Top 10 Best Pokemon Shippings

When it comes to Pokémon, the battles and adventures may take the spotlight, but the relationships between the characters have their own special charm. Shipping - the idea of pairing characters together romantically - is one of the most fun and creative ways the Pokémon community shows its love for the series. Whether you're cheering for two long-time companions or dreaming up what-if pairings, there's a ship for just about everyone.

On this list, you'll find some of the most popular Pokémon ships that fans have debated, drawn fanart of, and written stories about for years. From classic duos that grew up together to rivals with fiery chemistry, the Pokémon world has plenty of dynamics that make fans imagine what if?
The Top Ten
May and Drew

Yay, this is #1! I just want to say, I don't think this is necessarily a love/hate ship, at least not anymore. Yes, Drew used to be mean to her, but it was because he wanted her attention and only argued with her one time. Then they seemed to talk it out (off-screen) and maturely settled their fight. May is the one yelling at him, while he's unbothered by it and doesn't argue back. After his first episode, Drew wasn't necessarily being mean to her and was obviously teasing her. Then after Who, What, When, Where, Wynaut, they were friendly with each other, excluding some episodes like the mentioned fight episode.

Ash and May have snapped/yelled at each other for stupid things (because Ash had no boat to get to his gym battle, May snapping at Ash and Drew during a contest because I guess she was in the mood, etc.) and fought in The Bicker the Better, but no one describes them as love/hate.

In the end, I like it because of the cute hints, how supportive they are, the lengths they go for each other, and their development.

Ash and Serena

Nowadays, we see people sharing their opinions here, especially proclaiming that Ash and Serena are meant to be together. I personally think this is true. It's rather special, don't you think, that after such a long time since meeting in childhood, Serena still remembered Ash and had feelings for him?

Don't comment badly on this. It's true because after that incident, Serena never saw Ash again or knew his name until she was a teenager and saw him in the middle of a Pokemon battle.

I kinda liked the idea of the downright, sharp-tongued Iris being with the solid, hard-working Ash because it's rather funny. However, honestly, I think Ash and Serena are better together. Ash only argued with her once, and Serena is always kind and helpful to him. Iris is really funny with Ash, in my opinion, but she's too hard on him and argues with him often.

Dawn? Oh, she's completely marvelous and is like Ash's female clone. However, she's a bit hardheaded and rather girly, very much like Serena. Although Ash and Dawn are close, they argued at least two or three times.

Anyways, May is rather girly too and fights with Ash constantly. Misty's just like that despite her crush on Ash.

But now, here's a fair-haired girl who decides she loves Ash and desperately wants his attention. Really, you can't blame her. Misty liked Ash, but she was cruel and mean to him. Serena liked Ash, but she was kind, helpful, and loyal. Even after their first and probably last argument, she never was hard-hearted or scornful of him, even if he lost.

OK, all I can say is Ash and Serena should be a couple!

Ash and Dawn

Ash and Dawn are just made for each other. Their friendship is so real. Dawn had her own goals in life, rather than just traveling with Ash. Ash has learned so much with Dawn. Those two are just the perfect couple. Dawn is the only female character in the Pokemon series who has a central character just like Ash. This clearly shows how important Dawn was for Ash. Also, he has saved Dawn so many times that one cannot even count.

Their chemistry is the thing which I loved the most about the Diamond and Pearl season. Also, we can see that whenever Dawn has an option to choose between Ash and any other boy, she has always chosen Ash. She is just like Ash and shares an informal relationship with her. Dawn's Piplup's reference shows how important Dawn is for him. And since they are just like each other, they understand each other the most.

Even Cynthia, the Sinnoh champ, knows how important they are for each other. I just want this ship to be fixed permanently in the anime, and other characters can be brought and removed as per the maker's choice.

Ash and Misty

This ship was by far the most mutual. Yes, it was partly due to 4Kids, but still.

Yes, Misty would rag on or hit Ash, but a lot of those times Ash had it coming by having a case of "foot-in-mouth" syndrome, and Misty went on the defensive. At the same time, she did it to Brock when he supported Ash while fawning over Jeanette. Ash and Misty got along great when they weren't pushing each other's buttons. I've seen people say Misty and Iris were very similar, but Misty did not relish bashing Ash unless he deserved it. Iris, on the other hand, did it just for kicks.

The two also had the most noticeable reactions when the other was flirted with. Misty would get jealous when girls flirted with Ash, and Ash would react similarly when guys flirted with Misty. That's a detail not seen as much with other female characters.

