For the variant appearing in the games, see Red (game).

“ I choose you! ” –Ash's catchphrase when calling out a Pokémon

Ash Ketchum is the main protagonist of the Pokémon Anime series. He is a 10-year-old Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town in the Kanto region that has always dreamed of becoming the world’s greatest Pokémon Master. He is the first human character to be introduced in the series and is currently the only character shown to have been to all of the regions. Ash is the winner of the Orange League and is also the Alola region's Pokémon Champion, receiving the title after winning its first Pokémon League Conference.

As soon as he turned 10 years old, Ash rushed to Professor Oak's Laboratory to get his first Pokémon. Originally wanting to choose Squirtle, Ash ended up receiving the Pokémon Pikachu instead, as he arrived late (thus leaving him with no other Starters to choose from). 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 Kanto's Gym Leaders, 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 such as Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Clemont, Bonnie, Serena, Lana, Kiawe, Lillie, Sophocles and Mallow. 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 managed to capture Pikachu though, due to Ash's other Pokémon and friends helping him.

Ash is currently working at the Cerise Laboratory as a research assistant along with his new friend Goh, all while competing in the World Coronation Series.

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Appearance

Ash's outfit in The Beginning series and Gold and Silver series

Ash's outfit in the Ruby and Sapphire series

Ash's outfit in the Diamond and Pearl series

Ash's outfit in the Black & White series

Ash's outfit in the XY and XYZ series

Ash's outfit in the Sun & Moon series

Ash's outfit in the Pokémon Journeys series 1 of 7 Add photo

Ash is a skinny, slender young boy with dark black hair, slightly tan skin, and brown eyes with two distinctive lightning bolt-like markings underneath each one. 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 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.

The Beginning

Ash wore a white and blue short-sleeved jacket with gold trim, a 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 cap with a green stylized "L".

Gold and Silver

Ash's outfit remains unchanged from The Beginnings series.

Ruby and Sapphire

Ash appeared with new clothing. He wore a black and red cap 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.

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 cap with a blue Poké Ball print. Ash wore the same fingerless gloves he wore in the Advanced series.

Black & 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.

XY and XYZ

In the XY and XYZ series, 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 in the Best Wishes series

Sun & Moon

Ash wore a loose short-sleeved shirt with white and blue stripes, brown Capri 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 changed into a black Z-Power Ring. Unlike in other regions, Ash didn't wear fingerless gloves while he was in Alola.

Journeys

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 cap with a black Poké Ball design formed into the letter C. During his second trip to Galar, Ash obtained a Dynamax Band, which is white with blue and red on the end of each side.

Personality

Ash is very determined to be a great Pokémon Trainer. Personality-wise, Ash is a very strong person 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 and Shamus. Ash also serves as a role model for many people such as May, Dawn, N, Serena, 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 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, passionate and adventurous. However, he can be stubborn, hot-headed, short-tempered, cocky, reckless, and 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 both his rematches and keeping those parts of himself in check so they wouldn't 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 shown to give everyone around him good advice in order to better themselves and their goals. Ash also has a fascination with science and technology, even though he cannot understand most of it.

Ash has a hard time opening up to others, as he doesn't 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 has changed over time. 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, even from some of his friends and Pokémon family along with his mother. When the question 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 only sees himself as an ordinary Trainer just on his journey to reach his goals. However, Ash does use his unique skills every once in a while as he would use them to help Pokémon or his friends and for various other reasons. In addition to keeping his abilities hidden, Ash decided to keep his Alola Champion reputation a secret as he wanted to resume his journey as a Trainer, not as a League Champion.

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 doesn't happen very often. In addition, Ash doesn't usually admit that he hasn't 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 too known instead of who he used to be. However, Ash has seen that anyone close to him doesn't care about who he used to be, which not only shows that they have great faith in him but also that 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'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 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. Due to having empathy for Pokémon, Ash also dislikes Pokémon Poachers such as Captain Crook, the Iron-Masked Marauder, Rico, and Hunter J. Ash regularly risks his own life to protect Pokémon and defeat criminals.

