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.
- If you were looking for the Ash Ketchum who appeared in The Electric Tale of Pikachu, see Ash Ketchum (EToP).
- If you were looking for the alternate Ash Ketchum who appeared in I Choose You!, The Power of Us, and M23, see Ash Ketchum (M20).
| Ash Ketchum サトシ Satoshi | |
| File:Ash SS.png Ash Ketchum in the new series | |
| Age | 10 |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Hair color | Black |
| Hometown | Pallet Town |
| Region | Kanto |
| Relatives | Anime: Delia (mother) Unnamed father (EP002) Unnamed grandfather (EP002, Japanese version only) Manga: Mother |
| Trainer class | Trainer, Champion |
| Game counterpart | Red |
| Champion of | Alola League |
| Member of | Aether Foundation |
| Rank | Ultra Guardian |
| Anime debut | Pokémon - I Choose You! |
| English voice actor | Veronica Taylor (EP001-AG145) Sarah Natochenny (AG146-present, MoMP re-dub) Jamie Peacock (MoMP original dub) |
| Japanese voice actor | Rica Matsumoto Hana Takeda (SS001; age 6) |
| Manga counterpart(s) | Red, Red, Red, Red, Ash Ketchum, Satoshi, Shu |
Ash Ketchum (Japanese: サトシ Satoshi) is the main character of the Pokémon anime. He is also the main character of various manga based on the anime, including The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Ash & Pikachu, and Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl.
He is a Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town whose goal is to become a Pokémon Master. His starter Pokémon was a Pikachu that he received from Professor Oak after arriving late at his laboratory. In the Sun & Moon series, he becomes the first Champion of the Alola region's Pokémon League.
He shares his Japanese name with the creator of the Pokémon franchise, Satoshi Tajiri. His English surname is a pun of the English motto, "Gotta catch 'em all!."
In the anime
History
Pre-series
In Seeing the Forest for the Trees!, Ash remembered getting lost in a forest while looking for Pokémon. He brought some wild Pokémon out of the rain and found them some shelter in a tree trunk. Ash's happiness about that moment made him think about how much he wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer.
At the age of six, Ash learned that Professor Oak would be holding a Pokémon Summer Camp, and eagerly asked his mother Delia if he could attend. Seeing her son's enthusiasm, she signed him up but also told him that she had things to do outside of home during the day the camp would take place, so he would have to get himself there in time on his own. Unfortunately for Ash, he ended up breaking his alarm clock in his sleep and overslept, missing the camp.
Later, Ash managed to attend another one of Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camps. One day, another camper named Serena got lost in the forest and wounded her leg after getting startled by a Poliwag. Ash, who was looking for the Poliwag, came to her rescue and wrapped a handkerchief around the wounded knee to brace it. He then helped her up and guided her out of the forest.
In The Ties That Bind, Ash recalled a day when he was about to start his Pokémon journey. He and Gary Oak both fished out an old, rusty Poké Ball, which snagged on both their lines. After arguing about who would keep it, they broke it in two, each keeping one half as a reminder of that day.
Original series
In Pokémon - I Choose You!, 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 a stubborn Pikachu from Professor Oak as his starter Pokémon because he woke up late on the day he was set to get his first Pokémon. He was determined to achieve his goal and when Pikachu saw that he was willing to compromise his safety to keep it safe, the two of them formed an extremely strong bond that has been noticed and remarked upon by many characters in the anime. This unbreakable friendship would set his course for the future.
In Pokémon Emergency!, Misty told off Ash after she found her bike Ash had "borrowed" to save Pikachu with was wrecked. At the end of the episode, Team Rocket made it their primary objective to steal Pikachu after witnessing Pikachu's power. Misty continued following Ash as he headed for Pewter City, telling him in Showdown in Pewter City that she would continue following him until she was paid back for the bike.
Ash caught his first Pokémon, a Caterpie, in Ash Catches a Pokémon.
In Showdown in Pewter City, Ash decided to compete in the Pokémon League regional championships by earning Badges from Gym Leaders across the Kanto region. Ash fought Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader, in a Pokémon battle and lost easily. During his rematch, Ash nearly defeated Brock but refused to give the final blow due to the intervention of Brock's younger siblings. Touched by Ash's kindness to Pokémon and with the return of his estranged father, Flint, Brock decided to go with Ash and pursue his dream of being the world's best Pokémon Breeder and gave Ash the Boulder Badge.
In The Water Flowers of Cerulean City, Ash reached the Cerulean Gym and was shocked to learn that Misty was one of its Gym Leaders. Though the match was interrupted when Team Rocket tried to steal the Pokémon from the Gym, Misty's sisters awarded Ash a Cascade Badge when Pikachu saved the Gym with a Thunderbolt. He continued his journey with Misty, who had dreams of becoming the world's greatest Water Pokémon Master.
In Charmander – The Stray Pokémon, Ash and friends discovered a Charmander that had been left in the rain by its former trainer, Damian. Brock carried Charmander to the Pokémon Center, while Ash held his coat over the Charmander's tail flame to keep it lit. After Charmander saved Pikachu from being taken by Team Rocket, Ash caught it.
Every time he thought he was doing well, Ash would somehow cross paths with his childhood rival, Gary. Gary and Professor Oak reminded Ash that he was always a step behind Gary. In Mystery at the Lighthouse, Professor Oak told Ash that Gary had caught 45 Pokémon at a point when Ash only had seven.
In Island of the Giant Pokémon, Ash and his friends were swept away onto Pokémon Land, located on the Island of the Giant Pokémon, after a group of Gyarados triggered a cyclone using Dragon Rage. Four of Ash's Pokémon, including Pikachu, had gone missing during the chaos, but they found their way back to him the following day. Ash and the others took a ferry back to the mainland from Tentacool & Tentacruel to The Ghost of Maiden's Peak.
Many of Ash's 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 the first five Gym Badges that had been given to Ash in Kanto, only Lt. Surge's Thunder Badge in Electric Shock Showdown was earned from a victory in battle.
Ash's troubles were not made any easier when his Charmander, after evolving into a Charmeleon, and then a Charizard, grew too powerful and refused to listen to him until Ash could prove himself.
Over time, Ash's dedication to his goal paid off. After earning his first eight Badges, Ash went on to compete in the Indigo Plateau Conference, advancing to the fifth round - one further than Gary - and ending up in the Top 16, his defeat coming in the form of his Charizard refusing to battle for him.
Following Ash's defeat in the Indigo League, Professor Oak asked him to travel to Valencia Island in the Orange Archipelago to retrieve the GS Ball from a Pokémon Professor named Ivy. While in the Orange Archipelago, Ash learned of the Orange Crew, an elite group of Trainers not unlike Gym Leaders, that provided challenges for Trainers to overcome in the Orange League. After Brock decided to stay with Professor Ivy and help her with her work, Ash and Misty were joined by an enthusiastic Pokémon watcher named Tracey Sketchit. Ash, Misty, and Tracey traversed the Orange Islands on the back of a lost Lapras. Ash caught the Lapras during this time. He eventually defeated the four members of the Orange Crew and finally won the Orange League by triumphing over the Orange Crew Supreme Gym Leader, Drake. Before leaving the Orange Archipelago, Ash managed to find his Lapras's pod and released it back into the wild. Upon returning to Pallet Town, Ash discovered that Brock had returned due to some unknown incident that left the aspiring Pokémon Breeder in dread of even hearing Professor Ivy's name. Meanwhile, Tracey stayed at Professor Oak's Laboratory as Professor Oak's assistant, and Brock rejoined Ash and Misty. After his victory in the Orange League, Ash encountered Gary again, and after being defeated in a one-on-one battle, he learned that his rival had been training hard to participate in the Silver Conference in Johto.
Excited at the prospect of meeting new Pokémon and facing Gary again, Ash and friends left for the Johto region to collect eight Badges from the Gym Leaders in the Johto region and compete in the Johto League. Much like his travels through Kanto, Ash, Misty, and Brock impacted the many people and Pokémon they met along the way (one of them being Kurt, to whom Ash delivered the GS Ball).
