>>55619482My metric is purely anecdotal, but nowadays when the subject comes up within the more insulated fanbase of people who have actually watched every series, Ash's relationship with Goh is brought up as the one upside to the apparent atrocity that PM2019 was. No other series hinged itself upon a relationship the way that series did, and with no other companions around (Koharu was not around), the sheer volume of Ash/Goh interactions blows every other friendship out of the water.
They just interact a lot more than Ash ever interacted with previous companions, even more than Dawn. There are people out there who'd assert that Ash and Goh WEREN'T close like that, but they probably skipped the show, right?