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I thought this would be a fun thread and I couldn't find anything like it from before. Basically each main character of the anime (traveling companions, main rivals, etc), who is their signature Pokemon. What I mean by signature Pokemon is basically the Pokemon you think of when you think of that character, the one you couldn't imagine them without, their most reliable partner. I think it is important that this has a combination of strong relationship and a lot of success together at whatever that individual's goal is.
Some are pretty obvious, but others may be a little more surprising, and of course we all will have our own opinions. I'm going to do a "runner up" too, which is sometimes actually the more difficult choice, but is also fun to do. I am not doing the SM series for three reasons: 1. because I'm not caught up, 2. because as you will see below, some of these you wouldn't really know by 40-50 episodes yet anyway, 3. because a lot of the SM choices would be pretty obvious as of now anyway. I wrote a lot about this because I found this a lot of fun, but I bolded my choices so you can just skim the explanations unless you totally disagree (which I expect a lot of)/agree and want to see what I had to say.
I added the poll for James because it was the most difficult one for me to decide on.
Ash - Oshawott: They are both over confident, under skilled, annoying, stup......Wait sorry, obviously this is Pikachu, not a whole lot to say about this one, they have been together since day one, have great camaraderie, similar personalities, and great development.
Runner up - Greninja: This was actually a somewhat difficult choice, because every series Ash has some great bonds with certain Pokemon (Infernape among many others would be good choices), but the Pokemon who literally transformed partially into him breaks the tie to be the runner up here.
Misty - Psyduck: I feel almost bad about this choice, but I think it has to be Psyduck. Sure for some periods of time you could say Staryu, Politoed, or even Corsola, but through it all Psyduck is always there putting itself into battles and getting itself into trouble. I didn't want to pick Togepi because it didn't actually participate in battles and even though she must have had a strong enough bond with her Gyarados to mega evolve it, she caught it after her main time in the show and it was seen on only a small amount of occasions. Misty's relationship with Psyduck was hilarious, but she also was shown to really care for it and on several occasions it was shown to be very strong (when it had the proper headache).
Runner up - Politoed: Okay I doubt a lot of people agree with this one, but I feel like for the Johto saga Poliwhirl was Misty's go-to Pokemon for battling, various competitions, and she absolutely loved/fawned over it. Once it evolved it became a bit of a joke tool, but they still had a great relationship and was shown to be very strong.
Brock - Croagunk: Remember these are opinions, and I'm sure this one will get some grief, but over Brock's long span of journey I think his relationship with Croagunk/the development both got together exceeded that of Onix (Steelix), who would seem like the easier choice here. It also helps that Croagunk kicked butt in battle, and even the Poketch guy was shocked by how great their relationship was. Croagunk was a hilarious Pokemon without having to be goofy, and it had a very strong bond with Brock. Sure it jabbed him every once in a while (I mean come on, he needed it), but it was also shown to really care about Brock when it came down to it, and even saved him on several instances. Onix really didn't have the success in battle early in the series, and it was given away and evolved by Brock's brother, Forrest. I know if we all think about Brock, we're probably going to think Onix, but that is due to the influence of game Brock. If I think about anime Brock, I more associate him with Croagunk.
Runner up - Steelix: Of course this is Brock's first Pokemon, and having the bond to mega evolve it proves they have a great bond. I assume most people will pick this as their first choice, so I had to include it here, even if I wish I could have picked Vulpix.
Jessie - Wobbuffet: This was fairly easy choice for me. Their relationship is pretty hilarious, but at the same time its a very strong bond. Wobbuffet is the perfect counter for Jessie's aggressive personality, being quite the opposite as a Pokemon. Having been together so long, it is easy to associate them with one another. Wobbuffet has also been shown to be strong in battle when used, and has helped Jessie as a coordinator and performer as well.
Runner up - Seviper: This was a very tough choice between Arbok and Seviper, but I went with Seviper because it was around for longer and was able to participate in contests as well as battles. Although Wobbuffet's calm personality meshes well with Jessie as an opposite, Seviper's aggressive personality is a perfect match. The two went through a lot together and had a lot of bonding development. They were a formidable team, even if they did lose a lot.
