Ash redirects here. For the item attached to Ho-Oh, see Sacred Ash. For the ash found at the foot of Mt. Chimney, see volcanic ash.

Ash Ketchum
サトシ Satoshi
Ash BW.png
Art from the Best Wishes series
Age 10 (as of BW001)
Gender Male
Eye color Brown
Hair color Black
Hometown Pallet Town
Region Kanto
Relatives Delia, Unknown father (EP002), Unknown grandfather (EP002) (Japanese only) (anime)
Mom (manga)
Trainer class Trainer
Game counterpart Red
Anime debut Pokémon - I Choose You!
English voice actor Veronica Taylor (EP001-AG145)
Sarah Natochenny (MoMP-present)
Japanese voice actor Rica Matsumoto

Ash Ketchum (Japanese: サトシ Satoshi) is the main character of both the Pokémon anime and The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, and is believed to be based on the protagonist of the first generation Pokémon games.

He shares his Japanese name—which can be taken to mean "wisdom" or "reason" (智)—with the creator of the Pokémon franchise, Satoshi Tajiri. His English surname is a pun of the original English motto, "Gotta catch 'em all!."

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

In the anime

Character

 
Ash Ketchum in the original series

Ash's main goal in life, as described in the first episode, is to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master. Ash began his journey at the age of 10 as a warm-hearted and well-intentioned but stubborn, rash and amateur Pokémon Trainer. He was forced to accept the cheeky Pikachu from Professor Oak as his starter Pokémon because he carelessly broke his alarm clock in his sleep and woke up late on the day he was set to get his first Pokémon. He was determined to achieve his goal, however, and when Pikachu saw that he was willing to compromise his own safety to keep it safe he formed a strong bond of friendship with Pikachu. This would set his course for the future.

File:Ash fleeing spearow.png
Ash trying to keep Pikachu safe

However, from that point, Ash still had a lot to learn about becoming a Trainer. The first Pokémon he caught, was caught by luck, as he knew absolutely nothing about battling, and was hesitant to admit it whenever he was wrong. Many of his first Gym Badges were given to him merely out of gratitude for his assistance rather than claiming an actual victory in battle over the Gym Leaders; of his first five Gym battles, only his victory over Lt. Surge was an actual victory. Every time he thought he was doing well, he would somehow cross paths with his childhood rival, Gary Oak. He always reminded Ash that he was always a step or seven behind, with Gary catching around forty-five Pokémon by the time Ash had only caught his seventh. This hampered matters further when, owing to his inexperience, his Charizard, one of his most powerful Pokémon, refused to listen to him until Ash could prove himself to the powerful Fire type.

Over time, Ash's dedication to his goal paid off. After earning his first eight Badges he went on to compete in the Indigo League, advancing to the fifth round - one further than Gary, and ending up in the top 16. After recovering from his defeat, he continued on to improve his skills; take on new challenges; and compete in more Pokémon League competitions - triumphing in the Orange League and the Battle Frontier.

Ash has changed a great deal over the course of the series, particularly in regards to his skill at Pokémon training, but his earnestness, rashness, and determination have remained. Never straying from his goal, he has remained loyal to his friends, his family, and his supporters, but most of all his Pokémon. Ash became a great Trainer by learning to find and use the inner strength of each of his Pokémon by bonding with them. For example, when he received a banner filled with prints from his Pokémon in The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing!, he knew which Pokémon placed specific prints, showing his close bond with them. He also learns where their hidden abilities lie, as well as resorting to unorthodox strategies when fighting particularly challenging opponents. For example, he uses his Pikachu's speed to outmaneuver larger foes and attack. In another instance, his Charizard defeated Gary's Blastoise by causing the field to overheat before mounting a close-quarters attack while Blastoise was blinded by the steam. He also prefers to train a Pokémon to be the best it can without forcing it to evolve, as evidenced by his treatment of Gligar in Fighting Fear With Fear!. He is happy when his Pokémon evolve but lets them choose whether or not they want to evolve instead of forcing them.

