Goh

Gou redirects here. For the Pokémon Conquest character, see List of Pokémon Conquest characters → Gō.

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Goh ゴウ Go
Goh in Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Age	10
Gender	Male
Eye color	Blue
Hair color	Black with red highlights
Hometown	Vermilion City
Region	Kanto
Relatives	Kurune (mother), Ikuo (father), Tome (grandmother)
Trainer class	Pokémon Trainer
Anime debut	Enter Pikachu!
English voice actor	Zeno Robinson
Japanese voice actor	Daiki Yamashita Kei Shindō (age 6; JN001)

Goh (Japanese: ゴウ Go) is a protagonist of Pokémon Journeys: The Series of the Pokémon anime, and one of Ash's traveling companions. His goal is to catch Mew, while his dream is to catch every Pokémon.

In the anime

History

Pre-series

Goh at the age of six

As seen in Enter Pikachu!, when he was six, Goh was invited by his childhood friend Chloe to go to Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp with her. During their visit to Pallet Town, Goh and Chloe encountered the Mythical Pokémon Mew. The two chased after the unknown Pokémon, but it eventually got away in the aftermath of a baby Kangaskhan rescue. Professor Oak later told them the Pokémon they saw was most likely the Mythical Pokémon Mew. Motivated, Goh swore that he would become a Pokémon Trainer when he turned ten, and one day catch Mew.

As revealed in JN015, Goh was always alone during his childhood because his parents Kurune and Ikuo were often very busy at work. Because of that, he always ended up staying at home alone waiting for them. During that time, he was always distracted by his constant online researching sessions. Despite this, he was always proud of what his family did.

Three years prior, during a family trip to Azalea Town Goh befriended Tokio, who was looking for the Mythical Pokémon Celebi. Goh offered to help with the search, but as night closed in the boys promised to meet up that next day. However, Goh felt betrayed by Tokio when he didn't show up like he said he would.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

In Legend? Go! Friends? Go!, Goh witnessed a Lugia appearing in the skies above Vermilion City. He chased Lugia down and managed to latch onto its tail, where he met another Trainer named Ash. Lugia allowed the boys to ride on its back as it soared through the skies and dived down into the ocean. Having bonded over the sights and the Pokémon they saw during the ride, Goh decided to accept Ash as his friend. After parting ways with Lugia, Goh and Ash returned to the Cerise Laboratory, where they informed everyone about their encounter. Impressed by the information on Lugia that they brought back, Professor Cerise offered them a position as research fellows, which they accepted. Cerise later allowed Goh to pick from a set of Kanto starter Pokémon for his debut as a Trainer, but Goh rejected all of them, stating he wanted his first Pokémon to be Mew.

In Ivysaur's Mysterious Tower!, Goh and Ash received their first task as research fellows: to investigate a sudden outbreak of Ivysaur and Bulbasaur in the city. To aid their mission, Cerise had two Rotom enter Goh and Ash's smartphones, upgrading each into a Rotom Phone. After following the Seed Pokémon to a Gym under construction, Goh and Ash were attacked by Team Rocket, who planned to steal the Ivysaur and Bulbasaur. Despite the powerful Pokémon they received from the Rocket Prize Master, Team Rocket was defeated by Ash's Pikachu and sent blasting off. Goh and Ash then discovered that the Ivysaur had gone to the Gym to find a high place for them to absorb the sunlight needed to evolve into Venusaur. They watched as the evolution process released pollen into the air, making flowers around the city bloom.

In Settling the Scorbunny!, Goh and Ash traveled to the Galar region to research the Dynamax phenomenon. While they waited for the train to the Wild Area to arrive, Goh and Ash decided to eat some scones at a store in Wyndon, only to have their food stolen by a wild Scorbunny and its Nickit friends. After Ash battled and defeated Scorbunny, Goh bonded with it, even choosing to lie to the store owner by saying Scorbunny belonged to him when the Nickit stole more of his food. After hearing Scorbunny's backstory from the store owner, Goh gave it words of encouragement before he and Ash left. Goh and Ash eventually made it to their train, completely unaware that Scorbunny had taken a liking to Goh and started to follow him.

In Mind-Boggling Dynamax!, Goh and Ash made it to the Wild Area, where they encountered a large Snorlax. Mistakenly assuming its size was due to Dynamax, Goh and Ash tried studying the Sleeping Pokémon, only for Scorbunny to appear and interrupt them. Scorbunny wished to join Goh's team, but it was turned down as Goh still wanted his first Pokémon to be Mew. Snorlax then activated Gigantamax, making its body so large that it covered a nearby train track, putting it at risk of being hit by an incoming train. By teaming up with Scorbunny, Goh managed to get Snorlax to move by luring it with a Sitrus Berry. Praising its skill, Goh changed his mind about Mew and instead caught Scorbunny as his first Pokémon. After returning to the Cerise Laboratory, Goh introduced Scorbunny as his first-ever Pokémon to Professor Cerise.