James - Weezing: This may have been the most difficult choice yet. James has been shown to have a strong relationship with all of his Pokemon, so it was more about the "image" of what Pokemon I would think of first when I think of James. Of course that goes back to his first Pokemon, Koffing/Weezing. Weezing was always James' first choice in battle during the OS and was shown to be a good friend to him as well.
Runner up - Victreebel: I know I just went 100% Gen 1 here, but really when we see Cacnea and Carnivine they are just extensions of Victreebel. I didn't want to choose Mime Jr or Chimecho, because to be a signature Pokemon, it really has to be a Pokemon you are willing to use in battle, and James really babied these two. Victreebel was a powerful Pokemon that had strong affection for James (or just wanted to eat him, they left that a bit ambiguous), and although he didn't battle with it a lot at first, he began to use it a lot more as time went on. James was shown later in the series to miss Victreebel and remember it after it was traded (which he was very reluctant to do). It was really his first grass type love (although technically he had Carnivine first) and so for that I have to choose it as runner up. I wanted to pick Cacnea because of how touching the episode where he gave it up was, but they really didn't have enough moments like that throughout, and James really hardly used it after Hoenn. Again James is a tough one to pick because of his affection towards all of his Pokemon, so I kind of feel like Victreebel is just a symbol for all his grass types.
Note on the poll: I wanted to put all his Pokemon in so as to not make your choice for you, but honestly even Magikarp or Hoppip could be legit answers if you think of James as such a loser that those Pokemon being with him for such a short time symbolize his journey (I am not of this way of thinking, but I realize some may feel this way). I also included Meowth, and even considered Meowth, because they are such great friends and have a better relationship (in my opinion) than Jessie and Meowth, but at the end of the day, Meowth is very much not anyone's Pokemon. Growlie could be a pretty solid choice too, but was seen so little in the anime that it is hard to really make it his signature Pokemon.
Gary - Umbreon: I know I should choose Blastoise, but remember we didn't even know Gary had Blastoise until the Silver conference. At least from the viewers perspective (we weren't privy to most of his journey), Umbreon was the Pokemon seen with Gary most frequently after its debut as an Eevee, being used frequently throughout Johto and even making its way with him to be used often in Sinnoh. They clearly had a great bond, which is even further proven through the friendship evolution (that is rarely included as a accident) and Umbreon was shown to be very tough. Some even thought it may have been Gary's starter when it beat Pikachu at the end of OI. I have to admit this was a very close choice, and the fact that Umbreon wasn't used in Ash and Gary's 6v6 combined with the fact that he didn't have it in Kanto hurt, but by a hair I have to choose Umbreon because it is the Pokemon I associate Gary with the most.
Runner up - Blastoise: Explained most of this above, strong starter Pokemon, epic final battle against Ash, not a ton of screen time as a whole though.
Tracey - Marill: Tracey never got a whole lot of love (and still doesn't...) so he didn't get a lot of development with his Pokemon. That being said, he used Marill more than any of this other Pokemon through OI and it was seen nearly every time he appeared in Chronicles. If I think of Tracey, the first Pokemon I think of is Marill. Marill was shown to be helpful to Tracey as a Pokemon watcher because of its astute sense of hearing, and it was used by him semi-frequently in battle (although only to use water gun). It also is likely the parent of Misty's Azurill.
Runner up - Scyther: I know Venonat makes more sense as it was more helpful to Tracey as a watcher, but Tracey was actually shown to have a pretty neat relationship with this Scyther. Scyther was also Tracey's strongest battler (even though it struggled with endurance).
May - Beautifly: I realize its easy to pick starters, and for most people that really does wind up being their signature Pokemon, but for May its a little different. May didn't know what she wanted to do on her journey, and was inspired to become a coordinator after watching (and helping in a contest) with a Beautifly. She immediately fell in love with the Pokemon, which began what has become a shockingly rare event in the anime, she actually set off with the goal of catching a certain type of Pokemon, instead of just catching what she sees/waiting for the Pokemon to choose her. Beautifly was easily her contest ace throughout the beginning of her journey, and although it did not accompany her to Kanto, it did return with an awesome battle in the Wallace Cup. She had a strong relationship with her Beautifly and some of her most iconic battles were with it by her side.