 
Ash using Aura inside the Tree of Beginning

Early on, Ash originally trained not to further himself but instead to catch more Pokémon than Gary. He later slowed his pace which allowed him to focus on the individual traits of each Pokémon. At the Johto League Silver Conference, with great humility and maturity, Ash finally won a battle against his old rival, signifying a great milestone in his history. His maturity has also increased in his dealings with Pokémon. This is shown when a Mankey stole his hat in Primeape Goes Bananas, he screamed and yelled at it, even climbing trees just to get his hat back, but when an Aipom did the same in Slaking Kong, he stated merely that he would feel strange without a hat. When Aipom stole his hat again in Setting the World on its Buneary!, however, while it was under his ownership, he chased after it in the same manner as before.

In most episodes of the anime, especially those during the Johto League saga, Ash befriends someone who will influence him and cause him to strive to become a better Trainer. Although he is not a dependent individual, he is still young and has learned to make his way relying on his friends, particularly the maternal skills of Brock. The honor of "best friend" is usually reserved for Pikachu but Ash has come to see his closest human friends in the same light over time; using the term for Misty and Brock in Gotta Catch Ya Later! as well as May and Max in Battling the Enemy Within.

He has traversed much of the Pokémon world and has thus far participated in four Pokémon League regional competitions, but he is still learning new things about Pokémon all the time.

Ash has gained a close connection with many legendary Pokémon, including Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Latias, Azelf, Shaymin, Giratina, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram* and Zekrom*. In the English dub of the second movie, he was revealed to be "The Chosen One" - the one who would bring balance back to the world when it was disrupted. Although viewed as a normal human, Ash does have some special abilities, as he is said to have the same aura as Sir Aaron, a legendary hero, and is theoretically able to manipulate it in much the same way. Therefore, he made a connection with Sir Aaron's Lucario. However, he has not received any training in this field, opting to continue his Pokémon journey instead. He has also been likened to an ancient aura guardian in The Keystone Pops!, who also had a partner Pikachu. Later, in Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! Parts 1 and 2, Ash uses aura again to locate a lost Riolu and read Riolu's mind as well.

Ash has also participated in Contests. He has a Contest Pass for the Sinnoh region, as well as one for the Hoenn region as it was required to watch one of the Contests held there. Ash carries half of a broken Poké Ball with him everywhere, while Gary has the other half, as a symbol of their ongoing, but now friendly, rivalry; Misty's special lure, which she sent to him as a gift; and half of a Ribbon he received in a Contest against May before she left the group to compete in Johto. Ash also participated in the Wallace Cup on the suggestion of Wallace but he lost in the third round.

Ash soon obtained all of the Sinnoh Gym Badges. During his battles in the Lily of the Valley Conference, he managed to advance to the Top 4, during which time he defeated his long-time Sinnoh rival Paul for the first time, and fought against Tobias, becoming the only known Trainer to defeat his Darkrai. Though he lost later on in the battle, he seems to be okay with losing, as he has become closer to his Pokémon than ever before. Ash, Dawn, and Brock then set off on their own paths to follow their respective dreams, with Brock saying he will no longer be joining Ash on his next journey.

In the Best Wishes series, Ash came with Professor Oak and his mom on a trip to the Unova region. After losing in a battle to Trip and seeing the power of the legendary Zekrom, Ash became interested in traveling Unova to meet new Pokémon, as well as new friends. He is now currently in journey in Unova, first bringing along only his Pikachu as he did in Hoenn.

Ash competed in the Club Battle in Reunion Battles In Nimbasa! - Club Battle Finale: A Hero's Outcome!. He battled against Burgundy and her Stoutland in the first round and won using his Palpitoad. He then battled Georgia and her Pawniard in Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia!. Ash used his Snivy. Although she struggled at first, Snivy managed to defeat Pawniard and advance Ash to the next round. Next, in Club Battle Finale: A Hero's Outcome!, Ash battled Dino and his Darumaka with his Palpitoad again and won easily. In the final round, Ash went up against Iris and her Excadrill. Ash used Pikachu, but lost the match and became runner-up in the tournament. He didn't feel bad, though, and was happy to see Iris win the tournament.