Whenever something happened to one of them, the other expressed a lot of concern, sometimes not even mentioning another character in the same peril.

Even in the Sun and Moon anime, they still had the same chemistry they did back then. Even when they weren't together directly, Ash got all giddy when he saw Lana had received one of Misty's special fishing lures.

Misty and Tracey

I used to be a Pokeshipper, but lately, I just love the potential and the interactions of this couple so much! Chronicles made me fall in love with them!

Whereas one might prefer the type of romance where two people bicker a lot to hide their reciprocal fondness (which is totally acceptable, and I'm not judging it), I just love more the connection Misty and Tracey have. They are perfectly in tune with each other, on the same wavelength, and I admire that. If I could choose a romance for myself, I would want something like that.

You can feel that they respect each other a lot and enjoy spending time together, especially from Chronicles onwards.

He's there for her. They can count on each other. I like the idea that they were only friends during the first arcs, but then revalued each other once they got to know each other better. I like the idea that maybe Misty underwent a bit of a crisis after leaving Ash's side, but Tracey, without even realizing it, was there as a pillar for her. I like that Tracey has a chance to shine by her side, and that Misty has a chance to be happy.

I like the assumptions that everyone makes about them in Chronicles (the narrator too, haha), and I like that her sisters are supportive of them. Just... They are cute! They give off a sense of domesticity! I think they would work really well together. They have such a good influence on each other.

Ash and May

Well, Contestshipping is always better than this, and there's nothing to go on as they're interested in each other. However, there are some things I like about this ship. I don't know if I like this or Pearlshipping most out of the main girls x Ash ships.

1. It seems heavily implied that Ash is mostly responsible for her acceptance/interest in Pokemon. What I'm saying is that when she saw Ash respond to Pikachu at the end of episode one, not only did she not care about Pikachu frying her bike at that time, but she also saw how cool they were together.

2. They have the opposite, but similar, thing going on. Not only is May into Contests rather than a badge quest, but she is also styling, mature, and caring. We all know Ash was, during Kanto-Hoenn, immature, mostly thinking about himself, lets his mom decide what he wears, and couldn't care less about his messy hair. Both are adventurous, child-like, and love to eat.

3. They had some pretty strong moments together, like the Ranger movie and splitting the half-ribbon.

So Advanceshipping is pretty awesome (though Contest and Pallet for the win).

Jessie and James

I don't get why they're not more popular. They're the ones with the most chemistry and they really care about each other. Rocketshipping is so painfully underrated. But I think I know why, and that's because the new audience of each generation is mainly children, and they are less likely to understand grown-up characters.

I've shipped these two since the beginning, and my friends didn't get it back then. When they got older, they understood what I meant.

I really love this ship, and it's the third most famous ship in Pokemon. I've shipped them since I watched the show. I'm not that much a fan of romance in movies, but I really love to ship them. There are many romantic scenes between them, and James has called her darling, sweetheart, and things like that in some random moments. I just love it!

Goh and Chloe

I'm so glad this is already at number eight. It reminds me so much of Amour. Chloe also blushes and cares for Goh a lot. They are already super cute.

I like this ship. It has good chemistry, and I feel like they both have a nice thing going.

Bonnie and Max

Well, I saw a picture where Bonnie kissed Max, and good, they're the youngest couple I've seen yet. Yep! I like this. They are so cute together!

Yes! I know they never met before, but fourth-wheel shipping for the win! They better travel together at the end of the anime, or there will be death.

Even though they've never met, they would make a good couple.

Brendan and May

Please make this higher! It's much better than Amourshipping as it'd be more likely two-sided than Amourshipping will ever be, and it's not creepy at all, unlike how Serena is with Ash sometimes. Also, it's better than Pokeshipping as they don't see the need to nag and argue with each other every time they talk, like Ash and Misty.

But Brendan grew to respect May, and May got a true friend with Brendan. Way cuter than Amourshipping.

I don't play the games or watch the anime, but even I know these two have something good going on, just by looking at fan art and fan fictions. I even went through the trouble of looking at different polls and voting for them in every one.

The Newcomers

? Damian and Misty

Misty has the audacity to bash Damian about how he treated Charmander, when he treated Charmander better than Psyduck. Sure, he didn't care about Charmander dying and is thus a jerk, but Misty was a LOT worse with Psyduck.

It looks like Damian might have tried to release Charmander, but even when he did, Charmander still followed him around and refused to accept being released. Also, Charmander should have survival instincts, like not sitting out in the rain and risking death by letting its tail go out.