In The Grass Route, Ash competed in the Grass Tournament with Bulbasaur. He lost in the final round to Ephraim's Skiploom.
Ash, along with Misty, competed in the Whirl Cup in the Whirl Islands, with Ash placing in the Top 16. He was defeated by Misty in a 3-on-3; Misty ended up losing in the next round. Ash, along with Ritchie, then helped save Silver, a child Lugia, and its parent, from the evil machinations of Team Rocket.
Ash encountered Gary occasionally in Johto, and, while they were still rivals, Gary seemed to view Ash with slightly more respect than before. Ash's growth of character was evident throughout this story arc as he continued to think more and more about his Pokémon and less and less about himself. After earning eight Johto Gym Badges, Ash entered the Silver Conference with Gary. Finally, the two rivals battled in the tournament in a Full Battle. Although it was a close battle, Ash emerged victorious against his rival for the first time in his career as a Pokémon Trainer, marking one of the biggest turning points in said career. After the battle, Gary and Ash departed on good terms with each other, finally overcoming their boyhood animosity and recognizing each other as equals. Ash's journey through Kanto and Johto came to an end when he was forced to split up with Brock and Misty when the two of them received messages to return home.
Advanced Generation series
After hearing about a distant region called Hoenn from Harrison, the opponent he lost to in the Silver Conference, Ash decided to journey there and take only Pikachu with him this time. In Hoenn, Ash met a girl named May and her brother, Max, who he later learned were Norman's (the Petalburg City Gym Leader) children, and both of whom decided to join Ash on his travels. Shortly after the three companions left Petalburg City, Brock rejoined the group when he saved them from a flock of angry Taillow and their leader. From that point onward, Ash journeyed through Hoenn with one old friend and two new friends, collecting Gym Badges in much the same fashion as before. Once May set her sights on becoming a Top Coordinator, Ash supported her whenever he could while maintaining his focus on winning Badges. During these journeys, Ash and his friends ended up being entwined in the plots of the region's two rivaling villainous teams, Team Aqua and Team Magma, with Pikachu actually getting possessed by Groudon in the summit of their conflict. Thanks to Team Rocket's (unintentional) help, they helped save the entire Hoenn region.
While Ash had no major recurring rival in Hoenn, he did encounter certain Trainers multiple times and formed friendly rivalries with them. One such friend was Morrison, who was very similar to and just as competitive as Ash and was first introduced close to the end of the group's travels in Hoenn. Just like the Indigo Plateau and Silver Conferences, Ash did not win the Ever Grande Conference, but he came very close before losing to Tyson, who went on to win the tournament. After parting ways with May, Max, and Brock, Ash returned to Pallet Town. As he passed through Viridian City on his way back home, he met Scott and Agatha and learned about the Battle Frontier in Kanto. He decided to take on the Battle Frontier and was surprised but happy to learn that Brock, May, and Max would join him on this adventure as well. Eventually, Ash conquered the seven Frontier Brains and was offered the opportunity to become a Frontier Brain himself, but declined in favor of continuing his Pokémon journey.
Diamond & Pearl series
Following Ash's victory over the Battle Frontier, May set her sights on Pokémon Contests in the Johto region and traveled there while Max returned home to Petalburg City in Hoenn. After encountering and battling his old rival, Gary (who has now become a Pokémon researcher), and learning of a new region with new Pokémon, Ash decided to leave for the Sinnoh region to earn the Gym Badges available there. Like before, he took only Pikachu with him at first but brought his Aipom along when she snuck onto the ship Ash was leaving on. While Brock did not directly accompany Ash to Sinnoh, he did meet with him while there and traveled with him through Sinnoh as he had for Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. This time, they were accompanied by another aspiring Pokémon Coordinator named Dawn. Ash enthusiastically supported Dawn in her endeavors to become a Top Coordinator. Unlike May, he watched all of Dawn's Contests without being distracted by the need to train. Just as he supported Dawn in her Contests, she supported him in his Gym battles. She would even go as far as dressing up as a cheerleader with her Pokémon sometimes and cheer for him.
While traveling through Sinnoh, Ash formed a heated rivalry with a Trainer named Paul. Throughout Ash's journey, Paul would constantly put him down and the two often argued over their nearly opposite training styles. While Paul was harsh, distant, and sometimes plain cruel to his Pokémon, Ash insisted that the best way to raise Pokémon was through patience, caring, and friendship. Their rivalry came to a head after they competed in a Tag Battle Tournament together, when Paul released his Chimchar after it failed to meet his expectations. Ash then decided to take in the Chimp Pokémon and promised to make it strong using his philosophy. Although Ash always considered himself on par with him, Paul often bested him in battles as his Pokémon were very powerful, only keeping Pokémon that were naturally very strong. Ash's Pokémon, while strong in their own right, did not yet equal. This came to a devastating defeat at Lake Acuity for Ash, losing a Full Battle while only knocking out two of Paul's Pokémon. Ash recognized that he had to take Paul more seriously and cautiously in the future.
While in Sinnoh, Ash competed in two Pokémon Contests, once in Jubilife City and a second time in the Wallace Cup upon Wallace's recommendation. He also competed against several Pokémon Stylists in the Hearthome Collection fashion show in Arriving in Style!, where he ended up in third place, winning the Unique Award for his original performance.
As Ash and his friends journeyed through Sinnoh, they ended up becoming heavily involved with legends of Sinnoh, with Ash being personally chosen by Azelf of the lake guardians. Along with Cynthia, Looker and Team Rocket, they faced off against Pokémon Hunter J as well as the evil Team Galactic. Thanks to their efforts, the Sinnoh region was spared from Cyrus's insane scheme.
Ash eventually obtained all of the Sinnoh Gym Badges he needed to enter Sinnoh's Pokémon League Conference. During his battles in the Lily of the Valley Conference, he managed to advance to the Top 4. For the second time since meeting Paul (the first being in a PokéRinger tournament during which Ash's Staravia evolved into a Staraptor and defeated Paul's Honchkrow), Ash managed to defeat his bitter rival, using Infernape (who had evolved from the Chimchar Paul abandoned) to deal the finishing blow. This confirmed Ash's beliefs in how to raise Pokémon, showing that though he took his time and raised his Pokémon with care and friendship they achieved the same results as Paul's methods. This caused Paul to finally acknowledge Ash as a Trainer of some merit, thus ending their arguments. Ash later fought against Tobias, becoming the only known Trainer to defeat his Darkrai. Although Ash ultimately lost the battle, he was not overly upset as he was closer to his Pokémon than ever before. At the conclusion of the Diamond & Pearl series, Ash, Dawn, and Brock split up and went their separate ways, with Brock confirming that he would not be joining Ash on his travels to Unova as he decided to pursue his new dream of being a Pokémon doctor.
Best Wishes series
In the Best Wishes series, Ash traveled with Delia and Professor Oak on a trip to the Unova region. After losing in a battle to Trip and seeing the power of the Legendary Pokémon Zekrom, Ash became interested in traveling Unova to meet new Pokémon, as well as new friends. In Unova, he brought along only his Pikachu as he did in Hoenn.
Soon after he started his journey, Ash met Iris, a wild girl who is (as he later learns) a possible successor of the Opelucid City Gym and wishes to be a Dragon Master, and Cilan, one of the Striaton Gym Leaders, who aspires to be the world's greatest Pokémon Connoisseur. After Ash earns their interest by telling Iris of his encounter with Zekrom and battling Cilan for the Trio Badge, the three decide to travel together. During his time in Unova, along with his quest for the Badges, the three friends also competed in the local competitions Club Battle, Clubsplosion, and Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup. Despite battling quite well, Ash failed to win any of the tournaments and managed to be the runner-up of two of the three. Despite these mishaps, he was not upset to see his friends win the competitions instead of him.
As they journeyed, Ash and friends ended up again being caught up in Team Rocket's new plot, which was personally being supervised by Giovanni. This time, Team Rocket planned to take over the world using a Meloetta that Ash befriended to unleash the power of the Forces of Nature. Thanks to Cynthia and Ridley, Ash and his friends managed to thwart Team Rocket's evil plot.
