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For the counterpart appearing in the games, see Red.

(Pokémon name), I choose you!

Ash's catchphrase when calling out a Pokémon

Ash Ketchum is the main protagonist of the first 25 seasons of Pokémon the Series. He is a 10-year-old Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town in the Kanto region who has always dreamed of becoming the world's best Pokémon Master. The first human character introduced in the series, he is the winner of the Orange League and Kanto Battle Frontier and the Alola Region's Pokémon Champion, receiving the title after winning its first Pokémon League Conference. He is also one of the eight best trainers in the Pokémon World after defeating Raihan and reached Master Class in the World Coronation Series. Ash became the Monarch (World Champion) and became the Strongest Pokémon Trainer in the Pokémon World after winning the Masters Eight Tournament defeating the Previously Monarch Leon.

On his 10th birthday, Ash realized he overslept and rushed to Professor Oak's Laboratory to get his first Pokémon. Originally wanting to choose Squirtle, Bulbasaur or Charmander, but he ended up receiving the Pokémon Pikachu instead, as he arrived late (thus leaving him with no other Starters to choose from even though this was his birthday). At first, Pikachu did not obey Ash and kept running away, so Ash had to tie him up. After getting chased by a flock of Spearow later in the day thanks to Ash's recklessness, Ash attempted to save Pikachu from them. Seeing that Ash was so determined to help him, Pikachu protected Ash from the Spearow by electrocuting the entire flock (which was thanks to being struck by lightning at that exact moment and having his Electric-type move supercharged). From then on, Pikachu and Ash became best friends. As an unskilled Trainer, Ash traveled with Misty and Brock throughout the Kanto region, capturing new Pokémon along the way.

Ash eventually managed to collect every badge from the Gym Leaders (although some of his badges were earned out of gratitude due to varying circumstances), allowing him to enter in the Indigo Plateau Conference. Since then, Ash has continued to travel, journeying through the various regions and making new friends, from Misty and Brock to Chloe and Goh. With each new region he traveled to, Ash continued to challenge all the Gym Leaders, entering Pokémon League Conferences and catching 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 without thinking.

While Ash was traveling, he was constantly pursued by Team Rocket's Jessie, James, and Meowth, who wanted his Pikachu. They chased him across all the regions so far and are still chasing them to this day. Team Rocket never manages to capture Pikachu though, due to Ash's other Pokémon and friends helping him.

Ash used to work at the Cerise Laboratory as a research assistant along with his new friend Goh, all while competing in the World Coronation Series and eventually became the current Monarch. After parting ways from Goh, Ash resumed traveling where he reunited with Misty and Brock as they travel together once again. However, the three went their separate ways again to return home. Eventually, Ash decided that he wants to continue having adventures and meet new Pokémon in order to become a Pokémon Master. Through this resolve, Ash left Pallet Town once again to resume his journey.

Appearance[]

Ash is a skinny, slender preteen with a dark shade of cyan hair, slightly tan skin, and brown eyes with two distinctive lightning bolt-like markings for cheeks underneath each eye. Ash's pupils were not visible during the Indigo League and through the Diamond & Pearl series until the Best Wishes series made them more profound and distinguishable.

While Ash wears a few different outfits, he always wears a baseball cap, which changes depending on the region he is in. Without a cap, Ash is shown to have a cowlick and a narrow, triangular, and edgy tuft of hair in the middle of his forehead that comes to a point on the right side.

Pokémon the Series: The Beginning[]

Ash wore a blue short-sleeved jacket with gold trim, white collar and sleeves, a dark teal T-shirt, blue jeans with light blue cuffs, black and white sneakers with red dots, green fingerless gloves with light green borders, and a red and white hat with a green stylized "L".

Ash's eye pupils were not visibly shown, his lightning bolt-like markings are tilted and slightly longer and his spiky hair is sharper.

Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver[]

Ash's outfit remains unchanged from The Beginning.

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire[]

Ash wore new clothing. He wore a black and red hat with a green Poké Ball on it, a blue sleeveless hoodie with gold trim and a white hood, a black short sleeve undershirt with a red stripe, black fingerless gloves with light green borders, light blue jeans, and blue sneakers.

Ash's spiky hair is slightly short and his lightning bolt like markings are slightly short.

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl[]

Ash wore a black vest with a white collar and yellow stripe, a white short-sleeved undershirt, blue cargo jeans, and black and red sneakers. He also wore a red hat with a blue Poké Ball print. Ash wore the same fingerless gloves he wore in the Advanced series.

Ash's spiky hair is slightly shorter and slightly dull, and his lightning bolt-like markings are short and slightly big.

Pokémon the Series: Black and White[]

Ash wore a red and white hat with a blue Poké Ball print, a blue and white hooded jacket with a golden zipper, black baggy jeans, black fingerless gloves with red borders, and red high-top sneakers.

Ash's eye pupils are visible shown and his lightning bolts-like markings are slightly smaller.

Pokémon the Series: XY and XYZ[]

In the XY and XYZ, Ash wore a blue collared shirt with short sleeves and white trim, a black undershirt, darker blue jeans, a red and white hat, and red high-top sneakers. Ash also wore the same fingerless gloves he wore throughout the entire Best Wishes series.

Ash's body looks the same only that he has tufts of hair on each side of his head that covers the top of his ears. Also, his Jolt - like marking underneath his eyes are smaller than usual.

Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon[]

Ash wore a loose short-sleeved shirt with white and blue stripes, brown capris pants with red outlines, baggy pockets and red folded sleeves at the edge, and blue sneakers. His cap was red, dark blue, and gray, and the Poké Ball design was white. Ash also kept a silver Z-Ring on his left wrist, which was later upgraded into a black Z-Power Ring. Unlike in previous regions, Ash did not wear fingerless gloves while he was in Alola.

As a member of the Ultra Guardians, Ash wears an indigo and white uniform with light periwinkle accents as the edge of the short sleeves, collar and inlines of his uniform are black. He wears matching indigo gloves.

In "A Young Royal Flame Ignites!", while teaming up alongside Professor Kukui disguised as Masked Royal and Ash Royal, he goes shirtless but retains his capris and sneakers from his primary outfit and dons a red flame designed wrestling mask with green and light blue with blue designs at the back of his mask. The wrestling mask was given by Kukui before they teamed up together at the Battle Royal.

Ash's sided spike hair has decreased a bit and are rounder, his eyebrows and his spike hair tuft are shorter than usually seen in previously. When he is not wearing his hat, his hair remains the same, only smoother, and shorter.

Ash's two lightning bolts-like markings are slightly bigger.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series[]

Ash wears a blue vest with yellow outlines, a white undershirt with short sleeves and a red stripe, indigo shorts with black outlines, and black sneakers with blue highlights. He also wears a red hat with a black Poké Ball design formed into the letter C. During his second visit to Galar, he wears a Dynamax Band on his right wrist which he obtained from Leon. Also, Ash sometimes wears his Z-Power Ring on his left wrist or his Mega Glove whenever he is battling in an important match, especially World Coordination Series battles of the Ultra Class. During a visit to Kalos, Ash wears a Key Stone embedded to one of his gloves that resembled the ones he wore during his Unova and Kalos journeys that he obtained from Korrina.

Ash's sided spiky hair has increased a bit and are sharper like they were before; his eyebrows and his spiky hair tuft is larger than usually seen in previously. When he is not wearing his hat, his hair remains the same, only smoother and shorter. Ash's two lightning bolt-like markings still remain slightly bigger like they were throughout the entire of the Sun and Moon Series. However, his eyes are a bit wider than they were before.