Runner up - Combusken: Yeah, duh this Pokemon evolved into Blaziken, but really think back in your mind of how many memories you have of May and her Blaziken. After the poor Pokemon was somewhat neglected(Max even mentioned this once) as a Torchic, Combusken evolved and became a terrific performer for May's team. Combusken became her go-to in contests as well as regular battles and their relationship really deepened and became strong throughout the series. Obviously this Pokemon is a Blaziken now, but if I think of May I am a lot more likely to think of Combusken.
Dawn - Piplup: Well that was pretty easy. Dawn's relationship with Piplup was really the first to rival Ash and Pikachu, with Dawn favoring Piplup in the majority of situations and even allowing Piplup to stay outside its Pokeball for a majority of the journey. Piplup was a very strong performer for Dawn and also proved to be a much better battler than one would assume a Piplup could be. They had a very great bond and honestly seemed to be more equals than maybe any other Trainer/Pokemon relationship we see, other than maybe Ash and Pikachu.
Runner up - Buneary: This was a tough choice, because with Dawn spending so much of her development with Piplup, most of her other Pokemon had strong bonds with her, but really didn't stand out from one another. I chose Buneary because she used her in a lot of contests and battles, but also because they had a lot of personality similarities, like a love for fashion that led Dawn to pursue other interests like Poke Chic. Also, Dawn clearly really really wanted a Buneary, because she tried to catch 2 other ones before she finally wound up with this one. Still this "runner up" is probably the least close of any of the above, because really when you think of Dawn you think "Dawn and Piplup".
Paul - Electivire: This is obviously for the portion of Paul's journey we saw in the anime, so it really would be like taking DP Ash and saying Infernape. We don't really know how the other legs of Paul's journey went, but it seems pretty clear that Elekid was fairly new to his team when he came back to challenge the Sinnoh gyms. Electivire was shown to have a very similar personality to Paul and really responded to his style of training. It was an extremely strong, no-nonsense Pokemon, but it also was shown to eventually gain respect for opponents such as Pikachu and Infernape, just like Paul did for Ash. I think it was the perfect match for Paul and a fairly easy choice for this spot.
Runner up - Torterra: Paul's original starter was clearly the strongest Torterra we were ever shown in the anime... This Pokemon was shown to have a strong bond with Paul and was terrific in battle. We didn't see as much development because it was already a super strong, fully-evolved Pokemon by Sinnoh, but it is clearly one of Paul's aces and a Pokemon heavily associated with him.
Iris - Axew: Fairly easy choice, they have a very strong association. The only issue here is that Axew was not a particularly strong battler, which made the choice a bit tougher. Axew was shown to mature a lot during the series and improve in its battling. Their relationship is obviously quite strong, and it is hard to think of Iris without thinking about Axew.
Runner up - Dragonite: Clearly her strongest battler, but their relationship left something to be desired (although really all her Pokemon relationships - people too for that matter - were a bit rocky). Excadrill was her longest companion, but I didn't choose it here because of the fact that it isn't a dragon type and that they didn't get a long for such a long period of time. Dragonite fits Iris' fiery persona and is a very strong dragon type for a girl striving to become a dragon master. It may have even been her signature Pokemon had they spent more time together.
Cilan - Pansage: Sensing a boring trend, BW was the most predictable. Well Cilan didn't have a lot of Pokemon, but Pansage was the perfect fit for him. Their personalities meshed perfectly, and Pansage was obviously Cilan's favorite to use in competitions or battles.
Runner up - Crustle: I want to pick Stunfisk because its a humorous Pokemon, but Crustle was really Cilan's second most reliable Pokemon. Neither Crustle or Stunfisk got much development, or were even particularly close to the top spot, so not a lot to say here.
Clemont - Luxray: Easily Clemont's best battler they also shared a strong relationship. It was really cool that Clemont knew this Shinx before the journey and that they were able to meet again and become such great partners. Being a part of the final round of Ash's gym battle really adds to the iconic "signature Pokemon" theme for Luxray. Although it was too often relegated to a swift machine, when Clemont was seriously battling, he and Luxray had a great connection and good results.
