10 Strongest Female Pokemon Trainers in the Anime

While Pokemon Primarily following the adventures of Ash Ketchum, Ash has encountered many powerful trainers throughout his journey, and gender has never been an issue when it comes to being the greatest. The anime has shown a variety of skilled female trainers over the years, be they Ash’s friends or champions of an entire region.

As with male trainers, the best female trainers are those who have proven themselves in battle and who hold positions that reflect their ability, such as Champion or Gym Leader. The World Coronation Series seen in Pokemon Journeys Provides some excellent data indicating who the strongest female trainers truly are, although not every skilled female trainer in the series is known to have participated in the tournament. Without further ado, here are 10 of the strongest female trainers that Ash has ever encountered.

10

Mai Loda, what did you do?

First appearance: Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire“Get the show on the road!”

Mai was Ash’s second female companion, joining him in the Hoenn area not long after he parted with Misty. May was a new trainer starting out, and had basically no Pokemon knowledge to speak of when she began her journey. Luckily for Mai, Ash took her under his wing and became something of a teacher for her, just like Misty and Brock were for him. May had a steep learning curve, but she rose to the challenge with bags.

While May eventually transitions to becoming more of a Pokemon coordinator than a trainer, Her skills in battle are still quite impressive, winning a fair number of battles and fully evolving some of her Pokémon, such as Blaziken and Venusaur. May’s status as a coordinator is top-tier, having earned many ribbons in several regions of the Pokemon world, having earned the title “Princess of Hoenn.”

9

Clair is Johto’s Dragon Master

First appearance: Pokemon Gold and Silver“Beauty is skin deep”

Clair is the leader of the Blackthorn Gym in the Johto region, and a master of Dragon-type Pokemon. Claire was a difficult opponent for Ash to face, and their first battle was interrupted by Team Rocket, necessitating a rematch. Ash won the rematch and his tag, and left on good terms with Claire. He later met her in the Unova region, on the hunt for a rare Shiny Pokemon, and would help her catch the exceptional Druddigon. Claire proved her skill by training that Druddigon thoroughly, and later using it in battle to defeat Iris and her dragonite.

Clair is also known to have trained with Lance, the Dragon-Type Elite Four member and former Champion, giving her the skills she needed to succeed as a gym leader. Clair also has the responsibility of guarding the “Dragon Holy Land,” a special place not far from Blackthorn City where many species of dragon-type Pokemon live.

8

Misty is a gym leader with mega abilities

First appearance: Pokemon Indigo League“Pokémon – I pick you!”

Misty was Ash’s first companion, and was in fact the first person he actually met on his journey. Misty is a specialist in water-type Pokemon, as well as the leader of the Cerulean Gym when she is at home. Even when Ash met her, Misty already had an evolved Pokemon in the form of Starmie. Misty would go on to build a pretty decent team traveling with Ash, though her greatest Pokemon, Gyarados, was only captured after they parted ways.

Besides being a gym leader, Misty is also capable of Mega Evolution, as she was seen Mega Evolving her Gyarados in a battle with Ash during Pokemon Sun and Moon. Mega Evolved Pokemon can be difficult to control, and it requires a strong bond between trainer and Pokemon, proving just how skilled Misty really is.

7

Agatha’s brief appearance shook Ash

First appearance: Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire“The Scheme Team”

Agatha is only in one episode of the anime, but she has an impact on Ash in that short time. Ash encountered Agatha in Viridian City, where she was temporarily assigned as the gym leader until a new one could be selected. Ash challenged her to a battle, but soon found himself out of his league against her Gengar, who defeated him handily. Agatha reveals she is actually a member of the Kanto Elite Four, and tells Ash that she was impressed by their battle, encouraging him to challenge the Battle Frontier.

Despite her short time in the anime, Agatha proved herself a strong trainer worthy of her position as a member of the Elite Four. Like Ash, she had some unorthodox tactics, which may explain why she fell in love with him so quickly.

6

Corrina is a Master of Mega Evolution

First appearance: Pokemon XY“Mega Revelations!”

Corrina is a gym leader in Shalor City in the Kalos region, and a specialist in fighting-type Pokemon. She traveled with Ash briefly while trying to gain the ability to Mega Evolve her Lucario, a goal she eventually achieved. While Corrina had a rough go with Mega Lucario at first, they gradually became more in sync and came together as a team. Ash’s gym battle with Korrina was especially intense, pushing his bonds with Pikachu to the limit to get her Mega Evolved Pokemon.

