Ever since 1997, Ash Ketchum from Pokémon has been doing his utmost to prove to everyone that he's the one-and-only Pokémon Master, and inspiring people around the globe to do the same through the video and trading card games. He's traveled across many regions, fought countless battles, and still manages to intercept any evil forces that try to threaten everyday trainers like himself along the way.
What makes him such a great protagonist is that he isn't written as the perfect Trainer despite his ambitions to be the best. He doesn't win every battle he's a part of, is no stranger to hardships, and at first he struggles with even getting his own Pokémon to respect him. It's only through consistently proving himself that he's able to gain the respect of his Pokémon, other trainers, and even the fans watching at home.
10 Protecting Pikachu With His Life, Even When Their Relationship Is Still Rocky
When Ash first meets his partner Pikachu and the two set off on their journey together, Pikachu wants absolutely nothing to do with him. There's no respect involved whatsoever - that is, until an angry flock of Spearow come after the two and Ash uses his body to shield his partner.
This action in turn inspires Pikachu who decides to leap into action and save Ash as well, marking the beginning of their lifelong partnership. This moment is also fondly remembered by fans, as it's the first moment where Ash proves he's even willing to sacrifice his well-being for his team if need be.
9 He Runs Between Mew And Mewtwo In Order To Cease Their Needless Fighting
During Pokémon: The First Movie, Mew and Mewtwo are caught in a heated battle, and it's not just them. All of the Pokémon that were brought alongside their trainers are cloned and caught in battles fueled by hatred.
Mew and Mewtwo direct two intensely powerful blasts at each other, and Ash doesn't hesitate for even a second to leap between them, being turned to stone in the progress. This snaps all of the Pokémon out of their own feuds and, in a heart-wrenchingly beautiful moment for both them and the fans watching, their tears are able to bring Ash back.
8 He Never Gives Up On Charmander, Even When Charmander Doesn't Want To Be Saved
Early on in his journey, Ash and his friends stumble upon a lone Charmander and Pikachu converses with it, learning that it's been waiting for its trainer. They later learn at the Pokémon Center that its trainer abandoned it for "being too weak," and the group then rescue it from dying in a storm, as it can't survive if the flame on its tail goes out.
Its trainer returns after witnessing Charmander single-handedly stop Team Rocket, saying that he didn't mean to leave it behind, but Charmander rejects its old trainer to join Ash instead. By saving Charmander's life and gaining its respect, Ash also gains the respect of fans.
7 He Rescues Serena In The Forest And Bandages Her Injured Leg
Even as a child, it isn't only Pokémon that Ash shows compassion towards, but other people as well. He comes across Serena during one of Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camps, who injured her leg after being startled by a Poliwag.
Ash helps to calm her down and is able to bandage her leg, help her to her feet, and lead her out of the forest. He had even been looking for the Poliwag that startled her, so it speaks volumes about his character that he forgoes it to make sure she's safe instead.
6 He Doesn't Force Pikachu To Evolve Just To Win A Gym Battle
In his first fight against Lt. Surge while attempting to get the Thunder Badge, Ash actually loses. To make matters worse, it was his Pikachu that ended up losing to its evolved and presumed superior evolution, Raichu.
Nurse Joy offers Ash a Thunderstone to evolve his Pikachu, but upon seeing that it isn't something his partner wants to go through with, Ash doesn't force it. Instead, they work out a strategy based around using Pikachu's superior speed to their advantage, and Ash is victorious upon their rematch.
5 He Watches All Of Dawn's Contests And Supports Her Coordinator Dreams Wholeheartedly
Dawn is the second of Ash's travelling companions to aspire to become a Pokémon Coordinator, but the first that he supports wholeheartedly regardless of his own journey. That isn't to say he doesn't support May, but he still prioritizes his own travels when he has to choose between them.
He truly steps it up when it comes to supporting Dawn, though, as he goes to every single one of her contests to watch and cheer her on. This even means putting his own plans on the backburner at times, showing that he's maturing and isn't in quite the rush he was in in previous regions, which is hard not to respect.
4 He Surrenders During His First Fight Against Brock Instead Of Letting Pikachu Suffer
Ash's first gym battle against Brock doesn't go as he planned. At this point, the only Pokémon at his disposal are Pikachu, Pidgeotto and Metapod, so it's safe to say Brock's Rock-type team is one of the worst he could be facing.
When Pikachu faces Onix, it doesn't take long for the poor electric mouse to become wrapped and is completely unable to move. Ash notices how much pain it looks like his partner is in, and instead of foolishly trying to make Pikachu fight through it, Ash shows a surprising amount of maturity by instead surrendering the match.
3 In Almost Every New Region, He Starts Off With Just His Pikachu
Ash has travelled through many regions and caught an immense amount of Pokémon throughout his journey. There's no explicit rule stating that a trainer has to take only one of their Pokémon with them whenever they reach a new region and start their gym challenge over, either.
Despite this, in nearly every single season that involves Ash travelling anywhere new, he chooses to only bring his original partner Pikachu along. He'd feel a bit too overpowered if he kept his fully-evolved teams with him when exploring early routes in new regions, which is respectable, plus it leaves him room for anything new he catches along the way.
2 He Never Shows Fear In The Face Of Team Rocket Or Other Evil Organizations
It's easy as viewers to laugh off Team Rocket's antics for the most part, but it's quite respectable that Ash is able to do the same thing. His Pokémon are often kidnapped and, even if Team Rocket don't succeed, there's still a very real moment of fear involved for him.
This is especially true upon his very first meeting with them, when they attempt to nab Pikachu from the Viridian Pokémon Center. They're announced to be dangerous criminals with wanted posters all around the city, and having no idea just how dangerous they actually are, Ash still manages to stand up to them without fear.
1 He Invites Chimchar To Join His Team After It's Abandoned By Paul
When Paul is first introduced - and for a good while afterwards, as his growth happens late into the series - he only cares about being the strongest and raising the best team. He's overly harsh with his Pokémon when they lose, to the point where he even decides to abandon his Chimchar because he views it as weak.
This is something Ash simply can't stand for, and he invites Chimchar to join him, to which it happily accepts. He also never gives up against Paul no matter how many times he loses and is eventually able to secure a win.
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