Runner up - Bunnelby: I think most people would associate Clemont with Heliolisk, but that is really due to the games. They weren't given much development time in the show, but on the contrary Clemont and Bunnelby had a lot of great development. Bunnelby's personality was a great fit with Clemont, as it was shown as a responsible helper just like Clemont was. In battle it was no slouch either (clearly had the huge power ability) and it learning wild charge was a big deal to me as it gave it an electric type move to match Clemont's specialty. Being a part of the initial and final battle of the XY series almost made me pick Bunnelby for the top spot, but not being an electric type for an electric type gym leader really hurt.
Bonnie - Dedenne: I get its not her Pokemon, but she spent all her time taking care of Dedenne, even battling with it some. Its hard to imagine Bonnie without Dedenne on her shoulder. They had a great relationship and were shown to both be similarly immature at times but very sweet.
Runner up - Squishy: Again, even less her Pokemon, but they still had a tremendous bond, and even though I kept thinking the entire time, "holy crap little girl this is a freaking legendary, you have got to be annoying the hell out of it treating it like a baby" obviously as we found out later Zygarde really appreciated their relationship and was very fond of Bonnie. It would be cool to see them together again someday, but I don't imagine it will happen.
PS: I know I didn't do Max, but Max never spent more than an episode or two/movie with any Pokemon he had a strong relationship with, and it wasn't apparent he would really encounter any of these Pokemon again besides Ralts. Even so, I would probably have picked May's Munchlax as the Pokemon I associated him with the most as they had a great relationship.
Serena - Braixen: Serena's first Pokemon and top performer, they were shown to have a very strong bond and similar personalities. Although I preferred it as a Fennekin personally, I think it was obvious that upon evolution their bond grew even deeper. They really synched well together during performances, and they both also enjoyed style and other Kalos Queen type qualities, like cooking, etc. Beyond just performances, Braixen was a formidable battler and was typically Serena's top choice for battles.
Runner up - Sylveon: Sorry Pancham, but this Pokemon was made for Serena. Although they only had a short time together, their relationship was very strong. Eevee was shown to have a great love for performing off the bat, although it was a bit shy, somewhat mirroring Serena's early lack of confidence. It was only able to evolve into Sylveon through the immense love and care it got from Serena (clever way to show the affection evolution, btw) and was a perfect fit for performances and just Serena in general (so much so that pretty much everyone assumed Serena was going to get a Sylveon even before she got Eevee). Its too bad they didn't have more time together, or maybe it would have had a chance to get the top spot, but all in all they were a perfect pair, but still wind up behind Braixen.
Lightning Round: Other rivals/characters that are more obvious so don't get an explanation or the character just wasn't important enough for me to go into the detail I did above and anyone I skipped is much more likely because I didn't think they had a big enough impact than it is that I forgot about them (like Non-Ash Unova rivals, some boring Kalos rivals, etc.) (1. obviously means signature Pokemon, 2 means runner up - and for some of these, they don't even really have a runner up):
Ritchie: 1. Sparky 2. Zippo
Cassidy: 1. Raticate 2. Houndour
Butch: 1. Hitmontop 2. Mightyena
Harrison: 1. Blaziken 2. Houndoom (note on Harrison, I always thought it was so cool that we were first introduced with him and his Houndoom which totally seemed like his strongest Pokemon, only to find out he had an even stronger Pokemon).
Drew: 1. Roselia (yes I know it evolved) 2. Masquerain
Harley: 1. Cacturne 2. Ariados
Morrison: 1. Metang 2. Gligar
Tyson: 1. Meowth 2. Metagross
Zoey: 1. Glameow 2. Mismagius
Nando: 1. Kricketune 2. Roserade
Kenny: 1. Prinplup/Empoleon
Conway: 1. Slowking 2. Dusknoir (only because I associate him with this Pokemon because of Ghoul Daze and then he wound up catching one after that)
Barry: 1. Empoleon 2. Heracross
Ursula: 1. Gabite 2/3. Plusle and Minun
Lyra: 1. Marill 2. Chikorita
Trip: 1. Serperior
Stephan: 1. Sawk 2. Zebstrika
Cameron: 1. Riolu/Lucario 2. Samurott
Tierno: 1. Blastoise 2. Ludicolo
Shauna: 1. Ivysaur 2. Flabebe
Miette: 1. Slurpuff
Sawyer: 1. Sceptile 2. Aegislash
Alain: 1. Mega Charizard X
Mairin: 1. Chespin
Some are pretty obvious, but others may be a little more surprising, and of course we all will have our own opinions. I'm going to do a "runner up" too, which is sometimes actually the more difficult choice, but is also fun to do. I am not doing the SM series for three reasons: 1. because I'm not caught up, 2. because as you will see below, some of these you wouldn't really know by 40-50 episodes yet anyway, 3. because a lot of the SM choices would be pretty obvious as of now anyway. I wrote a lot about this because I found this a lot of fun, but I bolded my choices so you can just skim the explanations unless you totally disagree (which I expect a lot of)/agree and want to see what I had to say.
