Despite being one of fans’ most beloved ships in Pokémon, Ash and Misty have proven not to be one of the series’ long-term couples. Over the years, the anime has presented the main hero with numerous companions. Of all the girls Ash has been friends with, though, none have been as close to a potential relationship as Serena.

Pokémon began airing in 1997 in Japan, with the English release following a year later. From the beginning, fans have had a number of ships they’ve cheered on. One of the original popular pairings in the Pokémon anime series was Ash and Misty, his long-time traveling companion. Considering the age of the characters (Ash is consistently said to be 10, in every season) and the age of the initial audience, it makes sense that there wouldn’t be any official relationships early on. However, after twenty-five years, there still haven’t been very many romantic developments for the series’ long-term hero, aside from one particular character: Serena.

Serena is Ash’s True Love in the Pokémon Anime, Not Misty

A few moments and songs from the series and associated films have implied that Misty has romantic feelings towards Ash. Misty’s feelings were teased in Pokémon the Movie 2000, and the episode Misty Meets Her Match! in Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, as well as in the songs “Misty’s Song” (Pokémon: 2.B.A. Master) and “He Drives Me Crazy” (Totally Pokémon), which are sung from Misty’s perspective and discuss the feelings she can’t openly share. However, these teases of romance were never fully developed, and many of the hints towards a romantic Ash and Misty relationship were added by the dub. Misty would eventually leave the show as a regular, to be replaced by other female leads like May, Dawn, Iris, and eventually, Serena, a new romantic “rival” of sorts from Pokémon XY, the sixth generation series. As such, fan ships are typically split into two groupings: PokéShipping (Ash and Misty) and AmourShipping (Ash and Serena).

Serena is unique among Ash’s female traveling companions in that it’s revealed she met Ash before the series, when the two were young children; he helped her at a summer camp after she injured herself. Throughout XY and XYZ, it is made very clear that Serena has a crush on him, to the extent that it was even discussed by other characters–including Serena’s romantic rival, Miette. While the two trainers have never had an official relationship, an implied kiss did occur when the XYZ seasons starring Serena ended and the two said goodbye to one another. That gives her a leg up on Misty, who never had any such kiss with Ash.

No Romance for Ash Ketchum

Despite these teases and many other potential romantic interests along the way (Melody in Pokémon the Movie 2000, Latias/Bianca in Pokémon Heroes, Miette in Pokémon XY/XYZ), Ash has not disclosed any romantic feelings for any of his companions. It is well-known that he values his companions, as well as the time he has spent with them. Ash has sometimes expressed that he misses them or carries reminders of them with him, such as Misty’s fishing lure. It’s fair to point out, though, that Ash also has a fishing lure from Cilan, another former traveling companion with whom he had no romantic connection.

When it was announced that Ash Ketchum would be leaving the series, many fans hoped that a romance would finally be established for Ash. Those hopes became even stronger once it was clear that Misty and Ash would reunite for Ash’s final 13 episodes, offering a chance to provide a capstone to their relationship. However, the series once again ignored Ash and Misty’s potential romance; their interactions in these final episodes were no more romantic than most of their interactions in early episodes, and Misty played a relatively small role in the finale. Even their final goodbye was disappointingly casual, finally putting the last nail in the coffin for a canonical Ash and Misty romance. Serena herself saw a final return appearance late in Pokémon Journeys as well, but in that episode she and Ash only see each other momentarily, and don’t get the chance to speak, leaving their potential romance unresolved as well.

Serena may not be as prominent as Misty in the Pokémon franchise as a whole, but she has been the girl in Pokémon who has come closest to declaring her feelings for Ash, and even took a step further in revealing them, which gives her more claim to the title than Misty.