After managing to obtain eight Unova Gym Badges, Ash was allowed to participate in the Vertress Conference along with his current and some new rivals. In the preliminary round, Ash battled Trip one-on-one, defeating him for the first time and ending their rivalry. Ash also defeated his friend and rival, Stephan, in the tournament. He then battled one of his newer rivals, Cameron, where he lost in A Unova League Evolution!, ending in the Top 8 of the Vertress Conference.
After the Conference, the three friends decided to check out some ruins that Professor Juniper's father, Cedric Juniper discovered, and on the way, they met with a strange young man named N. They soon became entwined in the plots of Ghetsis, Colress, and Team Plasma as they sought to take over the world using Reshiram's power. Ash and his friends, along with Looker, the Team Rocket trio, Professor Cedric, as well as N, Anthea and Concordia, managed to foil Plasma's evil scheme.
As their adventures started coming to a close, Ash and his friends decided to take the long way back to Kanto by sailing on a series of luxury liners through a chain of islands called the Decolore Islands. On the way, Ash met Alexa, a Pokémon Journalist, from whom he learned of the Kalos region. Soon after they reach Kanto, Ash split up with Iris and Cilan, who wished to go in separate directions to follow their dreams.
XY series
In the XY series, Ash arrived at the Kalos region with Alexa, first visiting Lumiose City, where he parted ways with the journalist and tried to challenge the Lumiose Gym at Prism Tower. He was forcibly ejected from the tower when the computerized security system, later revealed to be the Clembot, found out that he didn't have any Kalos Badges. He was rescued by Clemont and Bonnie.
Ash brought an injured Froakie to Professor Sycamore, who told Ash about an additional stage of Pokémon evolution he was researching called Mega Evolution. Assisted by Pikachu and Froakie, Ash calmed down an angry Garchomp belonging to Sycamore that was attacking Lumiose City. Ash saw a Mega Evolved Pokémon for the first time when a Mega Blaziken saved him and Pikachu from falling off of Prism Tower. Froakie then allowed itself to be captured by Ash, and Clemont and Bonnie started to travel with Ash.
Ash won his first Kalos Badge, the Bug Badge, after defeating the Santalune Gym Leader, Viola. The group was joined by Serena, who still remembered Ash rescuing her in her childhood and decided to start her journey to reunite with him, although he initially did not remember the two of them meeting. Ash and Serena learn that Clemont was the Lumiose Gym Leader, who was exiled from his Gym by his own invention. They help Clemont face Clembot, and after the issue was resolved, the two boys promised to battle after Ash fulfilled the original conditions set by Clembot (even if it was no longer necessary), to earn four Badges. With that, the group set off on their journey again. During their travels, they occasionally met the ninja boy Sanpei, whose presence always led to progress in Froakie's (and later Frogadier's and Greninja's) strength.
Ash briefly traveled with the Shalour Gym Leader Korrina to discover more about Mega Evolution and Mega Stones.
Ash and his friends later attended Professor Sycamore's Pokémon Summer Camp, where they met the trio of Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor, with whom the group started a friendly rivalry with. In Ash's case, his rivalry would mainly be with Trevor and Tierno as Serena and Shauna pursued Pokémon Showcases.
During their journey, Ash caught a lost and traumatized Goomy, which he raised into a Sliggoo, and later, a powerful Goodra. After earning his fourth Gym Badge, Ash eventually faced Clemont in their promised Gym Battle, and won with Goodra's help, gaining his fifth Badge. Later, Ash and friends came across Goodra's old home, where they discovered it was taken over by a Florges and her companions. After saving Goodra's swamp from Team Rocket while simultaneously solving the issue concerning Florges, Ash left Goodra in the wetlands so it could act as the protector of its swamp and the Pokémon living in it. Some time afterward, when Ash reached Laverre City to challenge the Gym, he made a new rival in Sawyer, a novice trainer hailing from Hoenn. Along the way, Ash would also support Serena in her quest to become Kalos Queen and gave her some helpful advice when she eventually lost, telling her that losing is simply another step towards victory.
Later in their journeys, Ash and friends reached Anistar City and, together with Professor Sycamore, they met the Gym Leader, Olympia. She revealed his Frogadier's past as a Froakie from before meeting Ash and a glimpse of Frogadier's, his friend's, Sycamore's, Team Rocket's, and his fate, indicating that they would all play a vital role in Kalos's future. Ash challenged her to a Double Battle, which he won using Frogadier and Talonflame.
Shortly after, the group came across a mysterious Pokémon, dubbed Squishy by Bonnie, who was being pursued relentlessly by the villainous team Team Flare, prompting the group to put it under their protective custody. Some time afterward, Ash and his friends got involved in a conflict in Sanpei's home town, which led to Frogadier evolving into Greninja, as well as achieving Bond Phenomenon for the first time. During another confrontation with Team Flare in Terminus Cave, Ash learned Bond Phenomenon came at a cost, as he was able to share Greninja's senses, but also share its pain.
Later on, Ash met up with Alain, who became intrigued by Greninja's Bond Phenomenon and requested to battle Ash. Ash put up a decent fight but eventually lost. After his loss against Alain, Ash and Greninja began training to perfect Greninja's new form. Ash and Greninja later had a rematch with Alain and a battle against Diantha, during the latter Greninja even managed to reach its final Ash-Greninja form. Despite their training, the two were unsuccessful to master the transformation as Ash passed out during both battles from exhaustion from using the form.
After losing a rematch with Sawyer, in which Greninja even failed to transform, Ash began feeling doubtful of his ability to master the transformation. His confidence was shaken further after brutally losing to Wulfric, the Snowbelle Gym Leader. After seeing how badly Greninja got hurt during their battle and blaming himself for the loss, a depressed Ash left into the Winding Woods by himself. After an argument with Serena, Ash was able to get back to his old self. He later met up with Greninja, and while trying to save a wild Spewpa, the two were able to perfect Bond Phenomenon. With Greninja's Ash-Greninja form perfected, Ash was able to defeat Wulfric in a rematch, earning him his final Kalos Gym Badge and qualifying him for participation in the Lumiose Conference.
After returning to Lumiose City, Ash entered the Lumiose Conference. Following several notable victories, Ash had Goodra rejoin his team for his semi-final battle against Sawyer. After a narrow victory in, Ash managed to defeat Sawyer and reach the finals of the Conference, marking his first appearance in the finals of a Pokémon League; where he would face Alain. On the night before the final battle, he and his friends learned more about the Ash-Greninja transformation. In the finals of the Lumiose Conference, Ash and Alain started a back and forth battle that eventually came down to Alain's Mega Charizard X against Ash's Greninja in its Ash-Greninja form. After a fierce battle, Greninja was defeated, causing Ash to end up as the Runner-Up of the Lumiose Conference. Ash showed great sincerity and principle following the battle, shaking Alain's hand regardless of the result.
During the closing ceremony of the conference, Team Flare began their final operation, using the power of the blue Zygarde Core Z2 to cause massive roots to destroy parts of Lumiose City. Ash and his Pokémon were ultimately abducted by Team Flare and were taken captive at the top of Prism Tower, as Lysandre intended to use Ash and Greninja's Bond Phenomenon for his plans by using Team Flare's Mega Evolution energy ray to control them. After talking some sense into Alain, Ash resisted the machine's influence and broke free using Bond Phenomenon. Ash and Alain soon engaged in a battle against Lysandre, and ultimately managed to defeat him. When Ash later heard about the Giant Rock, he met up with the rest to combat it. Thanks to everyone's combined effort, Chespie was saved from the Giant Rock. Squishy and Z2 ultimately destroyed the creature, before the two Zygarde left.
Following the crisis, Ash helped Alain and Serena resolve their issues and bade farewell to his rivals. Later, after dropping Goodra off at the wetlands again, the group came across Xerosic, one of Team Flare's Scientists. Ash, his Greninja, and his friends and the gang were ultimately able to foil Xerosic's plans and hand him over to Officer Jenny. The group soon reunited with Squishy and Z2, who requested Greninja's help to obliterate the remaining negative energy left by Team Flare's crisis. Knowing this was for the sake of Kalos, Ash bade farewell to Greninja before Greninja left with the two Zygarde. After releasing Greninja, Ash and the gang headed back to Lumiose City to say their final goodbyes. After bidding farewell to Serena, who headed for Hoenn, Ash separated from Clemont and Bonnie as well and returned to Pallet Town.