I added the poll for James because it was the most difficult one for me to decide on.
Ash - Oshawott: They are both over confident, under skilled, annoying, stup......Wait sorry, obviously this is Pikachu, not a whole lot to say about this one, they have been together since day one, have great camaraderie, similar personalities, and great development.
Runner up - Greninja: This was actually a somewhat difficult choice, because every series Ash has some great bonds with certain Pokemon (Infernape among many others would be good choices), but the Pokemon who literally transformed partially into him breaks the tie to be the runner up here.
Misty - Psyduck: I feel almost bad about this choice, but I think it has to be Psyduck. Sure for some periods of time you could say Staryu, Politoed, or even Corsola, but through it all Psyduck is always there putting itself into battles and getting itself into trouble. I didn't want to pick Togepi because it didn't actually participate in battles and even though she must have had a strong enough bond with her Gyarados to mega evolve it, she caught it after her main time in the show and it was seen on only a small amount of occasions. Misty's relationship with Psyduck was hilarious, but she also was shown to really care for it and on several occasions it was shown to be very strong (when it had the proper headache).
Runner up - Politoed: Okay I doubt a lot of people agree with this one, but I feel like for the Johto saga Poliwhirl was Misty's go-to Pokemon for battling, various competitions, and she absolutely loved/fawned over it. Once it evolved it became a bit of a joke tool, but they still had a great relationship and was shown to be very strong.
Brock - Croagunk: Remember these are opinions, and I'm sure this one will get some grief, but over Brock's long span of journey I think his relationship with Croagunk/the development both got together exceeded that of Onix (Steelix), who would seem like the easier choice here. It also helps that Croagunk kicked butt in battle, and even the Poketch guy was shocked by how great their relationship was. Croagunk was a hilarious Pokemon without having to be goofy, and it had a very strong bond with Brock. Sure it jabbed him every once in a while (I mean come on, he needed it), but it was also shown to really care about Brock when it came down to it, and even saved him on several instances. Onix really didn't have the success in battle early in the series, and it was given away and evolved by Brock's brother, Forrest. I know if we all think about Brock, we're probably going to think Onix, but that is due to the influence of game Brock. If I think about anime Brock, I more associate him with Croagunk.
Runner up - Steelix: Of course this is Brock's first Pokemon, and having the bond to mega evolve it proves they have a great bond. I assume most people will pick this as their first choice, so I had to include it here, even if I wish I could have picked Vulpix.
Jessie - Wobbuffet: This was fairly easy choice for me. Their relationship is pretty hilarious, but at the same time its a very strong bond. Wobbuffet is the perfect counter for Jessie's aggressive personality, being quite the opposite as a Pokemon. Having been together so long, it is easy to associate them with one another. Wobbuffet has also been shown to be strong in battle when used, and has helped Jessie as a coordinator and performer as well.
Runner up - Seviper: This was a very tough choice between Arbok and Seviper, but I went with Seviper because it was around for longer and was able to participate in contests as well as battles. Although Wobbuffet's calm personality meshes well with Jessie as an opposite, Seviper's aggressive personality is a perfect match. The two went through a lot together and had a lot of bonding development. They were a formidable team, even if they did lose a lot.
James - Weezing: This may have been the most difficult choice yet. James has been shown to have a strong relationship with all of his Pokemon, so it was more about the "image" of what Pokemon I would think of first when I think of James. Of course that goes back to his first Pokemon, Koffing/Weezing. Weezing was always James' first choice in battle during the OS and was shown to be a good friend to him as well.