Corrina later appeared as a contestant in the World Coronation SeriesWhere she still has an affair with Ash. When it was time for Ash to try Mega Evolution for himself, Corrina provided him with his Mega Glove and helped him track down the Lucarionite he needed. Although Corrina didn’t make it too far in the World Coronation Series, her skills are still top notch, even for a gym leader.

5

Bea became one of Ash’s strongest rivals

First appearance: Pokemon Journeys“Solitary and menacing!”

Like Corrina, Bea is a fighting-type specialist and a gym leader, this time for Stow-on-Side in the Galar area. Corrina and Bea are really good friends, as you might expect given how much they have in common. Bea was one of Ash’s only female rivals, and battled him three different times over the course of the World Coronation Series, with one win, one draw, and one loss. Bea climbed all the way to the Ultra Class, marking her as one of the 100 most skilled trainers in the world.

Besides being a gym leader, Bea is also skilled in the use of dynamaxing, and even has a machamp capable of gigantamaxing. Bea can be a bit of a sore loser at times, but her skill in battle means she doesn’t lose all that often.

4

Prima gave Ash something to think about

First appearance: Pokemon: Adventures in the Orange Islands“The Mandarin Island Miss Match”

Prima, better known to players of the games as Lorelei, is one of the Elite Four of the Kanto region and a master of using Ice-type Pokemon. Like Agatha, she’s only in one episode, but she makes quite a splash in the episode, defeating four trainers (including Ash) in back-to-back matches. Prima gave Ash some advice that he actually spent some time reflecting on, even mentioning it in a later episode, suggesting that his match with her had a bigger impact than it might seem.

Prima was ostensibly on vacation during her appearance, so one can only imagine how powerful she is when she’s in full-on “Elite Four” mode. She was regarded as an absolute legend by Misty, who had long idolized her.

3

Iris’ skills grew tremendously in a short time

First appearance: Pokemon black and white“In the shadow of Zekram!”

Iris was another former traveling companion of Ash’s, and a specialist in Dragon-type Pokémon, although she owns Pokémon of other types. While Iris was traveling with Ash, she didn’t particularly stand out as an exceptionally skilled trainer, but she learned a lot on her journey, and after they parted ways, Iris put everything she had learned to use, Eventually become the champion of the Unova region. Iris would go on to participate in the World Coronation Series, which saw her battling Ash again. Despite losing to Ash, Iris managed to make up the points and reached the Masters’ eighth tournament.

Iris battled against Cynthia in the first round, and ultimately lost, but not without putting up a spectacular fight. Still, Iris settled as one of the top 8 trainers in the world, and that’s an accomplishment worth celebrating.

2

Diantha doesn’t need words to win battles

First appearance: Pokemon XY“The Bonds of Evolution!”

Diantha is the champion of the Kalos region, as well as a famous actress. As such, she is incredibly busy, but was still willing to make some time for Ash when he encountered her, even though their battle was interrupted. Diantha is famous for her ability to command her gardevoir without words, simply using eye contact to communicate all they need to. She is also a practitioner of Mega Evolution, having Mega Evolved her Gardevoir several times.

Diantha participated in the World Coronation Series and had no problem reaching the Masters Eight, where she reached the top four before losing to the undefeated Leon. Diantha is shown to be exceptionally skilled in battle, seeing her battles as performances just like her acting.

1

Cynthia is the strongest female trainer

First appearance: Pokemon Diamond and Pearl“Top-Down Training!”

Cynthia is the champion of the Sinnoh Region and a trainer who largely specializes in Dragon-type Pokemon. Ash longed for a battle with Cynthia, and actually learned a bit from her during their attempts to thwart Team Galactic’s plans. Cynthia is also shown defending her status as champion, a feat she accomplishes with ease. She eventually participated in the World Coronation Series and reached the Masters’ eighth tournament, where Cynthia finally had the long-awaited battle with Ash.

While Ash emerged victorious, their battle was so thrilling that it encouraged Cynthia not to retreat, as she had originally planned to do. This also marks Cynthia as one of the top four trainers in the world, making her undoubtedly the one Strongest female trainer in the Pokemon Anime.