Ash Ketchum

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.

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Ash Ketchum サトシ Satoshi
Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu in 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 (AG146-present)
Japanese voice actor	Rica Matsumoto
Manga counterpart(s)	Ash Ketchum

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!."

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

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 in the Advanced Generation series

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 in the Diamond & Pearl series

Ash has gained a close connection with many legendary Pokémon, including Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Latias, Azelf, Shaymin, Giratina, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram*, Zekrom* and Meloetta. In the English dub 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. This time, however, he merely senses the aura, rather than manipulating it.

File:AshWallace.png

Ash in the Wallace Cup

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.

During his time in Unova, along with his quest for the Badges, Ash also competed in the local competitions Club Battle, Clubsplosion and Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, despite battling quite well, he failed to win them and managed to be the runner-up of two of the three. Despite these mishaps, he didn't feel bad for seeing his friends winning the awards. After managing to obtain the Unova Badges he was allowed to participate in the Vertress Conference along with his current and some new rivals. In the preliminary round, he battled Trip one-on-one, defeating him for the first time and ending their rivalry. Ash also defeated his friend and rival Stephan. He then battled one of his recent rivals, Cameron, where he lost in A Unova League Evolution!, making it to the top 8 of the Vertress Conference.

One particular characteristic about Ash that has not changed over the course of the series aside from his determination and his passion for raising and training Pokémon is that he is incredibly selfless. He will often (and this has happened for just about every one of his Pokémon) go to extraordinary lengths to earn a Pokémon's trust and respect; and he will often go out of his way to better understand a Pokémon that he sees as troubled. He is also very fair-minded and trusting, a true testament to his good-natured character.

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

A majority of Ash's Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab

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 ♂	Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard	Pidove → Tranquill → Unfezant ♀
Oshawott ♂	Tepig → Pignite ♂	Snivy ♀
Egg → Scraggy ♂	Sewaddle → Swadloon → Leavanny ♂	Palpitoad ♂
Roggenrola → Boldore	Krokorok → Krookodile ♂

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	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.

Squirtle

Primeape

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

Debut	The Flame Pokémon-athon!

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.

Porygon

Debut	EP038
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi

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.

Arbok

Debut	The Ultimate Test
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Unshō Ishizuka

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.

Weezing

Debut	The Ultimate Test
Voice actors
Japanese	Shin'ichirō Miki
English	Eric Stuart

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.

Meowth

Debut	The Ultimate Test
Voice actors
Japanese	Chiyako Shibahara
English	Adam Blaustein

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.

Hoothoot

Debut	Illusion Confusion!

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.

Staryu

Debut	The Fire-ing Squad!
Voice actors
Japanese	Shin'ichirō Miki
English	Shin'ichirō Miki

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.

Psyduck

Debut	The Fire-ing Squad!
Voice actors
Japanese	Rikako Aikawa
English	Eric Stuart

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.

Seaking

Debut	Hook, Line, and Stinker
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi
English	Eric Stuart

Ash caught a Seaking during a Seaking fishing contest. It was released under park rules.

Lombre

Debut	Once in a Mawile
Voice actors
Japanese	Miyako Itō
English	Dan Green

Main article: Brock's Lombre

Ash commanded Brock's 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.

Hitmonlee ♂

Debut	Pasta La Vista!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Eric Stuart

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.

Piplup ♂

Debut	A Maze-ing Race!
Voice actors
Japanese	Etsuko Kozakura
English	Michele Knotz

Main article: Dawn's Piplup

Ash encountered Dawn's Piplup the first time in A Maze-ing Race! when everyone got separated by Graveler's and Golem's Rollout. Piplup was commanded to use BubbleBeam to take care of various problems that happened in the maze.

Piplup went with Ash in Expedition to Onix Island! after getting separated from his Trainer on the island of Onix. Ash commanded Piplup to use BubbleBeam to fight a trio of them.

Sudowoodo ♂

Debut	A Maze-ing Race!
Voice actors
Japanese	Daisuke Sakaguchi
English	Bill Rogers

Main article: Brock's Sudowoodo

Ash encountered Brock's Sudowoodo when the group was separated by Graveler and Golem. After stopping a fight, Ash went with Sudowoodo to get out of the maze and find Dawn and Brock. When they were found, Ash had Sudowoodo Mimic Pachirisu's Discharge to break a hole in the maze wall after finding them from the other side.