Runner up - Victreebel: I know I just went 100% Gen 1 here, but really when we see Cacnea and Carnivine they are just extensions of Victreebel. I didn't want to choose Mime Jr or Chimecho, because to be a signature Pokemon, it really has to be a Pokemon you are willing to use in battle, and James really babied these two. Victreebel was a powerful Pokemon that had strong affection for James (or just wanted to eat him, they left that a bit ambiguous), and although he didn't battle with it a lot at first, he began to use it a lot more as time went on. James was shown later in the series to miss Victreebel and remember it after it was traded (which he was very reluctant to do). It was really his first grass type love (although technically he had Carnivine first) and so for that I have to choose it as runner up. I wanted to pick Cacnea because of how touching the episode where he gave it up was, but they really didn't have enough moments like that throughout, and James really hardly used it after Hoenn. Again James is a tough one to pick because of his affection towards all of his Pokemon, so I kind of feel like Victreebel is just a symbol for all his grass types.
Note on the poll: I wanted to put all his Pokemon in so as to not make your choice for you, but honestly even Magikarp or Hoppip could be legit answers if you think of James as such a loser that those Pokemon being with him for such a short time symbolize his journey (I am not of this way of thinking, but I realize some may feel this way). I also included Meowth, and even considered Meowth, because they are such great friends and have a better relationship (in my opinion) than Jessie and Meowth, but at the end of the day, Meowth is very much not anyone's Pokemon. Growlie could be a pretty solid choice too, but was seen so little in the anime that it is hard to really make it his signature Pokemon.
Gary - Umbreon: I know I should choose Blastoise, but remember we didn't even know Gary had Blastoise until the Silver conference. At least from the viewers perspective (we weren't privy to most of his journey), Umbreon was the Pokemon seen with Gary most frequently after its debut as an Eevee, being used frequently throughout Johto and even making its way with him to be used often in Sinnoh. They clearly had a great bond, which is even further proven through the friendship evolution (that is rarely included as a accident) and Umbreon was shown to be very tough. Some even thought it may have been Gary's starter when it beat Pikachu at the end of OI. I have to admit this was a very close choice, and the fact that Umbreon wasn't used in Ash and Gary's 6v6 combined with the fact that he didn't have it in Kanto hurt, but by a hair I have to choose Umbreon because it is the Pokemon I associate Gary with the most.
Runner up - Blastoise: Explained most of this above, strong starter Pokemon, epic final battle against Ash, not a ton of screen time as a whole though.
Tracey - Marill: Tracey never got a whole lot of love (and still doesn't...) so he didn't get a lot of development with his Pokemon. That being said, he used Marill more than any of this other Pokemon through OI and it was seen nearly every time he appeared in Chronicles. If I think of Tracey, the first Pokemon I think of is Marill. Marill was shown to be helpful to Tracey as a Pokemon watcher because of its astute sense of hearing, and it was used by him semi-frequently in battle (although only to use water gun). It also is likely the parent of Misty's Azurill.
Runner up - Scyther: I know Venonat makes more sense as it was more helpful to Tracey as a watcher, but Tracey was actually shown to have a pretty neat relationship with this Scyther. Scyther was also Tracey's strongest battler (even though it struggled with endurance).
May - Beautifly: I realize its easy to pick starters, and for most people that really does wind up being their signature Pokemon, but for May its a little different. May didn't know what she wanted to do on her journey, and was inspired to become a coordinator after watching (and helping in a contest) with a Beautifly. She immediately fell in love with the Pokemon, which began what has become a shockingly rare event in the anime, she actually set off with the goal of catching a certain type of Pokemon, instead of just catching what she sees/waiting for the Pokemon to choose her. Beautifly was easily her contest ace throughout the beginning of her journey, and although it did not accompany her to Kanto, it did return with an awesome battle in the Wallace Cup. She had a strong relationship with her Beautifly and some of her most iconic battles were with it by her side.
