Ash Ketchum

"[Pokémon name], I choose you!"

- Ash's catchphrase when summoning a Pokémon

Ash Ketchum (Japanese: サトシ Satoshi) is the main protagonist of the Pokémon anime series. Pikachu is the only Pokémon he travels with to every region he goes to in his journey. Ash's ultimate goal is to become a Pokémon Master, the greatest Pokémon Trainer ever. His mother is Delia Ketchum. His father has not yet been seen in the series. He is the longest running character in the Pokémon series.

He is based on Red from the Generation I games.

He is voiced by Rica Matsumoto, who also voices Bakura Ryou and Yami Bakura in Yu-Gi-Oh!, in the Japanese version, Veronica Taylor in the 4Kids English version and Sarah Natochenny in the TPCi English version.

Character
Sometime in his early life, Ash got lost while on a field trip in a rainy forest. Frightened to the point of tears, he hid in a hollow tree trunk. He was eventually joined by a group of local wild Pokémon, which was partially what inspired him to become a Pokémon Trainer.

Ash also enrolled in Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp when he was young. One day a young girl named Serena, who was also enrolled in the summer camp, got lost in a forest and injured her knee after a Poliwag startled her. Ash came to her rescue and wrapped a clean, blue handkerchief with a Poké Ball on each corner around her wounded knee to brace it. He then helped her stand up and guided her out of the forest. Serena fell in love with him afterwards.

Ash's main goal in life, as described in the first episode, is to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master. Years later after attending Pokémon Summer Camp, Ash began his journey at the age of 10 as a warm-hearted and well-intentioned but stubborn, rash and amateur Pokémon Trainer. He was forced to accept the cheeky Pikachu from Professor Oak as his starter Pokémon because he carelessly broke his alarm clock in his sleep and overslept on the day he was set to get his first Pokémon. He was determined to achieve his goal, however, and when Pikachu saw that he was willing to compromise his safety to keep it safe he formed a strong bond of friendship with Pikachu. This would set his course for the future. However, from that point, Ash still had a lot to learn about becoming a Trainer.

The first Pokémon he caught was caught by luck, as he knew absolutely nothing about battling, and was hesitant to admit it whenever he was wrong. Many of his first Gym Badges was given to him merely out of gratitude for his assistance rather than claiming an actual victory in battle over the Gym Leaders. Out of his first five Gym battles, only his victory over Lt. Surge was an actual victory. Every time he thought he was doing well, he would somehow cross paths with his childhood rival, Gary Oak. He always reminded Ash that he was always a step or seven behind, with Gary catching around forty-five Pokémon by the time Ash had only caught his seventh. This hampered matters further when, owing to his inexperience, his Charizard, one of his most powerful Pokémon, refused to listen to him until Ash could prove himself to the powerful Fire-type. Over time, Ash's dedication to his goal paid off. After earning his first eight Badges, he went on to compete in the Indigo League, advancing to the fifth round - one round further than Gary, and ending up in the top 16. After recovering from his defeat, he continued to improve his skills, take on new challenges and compete in more Pokémon League competitions - triumphing in the Orange League and the Battle Frontier. Ash has changed a great deal throughout the series, particularly in regards to his skill at training, but his earnestness, rashness, and determination have remained. Never straying from his goal, he has remained loyal to his friends, his family, and his supporters, but most of all his Pokémon.

Ash became a great Trainer by learning to find and use the inner strength of each of his Pokémon by bonding with them. For example, when he received a banner filled with prints from his Pokémon in "The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing!", he knew which Pokémon placed specific prints, showing his close bond with them. He also learns where their hidden abilities lie, as well as resorting to unorthodox strategies when fighting particularly challenging opponents. For example, he uses his Pikachu's speed to outmaneuver larger foes and attack. In another instance, his Charizard defeated Gary's Blastoise by causing the field to overheat before mounting a close-quarters attack while Blastoise was blinded by the steam. He also prefers to train a Pokémon to be the best it can be without forcing it to evolve, as evidenced by his treatment of Gligar in "Fighting Fear With Fear!". He is happy when his Pokémon evolve but lets them choose whether or not they want to evolve instead of forcing them.