Goh with all the Bug Pokémon he caught in Working My Way Back to Mew!

In Working My Way Back to Mew!, Goh became inspired to fill up his Pokédex by catching lots of Pokémon as part of his quest to obtain Mew. Together with Ash, Goh traveled to a nearby forest, where he caught one of each Bug-type native to Kanto. The next day, Professor Cerise introduced Goh to the Cerise Park, allowing Goh to store any Pokémon he caught on his journey.

In Serving Up the Flute Cup!, Ash told Goh to come with him to the Hoenn Battle Frontier, where he entered them into the Battle Frontier Flute Cup tournament. Despite having the type advantage, Goh was defeated in the first battle by Hodge without managing to land a single hit on his opponent. Frustrated by his loss, Goh decided that catching Pokémon was better than battling and ran off to continue filling up his Pokédex. He later returned in time to watch the final match between Ash and Hodge, which ended in Ash's victory. As they returned home, Goh apologized to Ash for his earlier outburst, having come to see battling in a new light through his observation of the final match.

In Flash of the Titans!, Goh and Ash watched the World Coronation Series at Wyndon Stadium. They watched as Leon defeated Lance in the finals and subsequently earned the title of Monarch. Shortly afterwards, a Gigantamax Drednaw attacked the stadium. In the next episode, Goh and Ash battled Drednaw, but they were unable to harm it until Pikachu was accidentally exposed to Dynamax energy, causing to Gigantamax as well. With guidance from Leon, Ash and Pikachu defeated Drednaw, reverting it back to its normal state. The next day, Goh watched as Ash had an unofficial battle with Leon that ended in the latter's victory. As they returned home, Ash revealed that he planned to enter the World Coronation Series and hopefully battle Leon again in the finals.

In JN017, Scorbunny attempted to use Ember after Darmanitan taunted it for being unable to use Fire-type moves. Goh told Scorbunny not to bother as he felt its current moveset was good enough. During a battle with Team Rocket, Scorbunny tried to use Ember despite not having mastered the move, but this led to it being defeated by Team Rocket's Chewtle. When Goh criticized Scorbunny for trying too hard, it ran off to go train by itself. Later, after another clash with Team Rocket, Goh finally understood Scorbunny's passion and told it to kick a pebble with its heated-up feet. This allowed Scorbunny to master Ember, who proceeded to evolve into a Raboot before sending Team Rocket blasting off again. When asked to celebrate with a high-five, Raboot simply ignored Goh and walked away.

In JN022, while in Littleroot Town, Raboot stopped a pair of Zigzagoon from stealing Ash's backpack. During their stay, Goh noticed that Raboot had been sneaking out at night, prompting him and Ash to follow it. They discovered that Raboot had befriended the Zigzagoon as well as a Lombre and had been spending the nights giving them dance lessons. When Raboot struggled against a Loudred trio in a dance battle for territory, Goh, Ash, and Pikachu stepped in to provide a beat for Raboot and its friends to dance to, enabling them to win the battle. The next day, Goh decided to leave Raboot in Hoenn, believing it would be happier with its new friends than with him. When Ash asked if he told Raboot first, Goh quickly regretted his decision. To his relief, Raboot had followed them onto the train. Afterwards, Goh and Raboot settled their differences and reconciled.

In JN028, Goh encountered a Sobble in Wyndon. He tried befriending the Water Lizard Pokémon, only for it to run away and hide by blending into its surroundings. Frustrated, Goh blindly threw a Poké Ball at the fountain Sobble was hiding in, accidentally catching it. Later, a failed attempt to catch a Silicobra led to Sobble running away. Goh and Ash eventually found Sobble captured by Team Rocket. After hearing Goh praise it despite its timid nature, Sobble broke free from its cage, only to be pinned down by one of Team Rocket's Pokémon, causing it to cry. Sobble's tears kept Team Rocket distracted long enough for Goh and Ash to send them blasting off.

Goh confronted an event in his past in JN032 during a family vacation to Azalea Town. He returned to Ilex Forest, but was reminded of his former friend Tokio who he three years prior while they searched for the Mythical Pokémon Celebi. Goh's long held feelings of betrayal quickly subsided when he found a letter from Tokio at the Ilex Forest shrine, and even reunited with Tokio who was passing through.

