ThePokemonanime has over one thousand episodes and so many side characters that it becomes hard to keep track of them all. After all, each episode is meant to visit a location, solve a problem, then move on to the next destination on the adventure.
There are some characters that don’t make as many appearances as the main cast but pop in just enough to leave the realm of the one-shot category. These trainers tend to stick around in your head long after they’ve appeared, and you always enjoy checking in on them from time to time. So who are they?
10Nurse Joy
There’s One In Every Town
Nurse Joy is the easiest to recall for having so many members of her family. Some are sisters while others are cousins. However, they all share the exact same traits as one another. Nurse Joys are in every city and region, as long as there are Pokemon that need healing.
There have also been some outstanding Nurse Joys in the past. Some have families of their own and can battle with the best of them. You even have Nurse Joys who have PHDs and act as therapists.
9Officer Jenny
Patrolling The Region
Like Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny is another character that constantly makes appearances throughout the region due to her extended family tree. Not every Jenny is exactly the same though. Some take on different roles within the police force, while others have variant personalities.
Officer Jennys also come in a variety of uniforms depending on which region they reside in. From training the next generation of Growlithe,doing the Akira slide, and keeping the Pokemon Leagues safe for all attendees, you’re able to always count on a Jenny to be there.
8Delia Ketchum
The Greatest Mom In Pokemon
It’s not easy being a mother in the Pokemon world. When your kid hits ten years old, they leave the house on a dangerous journey. Ash’s mother, Delia Ketchum, appears in the very first episode of the anime where she tries her best to keep her son prepared for whatever may happen during his adventure.
Ash stops to visit his home every now and then, especially between leagues. Here, Ash usually gets a brand-new look for his next series. Luckily, Delia has plenty of company while Ash is gone, such as Professor Oak and the wild Mr.Mime who suddenly showed up and stuck around.
7Harley
The Pettiest Rivalry
Harley is one of the best characters to come out of the Advanced Generation. He is a rival coordinator that constantly butts heads with May during her contest bouts. The origin of this rivalry all stems from May calling his cookies “not half bad”.
From this point on, Harley literally puts May’s photograph in his own personal burn book. He swears revenge and goes as far as to feed May misleading information during multiple contests. This is one of the pettiest, yet funniestrivalriesin all of Pokemon.
6Matori
A Competent Team Rocket Agent
Matori first appeared briefly in the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl anime. Since then, she steadily gained more prominence until she became a full-blown supporting character in Pokemon Sun and Moon, checking in on the Team Rocket trio for any status report.
Matori acts as a secretary, working directly under Giovanni. She is actually competent at her job, unlike Jessie, James, and Meowth. Because of this, she is frequently annoyed by the trio’s antics. While she usually appears behind a screen, she has been known to appear on the field from time to time with her Alolan Meowth.
5Professor Ivy
A Unique Professor
Professor Ivy falls into a unique category of characters from the anime. She’sa Pokemon professorwith her own mini region where she does her research. These are the Orange Islands, which are home to a variety of Pokemon with different color patterns native to the land.
Professor Ivy makes a few appearances during the generation one anime and even makes some brief cameos in The Power of One. She takes in Brock temporarily and gives Ash the GS Ball. Even after her original appearances, she continues to be referenced on occasion.
4Tobias
An Unfair Battle
Tobias doesn’t appear until the end of the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, but he does something that still leaves Pokemon fans with a bitter memory of him. He wins the Sinnoh League by using legendary Pokemon like Darkrai and Latios.
The anime has him appear a few times during the league episodes. He’s usually in the shadows with other characters mentioning that he looks powerful. Whether you like him or not, Tobias fully captures the idea of bringing your overpowered legendaries with you to any Pokemon game.
3Ritchie
An Ash Lookalike
It’s safe to say that Ash’s Indigo League journey is full of mishaps and illegitimate wins on his behalf. This changes when he faces off against Ritchie, a boy with a similar getup to him and even a Pikachu nicknamed Sparky.
Ritchie loses in later matches but teaches Ash a lesson about winning and losing. They part as friends and eventually see each other again throughout the series. He even makes a brief cameo in Pokemon Journeys, watching Ash as he faces off against Leon for the title of World Champion.
2Tracey Sketchit
The Shortest-Lived Companion
Tracey Sketchit only appeared in 33 episodes before meeting Professor Oak and deciding to stick around at the lab. Since then, he usually has cameos whenever Professor Oak appears or occasionally shows up in special episodes. He is also the only companion to feel like a minor character.
As his name suggests, Tracey is an artist that likes to capture Pokemon in his sketches. He even has a unique team that includes Venomoth, Marill, and an aging Scyther. He spends the least amount of time traveling with Ash, but has cemented himself as Professor Oak’s assistant.
1Butch And Cassidy
From A Life Of Crime To A Life Of Peace
Butch and Cassidy appear whenever Team Rocket’s antics get a bit stale. They always claim to be better than the main Rocket trio, much to their dismay. Their plans are usually on the way to success until Jessie, James, and Meowth get involved.
While they appear multiple times in the series, their final appearance in Pokemon Journeys reveals that they’ve quit Team Rocket. While no longer acting as a team, Butch and Cassidy have found peace in running bakeries, making art, and settling down.