Personality[]

Ash is very determined to be a great Pokémon Trainer. Personality-wise, Ash is a strong person, shows confidence when battling and shows a lot of sympathy towards Pokémon, usually helping and befriending them through his long journey. As a result, Ash doesn't like Trainers who mistreat Pokémon, such as Damian, Paul, and Shamus. Ash also serves as a role model for many people such as May, Dawn, N, Serena, Sawyer, Lillie, and Goh. In fact, he often astounds people with his skills and abilities, and unpredictability. Ash's strategy and tactics in battle are usually problem-solving, including thinking on his feet during special matches or that relate to the special and unique abilities of Pokémon. Also, Ash even takes input from his friends and has always helped him whenever he was stuck in a jam.

Ash is generally kind, brave, enthusiastic, compassionate, passionate, adventurous, selfless, fair-minded, trusting and good-natured. However, he can be stubborn, hot-headed, short-tempered, impatient, cocky, reckless, and sometimes impulsive at times. During his journey, Ash realized that some of those traits were affecting him, as they had caused him to lose some of his gym battles. By recognizing this, Ash trained himself for his rematches and keeping those parts of himself in check so they would not only affect him in battle again, but also outside of it as well. Although those traits still remain, they have been shown to be less of a problem during his Pokémon battles. Thanks to his hard work, Ash has corrected the hot-headed, cocky, and impulsive parts of his personality, though he still shows them if Pokémon were being mistreated, some of his friends teasing him, and various other reasons. Since then, Ash has demonstrated much greater maturity and level-headedness both in and out of battles. In addition, he has given everyone around him good advice to better themselves and their goals. Ash also has a fascination with science and technology, even though he cannot understand most of it.

Portrait of Ash with the Professors, Rotom and their Pokémon

Ash with Pikachu, Poipole, and Rotom Dex, Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet and their Pokémon in a portrait, drawn by Mina.

Ash has a hard time opening up to others, as he does not like to talk about his feelings and his past. At first, he had difficult times when it came to taking advice or criticism from his peers, especially from his friends, but that changed as time went on. While Ash has grown to be more open towards talking about his feelings and taking advice or criticism, he still has trouble opening up about his past sometimes. However, Ash does open up about his past with his friends and Pokémon whenever the topic comes up, though it is only if he needs someone to talk to or if he felt like talking about it, since it either reflects a mistake of his or it makes him feels comfortable sharing to anyone who is closest to him. Despite being more open, Ash still shows his stubborn side at times, although it's mostly shown when he is depressed or upset.

Ash is also honest and a Trainer that keeps his word as he usually doesn't break promises to his friends, family, and Pokémon, although he does the same thing for ones that aren't his. Sometimes, Ash makes promises to himself as well, which was shown during his first Pokémon League competition where he decided to not repeat the same mistakes, he made in future League competitions. This was shown again after the events of the Kalos crisis, as Ash blamed himself for what happened when he unknowingly revealed one of his abilities to a leader of a villainous organization, which ended up putting himself and his Pokémon, Pikachu and his Kalos Pokémon, in danger. After that event, Ash decided to keep his special abilities, Aura and Bond Phenomenon, hidden from others. However, Ash has only told a few of his friends and Pokémon about his abilities as he has faith in them. So far, Ash has not told his mother, Misty, Tracey, Iris, Cilan, Lana, Kiawe, Lillie, Sophocles, Mallow, Goh and the rest of his Pokémon family about his rare abilities. When questioned or comforted about the skills or powers he possesses and the mysteries he holds, Ash had shown to panic about that or somewhat denies what he can do, which was mainly shown with Gladion and Goh, as he not only sees himself as an ordinary Trainer just on his journey to reach his goals but is also trying to protect the ones he cares deeply for.

Despite this, Ash has trained his Pokémon that are connected to his abilities. In addition to keeping his abilities hidden, Ash decided to keep his "Alola Pokémon League Champion" reputation a secret from anyone outside the Region, excluding a couple individuals, as he wanted to resume his journey as a Trainer, not as a regional Pokémon League Champion. Although Ash's other reason for wanting to keep his "Alola Pokémon League Champion" reputation a secret was because he was worried that he wasn't going to be taken seriously. However, after finding out that Iris became the Champion of Unova region and having a homecoming in Alola, Ash came to accept that he couldn't keep his reputation a secret anymore and realized that he was taken seriously as both a Champion and Trainer, as he didn't mind being called Champion in the Masters Tournament.

On the other side, Ash has a natural, inborn love for battling. He enjoys battling Gym Leaders and anyone who challenges him, especially Trainers with a similar zeal and passion as him. However, while Ash is passionate, a good battler, and has a lot of achievements under his belt, he loses most of the Pokémon Leagues he challenges, though his skills have improved overtime. Prior to becoming the Monarch in the Masters Eight Tournament, Ash had only triumphed over the Orange League in the Orange Archipelago and the Manalo Conference in the Alola region.

Additionally, despite his confidence and zeal, Ash can be modest and humble as he sometimes gets embarrassed when complimented on his skills as a Trainer, but it does not happen very often. In addition, Ash does not usually admit that he has not changed one bit, although it shows that he stays true to who he is, even when everyone around him notices it when he doesn't. Also, Ash has shown an insecure side, as he does worry about what his friends that he travels or travel with and his Pokémon family would think of him as a person, shown when his mother would say embarrassing things about him in front of his friends or Pokémon and when he got defensive by Brock and Misty as they reminded him about how he got their badges for petty reasons over getting them in battle right in front of his classmates along with his teachers, but one of the reasons for that side was because he knows he would get teased or scolded about it, which makes him either upset or defends himself. Although Ash's main reason for his insecurity side was because he wants everyone around him, especially his friends and Pokémon, to see him for the person they came to be known instead of who he used to be. However, Ash has seen that people close to him do not care about who he used to be, which not only shows that they have great faith in him but also that they are their true friends towards him. Despite the insecurities he has, Ash at times doesn't care about what anybody thinks of him, which shows how confident he is about being himself. At the beginning of his journey, Ash used to brag about his achievements, but overtime didn't say anything about his previous accomplishment that much, although he does mention them sometimes but not as much in a bragging tone.

Ash and His Journeys Pokémon Aiming To Battling Leon

Ash with Pikachu and his Journeys Pokémon Aiming to Battling Leon in the World Coronation Series.

Despite his wins and losses, Ash knows he has a long way to go to make his dream a reality and continues traveling along with growing stronger to pursue it. Besides the Gym battles and Pokémon Leagues, Ash also enjoys competing in other special challenges and competitions such as the Battle Frontier in his home region Kanto, the Trials and Grand Trials in the Alola region, and the World Coronation Series in the Galar Region.

Ash's biggest fear is losing anyone he's really close to, especially his friends and family. However, Ash is afraid to lose his Pokémon family even more, due to Team Rocket's constant attempts to steal his Pokémon away from him. Similarly, Ash is afraid of putting everyone he cares about in danger. Ever since the time Pikachu temporarily had amnesia and sided with Team Rocket, Ash became afraid that his Pokémon might leave him the same way his partner and best friend almost did. Ash is also worried that he won't meet his Pokémon family's expectations or be strong enough for them. Because of his fears, Ash sometimes doubts his Pokémon potential, which also affects his faith and trust in them as well, especially when some of them display a unique kind of power in their strengths. In the XY series, Ash almost lost himself when he let his fears get to him, but Serena reminded him of who he is and helped him get his act together. However, Ash does put his fears aside to help his Pokémon become stronger, which in turn helps him get over his fears altogether, albeit slowly. Because of that, Ash is often able to help Pokémon with a rare ability to perfect their true power.

