Ash has met many feisty female companions throughout his adventures, with only a select group standing out as the most memorable Pokemon Trainer ladies. As Ash travels through all the different Regions, the charismatic trainer and his partner, Pikachu, can't help but collect friends as well as Pokemon along the way.It is undoubtedly beneficial to add some femininity to the group, and Ash meets some memorable companions that teach him the meaning of girl power. With at least one female protagonist in each series, some fan favorites may have been forgotten over time - so here's a recap of Ash's best gal pals.RELATED: Pokemon: Why Ash Released One of His Strongest Pokemon

Misty: Pokemon Red and Green

Pokemon Misty Holding Horsea

Ash's iconic female sidekick from the Johto Saga comes in the form of the tom-boyish redhead, Misty. The feisty water-type trainer is from the Cerulean Gym, and she has a huge phobia for most bug-type Pokemon as well as, ironically, Gyarados. As the story goes, young Misty managed to crawl into a Garydos' mouth when she was just an infant, leaving her terrified of one of the most powerful water types.

However, after overcoming her fears and capturing a Garydos of her own, Misty becomes the first female trainer to be seen using a Mega Evolution. After much suspicion, Misty finally confirms her feeling for Ash in The Power of One movie, but sadly their romantic relationship was not explored further. After being the only female character to last more than one Generation, she parts ways with Ash and Brock to join her sisters and fulfill her duties as the Cerulean City Gym Leader.

May: Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire

May Pokemon standing

Ash and Pikachu's travels continue to Hoenn, where they befriend May and Max, the children of Petalburg City Gym Leader, Norman. May has an intensely competitive streak, attempting to win every Pokemon Contest possible - earning herself fourteen Ribbons (and counting) and the semi-finalist ranking (Kanto Grand Festival) in the process.

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May broke stereotypes by becoming the first female trainer viewers witness catch a bug-type Pokemon, the adorable Wurmple being her lucky choice. May became one of the few trainers lucky enough to form a friendship with a Mythical Pokemon after she raised Manaphy, the "Prince of the Sea" from an egg.

Dawn: Pokemon Diamond and Pearl

dawn with piplup pokemon

This Twinleaf Town resident makes a stellar first impression in Diamond and Pearl after helping a stolen Pikachu reunite with its owner and finding an extremely grateful Ash in the process. Dawn is an aspiring Pokemon Coordinator who, like May, is seriously involved in Contests and raises her Pokemon with specialized diets to improve their chances when competing.

Regularly seen with Pinlup at her side, Dawn went on to win the Wallace Cup and the Hearthome Collection Contest, among other high-ranking awards. Her spunky character made the most re-appearances of all Ash's friends - making appearances in a further 17 episodes after parting ways with the young trainer.

Iris: Pokemon Black & White

Iris and Axew Pokemon

The epitome of girl power, this Opelucid City's Gym Leader has an all-female Pokemon crew and first meets Ash and the gang in the Unova region. Iris aspires to become a Dragon Master, and she has had a close bond with Drilbur since saving the Pokemon's life many years ago.

Her partner, Axew, enjoys traveling in the wild child's hair, supporting Iris as she becomes the first female to earn the regional Champion status. As with most of the other girls, Iris has a crippling fear, but this time for Ice-type Pokemon - whose attacks are 'super effective' against her favorite dragon types.

Serena: Pokemon XY

Pokemon anime Serena standing outside Pokemon Center with Fennekin on her back

The Pokemon Performer, Selena, is a close friend of Professor Sycamore, and she first meets Ash in Lumiose City. A Pokemon Performer is a relatively female-dominated occupation that involves raising Pokemon and training them in performance arts (usually dance) in an attempt to earn the title of Kalos' Queen.

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Serena and to be openly smitten with Ash and is the only character to have known him from his early childhood (before the Johto Saga). She tends to favor fire-type Pokemon, having chosen Fennekin as her starter, but sadly, is the only one of Ash's main gal pals to not make a re-appearance on the show.

Lillie, Lana, and Mallow: Pokemon Sun & Moon

Pokemon Sun and Moon GIrls

The Sun and Moon series comes with a twist, as there is not one definitive female protagonist but three. Mallow is a grass-type trainer with a passion for cooking, working as a chef for her family's restaurant when she's not training Pokemon that is. Ironically, Mallow is the first lady in Pokemon history to be responsible for food preparation.

Lillie's character explores the common theme of Pokemon phobia shared by several ladies, yet her fears are to the extreme, leaving Lillie incapable of touching any type of Pokemon for most of the season. As one of the most knowledgeable trainers, Lillie shares her valuable wisdom about Melemele Island and its Pokemon with Ash. Lana, on the other hand, is reminiscent of Misty, having a deep love for water Pokemon - although Eevee (nicknamed Sandy) was her chosen starter Pokemon. Lana represented women well, as the first female trainer to officially use a Z-Move.

Chloe: Pokemon Journeys

Chloe Pokemon Journeys

Professor Cerise's daughter, Chloe, is one of Goh's childhood friends who discovered her passion for Pokemon training relatively late in life. Chloe has a short temper and does not show much empathy - when she first finds Ash, electrocuted and lying on the floor, she simply leaves, uninterested in offering any assistance. She initially had a strained relationship with the family pet, Yamper, (and all Pokemon in general) but eventually learns to love him after the electric-type saved Chloe from a wild Gengar.

The new Pokemon trainer quickly joins the Eevee club along with May, Serena, and Lana after successfully hatching the foxy Pokemon from an egg. Chloe takes a while to warm up to Ash but quickly befriends Dawn after discovering that they share a love for cooking.

Why so Scared?

Scared Pokemon girls

While most fans commend the Pokemon creative team for generally shying away from gender stereotypes, there seems to be a commonality of fear among most of the female trainers. While phobias are legitimate issues that can cripple a person's development and should be discussed, why are the female characters the only ones to suffer?

As powerful and independent as most of the lady trainers are, there is still a strong "damsel in distress" trope that runs through the series. Maybe some of the boys should be burdened by a phobia or weakness (other than their inflated egos) to even out the playing field a bit.

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