Sun & Moon series
Ash traveled with Delia to the Alola region after Mimey won the trip via lottery. It was shown that Ash gave his Kalos Pokémon to Professor Oak, who gave him and his mother a Pokémon Egg to deliver to his cousin Samson. While on Melemele Island, Ash stumbled upon the Pokémon School, where he met Lana, Lillie, Mallow, Kiawe, Sophocles, Samson, and Professor Kukui and learned about Z-Rings and Z-Moves. Later on, he met Tapu Koko, the guardian of Melemele Island, who gave Ash a Z-Ring and an Electrium Z. With these discoveries, Ash decided to remain in Alola to study at the school and learn more about Z-Moves, living with Professor Kukui.
Later, Tapu Koko challenged Ash and Pikachu to a battle. Ash's Electrium Z broke after Ash and Pikachu used the Z-Move Gigavolt Havoc on Tapu Koko. Ash then decided to take on the island challenge to obtain new Z-Crystals and prove his worth.
Ash caught several Pokémon on Melemele Island, such as his Rowlet, Rockruff, and Litten. Ash also got a Normalium Z after his fight with Totem Gumshoos on Melemele Island. Tapu Koko gave him a new Electrium Z after Ash won his grand trial battle with Melemele Island Kahuna Hala. Also, Ash struck up a friendly rivalry with Lillie's brother Gladion. He then gained a Grassium Z and Rockium Z during his trial and grand trial on Akala Island. He also briefly reunited with Brock, Misty, and some of his Pokémon during a field trip to Kanto for an extracurricular activity.
One day, Ash was entrusted to take care of a Cosmog by Solgaleo and Lunala, which he saw in a dream. The Cosmog, nicknamed Nebby by Lillie, took a liking to Ash and frequently caused trouble with its ability to teleport people around. In Faba's Revenge!, Faba kidnapped Nebby while Ash's attention was elsewhere. When Ash and Lillie learned about this, they enlisted Gladion and Lusamine in helping them rescue it. When the four found Faba, they also found that he successfully forced Nebby to summon a Nihilego from an Ultra Wormhole. After Nihilego kidnapped Lusamine and retreated into the Ultra Wormhole, Ash discovered that the incident caused Nebby to evolve into a Cosmoem.
Ash, his classmates, and Gladion then watched as the guardian deities helped Nebby evolve into the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo and upgrade Ash's Z-Ring into a Z-Power Ring. With a Solganium Z he received from Nebby, Ash activated Solgaleo's Z-Move, Searing Sunraze Smash, and had Nebby opened up an Ultra Wormhole, allowing everyone to traverse through Ultra Space on Nebby's back. There, after Ash's Electrium Z temporarily transformed into a Pikashunium Z, Ash and Pikachu used it to launch a 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. The attack defeated Nihilego, weakening it long enough for Lillie and Gladion to pull their mother free from its hold. The Pikashunium Z then reverted to an Electrium Z. With their mission finished, Lusamine was taken back through the Ultra Wormhole to the Altar of the Sunne.
During Kukui's and burnet's wedding reception in the aftermath of the incident, Ash and his friends were invited to join an Ultra Beast response task force, known as the Ultra Guardians, which they all agreed to. On their first mission, Ash and his classmates were assigned to capture a Buzzwole that had appeared through an Ultra Wormhole. The Ultra Guardians encountered it at Mahalo Trail, where Ash eventually realized it preferred flexing to battling. As a result, Ash and Kiawe distracted it long enough for the former to throw a Beast Ball at it, successfully capturing it. Later, Buzzwole was brought to Melemele Meadow, where Professor Burnet temporarily opened a new wormhole, allowing Buzzwole to return home.
Later, Ash encountered a Poipole who seemed strangely attached to Pikachu. After a while, Poipole was confirmed to be an Ultra Beast. Ash was permitted to capture it, though he failed several times as Poipole thought the catching process was a game. After Ash helped it understand what was happening, Poipole allowed itself to be captured and was allowed to stay with the group until they could find its Ultra Wormhole and send it back.
Ash attempted to participate in the Ula'ula Island challenge, but he was rejected by Nanu and lost in an impromptu "pre-trial". Afterward, Ash decided to stay on the island and train under Tapu Bulu. This allowed him to formally participate in his island challenge, which turned out to be a battle against Jessie's Mimikyu, who recently gained a Mimikium Z. Ash barely won thanks to Pikachu learning Electroweb, as well as being able to once again use 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. Finally, Ash participated in the grand trial, where he faced off against Nanu in a 3-on-1 battle in Nanu's favor and won, earning himself a Lycanium Z.
Ash led the Ultra Guardians investigation into mysterious dark clouds that appeared over the Alola region, causing all of the adults in Alola to lose their energy and motivation. The cause was revealed to be a Necrozma pursuing a Necrozma, which resulted in a massive battle against Necrozma. During this time, Nebby joined the fight; Necrozma possessed Lunala and then Nebby to become Dawn Wings and Dusk Mane Necrozma, respectively; and the Ultra Guardians pursued Necrozma into Poipole's world. There, they learned about how Necrozma needed to regain its true form to release Nebby. After Ash and Gladion acquired Z-Crystals for Nebby and Lunala, the Ultra Guardians, with the help of their Pokémon, Lunala, Poipole's friends, and everyone else in Alola, shared their Z-Power with Necrozma, causing it to release Nebby. Afterward, Ash and Nebby used Searing Sunraze Smash, while Gladion and Lunala used Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom on Necrozma. The combined Z-Moves fully restored Necrozma's light, giving it the strength to become its true form, Ultra Necrozma. Afterward, the Ultra Guardians, Nebby, and Lunala traveled back to Alola through the Ultra Wormhole, while Ash said farewell to Poipole, who chose to stay behind in its world.
Later, Ash and his classmates arrived on Poni Island for their research projects for school. Ash's project was to have a grand trial battle. In A Grand Debut!, Ash battled the newly-appointed Island Kahuna Hapu in a one-on-one battle and won. Letting Pikachu choose their reward for the completion, Ash received a Steelium Z.
Following this victory, Ash entered the first-ever Manalo Conference, along with his classmates. He eventually made it to the semifinals, where he faced off against the Team Skull Boss Guzma. After a tough match, Ash was able to defeat him and advance to the finals, where he was set to face Gladion. On the night before the final battle, Ash's Meltan fused with its fellow Meltan, evolving into Melmetal, which Ash ended up using as his first Pokémon in the finals. The match eventually resulted in a battle between the two Trainers' Lycanroc, with Ash's Lycanroc eventually emerging victorious, thus earning Ash the title of Alola League Champion.
After winning the Alola League championship, Ash was given the right to have an exhibition match against the Masked Royal. However, during a Guzzlord invasion of the Manalo Stadium, the Masked Royal's true identity as Professor Kukui was exposed. With his cover blown, Kukui decided to battle Ash as himself and make the exhibition match a Full Battle, which Ash agreed to. During the battle, Ash's Torracat was finally able to defeat its longtime rival, Professor Kukui's Incineroar, and evolve into an Incineroar itself. Before Kukui could send out his last Pokémon, Tapu Koko appeared and took its place in the battle. When Ash was down to his last Pokémon, Pikachu, Tapu Koko gave Kukui a Tapunium Z, while Ash's Electrium Z once again transformed into a Pikashunium Z, allowing both Pokémon to unleash their signature Z-Moves. In the end, Ash's Pikachu's Z-Move proved superior and defeated Tapu Koko, ending the exhibition match in Ash's victory.
After the Manalo Conference had ended, Ash was left unsure of what to do next. However, after hearing Olivia mention how important knowing the "outside world" is, he decided to return home and start traveling around the world. After saying farewell to his classmates, Kukui, and Burnet, he boarded a plane back to Kanto, leaving all of his current party Pokémon (excluding Pikachu) under the two Professors' care.
