The original Pokémon anime is one of the most popular series ever, and over 20-plus years, Ash Ketchum’s journey has led him closer and closer to becoming the world’s greatest Pokémon trainer. Along the way, Ash meets many unique characters, some of whom don’t receive nearly as much time in the limelight as they deserve.
Many Pokémon characters are overshadowed by more relevant characters in their respective seasons, whereas. Sawyer is a great trainer, but is undoubtedly dwarfed by Alain’s contributions to the overall series. Overall, some of Ash’s most interesting allies and opponents have essentially fallen into obscurity. These various trainers represent some of the greatest missed opportunities by the original Pokémon showrunners.
10 Sawyer Is Immediately Overshadowed by Alain Quickly After His Introduction
Sawyer Is Only Remembered Because of His Sceptile's Duel With Greninja
Sawyer might be introduced in the Kalos region, but he is actually from Hoenn. He even receives his Treeko from Professor Birch before traveling to the Kalos region to learn more about Mega Evolution. He is a credible threat to Ash and even wins one of their more significant bouts. His design, Pokémon usage, and personality are all undoubtedly callbacks to the original series’ earlier seasons. Yet, he is easily overshadowed by one of the most important characters in the anime.
Like many other interesting characters, Sawyer’s Mega Sceptile is completely overshadowed by Alain’s Mega Charizard. Sawyer is responsible for one of Ash-Greninja’s greatest battles in the entire franchise, but is known for little else. The character undoubtedly has far more potential than he has shown within the anime. Sawyer is one of the few characters to travel between the regions and offers fans a modern twist on a classic Pokémon. Yet, he is unable to compete with Alain and is often forgotten in fans’ recollection of the popular seasons.
9 Bianca Rarely Has The Opportunity to Legitimately Battle Ash
Bianca Is More of a Companion Than One of Ash's Credible Rivals
What Bianca makes up for in battling prowess, she easily makes up for in personality. She is often considered one of Ash’s rivals, despite having only battled him a handful of times within the series. Sadly, like Barry, Bianca would otherwise be forgettable without her video game counterpart. Her character in the anime follows many of the same story beats as her gaming doppelgänger.
Bianca is slightly older than the protagonist trainers, because her parents did not believe she was capable of beginning a Pokémon journey until now. This puts her at a disadvantage compared to many of her peers and serves as her biggest detriment within the anime. Yet, she manages to prove to both herself and her family that she is capable of following her dreams just like Ash. She even participates in Unova’s Pokémon League, the Vertress Conference.
8 Tyson Prevents Ash From One of His Earliest League Victories
Many Newer Pokémon Fans Haven't Heard of Tyson
Hoenn is one of the most popular seasons of the original Pokémon anime. Ash receives popular companions in the form of May and Max, and travels through one of the most beloved regions in the franchise. However, there is one moment that soured Ash’s Hoenn journey for many fans. Ash ends up losing his final League Battle to a Meowth. Since the anime often reminds fans of how incredible it is that Pikachu succeeds despite his lack of size, it can be jarring when the concept is reversed.
Meowth alone is a relatively unremarkable Pokémon. Tyson’s Meowth, on the other hand, is the pinnacle of its species. Sadly, Ash’s league battle against Tyson is one of the only times he makes a meaningful appearance. Tyson is one of the characters who is simply introduced to provide Ash with a significant roadblock to winning the Pokémon League. Tyson’s victory might not be as alarming as Tobias’, but it is nearly as undeserved.
7 Barry Is Only Remembered Because of His Connection to the Video Games
Barry Is An Easily Forgettable Part of Ash's Journey
Barry is an extremely forgettable trainer from the Sinnoh League who would’ve been completely forgotten if not for their video game counterpart. Barry has a few significant moments in the anime, but he never really settles as Ash’s rival. He has several interesting misadventures with Ash and his companions, but is overshadowed by other, more prominent Sinnoh characters.
Thankfully, Barry gets a great final showing in a breathtaking battle against Paul. Barry might lose the fight, but he holds his own against one of the strongest trainers in Sinnoh. Barry’s personality matches his game counterpart completely and is engaging while he’s on-screen, but is forgettable otherwise. Sadly, the explosively emotional trainer never gets the opportunity to make a lasting impression on the audience, like Paul.
6 Conway's Battling Style Provides Ash With a Significant League Roadblock
Conway Is a Much More Technical Battler Than Ash Is Used to
In many ways, Conway’s analytical and thought-out strategy is the perfect counter to Ash. His strategies are so amazing that Dawn has even relied on him from time to time. Sadly, Conway is just another one of the rivals that Sinnoh adds to make Paul seem more interesting. He shows Ash that just because a way of battling is successful with others, he might not find the same success using the same strategy.