Family

 
A young Ash

Ash is an only child that lived with his mother, Delia Ketchum, until he left for his Pokémon journey at the age of ten.

His father has not been introduced. The anime suggests that his father was once a Pokémon Trainer who began his journey in Pallet Town, and that he is still living. In the original, he is also confirmed to have a grandfather, and his son (Ash's father) followed his footsteps. An interview with the series' storyboarder confirmed Ash's father is a Trainer on his own journey. According to the same storyboarder, Ash's father may or may not be introduced in the series, depending on its necessity to further Ash's maturity and development as a Trainer.

Pokémon

As a Trainer, Ash has captured and befriended a sizable number of Pokémon over the course of the anime. His philosophy on training is that Pokémon are individuals and that a combination of trust, friendship and hard work are needed to overcome adversity. He seems to battle best with Pokémon that are similar to Pikachu: ones that are speedy and maneuverable, yet able to perform high-powered attacks; however, he is willing to work with any Pokémon that comes into his care. Ash's battle style is generally spontaneous and fairly unorthodox, and his Pokémon often reflect these traits.

Currently in rotation

In the Unova region, Ash does not keep the same party at all times like he had done previously. Instead, he swaps his on hand Pokémon (with the exception of Pikachu) with ones that are being stored at Professor Juniper's lab, much like he did with his Kingler and Muk in Kanto with Professor Oak.

 
Pikachu
 
Pidove → Tranquill → Unfezant
 
Oshawott
 
Tepig → Pignite
 
Snivy
 
Egg → Scraggy
 
Sewaddle → Swadloon → Leavanny
 
Palpitoad
 
Roggenrola → Boldore
 
Krokorok

With Professor Oak

This section shows the Pokémon that Ash keeps at Professor Oak's laboratory.

 
Bulbasaur
 
Krabby → Kingler
 
Muk
 
Tauros (×30)
 
Snorlax
 
Heracross
 
Chikorita → Bayleef
 
Cyndaquil → Quilava
 
Totodile
 
Noctowl File:ShinyBWStar.png
 
Egg → Phanpy → Donphan
 
Taillow → Swellow
 
Treecko → Grovyle → Sceptile
 
Corphish
 
Torkoal
 
Snorunt → Glalie
 
Starly → Staravia → Staraptor
 
Turtwig → Grotle → Torterra
 
Chimchar → Monferno → Infernape
 
Buizel
 
Gible

In training

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash still owns but are in the care of another Trainer. Some can be called upon at any time if needed.

 
Primeape
 
Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard
 
Squirtle

Status unknown

This section is for Ash's Pokémon whose current whereabouts are unknown.

 
Gligar → Gliscor

Released

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash formally released back into the wild.

 
Caterpie → Metapod → Butterfree
 
Pidgeotto → Pidgeot
 
Lapras

Traded away

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash traded away.

 
Raticate
 
Aipom

Given away

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash gave to another Trainer to keep for themselves.

 
Beedrill

Unofficial

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash had bonded with over the course of several episodes but never officially caught.

 
Haunter
 
Egg → Larvitar

Temporary

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash temporarily used. Many of which were rented and belong to another Trainer.

 

 
Ponyta → Rapidash
Ash borrowed Rapidash from Lara Laramie when it was a Ponyta after she was injured and could not ride it in the race. It evolved into Rapidash when it was racing against Dario's Dodrio. Thanks to the speed gained through the evolution, Ash and Rapidash were able to win the race.

Rapidash's only known move is Stomp.

Debut The Flame Pokémon-athon!
 
Porygon
Porygon was lent to Ash by Dr. Akihabara to help stop Team Rocket from stealing Pokémon from the Pokémon Center's PC system. After they got out of the computer world, it was returned to Akihabara.

Porygon's known moves are Conversion, Tackle and Sharpen.

Debut EP038
Voice actors
Japanese Katsuyuki Konishi
 
Arbok
The Pokémon League entrance exam instructor gave Ash an Arbok by having him choose his own set of Poké Balls provided by the instructor. It was used during a Pokémon League exam by battling the Instructor's Jolteon and lost.

