Ash Ketchum

Biography
Ash has always dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Master and as soon as he hit the age of 10 he rushed to Professor Oak's Laboratory to get his first Pokémon. Originally wanting to choose Squirtle, Ash ended up getting the Pokémon Pikachu and left on his journey. Starting off as a completely unskilled trainer, Ash managed to go through, with the assistance of his friends Misty & Brock and capture new Pokémon and defeat the gyms in Kanto, allowing him to enter in the Pokémon League. Since then he has continued to travel, make new friends and capture new Pokémon while still following his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master. Since this goal is so close to his heart, he sometimes acts a bit rash and rushes to the next battle he can as fast as possible.

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

Kanto

 * Boulder Badge
 * Cascade Badge
 * Thunder Badge
 * Marsh Badge
 * Rainbow Badge
 * Soul Badge
 * Volcano Badge
 * Earth Badge

Orange Islands

 * Coral-Eye Badge
 * Sea Ruby Badge
 * Spike Shell Badge
 * Jade Star Badge

Johto

 * Zephyr Badge
 * Hive Badge
 * Plain Badge
 * Fog Badge
 * Storm Badge
 * Mineral Badge
 * Glacier Badge
 * Rising Badge

Hoenn

 * Stone Badge
 * Knuckle Badge
 * Dynamo Badge
 * Heat Badge
 * Balance Badge
 * Feather Badge
 * Mind Badge
 * Rain Badge

Sinnoh

 * Coal Badge
 * Forest Badge
 * Cobble Badge
 * Fen Badge
 * Relic Badge
 * Mine Badge
 * Icicle Badge
 * Beacon Badge

Symbols

 * Knowledge Symbol
 * Guts Symbol
 * Tactics Symbol
 * Luck Symbol
 * Spirit Symbol
 * Ability Symbol
 * Brave Symbol

Pokémon League Status

 * Kanto Conference (Indigo League): Top 16
 * Silver Conference (Johto League): Top 8
 * Ever Grande Conference (Hoenn League): Top 8
 * Suzuran Tournament (Sinnoh League): TBD (Currently Airing) -> [As of DP186, he ranks in Top 8]

Pokémon Championship Battles

 * Orange League: Champion
 * Battle Frontier: Champion

Contests

 * Bug-Catching Contest: Champion
 * Extreme Pokémon: Champion
 * Fuchsia Pokémon Race: Champion
 * P1 Grand Prix: Champion
 * Pokémon Balloon Race: Champion
 * Pokémon Contests
 * Terracotta Contest (unofficial): (Winner - Tied with May)
 * Wallace Cup: Top 8
 * Hearthome Tag Battle: Champion-with Paul
 * Pokémon Summer Academy Triathlon: Winner
 * Pokémon Swap Meet Tauros-battling competition: Winner
 * PokéRinger - Crossgate Town: Champion
 * PokéRinger - Squallville: Champion
 * Rota Tournament: Champion
 * Sumo Conference: Champion
 * Twinleaf Festival Battle Tournament: Winner
 * Sinnoh Pokéthlon Tournament: Runner-Up

Voice Actresses

 * English: Veronica Taylor(4Kids)
 * English: Sarah Natochenny (Pokémon USA/DuArt Film & Video)
 * Japanese: Rika Matsumoto
 * German: Caroline Combrinck (1st-3rd Season & 12th- ), Veronika Neugebauer (4th-11th Season, dec.)

Trivia

 * Ash is based off of the Generation I video game character, Red.
 * Ash has had 30 Pokémon throughout the series. (Not counting evolution and the thirty extra Tauros as one) 49 including different evolutionary forms.
 * In a game called Adventure Quest Worlds there was a parody version of Ash named Bash Ketchup.
 * Ash's personality matches Azelf the Willpower Pokémon.
 * Ash's last name, Ketchum, may have probably come from the phrase "catch 'em".
 * There is a parody of Ash in Johnny Test called Blast Ketchup.