Conway is the first person that Ash defeats in the Lily of the Valley Conference before being beaten by Tobias. While the trainer might be a gifted battler, he has a less-than-engaging personality. Unsurprisingly, he seems to have an unhealthy affection for Dawn, which is pretty common for several of Ash’s lesser-known rivals of the time. He also has one of the most technical Pokémon teams seen within the anime, calling attention to an often forgotten strategy.
5 Ritchie Provides One of Ash's Most Frustrating Losses in the Series
Ritchie Causes Ash to Lose His Very First Pokémon League
One of Ash’s first significant losses in the anime is against Ritchie in the Indigo League. Ash’s loss might not be entirely his fault, but he still chose to bring Charizard into the league with him despite its inability to listen. Struggling with Charizard and Team Rocket’s interference left Ash without a credible way to win the League. Understandably, he shook his head in defeat, but displayed an incredible amount of sportsmanship and extended his hand to Ritchie.
The fact that Ritchie has barely appeared since then has caused many fans to believe he is nothing more than an Ash ripoff. He is one of the few characters that could easily appear within Pokémon Horizons, and provides Roy with the same mirror he did to Ash. Roy is on a much closer level to Ritchie and even has a Pikachu on his team. Nevertheless, Pokémon Horizons has understandably been hesitant when it comes to approaching original anime content.
4 Another Significant Kalos Trainer overshadows Trevor's Mega Charizard
Alain's Charizard Completely Overshadows Trevor's
Trevor is one of the most interesting trainers in all of Kalos. He has an extremely technical battling style and an intense breadth of knowledge concerning Pokémon. Like many Kalos trainers, he is a master of Mega Evolution. He even utilizes that massively popular Mega Charizard; however, his Mega Charizard is vastly outshone by Alain’s.
For one thing, Trevor technically utilizes the less popular version of the Mega Evolution, Mega Charizard Y. Trevor is also a far less confident battler than many other gifted Mega Evolution users from the series. Trevor might have an in-game counterpart, but he remains less engaging than many of the anime-only characters. However, this is mostly due to a lack of screen time.
3 Nando Is an Important Rival to Both Ash Ketchum and His Companion, Dawn
Nando Competes In Both the Pokémon League and Contests
Nando is easily one of the most versatile Pokémon trainers in the entire franchise. He competes in both contests and the Pokémon League, making him a rival for both Ash and Dawn. He continues to be a popular character throughout the Sinnoh arcs. Yet, he is never seen again and remains largely forgotten.
The wandering minstrel largely favors elegant or bug-type Pokémon, making him relatively easy to predict. His contest experience does provide him with an unexpected edge, but it is not enough to beat experienced trainers like Ash. Nando is an interesting character, but fails to live up to his ultimate potential. He easily could have consistently reappeared throughout the following season and chosen to travel from region to region, like Ash.
2 Morrison Nearly Defeated Ash in the Ever Grande Conference
Many Newer Fans Assume Morrison and Stephan Are the Same Character
Morrison is easily one of Ash’s most forgettable rivals of all time. He is an emotional trainer who often gets conflicted in battle. Although he has far fewer appearances than some of Ash’s other rivals, he has an extremely diverse Pokémon team. Moreover, he has a lot more potential than he initially lets on.
The rookie trainer nearly defeated Ash in the Ever Grande Conference. If Morrison had never been conflicted about fighting his friend, victory easily would’ve been his. Honestly, losing to Tyson would have made more thematic sense than losing to Tyson. Tyson has fewer appearances than Morrison, and although he has more engaging Pokémon, he is a more forgettable character.
1 Stephan Participates in One of the Most Brutal Battles in the Original Anime
Stephan Has Been Largely Forgotten in Recent Years
Stephan is easily the silver lining to one of the most unpopular seasons of the original Pokémon anime. Compared to trainers like Trip, Stephan easily stands out as a more entertaining trainer and captivating character. He is also responsible for one of the most brutal battles in the entire anime. Stephan’s Sawk’s fight with Montgomery’s Throh is almost hard to watch.
Both Pokémon bear a striking resemblance to people, and they use primarily fighting moves. For this reason, it is more like an MMA fight than a Pokémon fight. Sawk nearly loses more than his pride in the fight, and it is easily one of the darkest battles in the series. Stephan’s story feels incomplete, and he could easily benefit from a continuation of his story.