Arbok's known moves are Glare and Wrap.

Debut The Ultimate Test
Voice actors
Japanese Unshō Ishizuka
 
Weezing
The Pokémon League entrance exam instructor gave Ash a Weezing by having him choose his own set of Poké Balls provided by the instructor. It was used during the Pokémon League exam by battling the Instructor's Flareon and won.

Weezing's known moves are Smog, SmokeScreen, Tackle and Explosion.

Debut The Ultimate Test
Voice actors
Japanese Shin'ichirō Miki
English Eric Stuart
 
Meowth
Meowth was the final Pokémon used by Ash during the Pokémon League exam. It was up against the Instructor's Vaporeon in which Vaporeon froze the Meowth causing Team Rocket's Meowth to interfere with the battle by kicking the frozen one free. It was accidentally blasted off along with Team Rocket. The temporary switch was fixed in the next episode.

Meowth's only known move is Fury Swipes.

Debut The Ultimate Test
Voice actors
Japanese Chiyako Shibahara
English Maddie Blaustein
 
Hoothoot
Ash, Brock and Misty borrowed Hoothoot from Hagatha in order to navigate the haunted forest. It was returned to her sister, Nagatha after they were able to get to the exit.

Hoothoot's known moves are Foresight and Peck.

Debut Illusion Confusion!
 
Staryu
Main article: Misty's Staryu

Ash borrowed Staryu from Misty for the Fire and Rescue Grand Prix in The Fire-ing Squad!. However, he did not win the contest and returned Staryu to her around the end of the episode.

Debut The Fire-ing Squad!
Voice actors
Japanese Shin'ichirō Miki
English Shin'ichirō Miki
 
Psyduck
Main article: Misty's Psyduck

Ash borrowed Psyduck from Misty for the Fire and Rescue Grand Prix in The Fire-ing Squad!. However, he did not win the contest and returned Psyduck to her around the end of the episode.

Debut The Fire-ing Squad!
Voice actors
Japanese Rikako Aikawa
English Eric Stuart
 
Seaking
Ash caught a Seaking during a Seaking fishing contest. It was released under park rules.
Debut Hook, Line, and Stinker
Voice actors
Japanese Katsuyuki Konishi
English Eric Stuart
 
Lombre
Main article: Brock's Lombre

Ash commanded this Lombre during the battle with Team Rocket since Brock stayed behind in a stadium to perform with Corphish while Ash and the others went after Team Rocket after they took Lombre instead of Mawile.

Debut Once in a Mawile
Voice actors
Japanese Miyako Itō
English Dan Green
 
Hitmonlee
Ash borrowed Hitmonlee from Master Hamm to battle May with Hitmonchan after Master Hamm was having problems.

Hitmonlee's known moves are Rolling Kick, Hi Jump Kick, Jump Kick and Focus Punch.

Debut Pasta La Vista!
Voice actors
Japanese Unshō Ishizuka
English Eric Stuart
 
Raichu
During the first day of the summer school academy, Ash was given a Raichu to train. It was called to battle Angie's Monferno and was able to put up a great fight. It had a very timid personality.

Raichu's known moves are Dig, Thunderbolt, Focus Punch and Double Team.

Debut Camping It Up!
 
Spoink
Ash was given a Spoink in the first leg of the Pokémon Triathlon. He returned it after he was done with the first part of the race.
Debut One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!
Voice actors
Japanese Chie Satō
 
Mantyke
Ash was given a Mantyke for the second leg of the Pokémon Triathlon to ride across the lake. It was returned after the event was done.
Debut One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!
 
Cottonee
Ash temporarily commanded a wild Cottonee in order to help it win over a love interest. With Ash's assistance, he was able to learn to dodge attacks and aim his own attacks better.

Cottonee's known moves are Cotton Spore, Cotton Guard, Razor Leaf, and Energy Ball.

Debut Cottonee in Love!
Voice actors
Japanese Naomi Shindō
English Michele Knotz

Badges obtained

With the exception of the Orange and Unova leagues Ash, unlike other trainers only got the badges obtainable in the games.

