Fans of the Pokémon anime have a lot of opinions about which of his various female companions Ash ought to end up with, even though the series ultimately ended with Ash in a relationship with no one. While Misty might be the first, though, she's really not the girl that Ash should be with.

Misty is one of the first characters introduced, showing up in the very first episode, and of all Ash's female companions, she has spent the longest period of time traveling with him--over 280 episodes. While Misty has some feelings for Ash in both the English and Japanese versions of the anime, her affection was actually toned up quite a bit in the English version, up to and including writing special "image songs" about her feelings towards Ash. This definitively gave English fans an expectation that something might actually happen with their relationship, even though the Japanese writers never really intended such a thing.

Misty's Feelings Aren't Enough for Them Both

Misty May Like Ash, but Ash Rarely Reciprocates

Misty is a classic "Tsundere," a character archetype found in anime series who often hides their true feelings by being outwardly mean towards the object of their affection, while secretly hoping that someday their true feelings will be returned. As a result, Misty and Ash's arguing and bantering often carries with it a bit of unresolved tension. In private moments, Misty would sometimes reveal her true feelings, often worrying for Ash in dangerous situations or even growing jealous when other girls showed him attention, as can be seen in Pokémon the Movie 2000.

Even taking into how much Misty's feelings were ramped up in the English version, there's no denying that Misty had an interest in Ash. What's much harder to prove, however, is that Ash at any point reciprocated her feelings. Ash hardly ever shows romantic interest in any of his female friends, including Misty; there are a few moments early on, where Ash and Misty hold hands and show other mild indications of interest, but despite these early signs, Ash never has any kind of acknowledgment of his feelings. When Ash and Misty eventually part ways, there are no declarations of love.

Why Misty Just Isn't Meant for Ash

Misty's Behavior Can Be a Bit Problematic

Tsundere characters are a little controversial these days, as many of their behaviors could easily be mistaken for signs of abuse, such as frequently yelling at their crush, or even physically attacking them. Misty is just as guilty of these behaviors as most other tsundere characters are; one of the first things she does upon meeting Ash is smack him in the face, disgusted with Pikachu's weakened state after the Spearow incident. Misty and Ash bicker constantly, especially early on, and these sometimes escalate into full-on fights.

That's not to say Misty is a bad person, of course; the fact of the matter is that she's still quite young, and having difficulty with one's emotions at that age is pretty normal. Misty does try to help Ash out frequently, and often worries over his safety as he does reckless things. And Ash isn't exactly innocent here either, provoking Misty with insults and smart-mouth comments that inevitably draw her ire. It's a bit disappointing that Misty doesn't get to spend much time with the more mature version of Ash seen in later series, as there might've been more potential for them to have a relationship then.

Who is Ash's Best Match, Then?

Ash and Serena Have the Strongest Relationship of His Companions

The other biggest ship in the Pokémon anime fandom is Ash and Serena, his companion from XY. Serena was introduced with a very clear crush on Ash, and her feelings towards him remained strong throughout their adventure together. Serena is a much more ive character to Ash than Misty often was, and Serena actually took action to make their relationship a reality, giving him a surprise kiss when they parted ways.

Ash does have strong relationships with many of his companions, including May and Dawn, but these relationships had little-to-no romantic element to them, instead being more friendly, or even sibling-like, in their dynamics. Misty and Serena are the only ones who outwardly confirm their feelings for Ash, and only Serena takes the initiative to actually advance their relationship when they part ways. For that reason, if Ash were likely to end up with anyone by the series' ending, it would most likely have been Serena. Alas, though, the Pokémon anime's romantic plot threads never went anywhere, and Ash remains single to this day.