New series
Sometime after his return to Kanto, Ash joined Professor Oak in attending the opening of the new Sakuragi Institute in Vermilion City. During the opening ceremony, the head of the institute, Professor Sakuragi, informed the attendees that a rare Pokémon would be appearing at the local port shortly. Ash eagerly rushed over there and found out the rare Pokémon was a Lugia. During this encounter, he also met a boy named Go, and the two shared a ride with Lugia throughout Kanto. When they later returned to the Sakuragi Institute, Professor Sakuragi was amazed by the information they had gathered about Lugia, and he asked them to become his research assistants. They accepted the offer and were provided with their own room to stay in. Delia also left Mimey at the institute to take care of Ash while he stayed there.
Later, Ash and Go traveled to the Galar region to watch the finals of the Pokémon World Championships. The match ended in the victory of Galar's undefeated Champion Leon, thus making him the World Champion. Inspired by this, Ash decided he wanted to battle Leon himself. However, before he could challenge him, a Gigantamax Drednaw went on a rampage and started causing havoc. While Ash and Go battled it, Pikachu ended up Gigantamaxing as well, therefore giving him enough power to defeat Drednaw. Leon, impressed by Ash's performance, accepted his challenge to a battle. After Ash lost, he decided to take part in the Pokémon World Championships as well and climb through its ranks to one day challenge Leon again.
Character
Ash is an only child who lived with his mother Delia, until he left for his Pokémon journey at the age of ten. His main goal in life, as described in the first episode, is to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master. One particular characteristic about Ash that has not changed throughout the series, aside from his determination and his passion for raising and training Pokémon, is that he is incredibly selfless. He will often go to extraordinary lengths to earn a Pokémon's trust and respect and 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.
Ash has a strong sense of justice, especially when it comes to Pokémon. If a Pokémon is in trouble, he will make every effort to help them, even if he has no prior connection to them. If they are the cause of trouble, he will stop them, and then try to understand them, with almost all such occasions being a case of the Pokémon, or their Trainers or friends, having a problem which can't be resolved normally. In those cases, he will selflessly volunteer to help them. Should the problem be caused by humans, such as Team Rocket, Pokémon thieves, hunters, or poachers, Ash will resolve to do anything in his power to stop them.
Despite this, and previous dealings with villainous teams, Ash has retained a remarkably optimistic and naive outlook, a trait his companions seem to share. He is quick to praise and has an unshakable trust in both his Pokémon and his friends. Also, Ash is determined to see the best in everybody unless he has a very good reason not to. An example would be Team Rocket's frequent 'sudden appearances' that coincide with their needs at that time, and Ash never questioning it until it is too late. Another example would be how he always praises Clemont for his inventions, no matter their high failure rate, and the near-inevitable explosion, or Cilan for his various hobbies. Furthermore, even though almost all of his friends have large dreams, Ash fully supports them and has never doubted their ability to accomplish them, possibly due to his own highly ambitious goal. He also encourages Pokémon to do the best they can, even if they aren't his own and has even helped train wild Pokémon.
In the original series, though Ash actively took part in battles, he was rarely seen independently training his Pokémon. However, since the Advanced Generation series, Ash is shown training more noticeably, having practice battles with his friends and focusing on moves, techniques, and strategies with his Pokémon. A noticeable trait of Ash's is his willingness to learn from both his victories and defeats. For example, after winning in a Gym battle against Winona in Sky High Gym Battle! and witnessing her Pokémon's powerful Aerial Ace, Ash was motivated to have his Swellow learn it. Even his losses can inspire him, such as when he lost to Clayton in Short and To the Punch! and decided to teach his Buizel one of the moves Clayton's Mr. Mime had used during their battle. He believes nothing he and his Pokémon do on their journey is a waste of time.
In the beginning, Ash had a bit of an inferiority complex, as well as some form of personal pride, most likely stemming from his rivalry with Gary. As a result, he had some bad habits, such as shamelessly boasting of his skill if he were ever on a winning streak, and becoming angered easily if he were personally insulted, as seen in The Path to the Pokémon League. Ash used to complain about perfectly legal things, like Giselle's Cubone using a bone in The School of Hard Knocks, or Blaine's use of the lava in Volcanic Panic. He even locked himself up in his room and sulked after losing to Ritchie, although this anger was not entirely unfounded as the loss came as a result of both his Charizard's disobedience and Team Rocket wearing out his other Pokémon before the match began. He overcame his disappointment after seeing and listening to how Ritchie took his loss as a way to better himself as a Trainer in Friends to the End. Fortunately, during his journey, Ash has gotten over this particular character trait and is now more accepting of criticism of his skill, though he still gets upset if his Pokémon are insulted or degraded.
Perhaps one of Ash's greatest rivalries was against Paul during his time in the Sinnoh region. On the contrary of Ash, who strongly believed in the bond between Trainer and Pokémon, Paul's only concern was with a Pokémon's strength, believing that bonding only caused them to become spoiled and unmotivated. Due to this, aside from winning the Sinnoh League, Ash's biggest goal during his Sinnoh travels was to ultimately change Paul's mindset and have the latter finally acknowledge him as a Trainer worth of his attention. After a long and exhausting journey, he finally managed to accomplish this after defeating Paul at the Lily of the Valley Conference, after which Paul finally recognized Ash as his rival and equal.
In most episodes of the anime, especially those during the Johto League arc, 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.
Ash has changed a great deal throughout 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, family, and 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.
Physically, Ash is in very good shape, especially for someone 10 years of age. He has a lot of stamina, walking miles upon miles through all kinds of environments, while journeying between towns on his journey. He also has huge endurance, as seen when he took powerful attacks from various Pokémon head-on and then recovering quite quickly. Furthermore, Ash has demonstrated himself to be a bit acrobatic, occasionally being able to keep up with Iris, who virtually grew up swinging and jumping through treetops. Ash has occasionally displayed great reflexes, being able to dodge attacks or catch falling objects out of the blue, and even being able to save himself, or others, in the last second during perilous situations. What's more, Ash has exhibited tremendous will power, as seen when he took attacks for long periods and keeps advancing, which also drives his "never give up" attitude when it comes to Pokémon battles. He is also strong, being capable of picking up heavy Pokémon such as Larvitar and Hippopotas.
Ash is also quite dense when it comes to matters of the opposite sex, more specifically in the field of romance. Throughout the series, Ash has only displayed open interest in a female only once, and nothing came out of it. Though some girls in the series have shown obvious (and subtle) affection towards him, Ash meets it with nearly unfailing obtuseness, which some characters have also noticed. Even when it involves other people's romance, Ash is usually oblivious until someone points it out to him. Also, on a few occasions when it came to a matter of Pokémon love, with a male who's experiencing difficulty in gaining the attention of a female, while his friends will often mainly advise on improving the male's looks or charm, Ash's advice is simply to be stronger. Despite this, however, it is shown on several occasions that Ash does seem to understand the concept of marriage, most notably in The Professors' New Adventure, when he got excited by the news of Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet's engagement, and subsequently worked with his classmates to organize a big wedding ceremony for them.
Early on, Ash originally trained not to further himself but instead to catch more Pokémon than Gary, a feat that he never accomplished. Ash later slowed his pace, which allowed him to focus on the individual traits of each Pokémon. At the Silver Conference, with great humility and maturity, Ash finally won a battle against his old rival, signifying a great milestone in his history as a Trainer. His maturity has also increased in his dealings with Pokémon. This was 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 on several future occasions, however, while she was under his ownership, he chased after her in the same manner as before, most likely out of exasperation that she still hadn't learned her lesson.
Ash has traversed much of the Pokémon world and has thus far participated in various Pokémon League Conferences, but he is still learning new things about Pokémon all the time. He has also gained a close connection with many Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, such as the ones who played major roles in the movies. 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 has the ability to sense and control Aura. In the eighth movie, Ash's Aura was the same 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! Part 1 and Part 2, Ash uses Aura again to locate a lost Riolu and read Riolu's mind as well. This time, however, Ash merely sensed the Aura, rather than manipulating it. In SS021, Ash unknowingly send a Aura wave to an unhatched Riolu, which led it to response to him by sending a wave back to him, leading him to it. Ash also has the unique ability to use Bond Phenomenon.