Ash has also been shown to have a strong sense of justice. He doesn't hesitate to assist Officer Jenny, the Pokémon Rangers, and the International Police in their missions. He has a hatred for evil organizations, such as Team Rocket, Team Aqua, Team Magma, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare, and Team Skull. Also, Ash doesn't like Pokémon hunters, especially J. Ash regularly risks his own life to protect Pokémon and defeat criminals.

Also, he can be rambunctious, big-hearted, optimistic, sometimes naive, highly ambitious, accepting, independent, and mature.

Skills[]

Ash has quite a few abilities and skills. First and foremost is his athleticism, despite his young age, as Ash is very athletic and physically able. In fact, Ash was once even called a "human Mankey" because of his skill at climbing. Aside from climbing, Ash can run, swing on vines, carry heavy loads, and swim. Ash can also survive Pokémon attacks for a long period of time without taking too much damage, although it depends on the situation. Additionally, while Ash is a talented battler, he also has some performing skills due to competing in a couple of Pokémon Contests along with watching May and Dawn's performances. Likewise, Ash has good fishing skills. Also, Ash has some cooking skills and does have good knowledge about Pokémon, due to spending a lot of time around friends who can cook and have deep knowledge about them.

Much like an Aura Guardian, Ash can sense and control Aura. However, after obtaining a Key Stone, Ash's Aura powers were increased. Also, Ash has shown the ability to use Bond Phenomenon, as showcased in the XY series with his Greninja. Ash even demonstrated great skills in utilizing Z-Moves, as shown in the Sun & Moon series. In addition, Ash even created his own Z-Crystal, Pikashunium Z, and performed an exclusive Z-Move with Pikachu known as 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. Also, Ash even demonstrated some skills in utilizing Dynamax and Gigantamax, as shown in the Journey series. Unlike some Trainers, Ash is able to Gigantamax his Pikachu without having him return to his Poké Ball. In addition, Ash can perform Mega Evolution, which he does with his Lucario.

Ash Azelf

Ash's connection with Azelf.

Much like Dawn, Ash sometimes displays the ability to understand the feelings of Pokémon, due to spending a lot of time around them. His connection with Pokémon is so great that he even sometimes displays the ability to share a connection with Mythical or Legendary Pokémon. This is because of Ash's compassion and his strong will power to protect them; instances of it were shown when Azelf chose to connect with Ash in the Diamond & Pearl series, Battle Dimension and Galactic Battles, and when Victini linked up with him in the movie Black/White Victini and Zekrom/Reshiram.

Ash Victini

Ash's link with Victini.

When Ash has a connection with Mythical or Legendary Pokémon, he can feel their pain, sense if they have been captured, and see their thoughts or memories. On the other side of the link, the Pokémon can appear to Ash in his dreams to ask him for help, show him impending danger, or as a way of asking him to do something for them, as shown with Azelf, Victini, Solgaleo, and Lunala. Ash has also shown the ability to hear what Legendary Pokémon are saying, shown with Solgaleo, Lunala, and Lugia. At times, Ash has shown the ability to sense the presence of Pokémon or people whenever any of them are nearby or if they're in danger.

One of Ash's other abilities is that he can learn new things really fast as he picks it up right away, although there have been times that he needed to practice first before figuring it out. Also, during battle, Ash can come up with strategies easily as he would use the environment to his advantages or find a flaw in his opponent's strategies.

Ash's battling tactics skill is, as like other Pokémon Trainers, using type advantages against his opponents, but sometimes, he uses Pokémon that have a type of disadvantage. Ash's methods of battling can be overwhelming his opponents by a combination of moves using physical and special kinds of moves. One of Ash's signature traits is his adaptability and creativity, often using unorthodox methods to overcome difficult adversaries, like having his Charizard melt the battlefield during his battle against Gary's Blastoise to trap it and creating the Counter Shield to counter Fantina's Ghost Pokémon.

Relationships[]

Family[]

Delia Ketchum[]

Ash and Delia

Ash and his mother, Delia.

Since Delia is Ash's mother, they have a healthy, loving relationship, although it does run into rocky spots at times. Ash loves his mother very much and cares about her, but he gets annoyed when she embarrasses him, especially in the original series, where she constantly reminded him to change his underwear every single day. When Delia was kidnapped in The Spell of the Unown, Ash went through great lengths to get her back. Ash appreciates it when his mother comments on how much he has grown as a person and as a Pokémon Trainer, and he is very grateful that his mother supports him by watching his Pokémon League battles and helping him get ready to go on another journey. Also, Ash was happy that his mother was there when he first became Champion of Alola.

Ash's father[]

While their relationship in the TV show is unknown, in the movie Pokémon The Movie: The Secrets of the Jungle, it's revealed that Ash has a close relationship with his father, the latter being the main reason he never gave up on his dreams by always encouraging him whenever other children made fun of Ash's dreams. He mentions this to Koko and talks about how Koko and Zarude's quarreling reminds him of his own relationship with his dad, implying that the two of them argued a lot, but also mentions how eventually, their quarreling will stop, and they will still care about each other, showing how close Ash and his father are.

Friends[]

Professor Oak[]

Ash and Professor Oak

Ash and Professor Oak.

Ash and Professor Oak have a strong bond. This is because Oak is a family friend and has known Ash since he was little. In fact, Ash even went to Professor Oak's summer camp when he was a young boy, which was also where he met his friend Serena. Aside from the strong, almost family bond that Ash and Oak share, he also respects him as a researcher and professor. Ash sometimes goes to Professor Oak for advice and calls him whenever he needs one of the Pokémon that he has kept in storage as he trusts him to look after his Pokémon family while he travels. Much like his mother, Ash also appreciates whenever Professor Oak gives him support, whether it is for a Pokémon League tournament or for his new journeys. In addition, Ash was pleased that Professor Oak witnessed him becoming the first Champion of Alola.

Misty[]

Ash and Misty

Ash and Misty.

When Ash first met Misty, they did not get off on the right foot. Ash was forced to "borrow" Misty's bike to save his partner's life, and he accidentally destroyed the vehicle with Pikachu's Thundershock attack. At first, Ash initially didn't want Misty around and disliked that she kept following him, as she claims that she was going to follow him around until he paid her back for her accidentally destroyed bike, though her reasons changed as she not only forgot about her destroyed bike, but also forgave him, as she understood that he had noble intentions, and it wasn't entirely on purpose.

Ash eventually changed his opinion about Misty, as she became a mentor to him and helped him become a great Pokémon Trainer. Despite their initial differences, Ash eventually grew to care for Misty and became best friends with her, although they do tease each other from time to time. They have each other's backs and would do anything for each other. Despite their friendship, however, aside from Misty's demanded payback for her fried bike, because she tries to keep Ash in order to make sure he doesn't flunk his training and battles, the two do argue a lot (whether if it's justifiable or not), with some of their fights leading them to almost losing their friendship and even resorting to violence, but they'll always make up from their flaws in the end. Additionally, they sometimes can be competitive with each other as they have a little bit of a friendly rivalry with one another as they try to show each other up.

Ash and Misty yukata

Ash and Misty in yukata outfits.