Misty, instead of trying to release Psyduck, yelled at it, hit it, insulted it, forced it to dress up uncomfortably, and then abused its headache powers to win her battles! She deserved to be yelled at more than Damian. He's a sweet kid compared to Misty.

? Muk and Misty
The Contenders
Brock and Lucy

It's such a great couple unless Olivia came in Sun and Moon. It's my favorite shipping in the case of Brock.

Calem and Shauna

I like the ship. It's a good relationship, and during the fireworks display after catching Furfru, Shauna points out he is the first guy she has seen fireworks with. Calem seems protective of Shauna, like in the legendary arc of each game where he is the rival. He tries to convince her to leave in order to keep her safe. Good ship.

In the games, this had so many more hints than Boutiqueshipping (Shauna x Serena). Firstly, in Santalune Forest, Shauna follows you around, asking to heal your Pokémon. Then, in the maze, she asks you where she should stand. No matter how many times you mess up (when playing a male character), she doesn't get mad at you. And at Parfum Palace, she says she will remember this moment forever.

Also, the music played in that scene is called Together with Shauna when playing as male. And I'm pretty sure the SM mom is Shauna.

Elio/Sun and Lillie

Probably one of my favorites. Such an underrated ship needs more attention in the fanbase.

Clemont and Korrina

I like this! Citron and Corni are both gym leaders, have relatives shown in the anime, and have blonde hair.

They are both gym leaders, and it's better than shipping with Ash.

That one episode where Korrina tells Clemont about her past made me really like this pair.

Pikachu and Buneary

But how do you know Pikachu is a boy and Buneary is a girl? Maybe they're both boys or both girls. Maybe Buneary is lesbian, bisexual, or gay. We may never know.

Ash and Angie

Ash basically said he'd die for her! They bettered each other.

Oh, I love this ship! I can't believe how low it is!

Ash literally almost died saving her.

Black and White

Seriously, the hints, the interactions, the blushing, the reunion? A "platonic boss-employee relationship" my ass. Seriously, they are already canon, they just aren't aware of it.

Dawn and Paul

This is literally so cute! I know a lot of people say they shouldn't be together since they are so different, but opposites attract, right? I don't know, I just think it would be interesting to see someone with a peppy attitude paired with someone who seems really cold.

I love Ikari! Dawn and Paul do seem to care about each other, and Paul changes due to her. I like this and Pearl, but this is obviously better!

Ikarishipping is my favorite shipping. I loved their interactions in the episode Familiarity Breeds Strategy. It's the best ship ever.

Cilan and Iris

Hey, I'm a WishfulShipper, but Ash and Iris look good together. However, Cilan and Iris are better off together.

This is good. It's nice and sweet. They protect each other from their own fears.

I have always seen Cilan as a brotherly figure to Iris and ship them as a BROTP, but I'm kind of okay with this ship.

Dawn and Zoey

If Pokemon had the same representation the newest Nick/Cartoon Network shows have, they would certainly be canon. They have the chemistry and the aesthetics. I love them.

It's really cute actually. I didn't watch DP, but I looked at the Bulbapedia article, and it looked cute.

Awesome girls got along really well and balanced each other out really well.

Ash and Iris

What? WHY is this on the 42nd spot? Oh well, no matter what people think, Negaishipping is my favorite ship from the animated series. Why? Because Iris and Ash complement each other in a unique way I haven't seen in the series before. They both adore Pokemon, set their friends before anything else, love playing around, are adventurous, and love stuffing their faces with food.

Yeah, I know Serena has a crush on Ash, but that's pretty much it. Iris doesn't put Ash on such a high pedestal and she points out his flaws so he can improve. Ash isn't perfect, and Iris knows this. They both have a long way to go as trainers, but if you gave them time to mature and grow, they could achieve greatness.

Cheren and Bianca

Seriously, Dualrivalshipping is the cutest ever. Just cute, cute, cute.

They are just so cute together and could balance each other out well.

Brock and Misty
Victor and Gloria
Ruby and Sapphire

My OTP! This ship is the best one ever created! They knew each other since they were young and had a crush on each other ever since. Yes, Serena knew Ash when he was young, but Ruby saved Sapphire's life! He even has a scar on his face to show for it!

This is the best ship ever (spoiler alert)! Not only are they a good pair, but they also confessed their love for each other and continue to show signs of feeling for each other.

This is 100 percent canon in the manga.

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