Though his passion remains in battling, Ash is always eager to try new things, especially if he can do them together with his Pokémon, having participated in other events like Pokémon Contests, PokéRinger tournaments, and even a fashion show and a cosplay convention as well as various other Pokémon competitions. He has Contest Passes for Sinnoh and Hoenn. Ash carries with him half of a broken Poké Ball, while Gary Oak 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 the Terracotta Medal he received after his Contest Battle with May in the unofficial Terracotta Contest ended in a tie.
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, whose son followed his footsteps. An interview with the series' storyboarder Masamitsu Hidaka confirmed Ash's father is a Trainer on his own journey. According to Hidaka, 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. On the other hand, according to Takeshi Shudō's novelization, Ash's father left home to go on a journey right after Ash was born, and never returned since. As he never registered his name in the Pokémon Trainer's list, his whereabouts are unknown.
Pokémon
As a Trainer, Ash has caught and befriended a sizable number of Pokémon throughout 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. Several of Ash's Pokémon were caught because they allowed him to after he befriended them. 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. He has been shown to use unusual strategies. For instance, during the Diamond & Pearl series, he incorporated a twisting-spinning type maneuver in his Pokémon's offensive and defensive techniques, which eventually lead to him creating the original technique, Counter Shield. Also, sometimes he will use someone else's battle strategies as shown with Paul and Tierno, though when using the latter's, Ash stated that his unique strategy is the one he can truly count on, instead of simply mimicking others.
Ash is very attached to his Pokémon and prefers to battle and train with them personally. Furthermore, he cares about their opinion, even giving them the option of whether they should evolve or not. As such, the majority of his Pokémon also share Ash's stubborn and reckless nature, persistently attempting to rise and continue the battle, even after receiving a great amount of damage and being at the end of their rope. However, if it is by their wish, or if he believes it is best for them, Ash will (if sometimes reluctantly) trade or release them, and in some cases, leave them with more experienced individuals so that they could get stronger.
Though Ash normally catches five or more Pokémon per region (not including when he traveled through the Orange Archipelago and challenged the Battle Frontier in his second tour of Kanto), he rarely ever switches the Pokémon in his current party with those in storage at Professor Oak's Laboratory. He usually only does so when battling against powerful opponents (such as Trainers in the Pokémon League Conferences, and Frontier Brains), or when attending certain events that requires a specific Pokémon (like Tauros at the Pokémon Swap Meet or Snorlax at the Sumo Conference). However, during the Best Wishes series, Ash actively cycled through the nine Pokémon he managed to catch in Unova, although these Pokémon, when not in his party, were instead kept in storage at Professor Juniper's lab in Nuvema Town. Near the end of his journey in Unova, Professor Juniper transferred all of Ash's Pokémon to Professor Oak's lab. Ash did not use this system of training in the following series, though he did leave his Alolan party with Professor Kukui at the end of the Sun & Moon series.
Ash currently has ownership of 75 Pokémon, including all 30 of his Tauros. Including pre-evolved forms, traded, released, and given away Pokémon (and not including the additional Tauros), in total, Ash has currently officially owned a total of 94 different Pokémon species.
In rotation
In the new series, Ash keeps his active roster—aside from Pikachu—on standby at the Sakuragi Institute, where he can call upon them when needed.
 Pikachu ↔ Gigantamax Pikachu ♂ |
 Mr. Mime |
 Dragonite |
 Gengar |
 Egg → Riolu |
Traveling with
 Rotom Phone |
With Professor Oak
This section shows the Pokémon that Ash keeps at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
With Professor Kukui
This section shows the Pokémon that Ash keeps at Professor Kukui's house.
 Rowlet |
 Rockruff → Lycanroc |
 Litten → Torracat → Incineroar |
 Meltan → Melmetal |
In training
This section is for the Pokémon that Ash still owns but are in the care of another Trainer.
 Squirtle |
 Primeape |
Released
This section is for the Pokémon that Ash formally released into the wild.
 Caterpie → Metapod → Butterfree |
 Pidgeotto → Pidgeot |
 Lapras |
 Froakie → Frogadier → Greninja ↔ Ash-Greninja |
 Goomy → Sliggoo → Goodra |
 Poipole → Naganadel |
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 |
Traveled with
This section is for the Pokémon that Ash traveled together or bonded with for some period of time but never officially caught.
 Haunter |
 Egg → Larvitar |
 Rotom Pokédex |
 Nebby |
Temporarily owned
- Main article: List of Pokémon temporarily owned by Ash Ketchum
Achievements
- Main article: Ash Ketchum's achievements
Pokémon League rankings
Ash has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:
- Indigo Plateau Conference - Top 16 (Friend and Foe Alike)
- Silver Conference - Top 8 (Johto Photo Finish)
- Ever Grande Conference - Top 8 (At the End of the Fray)
- Lily of the Valley Conference - Top 4 (The Semi-Final Frontier!)
- Vertress Conference - Top 8 (A Unova League Evolution!)
- Lumiose Conference - Runner-Up (Down to the Fiery Finish!)
- Manalo Conference - Winner (Enter the Champion!)
Championship matches
Ash has challenged the following Pokémon championships as well:
- Orange League - Winner (Enter The Dragonite)
World Coronation Series
Ash has competed in the World Coronation Series. His rank and class are as follows:
- Rank 3,763 (Normal Class; as of Destination: Coronation!)
- Rank 1,512 (Normal Class; as of Dreams Are Made of These!)
- Rank 1,022 (Normal Class; as of A Festival Reunion!)
- Rank 921 (Great Class; as of A Festival Reunion!)
- Rank 901 (Great Class; as of Betrayed, Bothered, and Beleaguered!)
- Rank 890 (Great Class; as of Trade, Borrow, and Steal!)
- Rank 930 (Great Class; as of Solitary and Menacing!)
- Rank 975 (Great Class; as of Making Battles in the Sand!)
- Rank 1,021 (Normal Class; as of Making Battles in the Sand!)
- Unknown rank (Great Class; as of Octo-Gridlock at the Gym!)
- Rank 415 (Great Class; as of Trials of a Budding Master!)
- Rank 381 (Great Class; as of Trials of a Budding Master!)
- Rank 273 (Great Class; as of Beyond Chivalry… Aiming to be a Leek Master!)
- Rank 184 (Great Class; as of Beyond Chivalry… Aiming to be a Leek Master!)
- Rank 99 (Ultra Class; as of Thrash of the Titans!)
- Rank 64 (Ultra Class; as of Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start!)
- Rank 36 (Ultra Class; as of A Battle of Mega Versus Max!)
- Rank 15 (Ultra Class; as of Battling Turned Up to Eleven!)
- Rank 9 (Ultra Class; as of Taking Two For The Team!)
- Rank 8 (Master Class; as of Aim For The Eight!)
- Monarch (Master Class; as of Partners in Time!)
Voice actors
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Artwork
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| Official artwork from the original series |
Official artwork from the Advanced Generation series |
Official artwork from the Diamond & Pearl series |
Official artwork from the Best Wishes series |
Official artwork from the XY series |
Official artwork from the Sun & Moon series |
| For more artwork, please see Ash Ketchum images on the Bulbagarden Archives. | |||||
In the games
In the core series
Ash Ketchum is based on Red, his counterpart from the games. Additionally, "Ash" is one of the suggested names for Red in the games Pokémon Red, Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen, for the rival character Blue in the games Pokémon Blue (international) and LeafGreen, and for Ethan in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
In Pokémon Yellow, some elements are based on the anime. Red, the player character, starts with a Pikachu, which is based on Ash's Pikachu. Red later receives the trio of Kanto starter Pokémon in similar circumstances as Ash: Bulbasaur from a girl based on Melanie, Charmander from a boy based on Damian, and Squirtle from an Officer Jenny.
In the Special Demo Version of Pokémon Sun and Moon, the player, Sun, recieves an unsigned letter from somebody heavily implied to be Ash. Included with this letter is a Greninja, with "Ash" being listed as its Original Trainer. Like in the anime, Ash's Greninja can transform into Ash-Greninja by using its unique Ability, Battle Bond.