Pachirisu

Debut	A Maze-ing Race!
Voice actors
Japanese	Chinami Nishimura
English	Chinami Nishimura

Main article: Dawn's Pachirisu

Ash encountered Dawn's Pachirisu along with Piplup, Buizel and Sudowoodo when the group was separated by Graveler and Golem. It mostly worked with Sudowoodo's Mimic when it used Discharge.

Raichu

Debut	Camping It Up!

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.

Spoink

Debut	One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!
Voice actors
Japanese	Chie Satō
English	Kayzie Rogers

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.

Mantyke

Debut	One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!

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.

Cottonee ♂

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

Ash temporarily commanded a wild Cottonee in order to help him 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.

Badges obtained

Indigo League

Ash's eight Badges from Kanto

• Boulder Badge (Showdown in Pewter City)
• Cascade Badge (The Water Flowers of Cerulean City)
• Thunder Badge (Electric Shock Showdown)
• Marsh Badge (Haunter versus Kadabra)
• Rainbow Badge (Pokémon Scent-sation!)
• Soul Badge (The Ninja Poké-Showdown)
• Volcano Badge (Volcanic Panic)
• Earth Badge (The Battle of the Badge)

Orange League

Ash's four Orange League Badges

• Coral-Eye Badge (Fit to be Tide)
• Sea Ruby Badge (Navel Maneuvers)
• Spike Shell Badge (Misty Meets Her Match)
• Jade Star Badge (Pokémon Double Trouble)

Johto League

Ash's eight Badges from Johto

• Zephyr Badge (Fighting Flyer with Fire)
• Hive Badge (Gettin' The Bugs Out)
• Plain Badge (A Dairy Tale Ending)
• Fog Badge (From Ghost to Ghost)
• Storm Badge (Machoke, Machoke Man!)
• Mineral Badge (Nerves of Steelix!)
• Glacier Badge (Nice Pryce, Baby!)
• Rising Badge (Better Eight Than Never)

Hoenn League

Ash's eight Badges from Hoenn

• Stone Badge (The Winner By a Nosepass!)
• Knuckle Badge (Just One of the Geysers)
• Dynamo Badge (Watt's with Wattson?)
• Heat Badge (Going, Going, Yawn!)
• Balance Badge (Balance of Power)
• Feather Badge (Sky High Gym Battle!)
• Mind Badge (Solid as a Solrock)
• Rain Badge (Eight Ain't Enough!)

Battle Frontier

Ash's seven Frontier Symbols

• Knowledge Symbol (The Symbol Life)
• Guts Symbol (Wheel... of Frontier!)
• Tactics Symbol (Tactics Theatrics!!)
• Luck Symbol (Queen of the Serpentine!)
• Spirits Symbol (Ka Boom with a View!)
• Ability Symbol (Second Time's the Charm!)
• Brave Symbol (Pace - The Final Frontier!)

Sinnoh League

Ash's eight Badges from Sinnoh

• Coal Badge (O'er the Rampardos we Watched!)
• Forest Badge (The Grass Menagerie!)
• Cobble Badge (A Triple Fighting Chance!)
• Fen Badge (A Crasher Course in Power!)
• Relic Badge (Shield with a Twist!)
• Mine Badge (Dealing With Defensive Types!)
• Icicle Badge (Sliding Into Seventh!)
• Beacon Badge (The Eighth Wonder of the Sinnoh World!)

Unova League

File:Ash Current Unova Badges.png

Ash's eight Badges from Unova

• Trio Badge (Dreams by the Yard Full!)
• Basic Badge (Rematch at the Nacrene Gym!)
• Insect Badge (Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!)
• Bolt Badge (Dazzling the Nimbasa Gym!)
• Quake Badge (Battling the King of the Mines!)
• Jet Badge (An Amazing Aerial Battle!)
• Freeze Badge (Caution: Icy Battle Conditions!)
• Toxic Badge (Rocking the Virbank Gym! Part 2)

Pokémon competitions

Pokémon League ranking

Ash placed in the Pokémon League competitions listed below.