After their travels in Kanto, Ash and Misty traveled through the Orange Islands and Johto together. Once their journey through Johto had ended, Ash and Misty parted ways when she was forced to run the Cerulean Gym while her sisters went on an "around-the-world" cruise, which they had won as a prize in a beauty contest. After Misty got her bike back, as it was repaired by the Viridian City's Nurse Joy and returned to her, Ash was happy that his friend would get to her hometown much faster. However, Misty became upset with Ash when he believed that the repayment for her bike was the reason, she traveled with him in the first place. Ash was clueless when Misty ran out of the Pokémon Center, but Brock helped him see that she wanted to continue traveling with them. Finding that Misty was in trouble, Ash and Brock rushed to her defense. Also, Ash assured Misty that their journey together was never truly about repayment for her bike. After everything was resolved, Ash and Misty parted ways to go back to their hometowns.

Ash and Misty surfing

Ash and Misty surfing together.

Despite no longer traveling together, Ash and Misty, who decided to run the Cerulean Gym full time, maintained their strong friendship for one another. Also, Ash, even though he would not admit it to her, treasures the fishing lure Misty gave him as a gift and does use it but tries not to damage it, which shows that he still cares about her. When Misty and Brock traveled to Alola, Ash was very pleased and enjoyed their time together, showing that their bond had not dwindled. Ash was happy to see Misty again while he was at a beach and that she set off on a new journey. However, like Brock, Ash gets annoyed when Misty would get overly excited about Water-type Pokémon. Also, Ash pretended that he didn't want Misty to travel with him again but seeing that Pikachu wants to have her around once more he let her join him. Although he won't admit, Ash secretly wanted Misty around again, which shows that he missed traveling with her, and didn't buy her reason for following him, as he realized that she missed the same thing. Unfortunately, Ash and Misty went their separate ways again, but they know that they'll see each other again one day.

Brock[]

Ash and Brock

Ash and Brock.

While Ash and Brock disagreed at first, they quickly became friends. Their bond soon became even stronger, resulting in them becoming best friends when they traveled the Kanto region together. When Brock stayed with Professor Ivy for a while, Ash understood his reasons. After Brock eventually returned, the two boys traveled together from Johto through Sinnoh. Through their travels, Ash grew to view Brock as a big brother figure and one of his mentors, as he would often give him helpful advice to better himself as a Trainer or help him see through his mistakes.

Ash and Brock are always there for each other. They do not usually fight with one another, but whenever they have a small fallout, they make up quickly. However, Ash and Brock almost lost their friendship when one of Team Rocket's tricks got out of hand, but they mended it when the truth became clear. In addition, Ash and Brock sometimes practice battles together. Ash trusts Brock to keep his Aura powers a secret. They officially parted ways when their travels in Sinnoh ended, when Brock decided to become a Pokémon Doctor and Ash continued traveling to fulfill his ambitions. After going their separate ways, Ash and Brock maintained their lasting friendships with one another, as shown when Ash briefly traveled to the Kanto region with his schoolmates. This was also shown when Brock briefly traveled to the Alola region with Misty and Ash reunited with him in Sinnoh. However, Ash reunites with Brock in Galar as he decides to travel with him and Misty once again. Although, Ash and Brock went their separate ways once more but know that they might see each other again someday.

Tracey[]

Ash and Tracey

Ash and Tracey.

Ash and Tracey are pretty close friends and have a great respect for each other, as they traveled together through the Orange Islands. They hardly disagree with each other, but when they do, they make up pretty quickly. The two boys eventually parted ways when Tracey became Professor Oak's assistant, though they still maintain a strong friendship. While Ash continued traveling, the boys sometimes see each other when the latter comes back home to Pallet Town.

May[]

Ash and May

Ash and May.

May is one of Ash's best friends. They met when May witnessed Ash trying to save his Pikachu from danger when he was confused from an Electric build up, after an accident caused by Team Rocket. Like with Misty, Ash, and his Pikachu accidentally fried May's bike. However, unlike Misty, May kept her cool and forgave them quickly as not only did she understand it wasn't on purpose, but she also never demanded payback after seeing how much Ash had been taking care of his Pikachu. After May guilt tripped her accidentally destroyed bike on him into traveling together, Ash let her come along with him. They traveled through Hoenn and the Battle Frontier together, helping each other along the way. When May chose to become a Pokémon Coordinator, Ash gave her his full support and helped her in any way he could. Ash became a mentor to May and guided her in the ways of a Pokémon Trainer. In fact, they trained together for Ash's battles and for May's contests.

Sometimes, Ash and May have their fights, one of which almost caused them to lose their friendship when their ideas were working against each other as a result of them not cooperating during a tag battle against a couple, but they always make up from their mistakes in the end. Unlike Misty, however, many of Ash's fights with May (even their most severe ones) usually do not resort to actual violence. Ash has faith in May as he trusts her to keep his Aura abilities hidden from anyone that wasn't their friend. Although they went their separate ways to continue making their dreams come true, their friendship remained intact, as shown when they cross paths again in Sinnoh.

Max[]

Ash and Max

Ash and Max.

Ash and Max are best friends. They share a common love for Pokémon and liked to do their own things while May and Brock went shopping in towns or cities throughout Hoenn and the Battle Frontier. Ash acts like a big brother figure towards Max and protects him. Also, Ash hardly had any fights with Max and trusts him to know about his Aura abilities. When Max was going to return to Hoenn while May traveled through Johto, Ash promised him that when he became a Pokémon Trainer, they would have a battle together. Although Ash knows his friendship with Max will remain till the end.

Dawn[]

Ash and Dawn

Ash and Dawn.

Ash shares an unbreakable friendship with Dawn. As a sign of their bond, they easily get along and often high-five each other whenever something good happens to them. They also stand up for each other and have each other's backs. Similarly, to what he did for May, Ash mentored Dawn in the ways of a Pokémon Trainer and helped her as a Pokémon Coordinator.

Unlike Ash's relationships with other female companions, Ash and Dawn hardly have disagreements with each other and are never judgmental. While Ash can annoy Dawn with his actions and vice versa and they sometimes fight a little, they show great teamwork for each other. Even their most severe arguments (such as the one they had upon starting their journey together, and another when they failed to cooperate in a tag battle against a set of twins) were nothing when compared to how Ash dealt with either Misty or May, as none of those arguments were severe enough for either Ash or Dawn to lose their friendship, and they'll easily make up from their mistakes rather quickly. And much like with May, almost every fight that Ash had with Dawn never escalated to actual violence. Unlike with Misty or May, Ash didn't find out that his Pikachu accidentally destroyed Dawn's bike until much later, though given that Ash was absent at that time and was separated from his Pikachu, combined with Team Rocket chasing them on the day they met, Dawn (much like May) kept her cool with Ash and Pikachu and quickly forgave them.

Ash and Dawn high-fiving

Ash and Dawn high fiving.

Ash also supported Dawn and cheered her on during her Contests, while she cheered him on during his Gym Battles, and she sometimes dressed up in a cheerleader outfit for him. Like with Brock, Ash and Dawn also practiced battles to help their skill levels. Through their time together, Ash sees Dawn as a very trusting friend as he tells her about his Aura powers. After they went their separate ways, Ash and Dawn remained best friends, shown when they saw each other again in Unova, Sinnoh and Galar.

During their reunion in Galar, Ash was pleased that Dawn (along with Chloe) was there to see him battle Leon in the Masters Eight Tournament finals. She then congratulated him after he won the battle against Leon and became the new Monarch.

