Ash isn't anything like Red, really. Blue and Gary, on the other hand, are fairly similar, though I think Blue was overall more serious than Gary and didn't bother with all that fan club stuff that Gary did. In the end the only reason Blue actually got to the E4 first was because Red stopped to fight Team Rocket. Red was more altruistic while Blue just wanted to get a Master Ball out of it.<br/><br/>In GSC, Red becomes a self-exile while Blue becomes a prominent gym leader and teacher. Red may have been the hero, but in the end it was Blue that learned from Red and turned his life around to help his fellow trainer. Red was selfish, squandering his talents out there on the mountain, not caring to clean up after himself (the Rocket remnants). Likewise, in the show, Gary eventually has a moment of self-realization and changes his attitude, becoming a pretty cool guy. Ash remains the naive klutz.<br/><br/>Addendum: Blue fights Red so often because Red is his only legitimate rival for strength. Back in RBY, Blue didn't really care about Rocket or anything other than making himself stronger. Ironically, this is what Red does after RBY.