List of competitions (heavy spoiler)
Indigo Conference (top 16) Silver Conference (top 8) Ever Grande Conference (top 8) Lily of the Valley Conference (top 4) Vertress Conference (top 8)

Pokémon championship battles

Ash challenged the following Pokémon championships as well:

List of battles (heavy spoiler)
File:Orange League Cup.png Ash's Orange League trophy. Orange League (Champion) Kanto Battle Frontier (Champion)

Miscellaneous competitions

Ash has also participated in the following competitions:

List of competitions (heavy spoiler)

P1 Grand Prix (champion) Pokémon Swap Meet Tauros Battling Competition (winner) Fire and Rescue Grand Prix (N/A) Bug-Catching Contest (champion) Seaking Catching Day (N/A) Grass Tournament (runner-up) Sumo Conference (champion) Pokémon Balloon Race (champion) Whirl Cup (top 32) Extreme Pokémon (champion) Tour de Alto Mare (DNF) PokéRinger Crossgate Town (champion) Squallville (champion) Rota Tournament (champion) Pokémon Orienteering (N/A) Pokémon Contests Terracotta Contest (unofficial) (winner - tied with May) Jubilife Contest (top 8) Wallace Cup (top 8) Pokémon Cosplay Contest (runner-up) Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition (champion - with Paul) Hearthome Collection (runner-up, unique award) Pokémon Summer Academy Triathlon (Winner) Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament (top 32) Twinleaf Festival Battle Tournament (winner) Pokéathlon (runner-up) Club Battle (runner-up) Wishing Bell Festival (runner-up) Clubsplosion (top 4) Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup (runner-up)

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 (EP001-EP081, EP117-EP274) 李明幸 Li Míngxìng (EP082-EP116) 汪世瑋 Wāng Shìwěi (AG001-present) Croatian Saša Buneta Marko Torjanac Czech Radek Škvor Danish Mathias Klenske Dutch Christa Lips Unknown voice actor (M05-M07) Filipino Klariz Magboo Finnish Sari Moilanen (EP001-EP142) (M01-M04) Jami Kantola (M05-M07) Hanna Leino (EP158-present) (M10-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 (EP001-AG192, DP004-present) Kamal Nasuti (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, M01-present) Grzegorz Drojewski (DP001-DP052) Portuguese Brazil Fábio Lucindo Portugal Maria João Luís (EP001-EP031, EP033, M01-M02) Sandra Faleiro (EP032, EP034-EP094) Sandra de Castro (EP095-EP128, EP158-EP209, AG093-AG177, DP001-DP052, Pokémon Live!) Alexandra Sedas (EP129-EP157) Cristina Carvalhal (M03-M04) Bárbara Lourenço (EP210-AG040, Pokémon Chronicles) Raquel Ferreira (AG041-AG092) Unknown actress (M07) Ana Madureira (AG178-AG192) Raquel Rosmaninho (DP053-present, M10-present) Russian Анна Левченко Anna Levchenko (EP001-EP105) Spanish Latin America Gabriel Ramos (EP001-DP090, DP105-DP157, M01-M11) Irwin Daayán (DP091-DP104) Rommy Mendoza (young, DP138) Miguel Ángel Leal (DP158-present, M13-present) Pablo Gandolfo (M06-M07) Alan Fernando Velázquez (M12) Spain Adolfo Moreno Rafael Alonso Naranjo Jr. (M03 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. The same applies with Ash's team as they made similar appearances.

In the TCG

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

Ash's Pokémon Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card	Type	English Expansion	Rarity	#	Japanese Expansion	Rarity	#
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		036/ADV-P
Pikachu					Movie Commemoration Random Pack		012/022
Staraptor					Movie Commemoration Random Pack		018/022
Pikachu LV.X					DPt-P Promotional cards		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.
  • This excludes both his unofficial Haunter, a dual-type Ghost/Poison and in The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, where he has caught a Slowpoke, a dual-type Water/Psychic.
• 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

• Ashley
• Ashachu
• Episodes focusing on Ash

External links

• Article on Wikipedia

On Bulbagarden forums

• Ash Club

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