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. So far, Ash has only triumphed over the Orange League in the Orange Archipelago and the Manalo Conference in the Alola region. 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 enjoy 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.

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 very talented battler, he also has some performing skills due to competing in a couple of Pokémon Contests along with watching May and Dawn 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.

Ash's Aura ability.

Ash's Bond Phenomenon ability.

Ash, and Pikachu using their Z-Move: 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt.

Ash and Pikachu using the power of Gigantamax. 1 of 4 Add photo

Much like an Aura Guardian, Ash has the ability to sense and control Aura. 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.

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.

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 were nearby or if they're in danger.

One of Ash's other ability 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 real 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, he used type advantages against his opponents, but he sometimes uses Pokémon that have a type disadvantage. Ash's methods of battling can be overwhelming his opponents by a combination of moves using physical and special kinds of moves.

Relationships

Family

Delia Ketchum

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 got kidnapped in The Spell of the Unown, Ash went through great lengths to get her back. Ash appreciates 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.



Friends

Professor Oak

Ash and Professor Oak have a very 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's for a Pokémon League tournament or for his new journeys.

Misty

When Ash first met Misty, they didn't 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. While Ash initially didn't want Misty around and disliked that she kept following him, at first, 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. Although, 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 and their occasional arguments, 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. However, while Ash and Misty are best friends, 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.

After their travels in Kanto, Ash and Misty traveled through the Orange Islands and Johto together. After their journey through Johto, 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 him 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.

Despite no longer traveling together, Ash and Misty, who decided to run the Cerulean Gym full time, maintained their strong friendship for one another. When Misty and Brock traveled to Alola, Ash was very pleased and enjoyed their time together, showing that their bond had not dwindled.



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 don't usually fight with one another, but whenever they have a small fallout, they make up pretty 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. 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 he briefly traveled to the Alola region with Misty.

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

May is one of Ash's best friends. 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, but they always make up in the end. 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 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 didn't hardly had any fights with Max. 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 shares an unbreakable friendship with Dawn. As a sign of their bond, they often high-five each other whenever something good happens for them. Ash and Dawn hardly butt heads as they do sometimes fight a little, although they easily make up. 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.

Ash also supported Dawn and cheered her on during her Contest, 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. After they went their separate ways, Ash and Dawn remained best friends, shown when they saw each other again in Unova.



Iris

Ash and Iris are very good friends. They respect each others' skills and the love they have for Pokémon. Much like his relationship with Misty, however, Ash and Iris sometimes get into fights. Their fights are also a little more severe when compared to Ash's arguments with Misty as one of them almost caused them to lose their friendship when they both overreacted towards each other. Additionally, despite their friendship, Ash and Iris do tease each other from time to time, although he also gets annoyed when she calls him a kid. Much like Brock and Dawn, Ash and Iris trained for battles together on their journey. 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.

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.

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. Unlike some of his other friends, Ash and Clemont rarely fought. On the other side, Ash would be looked out by Clemont, as he would sometimes warn him about impending danger. 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.

Bonnie

Ash and Bonnie are very 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. Also, Ash and Bonnie hardly had any arguments. 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. Also, Ash knows he'll always be friends with Bonnie.

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 helps Serena with a knee injury that she received when she got spooked by a Poliwag and tripped. 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 but 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 of the handkerchief he used on her back at childhood, 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 he would give her helpful advice and supported her during their long journey through Kalos. However, Ash was given the same thing from Serena in return.