Iris[]

Ash and Iris

Ash and Iris.

Ash and Iris are good friends. They respect each other's skills and the love they have for Pokémon. Much like his relationship with Misty, however, Ash and Iris do tease each other from time to time, although he also gets annoyed when she calls him a kid. In contrast to his relationship with Misty though, Ash got off to a much better start with Iris. Even though it was on a sour note when Iris yells at Ash for mistaking her for a Pokémon and throwing a Pokéball at her, he's quickly forgiven after he apologizes and admits that he had no idea where the Pokémon (Axew) was. Ash is also complemented after Iris admits that even if he's still a kid, she's still impressed by his will to save Pokémon. The two trained for battles together during their journey and enjoy doing various activities together.

On occasions, Ash and Iris do fight sometimes, with one of their fights almost costing them their friendship when they both overreacted towards each other, but they'll always patch things up at the end. Many of Ash's fights with Iris are usually portrayed as more frequent and severe than those with May, but not as such when compared to those with Misty. Similar to how Ash dealt with May (and by extension, with Dawn sometimes), many of his fights with Iris usually don't escalate into actual violence, with Iris having only gone as far as to harshly throw a bitter berry at him. But much like how Ash dealt with Misty, his most severe fight with Iris proved enough to make her go away.

Pokémon Champions Ash Ketchum and Iris

Ash and Iris as champions, Alola and Unova.

After arriving in Kanto, Ash and Iris went their separate ways to fulfill their dreams. However, they both knew they'd always be friends no matter where they went. After getting a letter from Iris for a battle, Ash decided to not only accept her challenge, but also see her again. Once he reunites with her, Ash was pleased to hear that Iris is the new champion of Unova, which shows how strong their friendship still is, and participating in the World Coronation Series. Ash and Iris had their battle where he emerges victorious, advancing him to the Ultra Class in the World Coronation Series. They then both agree to battle again one day. Ash was later surprised to see that Iris reached the Master Class in the World Coronation Series. However, he was happy to reunite with her once again during the Masters Eight Tournament and came to comfort her, after she lost to Cynthia. Also, Ash appreciated Iris' support when she wished him good luck for the remainder of the tournament.

Cilan[]

Ash and Cilan

Ash and Cilan.

Ash and Cilan are close friends. Also, Ash greatly respects Cilan as a Pokémon Connoisseur and as a Gym Leader. Much like his relationship with Brock, Ash enjoys Cilan's cooking and doesn't usually fight with him, but when they do, they make up right away. In addition, Ash would be helped by Cilan as he helps him see through his mistakes. Before going their separate ways, Ash was told by Cilan how much he learned from him. Pleased, Ash said he felt the same way about him. Although Ash and Cilan friendship will remain no matter where their journeys take them, which was shown when he reunited with him in Galar. Also, Ash got a fishing lure from Cilan and not only uses it but also treasures it, much like he does with the one he got from Misty.

Clemont[]

Ash and Clemont

Ash and Clemont.

Clemont is one of Ash's best friends. Like with Iris, they practiced battles with one another during their journey. While Ash respects Clemont as a Gym Leader, he also admires his inventions and cooking. Like with Brock, Tracey, Max and Cilan, Ash and Clemont rarely fought. On the other side, Ash would be looked out for by Clemont, as he would sometimes warn him about impending danger. Ash trusts Clemont to know about his Bond Phenomenon ability. After their journey concluded together, Ash went back home to resume his journey while Clemont stayed to run his gym with Bonnie right beside him. However, Ash and Clemont knew that they'll always be friends no matter where they are, which was confirmed by a brief reunion.

Bonnie[]

Ash and Bonnie

Ash and Bonnie.

Ash and Bonnie are good friends. They both have a great love for Pokémon, and Ash cares for Bonnie like a little sister. Like with Max, Ash is protective of Bonnie and would do anything to keep her safe from danger. They both like to have fun with Pokémon and do related activities with them as well. Like with his male companions, Ash hardly had any arguments with Bonnie. Ash knows that Bonnie will keep his Bond Phenomenon ability a secret. When their journey together ended, Ash and Bonnie went their separate ways as he went home to find out his next move as a Trainer while she stayed in Kalos alongside Clemont. Ash also knows that he'll always be friends with Bonnie, which was confirmed by a brief reunion.

Serena[]

Ash and Serena

Ash and his childhood friend, Serena.

Serena is Ash's childhood friend, though they had an estranged relationship due to being separated for many years. They first met many years ago at Professor Oak's summer camp, where Ash helped Serena with a knee injury that she received when she got spooked by a Poliwag, tripping and skinning her knee. Ash and Serena were separated for many years until she eventually saw the boy on TV one day. Rushing to Santalune City to meet her savior, Serena was initially disappointed to find out that Ash didn't recognize her at first. When he planned to go to his next Gym, Ash asked Serena what she was going to do next, though seeing that she was unsure he asked her if she wanted to travel with him and the group, an offer that she happily accepted. However, after being shown the handkerchief he used on her knee back at Professor Oak's camp, Ash remembered meeting Serena when he was little, calling her the "girl with the straw hat." Although their friendship was mended, Ash's relationship with Serena grew to a close friendship as they would give each other helpful advice and supported each other during their long journey through Kalos.

Ash and Serena Young

Ash and Serena when they were younger.

Ash was clueless to Serena's very strong crush on him during their journey, which she never denied her feelings for when asked or confronted as she would become initially embarrassed and tried to keep it a secret. Much like his relationship with Dawn, Ash hardly has any disagreements with Serena, and the two are never judgmental of each other. However, their friendship is taken to the next level (on a similar level to that of both his male companions and Bonnie) as Ash doesn't immediately annoy Serena with his antics. Serena herself even goes the extra mile in that even when scolding Ash, she is much more assertive and does not show or conceal her temper towards him, hinting that she knows some appropriate ways to be firm whilst keeping her cool. Despite all this, though, they did have a fallout with each other when Ash snapped at Serena for not understanding his feelings, after initially losing a Gym battle for his last Kalos badge. However, this fight wasn't entirely an argument like with most of Ash's previous female companions as Serena was only trying to help him snap out of his depression. Even when Serena angrily lashed back and threw a couple of snowballs at Ash in an attempt to knock some sense into him, her tone of voice was still more assertive than aggressive. As such, after realizing that she was just trying to help, Ash felt guilty for being so hard on Serena, who in turn, felt guilty believing that she made the scene worse by yelling back at him and that he was out in the blizzard as a result of their argument. As Serena attempted to apologize to him for lashing back, Ash stopped her to show how truly sorry he was for hurting her by thanking her for talking and knocking some sense into him.

Ash has faith in Serena as he trusts her to keep his Bond Phenomenon power hidden from anyone that isn't their friend. Before going their separate ways, Ash was pleased when Serena said that she was glad that she came with him and that he was going to like the person she grows into the next time they see each other. However, Ash became stunned when Serena leaned forward and kissed him showing the crush she had on Ash, shocking all of their friends. Also, Ash knows his friendship with Serena will remain strong even when they are apart, which was shown when he briefly reunited with her in Hoenn.

Lana[]

Ash and Lana

Ash and Lana.

