From 2024, the Pokemon Anime runs for twenty-six seasons, with Ash exploring over half a dozen regions before the torch is passed to Horizons new protagonists, Liko and Roy. Each region that Ash and company visit has its pros and cons. From the quality of each region’s story arc fluctuating, to Ash feeling like he’s been completely reset as a protagonist in certain regions to attract a new audience. Each new region brings new Pokémon, new rivals, and new challenges for the protagonists, and each will be someone’s favorite for different reasons.

Nevertheless, there is a general consensus among fans about which regions stand out from the rest as the best of the best. Many of Pokemon Classic regions continue to be popular with fansbecause they have strong, engaging companions and give the Pokémon themselves a lot of personality. Newer regions, on the other hand, tell a more cohesive and emotional story as Ash travels through the region, and of course have a smoother and more detailed animation quality.

5 Hoenn has great companions and an outstanding Battle Frontier Arc

The third Pokémon region, which includes seasons 6 to 9

Pokemon The Hoenn region had big shoes to fill after Kanto and Johto, two regions that are very popular due to nostalgia for the classic anime and love for its companions. Despite a weaker start in the first half of Hoenn, the third region in the Pokemon Anime overall is a fan favorite to this day. The three biggest complaints fans have about the Hoenn anime are weaker pacing in the first half, too much Team Rocket involvement in many episodes, and Max feeling more like an annoying child than a proper companion to Ash. Despite this, Hoenn has one of the strongest female companions in May, and Pokémon competitions give her an independent goal to strive for all the time she’s with Ash, and Battle Frontier’s strengths more than make up for Hoenn’s lackluster first half.

Unlike most of Ash’s Pokemon Companions, May is initially uninterested in Pokémon. Her goal is to travel and see the world. After an incident with Tentacool, she grows up fearful of Pokémon, but her journey and Ash help her overcome her fears. She becomes a fantastic Coordinator who cares deeply for her Pokémon, and experiences a motherly relationship with Manaphy. Instead of Ash being the star of both the Pokémon League Challenge and the Pokémon Contests, May is able to shine in the latter, and many fans find her dynamic with rival and fellow Coordinator Drew compelling. The Battle Frontier, Season 9 of the Pokemon The anime as a whole concludes Ash and May’s journey to Hoenn on a high note, cementing Hoenn as one of the anime’s best regions.

4 Dawn shines with outstanding development during Ash’s Sinnoh journey

The fourth Pokémon region, which includes seasons 10–13

Following the highly rated Battle Frontier season, Ash heads to Sinnoh to begin another brand new journey. Immediately, fans are introduced to his new female travel companion Dawn, an energetic girl who loves fashion and wants to become a famous, talented Coordinator like her mother. After Misty and May, high expectations are placed on Dawn as a character, but she quickly becomes one of the Pokemon the best and most developed companions in the anime. She and Ash are constantly pushing each other to grow, overcome their mistakes, and are always cheering each other on, and their relationship is heartwarming. Speaking of Ash, his Pokémon League journey reaches its climax in Sinnohalthough many fans still prefer the Sinnoh League to the final battles of all other regions.

Paul is also a fantastic rival for the first time since Gary, constantly embarrassing and upsetting Ash while treating his Pokémon really badly and viewing them as expendable. Some of Paul’s Pokémon later become Ash’s teammates, such as Chimchar, which makes the audience even more root for Ash over Paul as he finally defeats his Sinnoh rival and brings about positive changes in him. Dawn gets a rival and friend in her fellow Coordinator Zoey, and they have a supportive, encouraging friendship while still facing each other with everything they have in competitions. Sinnoh is a fantastic region for the Pokemon anime, with strong rivals and battles all over the region.

3 Alola is more relaxed, with a new island challenge and a refreshing art style

The seventh Pokémon region, which includes seasons 20–22

Although the reaction to the Sun and Moon The anime’s art style was initially mixed, however fans have since tended to be more positive, appreciating the expressive, cartoonish nature of the art style. The seventh region Ash travels to on his journey is Alola, and this is the first region where he faces an alternative to the Pokémon League challenge by competing in Island Trials instead. Ash and his companions also spend a lot of time at the Pokémon School this time around, learning more basic mechanics and being much more relaxed than in previous regions. This approach isn’t for everyone, but those who like it appreciate the slice-of-life approach and having more time to delve into each supporting character rather than focusing primarily on Ash and another companion.

Alola also puts Ash’s Pokémon themselves in the spotlight, giving them plenty of personality and the chance to shinesimilar to Kanto. Many of Ash’s Pokémon end up developing their own rivalries that develop and resolve throughout the course of the Alola anime, giving their battles more meaning and increasing fan satisfaction when they finally defeat their rival. Team Rocket is also at their best in this region, with a good balance between not showing enough to be relevant and showing so much that it’s intrusive. After becoming the champion of the Alola region, it really becomes a second home for Ash, who spends this arc getting to know and love Alola, its culture, and its people.

2 Kalos has a solid Ash iteration and plenty of meaningful development with other characters

The sixth Pokémon region, which includes seasons 20–22

After Pokemon Anime’s low point after Sinnoh, Black and white, Fans had hoped for a strong return to form with the anime’s sixth region, Kalos. Luckily, this region has one of the strongest iterations of Ash and places a lot of emphasis on his relationships with many other characters, not just his closest companions. Having traveled through five entire regions before the eventual reset, Ash doesn’t have much to learn and instead takes on more of a mentoring role towards other characters, like Brock used to do for him. It’s a refreshing step in the right direction for his character and deepens his bond with the younger and less experienced Clemont and Bonnie.

Serena and her development throughout Kalos, whether fans support her and Ash’s relationship or not, is another highlight of the X and Y Anime. Her struggles are realistic and relatable as she develops from a shy young girl who isn’t sure what her dream is to a confident trainer who knows who she is and what she wants. At the end of X and Y, She can confidently say goodbye to Ash and kiss him on the cheek – a moment that cements her as the closest romantic experience with a female companion for him. The plot of X and Y is phenomenal and Kalos balances Ash’s concentration and development throughout the region with the other main characters and even his Pokémon.

1 Kanto is the classic Pokémon anime and takes a unique approach to the series

The first Pokémon region to include Seasons 1 and 2

Newer Pokemon Fans don’t usually share this opinion, but those who grew up with the classic anime usually appreciate it very much. This is Ash’s very first step into the world of Pokémon, with a lot of it spent fighting and failing. He wins several Gym Badges without actually winning a real battle, loses many of the real battles he does have, and he and his companions spend several episodes getting lost in various forests on the way to the next town. However, all of this reflects very well who Ash is – he’s an inexperienced, headstrong boy who wants to be the best, but doesn’t really understand how much work he has to put in to get there. He grows exponentially during his journey through Kanto, forming irreplaceable bonds with his original companions Brock and Misty.

Ash also learns how to bond with Pokémon for the first time during his Kanto journey, and many episodes focus on Ash’s attempt to befriend a new Pokémon, or even the Pokémon’s battles themselves. Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur are each given entire emotional episodes before they voluntarily decide to accompany Ash on his journey and form close emotional bonds with him. Although Ash does not properly battle several of the Gym Leaders he receives Badges from, they usually learn a deep moral lesson from him or are otherwise touched by him. Team Rocket appears in almost every episode, but their appearances are quite humorous and do not come across as annoying as they do in later seasons. Kanto is a fantastic region in the Pokemon Anime full of lovable characters and quotable moments.