In events
Several event Pokémon based on Ash's Pokémon have been made over the course of the franchise. In addition to the aforementioned Greninja, a special form of Pikachu wearing Ash's different hats up to the Sun & Moon series were made available in Pokémon Sun and Moon. In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, an additional Pikachu wearing Ash's hat from I Choose You! also appeared.
List of events featuring Ash's Pokémon
| Games | Event | Language/Region | Location | Level | Distribution period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPPtHGSS | Ash's Pikachu | Japanese | Japan Wi-Fi |
50 | July 15 to August 10, 2010 |
| BW | Mystery Egg Ash's Pidove | Japanese | Japan Wi-Fi |
1 | December 17, 2010 to January 11, 2011 |
| BW | Ash's Scraggy | Japanese | Japan Wi-Fi |
1 | January 28 to February 10, 2011 |
| DPPtHGSS | Ash's Pikachu | English | North America | 50 | January 30 to February 20, 2011 |
| DPPtHGSS | Ash's Pikachu | Korean | South Korea Wi-Fi |
50 | February 1 to 28, 2011 |
| BW | Secret Egg Ash's Pidove | English | United States | 1 | April 27 to May 31, 2011 |
| BW | Secret Egg Ash's Pidove | Korean | Wi-Fi | 1 | June 1 to 26, 2011 |
| BW | Ash's Scraggy | Korean | Wi-Fi | 1 | June 28 to July 17, 2011 |
| BWB2W2 | Pokémon Center Best Wishes Ash's Pikachu | Japanese | Japan | 50 | August 10 to September 6, 2013 |
| XYORAS | 7-Eleven Ash's Pikachu | Japanese region | Online | 50 | July 18 to September 30, 2015 |
| XYORAS | Pokémon Center Ash's Pikachu | Japanese region | Nintendo Network | 50 | August 24 to 30, 2015 |
| SM | Original Cap Pikachu | Japanese region | Online | 1 | April 15 to May 1, 2017 July 19 to 31, 2017 |
| SM | Hoenn Cap Pikachu | Japanese region | Online | 6 | May 3 to 15, 2017 August 2 to 14, 2017 |
| SM | Sinnoh Cap Pikachu | Japanese region | Online | 10 | May 17 to 29, 2017 August 16 to 28, 2017 |
| SM | Unova Cap Pikachu | Japanese region | Online | 14 | May 31 to June 12, 2017 August 30 to September 11, 2017 |
| SM | Kalos Cap Pikachu | Japanese region | Online | 17 | June 14 to 26, 2017 September 13 to 25, 2017 |
| SM | Alola Cap Pikachu | Japanese region | Online | 20 | June 28 to July 17, 2017 September 27 to October 9, 2017 |
| SM | Ash's Charizard | Japanese region | Online | 40 | August 1 to 28, 2017 |
| SM | Ash's Charizard | All | Japan | 40 | August 22 to September 3, 2017 |
| SM | Original Cap Pikachu | American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 1 | September 19 to 25, 2017 |
| SM | Hoenn Cap Pikachu | American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 6 | September 26 to October 2, 2017 |
| SM | Sinnoh Cap Pikachu | American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 9 | October 3 to 9, 2017 |
| SM | Unova Cap Pikachu | American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 13 | October 10 to 16, 2017 |
| SM | Kalos Cap Pikachu | American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 17 | October 17 to 23, 2017 |
| SM | Alola Cap Pikachu | American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 19 | October 10 to 12, 2017 October 24 to 30, 2017 |
| SM | Original Cap Pikachu | Japanese region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 1 | October 19 to November 23, 2017 |
| SM | Original Cap Pikachu | Japanese region American region |
Online | 1 | November 10 to 23, 2017 |
| USUM | Partner Cap Pikachu | Japanese | QR Code | 50 | November 17, 2017 onwards |
| USUM | Partner Cap Pikachu | Taiwanese | QR Code | 50 | November 17, 2017 onwards |
| USUM | Partner Cap Pikachu | American | QR Code | 50 | November 17, 2017 onwards |
| USUM | Partner Cap Pikachu | PAL | QR Code | 50 | November 17, 2017 onwards |
| USUM | Partner Cap Pikachu | Korean | QR Code | 50 | December 21, 2017 onwards |
| USUM | Original Cap Pikachu | Japanese region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 1 | March 29 to May 31, 2018 |
| USUM | Hoenn Cap Pikachu | Japanese region American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 6 | November 9 to 30, 2018 |
| USUM | Sinnoh Cap Pikachu | Japanese region American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 9 | November 9 to 30, 2018 |
| USUM | Unova Cap Pikachu | Japanese region American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 13 | November 9 to 30, 2018 |
| USUM | Kalos Cap Pikachu | Japanese region American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 17 | November 9 to 30, 2018 |
| USUM | Alola Cap Pikachu | Japanese region American region PAL region Taiwanese region |
Online | 19 | November 9 to 30, 2018 |
In addition, the Japanese and Korean versions of the Reshiram and Zekrom distributed in honor of Pokémon the Movie: White—Victini and Zekrom / Black—Victini and Reshiram credited サトシ Satoshi or 지우 Jiu as the original Trainer.
In spin-off games
Pokémon Puzzle League
In Pokémon Puzzle League, Ash is the player character in the 1P Stadium mode, and one of the characters available in the 2P Stadium mode.
Pokémon
 Pikachu |
 Bulbasaur |
 Squirtle |
Pokémon Tretta
In Pokémon Tretta, Ash and his Pokémon appear in multiple Tretta pucks as a cross-promotion with the anime's XY series. When Pikachu is in play, he appears wearing Ash's Kalos hat.
Pucks
| Tretta No. | Name | Type | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05-01 | Pikachu (Invasion! Mega Rayquaza) | 
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| Z1-07 | Pikachu (Birth! Z Tretta!!) |
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| Z2-06 | Ash-Greninja (Zygarde Super Power Up, Ash-Greninja Comes Calling) | 
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| P | Pikachu (Roaring All-Stars CD Bonus) |
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— |
| P | Ash-Greninja (Promotional Tretta) |
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— |
| P | Ash-Greninja (Promotional Tretta) |
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— |
Pokémon Ga-Olé
Ash and his Pokémon appear also in multiple Ga-Olé pucks including his Pokémon from the Sun & Moon series.
His new series incarnation later makes an appearance as a playable character alongside Go.
Pokémon
Pikachu |
 Mr. Mime |
 Dragonite |
Pucks
| Tretta No. | Name | Type | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Pikachu (Promotional disks) |
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— |
| P | Pikachu (Promotional disks) |
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— |
| P | Pikachu (Promotional disks) |
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— |
| P | Rowlet (Promotional disks) |  
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— |
| P | Lycanroc (Promotional disks) | 
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— |
| P | Torracat (Promotional disks) | 
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— |
| P | Melmetal (Promotional disks) | 
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Pokémon GO
Pikachu, Raichu, and Pichu wearing Ash's original hat have been made available to catch and hatch from Eggs during certain events. Additionally, for the 2019 April Fools' event, Ash himself could appear in photobombs when using the Camera.
Sega Pico series
Ash appears in Pokémon: Catch the Numbers!, I've Begun Hiragana and Katakana!, and Pico for Everyone Pokémon Loud Battle!.
Perdue series
In Pokémon Team Rocket Blast Off, Pokémon Poké Ball Launcher, and Pokémon Seek & Find, the male player character is Ash. His female counterpart in these games is May.
In the manga
In the Ash & Pikachu manga
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: details of his role in the manga |
Ash is the main protagonist of Ash & Pikachu, a manga series based on the Johto, Hoenn, and Battle Frontier sagas of the Pokémon anime.