Runner up - Combusken: Yeah, duh this Pokemon evolved into Blaziken, but really think back in your mind of how many memories you have of May and her Blaziken. After the poor Pokemon was somewhat neglected(Max even mentioned this once) as a Torchic, Combusken evolved and became a terrific performer for May's team. Combusken became her go-to in contests as well as regular battles and their relationship really deepened and became strong throughout the series. Obviously this Pokemon is a Blaziken now, but if I think of May I am a lot more likely to think of Combusken.
Dawn - Piplup: Well that was pretty easy. Dawn's relationship with Piplup was really the first to rival Ash and Pikachu, with Dawn favoring Piplup in the majority of situations and even allowing Piplup to stay outside its Pokeball for a majority of the journey. Piplup was a very strong performer for Dawn and also proved to be a much better battler than one would assume a Piplup could be. They had a very great bond and honestly seemed to be more equals than maybe any other Trainer/Pokemon relationship we see, other than maybe Ash and Pikachu.
Runner up - Buneary: This was a tough choice, because with Dawn spending so much of her development with Piplup, most of her other Pokemon had strong bonds with her, but really didn't stand out from one another. I chose Buneary because she used her in a lot of contests and battles, but also because they had a lot of personality similarities, like a love for fashion that led Dawn to pursue other interests like Poke Chic. Also, Dawn clearly really really wanted a Buneary, because she tried to catch 2 other ones before she finally wound up with this one. Still this "runner up" is probably the least close of any of the above, because really when you think of Dawn you think "Dawn and Piplup".
Paul - Electivire: This is obviously for the portion of Paul's journey we saw in the anime, so it really would be like taking DP Ash and saying Infernape. We don't really know how the other legs of Paul's journey went, but it seems pretty clear that Elekid was fairly new to his team when he came back to challenge the Sinnoh gyms. Electivire was shown to have a very similar personality to Paul and really responded to his style of training. It was an extremely strong, no-nonsense Pokemon, but it also was shown to eventually gain respect for opponents such as Pikachu and Infernape, just like Paul did for Ash. I think it was the perfect match for Paul and a fairly easy choice for this spot.
Runner up - Torterra: Paul's original starter was clearly the strongest Torterra we were ever shown in the anime... This Pokemon was shown to have a strong bond with Paul and was terrific in battle. We didn't see as much development because it was already a super strong, fully-evolved Pokemon by Sinnoh, but it is clearly one of Paul's aces and a Pokemon heavily associated with him.
Iris - Axew: Fairly easy choice, they have a very strong association. The only issue here is that Axew was not a particularly strong battler, which made the choice a bit tougher. Axew was shown to mature a lot during the series and improve in its battling. Their relationship is obviously quite strong, and it is hard to think of Iris without thinking about Axew.
Runner up - Dragonite: Clearly her strongest battler, but their relationship left something to be desired (although really all her Pokemon relationships - people too for that matter - were a bit rocky). Excadrill was her longest companion, but I didn't choose it here because of the fact that it isn't a dragon type and that they didn't get a long for such a long period of time. Dragonite fits Iris' fiery persona and is a very strong dragon type for a girl striving to become a dragon master. It may have even been her signature Pokemon had they spent more time together.
Cilan - Pansage: Sensing a boring trend, BW was the most predictable. Well Cilan didn't have a lot of Pokemon, but Pansage was the perfect fit for him. Their personalities meshed perfectly, and Pansage was obviously Cilan's favorite to use in competitions or battles.
Runner up - Crustle: I want to pick Stunfisk because its a humorous Pokemon, but Crustle was really Cilan's second most reliable Pokemon. Neither Crustle or Stunfisk got much development, or were even particularly close to the top spot, so not a lot to say here.
Clemont - Luxray: Easily Clemont's best battler they also shared a strong relationship. It was really cool that Clemont knew this Shinx before the journey and that they were able to meet again and become such great partners. Being a part of the final round of Ash's gym battle really adds to the iconic "signature Pokemon" theme for Luxray. Although it was too often relegated to a swift machine, when Clemont was seriously battling, he and Luxray had a great connection and good results.