Character

Goh looking at his smart phone

Goh is a stylish city boy who prefers to stay calm and collected, in contrast to the more instinctive and adventurous Ash. His overconfidence has left him mostly isolated, with the exception of his friends Chloe and Ash. According to Chloe, Goh has been known to skip school to wander around town, much to her chagrin. Despite his calm personality, he can also become hot-blooded when his opinion is challenged, and he will not hesitate to defend others when he sees them being mistreated, which helped him bond with a wild Scorbunny in Settling the Scorbunny!. Goh likes to throw his Poké Balls with a curve, but his aim tends to be off. Though he seems athletic, Goh lacks good climbing skills despite his efforts to get better at it. He is also highly knowledgeable about Pokémon, being fairly adept at information-gathering and analyzing, both of which were useful in gathering clues. Despite his deep knowledge of Pokémon, Goh is still a rookie Trainer and lacks experience, best evidenced by his tendency to throw Poké Balls at any Pokémon he encounters, rather than weaken them through battle as is the usual practice. This usually backfires on Goh in the long run. For example, in A Test in Paradise!, he recklessly wasted all of the Poké Balls he was given to catch a single Dewgong, which resulted in him being unable to catch the Dratini evolutionary line when he and Ash encountered them. His lack of expertise is also evidenced in his battles, where he shows a tactical, by-the-book approach of exploiting type advantages, but is unable to properly respond against more seasoned adversaries, which leads to a crushing defeat. Goh tends to yell "Go!" when sending out his Pokémon or throwing Poké Balls.

Goh's goal

Goh's encounter with Mew when he was six inspired him to become a Trainer, and he initially wanted Mew to be his starter Pokémon, even going as far as rejecting Professor Cerise's starter Pokémon in favor of the Mythical Pokémon. However, during his visit to Galar, a wild Scorbunny took a liking to Goh as it followed him and Ash to the Wild Area. While Goh initially politely rejected Scorbunny, he soon changed his mind after working together with Scorbunny to solve a crisis involving a Gigantamax Snorlax and decided to make the Rabbit Pokémon as his first Pokémon partner instead. Goh and Scorbunny are also best friends as they both dislike losing their other friends, especially one another. Also, Goh and Scorbunny would high five each other whenever something good happens.

Goh shares a very close friendship with Chloe due to him knowing her since they were little. At times, Goh brushes off Chloe's concerns for him but knows that she is just looking out for him. When he was little, Goh only wanted Chloe as his friend and nobody else. However, after meeting and getting to know Ash, Goh realized he needed to have other friends besides Chloe and accepted him as one. Goh's friendship with Ash is very strong, though they sometimes get competitive and annoyed with each other and even butt heads. Ever since the events in Ivysaur's Mysterious Tower!, Goh seems to strongly admire Ash for his determination, passion, and compassion for Pokémon, especially the extraordinary bond he shares with his Pikachu.

Pokémon

Because one of his goals is to catch every Pokémon and complete his Pokédex, Goh catches a lot of Pokémon species, including multiple of the same evolutionary family. Currently, Goh is known to own 56 Pokémon, with 52 unique Pokémon species registered in his Pokédex.

During his research, Goh has access to several of his Pokémon, rotating between them. The only fixed member on his team is Raboot.

On hand

Scorbunny → Raboot

In rotation

This list is of the recurring Pokémon used by Goh on his journey.

Beedrill	Scyther	Farfetch'd
Magikarp (giant)	Sobble

Kept at Cerise Park

List of Goh's Pokémon

Traveling with

Rotom Phone

Traded away

Pinsir

Voice actors
Debut	JN033
Japanese	Tatsuki Kobe

Pinsir was encountered at Vermilion Forest. It was originally intended to be caught by Koromi, but due to her being trapped in one of Team Rocket's nets, Goh was forced to catch it instead. He later traded it for one of Koromi's Heracross.

None of Pinsir's moves are known.

Temporary

Pikachu ♂

Voice actors
Debut	Pokémon - I Choose You!
Japanese	Ikue Ohtani
English	Ikue Ohtani

Main article: Ash's Pikachu

In JN026, Goh had Pikachu use Thunderbolt to try and force open a Shellder that a Slowking had placed on Ash's head, causing him to act strangely. However, Ash was able to dodge the attack, and the Thunderbolt hit a group of Slowpoke instead.

Sunflora

Cottage Manager's Sunflora

Debut	JN032

Sunflora was borrowed from the cottage manager to help Goh and Tokio pass through tall grass in Ilex Forest when they were younger.

Sunflora's only known move is Razor Leaf.

Achievements

Goh has competed in the following competitions:

Battle Frontier Flute Cup - Top 8 (Serving Up the Flute Cup!)
Pokémon Iceberg Race - N/A (The Sinnoh Iceberg Race!)
Tenth annual Magikarp High Jump Tournament - Runner-Up (JN026)

Voice actors

Language		Voice actor
Japanese		山下大輝 Daiki Yamashita 真堂圭 Kei Shindō (age 6; JN001)
English		Zeno Robinson
Mandarin Chinese		詹雅菁 Zhān Yǎjīng
European French		Pierre Lebec
Korean		송하림 Song Harim

Artwork


Concept art by Ken Sugimori		Key visual from Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Official artwork from Mind-Boggling Dynamax!	Official artwork from Working My Way Back to Mew!	Official artwork from Finding a Legend!

Artwork for White Day by Shūhei Yasuda		Artwork for Children's Day by Shūhei Yasuda

In the manga

Goh in the Daisuki ♥ Pocket Monsters manga