Best Eevee Trainers From The Pokemon Anime

2025 is the year of Eevee, but it’s not the only time Pokemon has celebrated one of its most iconic creatures. Eevee has been everywhere, often taking the right-hand side of Pikachu throughout the series as a secondary mascot. It has also made numerous anime appearances accompanied by quirky trainers who help them achieve their true potential.

With eight different Eeveelutions to choose from, it’s no wonder that this Pokemon has appeared so many times, either alone or with a trainer. It has also become somewhat of a tradition to give one of the female protagonists access to an Eevee at some point in their journey.

10

The Eevee Brothers

An Iconic First Appearance

One of the first major appearances of Eevee and its Eeveelutions is during the episode The Battling Eevee Brothers. These are a group of siblings who all have mastery over a single Eeveelution while also sporting similar hairstyles.

Their youngest brother, however, doesn’t want to Evolve his Eevee. Luckily, he gets a chance to prove that an Eevee doesn’t need to Evolve to become powerful as he takes on Team Rocket and wins. It’s an iconic episode with some of the most memorable Eevee trainers in the anime.

9

Sakura

A Reccuring Side Character

Side characters don’t usually come back in future episodes. Sakura from Johto is a special case. The first time we see her is with her sisters, who are all Kimono Eevee trainers; Sakura resonates with Misty due to their similar circumstances growing up.

Despite staying behind to train her Eevee, she eventually makes a comeback in the anime with her partner having Evolved into an Espeon. In Pokemon Chronicles, it is even revealed that she has been successfully taking on gym leaders throughout the region.

8

Ursula

Evolving Eevee For Contest Points

Ursula is one of Dawn’s rivals in the Diamond and Pearl series. Aside from constantly heckling both Dawn and Jessie during their contest bouts, she also has plenty of Pokemon that work well in pairs, such as her trusty Plusle and Minun.

Two of the other Pokemon pairs in her possession are Eevees. Ursula Evolves them both during the middle of a performance using stones. This gives her both a Vaporeon and a Flareon to work with on the spot. She uses this technique to advance throughout the competition.

7

Gary

Ash’s Rival Gets An Eevee

Gary is the anime’s counterpart to Blue, and during Ash’s adventure in the Orange Islands, he obtains an Eevee of his own. Of course, the Eevee manages to stomp Ash’s Pikachu in a one-on-one battle, but it isn’t the only series where it shows up.

It shows up again in Diamond and Pearl, but this time, it has evolved into an Umbreon. From here on out, Umbreon becomes one of Gary’s signature Pokemon, even carrying over to Pokemon Journeys during the hunt for Mew.

6

May

May Starts A Trend

May is a trendsetter when it comes to Ash’s numerous companions over the years. Not only did her character give Ash’s female companions a goal of their own to work towards, but unlike Misty, May started off as a complete novice. Throughout her journey to collect Contest Ribbons, she meets many Pokemon that assist her, including an Eevee that hatches from an egg.

This Pokemon becomes part of May’s core team. After parting ways with Ash, her travels eventually take her to Sinnoh, where the Eevee evolves into a Glaceon.

5

Lana

A Capture Through Friendship

The Pokemon anime proves that you don’t need to battle to catch a Pokemon. If you get a close enough bond, the Pokemon will just join you. When a stray Eevee ends up wandering Alola, lost and confused, Lana manages to defend it from Team Skull.

Seeing how good of a trainer she is, the Eevee decides it wants to be on her team. It is then given the nickname Sandy and remains with Lana throughout the rest of the series. It even has a funky little human haircut.

4

Serena

Curing Stage Fright

Serena and her Eevee have one of the most compelling dynamics of any Eevee trainer. Serena wants to become the greatest Pokemon Performer in Kalos, yet one of her Pokemon is an Eevee with stage fright. This Eevee has an arc of its own as it learns to be less scared of performances through the power of love.

Eventually, Serena’s Eevee evolves into a Sylveon as proof that it has turned the page on its stage fright. It then becomes one of Serena’s best Pokemon as she takes on different performances across the region.

3

Chloe

When Eevee Steals The Show

Chloe appears in Pokemon Journeys as a character disinterested in Pokemon. While never really growing much throughout the series, she has one of the most interesting Eevees that often steals the spotlight from her.

This Eevee doesn’t seem to want to evolve but rather takes inspiration from the many other Eevee trainers it forces Chloe to encounter. It is often seen using Moves from its other Evolutions and is more akin to the Eevee seen in Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee.

2

Risa

Learning To Catch Wild Pokemon

Pokemon: The Power Of Us is one of the best Pokemon movies in terms of plot. It also manages to squeeze in an Eevee as Risa’s partner Pokemon. Risa’s initial goal is to find the elusive Pokemon for her brother. Instead, she is given phony directions to its hiding spot.

Turns out the Pokemon isn’t in the mountains, but with Ash’s help, she manages to catch an Eevee. However, this turn of events results in her forming a bond with her newfound companion, as she has never had much experience with Pokemon before.

1

Virgil

The Victor Of The Unova League

Pokemon Black and White gives Ash multiple rivals throughout the series. One of them is Virgil, who goes on to win the League with his team of Eevee. His story goes deeper than just an appreciation of Eevees. It was his first Eevee that evolved into an Umbreon just to save him from a dark forest.

Now, his entire team consists of every Eeveelution under the rainbow, minus Sylveon, who at the time, did not exist yet. Using their power, Virgil proved himself worthy as a champion of Unova.