Ash and Lana share a close friendship since they were classmates at the Pokémon School in Alola. Like his relationships with Dawn, Serena, Bonnie, and all his previous male companions, Ash hardly has any disagreements with Lana, though he can sometimes be annoyed with her jokes at times. During Ash's time in Alola, he and Lana went on adventures together, although they were sometimes joined by Mallow. Ash and Lana would also help each other in various tasks or provide assistance whenever their Pokémon were separated from them. Ash appreciates Lana support in becoming the first Champion of Alola. However, Ash and Lana went their separate ways as he decided to return home to continue his journey while she stayed in Alola to go fishing for Manaphy with her dad. Although, they remained friends until the end, shown when he briefly revisited Alola a couple of times.

Lillie[]

Ash and Lillie

Ash and Lillie.

Ash and Lillie are best friends as they were classmates at the Pokémon School. During their time in Alola, they were often there to help cheer each other up whenever one of them was feeling down. Like with Max and Bonnie, Ash would go through great lengths to protect Lillie from danger. Ash never gave up on Lillie and helped her with her problems, including getting through her fear of touching Pokémon. Also, Ash helped Lillie and Gladion save their friends and Lusamine from Ultra Space, earning her appreciation even more. In addition, Ash and Lillie share a lot of things in common, including a strong love for Pokémon, excitement about going on adventures, meeting new Pokémon, and a willingness to help others.

Ash and Lillie small in size

Ash and Lillie small in size.

Like what he did for Serena, Ash gave Lillie good advice as he helped her perfect her Z-Moves, although she didn't get what meant at first, and supported her. Like his relationships with Dawn, Serena, Bonnie, Lana, and all his previous male companions, Ash hardly has any disagreements with Lillie, and he would always stand up for her and vice versa. Also, Ash was very happy that Lillie supported him in becoming Champion of Alola. Ash and Lillie parted ways when he decided to continue his own journey while she left to go on a journey to find her long lost father. However, they gave each other thanks for everything they did for one another. Despite being apart, Ash knows his friendship with Lillie will always be with him. Also, during a visit to Alola, Ash was happy that Lillie was doing ok on her journey to find her father and hopes to see her again as she hopes the same for him.

Ash ends up reuniting with Lillie in Galar as he rushed to her defenses when a Shiny Nihilego was going to attack her. Also, Ash helped Lillie in getting her father to remember his family, after finding out that he lost his memory in the accident that separated her family for a very long time. Ash even accompanied Lillie and her family back to Alola.

Sophocles[]

Ash and Sophocles

Ash and Sophocles.

Sophocles is one of Ash's closest friends since they were former classmates at the Pokémon School. They encourage and support each other as they provide assistance to each other whenever they need it. Although, Ash and Sophocles could disagree at times but get over it quickly. Like how he acted with Clemont, Ash is impressed with Sophocles' know-how and his inventions. One special gift that Ash gave to Sophocles was a Charjabug initially meant to be a farewell gift.

After becoming Champion of Alola, Ash was very happy that Sophocles supported him till the end. Ash and Sophocles parted ways when he decided to return to Kanto in order to resume his journey and the latter left for Hoenn. However, Ash and Sophocles both know that their friendship will always be there no matter where they are, shown when they briefly reunited when he visited Alola a couple of times and he met up with him in Hoenn.

Mallow[]

Ash and Mallow

Ash and Mallow.

Ash and Mallow are close friends since they were also classmates at the Pokémon School. Like Brock and Cilan, Ash is impressed with Mallow's cooking. During their time in Alola, Ash and Mallow went on adventures together, sometimes they had Lana accompany them. They are often there to support and assist each other whenever they need it. As with his relationships with Dawn, Serena, Bonnie, Lana, Lillie, and all his previous male companions, Ash hardly has any any arguments with Mallow. Also, Ash greatly appreciates Mallow's support in becoming Champion of Alola. They went their separate ways when Ash decided to continue his journey while Mallow stayed in Alola to make her family restaurant a place for both people and Pokémon. However, they remained friends even though they were apart. During a visit from Alola, Ash was pleased that Mallow wanted to celebrate his visit and in meeting his new friend, Goh. Also, Ash got to see Mallow again during another visit to Alola.

Professor Kukui[]

Ash and Professor Kukui

Ash and Professor Kukui.

While attending the Pokémon School, Ash resided at Professor Kukui's house. The two have an extremely strong, almost familial bond. In fact, their relationship is almost akin to a father and son, since they spent a lot of time together outside of the Pokémon School and enjoy each other's company. At times, Professor Kukui scolds Ash like a parent whenever he does something wrong (especially when he wonders off on his own), but he does soften a couple of times as he understands that his reasons were to help his or wild Pokémon whenever they were in trouble. They even have a student/mentor relationship with each other that works two ways, since Kukui is his teacher in the school and Ash became a mentor to him when he unexpectedly ended up going back in time to when he was five years old. But it changed after a while in a parent/son relationship. In the Poké Problem segment called A Timeless Encounter, Professor Burnet commented on how Ash and Kukui were like brothers when they ate their food.

The Double Royals

Ash, as Ash Royal, and Professor Kukui, as the Masked Royal.

Also, Ash admires Kukui's alter ego, the Masked Royal, and gets fired up when watching his matches on TV with his Pokémon and Professor Burnet since they are also huge fans of his. After battling him twice and being defeated both times, Ash was told by the Masked Royal that his Incineroar and Ash's Incineroar, during his time as a Torracat, were officially rivals. When fighting as the Double Royals, their battling coordination and teamwork were so good that James said, "Those two are so in sync, you'll never know it's their first time." After the grudge match against The Revengers, Ash asked the Masked Royal to have a final battle with him someday, which he accepted. Ash was very happy that Professor Kukui watched him become Champion of Alola. After finding out his identity, Ash was shocked that the Masked Royal and Professor Kukui were the same person at first. However, Ash became excited about it since he didn't care about how long Professor Kukui kept his secret. Ash and Kukui eventually had to part ways when he decided to return to Kanto, but their bond remained intact. Also, like with Professor Oak, Ash trusts Professor Kukui to look after his Pokémon alongside his wife and will always consider him the father that he never had.

Professor Burnet[]

Ash and Professor Burnet

Ash and Professor Burnet.

Ever since Professor Burnet married Kukui and moved in with Ash, she has acted as a mother figure to the boy. Although, unlike Delia sometimes, Ash doesn't get embarrassed by Professor Burnet as she usually doesn't say anything that would freak him out or make him nervous. They are both huge fans of the Masked Royal, although they were both clueless at first that it was actually Professor Kukui along with Ash's classmates. However, Ash, his classmates, and Professor Burnet eventually found out about the Masked Royal's identity, which ended up just making them admire him even more. Ash even appreciates Professor Burnet support in becoming Champion of Alola. Before going back home to resume his journey, Ash thanked Professor Burnet for everything, knowing they'd always be friends no matter the distance. Also, Ash not only knows his Pokémon are in good hands with Professor Burnet alongside her husband but will also consider her another mother.

Goh[]

Ash and Goh

Ash and Goh.

Ash first met Goh when they jumped on Lugia at the same time. During and after their adventure with the Legendary Pokémon, the two boys found out they had a lot in common and instantly formed a very strong friendship with each other. Ash would help Goh whenever he needed it and he would do the same for him. Like he did for May, Dawn, Serena and Lillie, Ash acts like a mentor to Goh and helps him in various ways as a Pokémon Trainer. Also, similar to what Brock and Cilan did for him, Ash helps Goh see through his mistakes from time to time, even helping him understand that some of his traits need fixing since Goh shares some of the same traits that Ash once had. Despite all this, much how he was with Misty, May, Iris and Kiawe, Ash does frequently clash with Goh at times and vice versa, but they always manage to make up in the end. And much like with both Misty and Kiawe, Ash can also be competitive with Goh at times.

