting under Ash and keeps on making his grandpa proud. When Ash defeated him, Gary even congratulated his rival and gave him half of the pokeball and deciding to become a researcher like Professor Oak. He hae several appearances in the anime right after. Gary has one of the best character developments in the anime, from being an arrogant and cocky rival to being a friendlier and polite researcher. Heck, he's just ten when he revived an extinct pokemon! If he trains more, he'd probably beat Paul and if he managed to get a Mega Stone in his grasp, he can go on par with Alain. He has all the info about pokemon at the tip of his fingertips, which is very advantageous on his side.

18 Nurse Joy Nurse Joy is a fictional character in the Pokemon Universe who works at the Pokemon center in almost every major city who tends to the Pokemon brought in by trainers after battle.
19 Mallow

She's my fave from sun and moon along with kiawe.

20 Mewtwo Mewtwo is a psychic-type Legendary Pokémon from Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise. Designed by Ken Sugimori, it made its first appearance in the games Pokémon Red and Blue. It was created by Dr. Fuji using gene splicing in an attempt to clone Mew. In the Pokémon games, it's infamously known as the most powerful Pokémon among all species. Mewtwo is capable of evolving into two... read more

I don't get this. This Pokemon deserves every bit of attention that it can get and a lot more understanding. I know people don't swoon over it like they do over Ash, the trainers and the coordinators, but come on! Despite having a dark, cold exterior, it is wise beyond its experiences and does care deep inside. And he is the best experiment ever!

So I am simply the end result of your experiment. What becomes of me now that your experiment is over?

Why is Mewtwo so low on this list!

21 Paul

Wow. He had monster Pokemon. He had an Electivre, a Magmortar, a Drapion, and more! He actually has good trainer skills. He even had an Azumarill with Hydro Pump by the first gym! Sure, he released a Chimchar and that Azumarill, but he was chill for the win

I'm glad that the cartoonists created a character with a narcissistic personality disorder thus showing kids that the only way to defeat a bully is to prove them wrong without giving up just as ash did near the end of the series.

It's weird to see that he didn't get so many votes from his fans. He and Gary are the most overrated rivals in the fandom. He is better than Ash's rivals in the BW series (Virgil is the only BW rival that I like) in my opinion.

22 Steven

I loved Steven & I'm happy he made a comeback in the series. He was a breath of fresh air and he is a well skilled trainer. I also remember having a weird crush on him when I was a little girl because of how handsome and mature he was.

Steven is so cool. His hairstyle rocks, he rocks, and, well, he loves rocks, LIKE ME! HA!

Best Pokemon character ever! Not to mention he's a champion...

23 Duplica

She needs another episode soon! She's also very underrated!

She's evil. We all know she is secretly evil.

"To ignite all people within our nation! "

24 Chili
25 Zoey

Zoey is a good girl

She is the best.

8Load More
PSearch List