Indigo League

 
Ash's eight Badges from Kanto


Orange League

 
Ash's four Orange League Badges


Johto League

 
Ash's eight Badges from Johto


Hoenn League

 
Ash's eight Badges from Hoenn


Battle Frontier

 
Ash's seven Frontier Symbols


Sinnoh League

 
Ash's eight Badges from Sinnoh


Unova League


Pokémon competitions

Pokémon League ranking

Ash placed in the Pokémon League competitions listed below.

Pokémon championship battles

Ash challenged the following Pokémon championships as well:

Miscellaneous competitions

Ash has also participated in the following competitions:

Voice actors

Language Voice actor
Japanese 松本梨香 Rica Matsumoto
English Veronica Taylor (EP001-AG145, M01-M08)
Sarah Natochenny (The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon re-dub, AG146-present, M09-present)
Jamie Peacock (The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon first dub only)
Arabic بثينة شيا Buthaina Shia
Catalan Enric Puig
Mandarin Chinese 賀世芳 Hè Shìfāng (Indigo League saga, Johto League saga)
李明幸 Li Míngxìng (Orange League saga)
汪世瑋 Wāng Shìwěi (AG, DP, BW series)
Croatian Saša Buneta
Marko Torjanac
Czech Radek Škvor
Danish Mathias Klenske
Dutch Christa Lips
Unknown voice actor (movies 5-7)
Filipino Klariz Magboo
Finnish Sari Moilanen (EP001-EP142) (movies 1, 2, 3, and 4)
Jami Kantola (movies 5, 6, and 7)
Hanna Leino (EP158-present) (movies 10-present)
French Canada Sébastien Reding
Europe Aurélien Ringelheim
German Caroline Combrinck (EP001-EP157, DP105-present)
Veronika Neugebauer (EP158-DP104)
Hebrew יהונתן מגון Yonatan Magon
דניאל מגון Daniel Magon
Hindi Rahul Sharma
Hungarian Szvetlov Balázs
Ungvári Gergely
Indonesian Ahmad Zulkifli Lubis
Kamal Nasuti (temporary; DP001-DP003)
Italian Davide Garbolino
Korean 최덕희 Choi Deok-Hyi
이선호 Lee Seon-Ho
안현서 An Hyeon-Seo
Norwegian Nils-Martin Crawfurd
Polish Hanna Kinder-Kiss (EP001-AG040, DP053-present, all movies)
Grzegorz Drojewski (DP001-DP052)
Portuguese Brazil Fábio Lucindo
Portugal Maria João Luís (EP001-EP031, EP033, movies 1 and 2)
Sandra Faleiro (EP032, EP034-EP094)
Sandra de Castro (EP095-EP128, EP158-EP209, AG093-AG177, DP001-DP052, Pokémon Live!)
Alexandra Sedas (EP129-EP157)
Cristina Carvalhal (movies 3 and 4)
Bárbara Lourenço (EP210-AG040, Pokémon Chronicles)
Raquel Ferreira (AG041-AG092)
Unknown actress (movie 7)
Ana Madureira (AG178-AG192)
Raquel Rosmaninho (DP053-present, movies 10-present)
Russian Анна Левченко Anna Levchenko (EP001-EP105)
Spanish Latin America Gabriel Ramos (EP001-DP090, DP105-DP157)
Irwin Daayán (DP091-DP104)
Rommy Mendoza (young, DP138)
Miguel Ángel Leal (DP158-present)
Pablo Gandolfo (movies 6 and 7)
Alan Fernando Velázquez (movie 12)
Spain Adolfo Moreno
Rafael Alonso Naranjo Jr. (movie 3 and Mewtwo Returns)
Swedish Dick Eriksson
Thai ฉันทนา ธาราจันทร์ Chanthana Tharachan
Turkish Ahmet Taşar


In the manga

In the Ash and Pikachu manga

Ash is a starring character in Ash and Pikachu, a manga series based on the Johto saga of the Pokémon anime.

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

Main article: Ash Ketchum (EToP)

Ash Ketchum is a starring character in The Electric Tale of Pikachu, a manga series based on the anime. Ash's journey in The Electric Tale of Pikachu follows roughly the same plot as in the anime: first traveling the Kanto region to participate in the Pokémon League, before embarking on a journey around the Orange Archipelago.