Ash was clueless to Serena's very strong crush on him during their journey, which she never denied her feelings when asked or confronted as she gets initially embarrassed and tries to keep a secret. Similar to his relationship with Dawn, Ash hardly had any disagreements with Serena or butt heads with her. Although, they had one fallout with each other when Ash snapped at Serena for not understanding his feelings and for getting in too much of his business, after losing one of his gym battles. However, after realizing that she was just trying to help, Ash felt guilty for being so hard on Serena then showed her how truly sorry he was for hurting her by thanking her for talking and knocking, due to being thrown a couple of snowballs, some sense into him. Before going their separate ways, Ash was pleased when Serena said she was glad that she came with him and that he was gonna be like the person she grows into the next time they see each other. However, Ash became stunned when Serena leaned forward and kissed him that shocked all their friends. Also, Ash knows his friendship with Serena will remain strong even when they are apart.

Lana

Ash and Lana share a close friendship since they were classmates at the Pokémon School in Alola. However, although they're friends, Ash gets annoyed with Lana's jokes at times, but never truly had any disagreements with her. 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. 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 with her dad. Although, they remained friends until the end.

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 was a big help for Lillie as he never gave up on her and helped her with many things, including 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. 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. They both didn't have any disagreements as Ash would stand up for Lillie and she has done the same for him. 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.

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. 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 knew that their friendship will always be there no matter where they are.

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. Ash and Mallow hardly ever had any arguments with each other. 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 their apart.

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 others' company. Also, Ash at times gets scolded by Professor Kukui like a parent does whenever he did sometime wrong or wonders off on his own. 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. 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.

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. 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

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 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. 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 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. Despite their friendship, Ash and Goh at times do clash but do makeup in the end. Much like how he was with Misty and Kiawe, Ash can be competitive with Goh at times. Ash even helps Goh understand that some of his traits need fixing since he shares some of the same traits that he once had. Like he did for May and Dawn, 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.

Lei

Although he heard about him through the professors, Ash officially meets Lei during a visit to Alola as Professor Burnet told him that he's his big brother, much to his excitement.

Rivals

Gary Oak

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. 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 in good fun.

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. Much like how he was with Misty, Ash is also competitive with Kiawe from time to time as they do sometimes argue but they get over it right away. Despite their rivalry and competitiveness, the two boys are always ready to lend a hand to each other. 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'll always friends.

Pokémon

Pikachu

Pikachu is Ash's starter Pokémon, partner, and best friend; even though they had a rough start at first, they are nearly inseparable. Also, Pikachu has always been on Ash's side during his journey. 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. 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.

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 very good friend. Whenever it was needed, Ash would go to Rotom for help and it would go to him for the same reason. Ash and Rotom went their separate ways when he decided to continue his journey while the latter stay 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.

Biography

Anime

When he was a little boy, Ash went looking for Pokémon in the forest. However, Ash got lost and it was frightened to a 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 miss the summer camp. After that, Ash went home, hoping he would go next time.[2]

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]

The Beginning

Gold and Silver

Ruby and Sapphire

Diamond and Pearl

Black & White

XY and XYZ

Sun & Moon

Journeys

Movies

I Choose You!, The Power of Us and Coco

Manga

The Electric Tale of Pikachu

Ash & Pikachu

Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl

Magical Pokémon Journey

Pokémon

On hand

Traveling with

With Professor Oak

With Professor Kukui and Burnet

At the Cerise Laboratory

In training

Released

Traded away

Given away

Traveled with

Ride Pokémon

Temporary

Befriended





Achievements

Badges

Kanto League

Orange Islands

Johto League

Hoenn League

Sinnoh League

Unova League

Kalos League

Symbols

Kanto Battle Frontier

Alola Island Challenges

World Coronation Series

Ash's World Coronation Series Normal Class Rank: 3,763.

Ash's World Coronation Series Normal Class Rank: 1,512.

Ash's World Coronation Series Super Class Rank: 921

Ash's World Coronation Series Super Class Rank: 901 1 of 4 Add photo

Pokémon League Status

Pokémon Championship Battles

Orange League: Champion

Kanto Battle Frontier: Champion

Tournaments

Other achievements

Honor of Kalos medal

Voice actors

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

Gallery