Sometime later, Goh finds out that Ash is the Pokémon Champion of the Alola region, which not only surprises him but also excitingly asked him as to why he didn't tell him about his Champion status earlier and he humbly answered that he forgot to say something about it. Ash supports Goh and wants him to keep on doing his best. However, Ash almost lost his friendship with Goh but meeting Lugia again and a heart to heart talk with him was able to mend it. Ash and Goh went their separate ways in order to continue their journeys but promise to see each other again one day. They also both promise to support each other, even when they are apart.

Lei[]

Ash and Lei

Ash and Lei.

Although he heard about him through the professors, Ash officially meets Lei during a visit to Alola while reuniting with Professor Burnet and Professor Kukui. Lei was very excited to meet Ash, seeing him as a big brother figure.

Rivals[]

Gary[]

Ash and Gary

Ash and Gary.

Ash and Gary have known each other since they were little, as they grew up together. Ash and Gary had a close friendship, but it ended when they became rivals and started their Pokémon journeys. Despite their rivalry, Ash and Gary still looked out for each other at times, showing that they were still friends.

Young Ash and Gary

Ash and Gary when they were little.

During their time in Johto, Ash and Gary were able to mend their friendship, as they grew close to one another again. Although Gary moved on to become a researcher like his grandfather and Ash continued his Pokémon journey, they remained friends, although they still have a bit of a friendly rivalry with each other. Ash gets annoyed when Gary teases him from time to time, but it's all good fun.

Kiawe[]

Ash and Kiawe

Ash and Kiawe.

Ash is close friends with Kiawe. They were classmates and training partners for Pokémon battles at the Pokémon School in Alola. While they're usually on good terms, Ash and Kiawe also share a friendly rivalry with each other. Unlike his previous male companions, but much like how he was with Misty, Ash is also competitive with Kiawe from time to time as they do sometimes argue, though they get over their disagreements quickly. Despite their rivalry and competitiveness, the two boys are always ready to lend a hand to each other. Also, Ash liked that Kiawe had faith in him when he became Champion of Alola. Ash and Kiawe eventually went their separate ways as he decided to go back home to resume his journey while the latter stayed in Alola to resume his Island Challenge. Despite being apart, Ash and Kiawe both knew that they would always be friends, shown when they briefly reunited when he came to visit Alola a couple of times.

Pokémon[]

Pikachu[]

Ash and Pikachu

Ash and Pikachu.

Pikachu is Ash's First partner Pokémon, partner, and best friend, even though there are times that they don't agree with each other. Despite having a rough start at first, they became inseparable. Pikachu has always been on Ash's side during his journey, no matter what the odds and whether good or bad things that had happened. In addition, Ash always allows Pikachu to ride on his head or shoulder during his journey, since he knows that his partner doesn't like to stay inside his Poké Ball. They protect each other from trouble and would stand up for each other. A lot of people see that they're perfect partners.

Ash with Pikachu and Riolu

Ash and Pikachu laying together.

Despite their friendship, Ash does butt heads with Pikachu at times but they don't stay that way for long. Whenever Pikachu fell victim to someone's control, Ash would always help him and give him enough encouragement to break free from it, although he was successful a couple of times but there have been times the control would be too strong for him to break free from but he never gives up on getting through to his best friend no matter how tough the hold was on him. Also, when the other way around occurs, Ash was given the strength to break free from someone's control when he would hear Pikachu's voice calling out to him, which shows how strong their friendship for one another is. Ash even trusts Pikachu greatly as he knows he'll keep both his Aura and Bond Phenomenon abilities a secret.

Sometimes, Ash and Pikachu have shown to agree with each other in Pokemon battles in Gyms, Tournaments or Trials. Also, there have been times when Pikachu was ready to battle and thought that Ash will choose him in battle but he told him no and chooses a different Pokemon instead, which disappoints Pikachu but he agrees and understands of Ash's choice.

Rotom Dex[]

Ash and Rotom

Ash and Rotom.

Rotom is not only a companion to Ash who gives information about Pokémon and advice during his time in Alola, but is also his good friend. Whenever it was needed, Ash would go to Rotom for help and it would go to him for the same reason. Also, Ash appreciates Rotom support in becoming Champion of Alola. Ash and Rotom went their separate ways when he decided to continue his journey while the latter stayed in Alola to work for the Aether Foundation. Despite being apart, Ash knows his friendship with Rotom will remain no matter how far they are from each other, shown when he came to visit Alola.

Biography[]

Anime[]

XY121 13

Ash notching that some wild Pokémon needed shelter from the rain.

When he was a little boy, Ash went looking for Pokémon in the forest. However, Ash got lost and it was frightened to the point of tears. When it started to rain, Ash was forced to take shelter under a hollow tree. While under the tree, Ash noticed a group of Pokémon who were also seeking shelter from the rain. Ash invited the Pokémon inside the tree where they kept him safe and warm. This made Ash so happy that he wondered how much he wanted to become a Trainer to travel the entire world with his Pokémon friends.[1]

Later on, Ash shows his mother a poster of Professor Oak's Pokémon summer camp that he wanted to go to and she happily signed him up. However, Ash overslept and missed the summer camp. After that, Ash went home, hoping he would go next time.[2]

XY006 17

Ash helping Serena.

Sometime later, Ash successfully enrolled in another one of Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp where he would learn the basics of Pokémon and being a Trainer when he gets older. While looking for a Poliwag, Ash happened upon a young girl and fellow camper named Serena who got lost in the forest while looking for her group. Seeing that she injured her knee when a Poliwag startled her, Ash wrapped a clean blue handkerchief with a Poké Ball on each corner around her wounded knee to brace it. Ash lent her his hand and helped her up when she couldn't get herself up due to the pain. While doing so, Ash even hugged her then he guided her out of the forest and took her back to the campsite.[3]

At some point before starting their journeys, Ash was friends with Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson, as they would go to the movies together when they were younger.[4] Then one day, Ash and Gary both fished out a Poké Ball on both of their fishing lines. After arguing about who keeps it, Ash and Gary both broke the Poké Ball into two pieces where they kept one half of it as a reminder of that day.[5]

Pokémon the Series: The Beginning[]

Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver[]

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire[]

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl[]

Pokémon the Series: Black & White[]

Pokémon the Series: XY and XYZ[]

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon[]

Pokémon Journeys: The Series[]

Other appearances[]

Pokémon[]

On hand[]

Others[]

Pokémon the Series: The Beginning[]

Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver[]

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire[]

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl[]

Pokémon the Series: Black & White[]

Pokémon the Series: XY and Pokémon the Series: XYZ[]

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon[]

Pokémon Journeys: The Series[]

Achievements[]

Badges[]

Kanto League[]

  1. Boulder Badge
  2. Cascade Badge
  3. Thunder Badge
  4. Marsh Badge
  5. Rainbow Badge
  6. Soul Badge
  7. Volcano Badge
  8. Earth Badge

Orange Islands[]

  1. Coral-Eye Badge
  2. Sea Ruby Badge
  3. Spike Shell Badge
  4. Jade Star Badge

Johto League[]

  1. Zephyr Badge
  2. Hive Badge
  3. Plain Badge
  4. Fog Badge
  5. Storm Badge
  6. Mineral Badge
  7. Glacier Badge
  8. Rising Badge

Hoenn League[]

