Ash/Red
Anime
Pikachu Series
Pokemon Adventures
There are some similarities between Ash in the anime and in the manga, the most obvious being that he is always the main character. He's generally cheerful, friendly, and helpful, with a genuine enthusiasm for life which shows in just about everything he does. He also tends to be dense, incredibly stubborn, and not always a very good decision-maker. Ash, both in the anime and the manga, is accompanied by his two older friends, Misty and Brock, who keep him from getting himself killed. Red from Pokemon Adventures travels alone, and I'm surprised he's still alive. That may be because Red is a more competent pokemon trainer than Ash, and has more power at his fingertips. There are a few differences between the anime and the manga. In the anime, Ash's lifelong dream was to become a pokemon trainer -- he had to wait until he was 10 years old to start. Then he oversleeps, and has to take a Pikachu rather than the usual starter pokemon. That's when he meets Gary, who insults him, starting off a rivalry that lasts for pretty much the whole show. In the manga, however, Ash catches Pikachu in his house chewing on the electrical cables. On his way to taking it out into the countryside, he runs into Gary, who already has a trainer's license. Since Gary is going to be a pokemon trainer, Ash decides that he needs to be one as well in order to beat him, and takes Pikachu along as his first pokemon. At the end of the series, he winds up travelling with Gary, while in the anime, their rivalry still continues. In Pokemon Adventures, Red meets Blue in the forest while trying to capture what he thinks is 'a ghost pokemon'. Blue always seems to show up periodically during Red's journey, and like Gary, he seems to constantly be ahead of Red. Unlike Ash, however, Red makes a few attempts to actually become friends with Blue, even when he's being rebuffed. Since I haven't read the whole series yet, I don't know how things end up between these two.
Gary/Blue
Anime
Pikachu Series
Pokemon Adventures
Gary is also very similar in the anime and manga versions. He's always the main character's rival, always one step ahead and never lets anyone forget it. He's good-looking, competent, and egotistical. Let's just say Gary is an excellent trainer, and he knows it. He drives Ash absolutely wild; the boy throws a fit whenever his name is mentioned. In all three versions, he is the grandson of the famous researcher, Professor Oak, and that could be where he's acquired his extensive supply of knowledge. People just *assume* that Gary is good at what he does; he always has more pokemon than Ash does, and most of the time, they're better trained as well. In the anime, he and Ash didn't know each other before they meet in front of Professor Oak's laboratory, but the first thing Gary does is insult Ash, establishing a pattern that's followed through the whole show. The good thing that comes out of these infuriorating encounters with Gary is that Ash becomes motivated to do better in order to beat him. I haven't seen the whole series of course, but so far, they're still rivals. In the manga, though, Gary and Ash knew each other before it started. Gary gets his trainer's license and immediately goes to flaunt it in Ash's face. They run into each other a few times, then ultimately decide to travel together at the end of the series. Gary in the manga seems to be less insulting than Gary in the anime. He takes the time to congratulate Ash on his victory at one point during the Pokemon League matches. Also, he doesn't seem as egotistical -- he just has a low opinion of Ash's abilities. He is still a touch overconfident, though. In Pokemon Adventures, Blue is more unapproachable than he is insulting. Red has made numerous attempts to befriend him, but he remains aloof. The best word to describe Blue would be 'cold'. He insults Red, but doesn't lose his cool very often. It's difficult to imagine who would win in a pokemon battle between these two; they seem more evenly matched than Ash and Gary. Blue has also been noted as good-looking a couple of times in this series; girls seem to like him more than Red. He doesn't seem to notice or care, though.
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