In the Magical Pokémon Journey manga

 
Ash and Brock in Magical Pokémon Journey

Ash, along with Misty and Brock, made cameo appearances in bonus chapters of the Magical Pokémon Journey manga. In the bonus chapters, Ash and his friends have mistakenly wandered into the world Magical Pokémon Journey is set in. The bonus chapters chronicle their attempts to return to their own world (of the anime) and their encounters with various aspects of the Magical Pokémon Journey canon which differ from the anime's canon (such as the use of Poké Balls).

In the movie adaptations

 
Ash with his friends in the movie 10 manga adaptation

Since Ash and his Pikachu have appeared in every Pokémon movie to date, likewise, Ash is a main character in every Pokémon movie manga adaptations.

Pokémon

 
Pikachu
 
Turtwig
 
Chimchar → Monferno


In the TCG

This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Ash or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Name Type Level Rarity Set Set no.
Ash's Torkoal   - - Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Space Fissure's Deoxys 009/019
Ash's Grovyle   - - Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Aura's Lucario 001/020
Ash's Phanpy   - - Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Aura's Lucario 004/020
Ash's Swellow   - - Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Aura's Lucario 007/020
Ash's Aipom   - - Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Sea's Manaphy 010/019
Ash's Treecko   - - ADV-P Promotional cards (no English release) 036/ADV-P
Pikachu M   45 - Movie Commemoration Random Pack (no English release) 012/022
Staraptor M   41 - Movie Commemoration Random Pack (no English release) 018/022
Pikachu M LV.X   X - DPt-P Promotional cards (no English release) 043/DPt-P

Trivia

 
Ash after catching a Pokémon.
 
Ash's drawing of a Dewgong
  • Ash has never officially caught a Pokémon of the Steel, Psychic, or Ghost types.
  • The date of Ash's birth, according to Takeshi Shudo's anime novelizations, is 10 years, 10 months, and 10 days exactly prior to the day he began his Pokémon journey. Being that the same novelization declares that Pokémon Trainers obtain their first Pokémon in April of the year following their 10th birthday, and the anime itself began broadcast on the first of that month in 1997 in Japan, Ash's birthday, if April 1 was the first day of his journey, would be May 22.
  • When Veronica Taylor was interviewed in the documentary "Adventures in Voice Acting", she stated that during her audition for the role of Ash, he was known as Casey at the time. This name would later be given to a recurring character from Johto.
  • Ash has shown to possess some drawing abilities which were shown in Up Close and Personable! where he drew a Dewgong.
  • Ash has been shown to be a good climber, as mentioned in Celebi: Voice of the Forest (as Misty and Brock say "He climbs like a Mankey!") and shown in several episodes throughout the series. He demonstrates this again in Enter Iris and Axew!, when he climbs up a tree to try and save Pikachu and Axew.

Names

Language Name Origin
Japanese サトシ Satoshi Can be taken to mean 智 (wisdom; reason); named after Satoshi Tajiri.
English, German, Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese Ash Ketchum Ketchum sounds similar to catch 'em. First name can be found in Japanese name, Satoshi. Also, Ash is a default name for Red in Pokémon Red and Blue. Ash trees are suggested as another explanation as well.
European French Sacha Ketchum Similar to Ash.
Korean 한지우
Han Jiu
지 is from 智 Satoshi. Alternatively, 지우 (知友) can mean "close friend".
Chinese (Mandarin) 小智
Xiǎo Zhì
Named after 田尻智, Satoshi Tajiri. Can mean "young wisdom" or "little knowledge".
Chinese (Cantonese) 小智
Síu Ji
Same as Mandarin name.
Indonesian Ali (Kanto saga)
Satoshi (Johto saga - present)
Originally from Arabic names that mean "high" or "exalted". Slightly similar to Ash.
Same as his Japanese name.
Thai ซาโตชิ
Satoshi
Same as his Japanese name.


Related articles

External links

On Bulbagarden forums

Template:Nav

  This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.