Runner up - Bunnelby: I think most people would associate Clemont with Heliolisk, but that is really due to the games. They weren't given much development time in the show, but on the contrary Clemont and Bunnelby had a lot of great development. Bunnelby's personality was a great fit with Clemont, as it was shown as a responsible helper just like Clemont was. In battle it was no slouch either (clearly had the huge power ability) and it learning wild charge was a big deal to me as it gave it an electric type move to match Clemont's specialty. Being a part of the initial and final battle of the XY series almost made me pick Bunnelby for the top spot, but not being an electric type for an electric type gym leader really hurt.
Bonnie - Dedenne: I get its not her Pokemon, but she spent all her time taking care of Dedenne, even battling with it some. Its hard to imagine Bonnie without Dedenne on her shoulder. They had a great relationship and were shown to both be similarly immature at times but very sweet.
Runner up - Squishy: Again, even less her Pokemon, but they still had a tremendous bond, and even though I kept thinking the entire time, "holy crap little girl this is a freaking legendary, you have got to be annoying the hell out of it treating it like a baby" obviously as we found out later Zygarde really appreciated their relationship and was very fond of Bonnie. It would be cool to see them together again someday, but I don't imagine it will happen.
PS: I know I didn't do Max, but Max never spent more than an episode or two/movie with any Pokemon he had a strong relationship with, and it wasn't apparent he would really encounter any of these Pokemon again besides Ralts. Even so, I would probably have picked May's Munchlax as the Pokemon I associated him with the most as they had a great relationship.
Serena - Braixen: Serena's first Pokemon and top performer, they were shown to have a very strong bond and similar personalities. Although I preferred it as a Fennekin personally, I think it was obvious that upon evolution their bond grew even deeper. They really synched well together during performances, and they both also enjoyed style and other Kalos Queen type qualities, like cooking, etc. Beyond just performances, Braixen was a formidable battler and was typically Serena's top choice for battles.
Runner up - Sylveon: Sorry Pancham, but this Pokemon was made for Serena. Although they only had a short time together, their relationship was very strong. Eevee was shown to have a great love for performing off the bat, although it was a bit shy, somewhat mirroring Serena's early lack of confidence. It was only able to evolve into Sylveon through the immense love and care it got from Serena (clever way to show the affection evolution, btw) and was a perfect fit for performances and just Serena in general (so much so that pretty much everyone assumed Serena was going to get a Sylveon even before she got Eevee). Its too bad they didn't have more time together, or maybe it would have had a chance to get the top spot, but all in all they were a perfect pair, but still wind up behind Braixen.
Lightning Round: Other rivals/characters that are more obvious so don't get an explanation or the character just wasn't important enough for me to go into the detail I did above and anyone I skipped is much more likely because I didn't think they had a big enough impact than it is that I forgot about them (like Non-Ash Unova rivals, some boring Kalos rivals, etc.) (1. obviously means signature Pokemon, 2 means runner up - and for some of these, they don't even really have a runner up):
Ritchie: 1. Sparky 2. Zippo
Cassidy: 1. Raticate 2. Houndour
Butch: 1. Hitmontop 2. Mightyena
Harrison: 1. Blaziken 2. Houndoom (note on Harrison, I always thought it was so cool that we were first introduced with him and his Houndoom which totally seemed like his strongest Pokemon, only to find out he had an even stronger Pokemon).
Drew: 1. Roselia (yes I know it evolved) 2. Masquerain
Harley: 1. Cacturne 2. Ariados
Morrison: 1. Metang 2. Gligar
Tyson: 1. Meowth 2. Metagross
Zoey: 1. Glameow 2. Mismagius
Nando: 1. Kricketune 2. Roserade
Kenny: 1. Prinplup/Empoleon
Conway: 1. Slowking 2. Dusknoir (only because I associate him with this Pokemon because of Ghoul Daze and then he wound up catching one after that)
Barry: 1. Empoleon 2. Heracross
Ursula: 1. Gabite 2/3. Plusle and Minun
Lyra: 1. Marill 2. Chikorita
Trip: 1. Serperior
Stephan: 1. Sawk 2. Zebstrika
Cameron: 1. Riolu/Lucario 2. Samurott
Tierno: 1. Blastoise 2. Ludicolo
Shauna: 1. Ivysaur 2. Flabebe
Miette: 1. Slurpuff
Sawyer: 1. Sceptile 2. Aegislash
Alain: 1. Mega Charizard X
Mairin: 1. Chespin