  1. Stone Badge
  2. Knuckle Badge
  3. Dynamo Badge
  4. Heat Badge
  5. Balance Badge
  6. Feather Badge
  7. Mind Badge
  8. Rain Badge

Kanto Battle Frontier[]

Frontier Symbols

Frontier Symbols

Sinnoh League[]

  1. Coal Badge
  2. Forest Badge
  3. Cobble Badge
  4. Fen Badge
  5. Relic Badge
  6. Mine Badge
  7. Icicle Badge
  8. Beacon Badge

Unova League[]

  1. Trio Badge
  2. Basic Badge
  3. Insect Badge
  4. Bolt Badge
  5. Quake Badge
  6. Jet Badge
  7. Freeze Badge
  8. Toxic Badge

Kalos League[]

  1. Bug Badge
  2. Cliff Badge
  3. Rumble Badge
  4. Plant Badge
  5. Voltage Badge
  6. Fairy Badge
  7. Psychic Badge
  8. Iceberg Badge

Alola Island Challenges[]

World Coronation Series[]

Pokémon League Status[]

Ash Awards, Badges, and Trophies

Ash's Pokémon League Badge, Orange League trophy, Battle Frontier plaque, Alola League and Exhibition match trophies.

Pokémon Championship Battles[]

  • Orange League: Champion
  • Kanto Battle Frontier: Champion
  • World Coronation Series: Monarch

Tournaments[]

Other achievements[]

Voice actors[]

  • Japanese:
  • English:
  • Korean:
  • Dutch:
    • Christa Lips (Seasons 1–25)
  • Unknown voice actor (MS05-MS07)
  • German:
    • Caroline Combrinck (Season 1–3; 12–19)
    • Veronika Neugebauer (Season 4–11, dec.)
    • Felix Mayer (Season 20–25)
  • Italian: Davide Garbolino
  • Icelandic:
    • Grímur Helgi Gíslason (MS03)
    • Guðjón Davíð Karlsson (MS05)
  • Swedish: Dick Eriksson
  • Greek: Voula Kosta
  • Arabic:
    • Bouthayna Shaya (Season 1–2) (Venus Corporation)
    • Mona Majzoub (Super M Productions)
    • Rana Al-Rifai (M22)
  • Filipino:
    • Klariz Magboo (Season 1–18, Season 21-present)
    • Will Ashley (Season 19–20)[6][7]
  • Brazilian Portuguese:
    • Fábio Lucindo (Seasons 1–18)
    • Gustavo Nader (MS06, original recordings)
    • Alex Minei (some scenes in BW051)
    • Charles Emmanuel (Seasons 19–22)
    • Matheus Perissé (Seasons 23–25)
  • Latin America:
  • Danish:
    • Mathias Klenske
    • Lucas Lomholt Eriksen (Season 17)
  • European Spanish:
    • Adolfo Moreno
    • Rafael Alonso Naranjo Jr. ("The Spell of the Unown" and "Mewtwo Returns")
  • French:
    • Aurélien Ringelheim
    • Charles Pestel (MS004, MS007)
    • Nicolas Beaucaire (MS06)
    • Delphine Chauvier (young) ("Enter Pikachu!")
  • Canadian French:
    • Sébastien Reding (MS001-MS007 only)
  • Hindi:
    • Prasad Barve (Cartoon Network dub)
    • Nachiket Dighe (Hungama dub)
  • Polish:
    • Hanna Kinder-Kiss
    • Grzegorz Drojewski (Season 10)
  • Hebrew:
    • Yonatan Magon
    • Daniel Magon
  • Russian:
    • Anna Levchenko (TB001–TB107)
    • Larisa Nekipelova (DP105–present)
  • Albanian: Andi Begolli
  • Persian: Mina Momeni/مینا مومنی (M020 only)
  • Slovak: Peter Krajčovič
  • Basque: Arantxa Muñox
  • Macedonian: Hristina Pepovac
  • Catalan: Marta Covas
  • Ukranian: Lidiia Murashchenko

Origin[]

Design[]

Ash's design is based on the player character from Generation I, Red.

Etymology[]

Ash's Japanese name, Satoshi, comes from Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokémon. Ash comes from the middle option of default sample names from the in-game player file configuration screens at the start of the journey (which is the option where Satoshi was listed in the original Japanese game) and his last name, Ketchum, comes from the phrase "Gotta catch 'em all".

Trivia[]

  • Ash's original Japanese name is "Satoshi" and he was named after and based on Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokémon.
  • Ash's last name, Ketchum, may be derived from "catch 'em".
    • His fake name, Tom Ato, might be derived from his last name, Ketchum, and be related to Ketchup.
  • Ash's name is based on one of the three options for one's name in Red/Blue/Yellow.
  • In the 20th Pokémon movie as well as Betrayed, Bothered, and Beleaguered!, Ash's birthdate is confirmed to be 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 Black & White (dub only) despite the episode "Best Wishes Until We Meet Again!" strongly implying that at least a full year had passed since his time in Johto. Also, in the "Pikachu & Pichu" short, which aired at least two full series before Best Wishes, it is stated a full year has passed since Ash and Pikachu first met then, as well. Though he is still officially "10", this would make Ash chronologically around 12, or, around 12–13. Takeshi Shudo also wrote the screenplay for the movie "The Spell of the Unown", which the Pikachu & Pichu short was originally shown with.
  • Besides the Orange League and Kanto Battle Frontier, the Alola League is currently the only actual league tournament that Ash ever won.
  • In the Kanto region, Ash often turned his cap backward when preparing for a battle or to capture a Pokémon. This habit wore off as time went on. However, he was shown turning his cap backward when he was battling Tobias, presumably because Tobias was arguably the strongest Trainer he'd ever faced, being the only one who was capable of beating all six of his Pokémon using only two of his own. Although in the Best Wishes series, Ash is seen turning his cap backward more often. He recently turned his hat around in A Battle of Aerial Mobility! when he used Froakie to help defeat and capture Fletchling.
  • In Tekken 6, there is an ambiguous character named Eleonore "Leo" Kliesen, who can be customized to look like Ash Ketchum. Coincidentally, both characters were voiced by Veronica Taylor and sounded very similar. However, in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and onwards, Leo's voice grunts are used in later games where it was performed by Veronica Taylor, and Leo is now voiced by a German voice actor, Philipp Zieschang who now speaks in their native German language.
  • According to "Climbing the Walls!", Ash's favorite move is Thunderbolt, mostly since this is his Pikachu's most notable move throughout the entire series.
  • Ash was Veronica Taylor's favorite role to voice in her career.
  • Ash has a total of 82 Pokémon under his ownership, including all 30 of his Tauros.
  • Ash is the first major male character to:
  • So far, Ash:
  • Ash has been held captive and used as a hostage for almost every villainous organization in each Region he has been to, except for Team Aqua, Team Plasma, Team Skull and Team Yell.
  • Ash has obtained at least one Flying-type from each region he has traveled.
  • In the first episode of Pokémon Journeys, Ash overslept and was late to go to Professor Oak's summer camping trip just like the first day he was going to get his first partner Pokémon in the first episode of the original series "Pokémon - I Choose You!".
  • Ash has his own special day event known as "National Ash Ketchum Day", which commemorates his first Pokémon League victory in Alola. It has been celebrated every September 15 since 2020.
  • Just as Iris and May captured all their Pokémon without battling them, Ash also caught his Pokémon from the Alola Region without having a Pokémon battle.

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