With the upcoming release of the new Nintendo Switch titles, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, fans are excited not only about the unveiling of new Pokémon designs, but also about the unveiling of new characters such as trainers, gym leaders, and most importantly, new rivals.
Rivals are a core part of the pokemon franchise, which are both a nuisance and a challenge to players in the pokemon video games, as well as for Ash in the pokemon animation series. Since the anime often loosely follows the storyline and structure of each new video game title by retaining the new region, gym leaders, and key opponents, many are curious about Ash’s next rival. Ash has already traveled through eight regions and encountered many challengers – but some stand out significantly over others for their strength, kindness, or wisdom.
10 Morrison
Morrison is a trainer from the Hoenn region who appeared all over the world Ruby and Sapphire era of the pokemon animation. Morrison is a strong trainer who has done a good job in the Hoenn League.
Unfortunately for Morrison, despite winning his matches in the first three rounds of the competition, he had no real standout qualities due to his fighting and training style, nor his Pokémon team. Although he has Pokémon that are usually considered powerful fighters, such as Swampert and Steelix, Morrison never stands out as a real threat and ends up being rather forgettable.
9 Barry
Barry is a trainer from the Sinnoh region and is a rival to Ash through the Diamond and Pearl era of the pokemon anime, and the player’s character’s rival in the Pokemon Daimond, Pearl and Platinum video games and their remakes, Brilliant diamond and shiny pearl.
Although Barry is known for having one of the toughest boss fights in the pokemon video games, lost to Ash in almost every fight against him throughout the anime, and lost terribly to Paul. Barry has a strong team, but Barry’s time on screen does very little to show this and makes some fans feel like he hasn’t quite lived up to the expectation his in-game counterpart had set.
8 Kiawe
Kiawe is a trainer of the Alola region and an extremely strong side rival and friend to Ash throughout the Sun and moon pokemon anime era. Kiawe and Ash have a friendly rivalry that always leads them to fight each other, making them both stronger.
Kiawe and Ash turned many situations into competitions and were always ready for a sparring match with their Pokémon, but they were good friends along the way. Kiawe was a strong trainer who reached the semi-finals of the Alola League, but missed a fight against Ash in the final due to a loss to Gladion.
7 trip
Trip is a confident trainer from the Unova region who plays the role of Ash’s rival all the time Pokémon: Black and White anime era. Trip is an arrogant trainer, he defeated Ash in every battle prior to the Unova League and was the winner of the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup.
Trip may have proved his strength against Ash with proof of their win-lose record, but fans couldn’t bring themselves to enjoy his character. Many viewers felt he was a bit of a copy of previous generation rival Paul, retaining the annoying personality and stubbornness without all the other key elements and character arc that make Paul so interesting.
6 Sawyer
Sawyer is a Pokémon Trainer from the Kalos region who befriends Ash and starts a friendly rivalry with him during the Pokemon: XY anime era. Sawyer was a trainer who started out relatively weak but worked extremely hard taking notes and taking lessons from other trainers, including Ash.
It was a pleasant development that the public enjoyed, and he became a talented strategist. After much hard work, Sawyer developed and improved his skills to the point where he was able to defeat Ash. Many fans were thrilled to see his hard work pay off when this happened, making Sawyer a perfect portrayal of a well-written friendly rival.
5 Ritchie
Ritchie is a friendly rival to Ash in both the original pokemon anime that takes place in the Kanto region, as well as throughout the Johto region era. Ritchie is known for nicknames all of his Pokémon, the main one being his partner Pikachu, named Sparky.
Ritchie is a Pokémon trainer that many fans wish he had more screen time, as he was a very interesting rival to Ash for their similar Pokémon. Ritchie was a strong trainer who bonded closely with his Pokémon, and he reflected many aspects of Ash’s personality and training style. Richie was also capable enough to make the top 8 in the Kanto League, proving his skill as a trainer and challenger for Ash.
4 gladion
Gladion is a trainer and competitor to Ash during his adventures in the Alola region throughout the Pokémon Sun and Moon anime era. Gladion, known for his battles with his signature Pokémon, Silvally, fared much better as a rival to Ash than many characters from previous generations.
Gladion is a talented Pokémon trainer who defeated Ash many times during their adventures. The two grew stronger over the course of the story, and their final battle in the Alola Pokémon League Finals is now considered one of the greatest Pokémon battles in the entire anime.
3 Gary Oak
Gary Oak is the first rival Ash has ever had, with their competitive relationship from the beginning of their travels in the Kanto region. He is known for using his Blastoise in battles, often opposing Ash’s Charizard to use type advantage, as Blastoise is known to be one of the strongest Water-type Pokémon.
Gary is confident, cocky and often enjoys mocking Ash and rubbing his face on his achievements. However, as the grandson of Professor Oak and an extremely skilled trainer, Gary Ash gave some of the best Pokémon battles in the entire franchise. The two even understood each other and became friends during the Johto Region era, making their rivalry one of the best-written stories in the pokemon animation.
2 alain
Alain is a powerful Pokémon Trainer from the Kalos region and a friendly rival to Ash throughout the Pokemon: XY anime era. Alain’s undeniable power was only maximized with his Charizard, which was capable of Mega Evolution, and they’re known as one of the premier trainer and partner Pokémon duos in the franchise.
Alain never lost a match to Ash during their time as rivals, even when Ash chose to use Greninja, his most powerful Pokémon. After fulfilling a promise to Ash and joining the Kalos League so they could compete again, he won the entire tournament and became the Kalos League Champion – just proving how strong he was.
1 Paul
Paul is a trainer from the Sinnoh region and is Ash’s main rival in the whole Diamond and Pearl era of the pokemon animation. Paul is known for being an extremely tough trainer and the complete opposite of Ash in that he has a terrible attitude and prioritizes his Pokémon’s training and brute strength over friendship and bond.
However, Paul is hugely driven to become a powerful trainer, managed to beat or equalize Ash in each of their battles prior to the Sinnoh League, and stood out as the most intense rival Ash had ever seen. Ash’s rivalry with Paul was only fueled further when Paul left his Chimchar for being too weak, and Ash befriended him and added him to his team. This was a key moment in the story, and their League fight was one of the best in the franchise, with both Ash and his now-evolved Infernape seeking revenge against Paul in battle. Despite their heated rivalry, Ash and Paul were also able to learn from and respect each other at the end of the Sinnoh journey, making their rivalry an all-time high among the others.
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