Pokémon
Currently owned
 Pikachu ♂ |
 Cyndaquil |
 Totodile |
 Bulbasaur |
 Egg → Larvitar |
 Heracross |
Muk |
Bayleef ♀ |
 Snorlax |
 Tauros ♂ |
 Treecko → Grovyle |
 Corphish |
 Taillow → Swellow |
 Torkoal |
 Snorunt → Glalie |
 Charizard |
Temporary
 Psyduck |
In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
- Main article: Ash Ketchum (EToP)
Ash 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, along with Misty and Brock, made cameo appearances in bonus chapters of Magical Pokémon Journey. 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 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 Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl manga
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Details of his role in the manga |
Ash and Pikachu appear as main characters alongside Dawn and her Piplup in Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl, an adaptation of the anime set during the Diamond & Pearl series.
Pokémon
On hand
 Pikachu ♂ |
 Turtwig → Grotle |
 Staravia ♂ |
 Chimchar |
 Buizel ♂ |
 Gliscor |
Traded away
 Aipom ♀ |
Temporary
 Piplup ♂ |
In the movie adaptations
Since Ash and his Pikachu have appeared in every animated Pokémon movie to date, likewise, Ash is the main character in every Pokémon movie manga adaptation. The same applies to Ash's team as they made similar appearances.
In the Pocket Monsters manga
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Photos |
Ash appears as a main character in Pocket Monsters, playing the same role as he does in the anime.
Pokémon
On hand
| File:Ash Pikachu SSM.png Pikachu |
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Ash or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Trivia
- Ash's hat in the original series was similar to Red's hat in his original design from Pokémon Red and Green before undergoing several changes until the final design.
- Ash has never officially caught a regional form; a female-only; or a Legendary Pokémon; nor has he Mega Evolved any of his Pokémon.
- Ash has caught at least one of the starter Pokémon in every region.
- He has also caught at least one Pokémon belonging to all eighteen types (this includes Pokémon he owns or has owned that have been retroactively made Fairy-type).
- Ash's birthday in the main series, according to Takeshi Shudo's anime novelizations, is 10 years, 10 months, and 10 days exactly before the day he began his Pokémon journey. In M20, Ash's birthdate is instead the same day he began his journey.
- On a related note, Ash is still considered 10 years old in promotional materials as well as the first episode of Best Wishes despite Best Wishes Until We Meet Again! strongly implying that at least a full year had passed since his time in Johto.
- 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 can draw, as shown in Up Close and Personable! when he drew a Dewgong. However, this drawing was insulted by Angie.
- Ash has been shown to be a good climber, as mentioned in Celebi: The Voice of the Forest (when Misty and Brock say "He climbs like a Mankey!") and Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (when Brock calls him a "human Aipom"). Ash's climbing ability has also been shown in several episodes throughout the series, such as Enter Iris and Axew!, when he climbs up a tree to try to save Pikachu and Axew, and in Climbing the Walls!, in which he climbed up the rock-climbing wall up to Grant to face him and win the Cliff Badge.
- Ash has lost a match against every Normal-type Gym Leader he has faced: Whitney in A Goldenrod Opportunity, Norman in There's no Place Like Hoenn, Lenora in The Battle According to Lenora, and Cheren in There's a New Gym Leader in Town!.
- Ash has lost at least one official Gym battle in every region. He lost to Brock, Lt. Surge, Sabrina, and Blaine in Kanto, Whitney in Johto, Brawly in Hoenn, Roark in Sinnoh, Lenora in Unova, and Viola and Wulfric in Kalos. He also lost to Cress in Unova, but he didn't need a rematch since he defeated both Cilan and Chili.
- Ash also lost battles with Frontier Brains during the Battle Frontier arc of the anime, losing once to Anabel and twice to Brandon.
- Ash also lost trials to Island Kahunas in the Sun and Moon series of the anime, losing once to Nanu.
- Ever since facing Wattson in Watt's with Wattson?, Ash has not won a Gym Badge in the same episode in which he meets the Gym Leader.
- Ash shares at least one Pokémon of the same evolutionary family with one of his rivals in each series.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | サトシ Satoshi | From 智 chi (wisdom; reason) which can be read as Satoshi if a name; named after Satoshi Tajiri. |
| English Canadian French Hindi, Tamil Telugu, Italian German, Malay Portuguese Spanish, Turkish |
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 ji is from 智 Satoshi. Alternatively, 지우 (知友) jiu can mean "close friend". |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 小智 Xiǎo Zhì | Diminutive nickname derived from 田尻智, Satoshi Tajiri. |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 小智 Síu Ji | Same as Mandarin name |
| Arabic | أش كيتشوم Ash Ketshum | From English Name |
| Bulgarian | Аш Кечъм Ash Kechum | From English name |
| Icelandic | Ash Ketchum* Askur Ketchum* |
Same as English name Askur literally means ash. Similar to English name. |
| Indonesian | Ali (Kanto saga) Satoshi (Johto saga - XY series) Ash Ketchum (M20 - present) |
Originally from Arabic names that mean "high" or "exalted". Slightly similar to Ash. Same as his Japanese name Same as his English name |
| Lithuanian | Ešas Kečiumas | From English name |
| Russian | Эш Кетчум Esh Ketchum | Transcription of his English name |
| Thai | ซาโตชิ Satoshi |
Same as his Japanese name |
| Ukrainian | Еш Esh | Transcription of English name |
| Vietnamese | Satoshi Ash Ketchum (in early promotions) |
Same as his Japanese name Same as his English name |
Related articles
External links
| Ash's Pokémon | ||||||
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| At Oak's/In rotation: | ||||||
| With Kukui/In rotation: |
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| Temporarily owned: | ||||||
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| The Power of Us only: | ||||||
| EToP only: | ||||||
| Newspaper Strip only: | ||||||
| For a list of Pokémon Ash has temporarily owned, used, or commanded, see here | ||||||
| Trainers in League Conferences | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Pokémon Champions | |
|---|---|
| Core series | Blue • Lance • Red • Steven • Wallace • Cynthia • Alder • Iris • Diantha • Trace • Leon • Mustard • Peony • Nemona • Geeta • Kieran • Drayton • Most player characters |
| Masters EX | Blue • Lance • Red • Steven • Cynthia • Alder • Iris • Diantha • Leon • Scottie • Bettie • Ash • Nemona • Geeta • Calem • Serena • Hop • Marnie • Bede • Leaf • Nate • Rosa • Silver • Cheren • Bianca |
| Other spin-offs |
Ronald (TCG GB) • Mark (TCG GB) • Mint (TCG GB) • Glenn (Pokkén) • Master Rosé (Duel) |
| Animated series | Lance • Cynthia • Wallace • Alder • Diantha • Steven • Ash Ketchum • Leon • Iris • Nemona • Geeta |
| Other animation | Blue (Origins) • Red (Origins) • Calem (Generations) • Celestine (PttP) • Edgar Troy (PttP) • Ava (PttP) |
| Adventures | Professor Oak • Red • Sidney • Phoebe • Glacia • Drake • Steven • Wallace • Cynthia • Alder • Iris • Diantha • Leon • Mustard • Peony • Nemona |
| Other manga | Shigeru (Zensho) • Satoshi (Zensho) • Rald (Battle Frontier) |
 Aether Foundation
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| Aether Bases (Heahea City • Route 8 • Route 16) • Aether Paradise • Aether House | |||||
| President | Branch Chiefs | ||||
| Lusamine (Masters • anime) |
Wicke | Faba (anime) | |||
| Other members | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aether Foundation Employees | |||||
| Related | |||||
| Mohn • Lillie (Masters • anime) • Gladion (Masters • anime) | |||||
| In Pokémon the Series | |||||
| Former members: Jessie • James • Meowth Ultra Guardians: Ash • Lana • Kiawe • Lillie • Sophocles • Mallow • Gladion | |||||
See also: Team Skull • Ultra Recon Squad
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
- Characters
- Pages with broken file links
- Characters with confirmed ages
- Male characters
- Articles needing more information
- League Conference participants
- Champions
- Aether Foundation
- Anime characters
- Ash & Pikachu characters
- Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl characters
- Characters named after real people
- Trainers with Shiny Pokémon
- Trainers with Z-Rings
- Trainers with Ultra Beasts
- Trainers with baby Pokémon
- Trainers with Legendary or Mythical Pokémon
- Trainers with Dynamax Bands
- Ultra Guardians
- Laboratory assistants