Early on, Ash originally trained not to further himself but instead to catch more Pokémon than Gary. He later slowed his pace which allowed him to focus on the individual traits of each Pokémon. At the Johto League Silver Conference, with great humility and maturity, Ash finally won a battle against his old rival, signifying a great milestone in his history. His maturity has also increased in his dealings with Pokémon. This is shown when a Mankey stole his hat in "Primeape Goes Bananas", he screamed and yelled at it, even climbing trees just to get his hat back, but when Aipom did the same in "Slaking Kong", he stated merely that he would feel strange without a hat. When Aipom stole his hat again in "Setting the World on its Buneary", however, while it was under his ownership, he chased after it in the same manner as before.

In most episodes of the anime, especially those during the Johto League saga, Ash befriends someone who will influence him and cause him to strive to become a better Trainer. Although he is not a dependent individual, he is still young and has learned to make his way relying on his friends, particularly the maternal skills of Brock. The honor of "best friend" is usually reserved for Pikachu but Ash has come to see his closest human friends in the same light over time, using the term for Misty and Brock in "Gotta Catch Ya Later" as well as May and Max in "Battling the Enemy Within". He has traversed much of the Pokémon world and has thus far participated in six Pokémon League regional competitions, but he is still learning new things about Pokémon all the time. Ash has gained a close connection with many legendary Pokémon, including Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Latias, Azelf, Shaymin, Giratina, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom and Meloetta. In the English dub of the second movie, he was revealed to be "The Chosen One" - the one who would bring balance back to the world when it was disrupted. Although viewed as a normal human, Ash does have some special abilities, as he is said to have the same aura as Sir Aaron, a legendary hero, and is theoretically able to manipulate it in much the same way. Therefore, he made a connection with Sir Aaron's Lucario. However, he has not received any training in this field, opting to continue his Pokémon journey instead. He has also been likened to an ancient aura guardian in "The Keystone Pops!", who also had a partner Pikachu. Later, in "Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! Part 1" and "Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! Part 2", Ash uses aura again to locate a lost Riolu and read Riolu's mind as well. Ash has also participated in contests. He has a Contest Pass for the Sinnoh region, as well as one for the Hoenn region as it was required to watch one of the contests held there. Ash carries half of a broken Poké Ball with him everywhere, while Gary has the other half, as a symbol of their ongoing, but now friendly, rivalry, Misty's special lure, which she sent to him as a gift; and half of a ribbon he received in a contest against May before she left the group to compete in Johto. Ash also participated in the Wallace Cup on the suggestion of Wallace but he lost in the third round.

Ash soon obtained all of the Sinnoh Gym Badges. During his battles in the Lily of the Valley Conference, he managed to advance to the Top 4, during which time he defeated his long-time Sinnoh rival, Paul, for the first time, and fought against Tobias, becoming the only known Trainer to defeat his Darkrai. Though he lost later on in the battle, he seemed to be okay with losing, as he had become closer to his Pokémon than ever before. Ash, Dawn, and Brock then set off on their paths to follow their respective dreams, with Brock saying he will no longer be joining Ash on his next journey.

In the Best Wishes series, Ash came with Professor Oak and his mother on a trip to the Unova region. After losing in a battle to Trip and seeing the power of the legendary Zekrom, Ash became interested in traveling Unova to meet new Pokémon, as well as new friends. He journeyed in Unova, first bringing along only his Pikachu, as he did in Hoenn.

Ash competed in the Club Battle in "Reunion Battles In Nimbasa!"-"Club Battle Finale: A Hero's Outcome!". He battled against Burgundy and her Stoutland in the first round and won using his Palpitoad. He then battled Georgia and her Pawniard in "Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia!". Ash used his Snivy. Although she struggled at first, Snivy managed to defeat Pawniard and advance Ash to the next round. Next, in "Club Battle Finale: A Hero's Outcome!", Ash battled Dino and his Darumaka with his Palpitoad again and won easily. In the final round, Ash went up against Iris and her Excadrill. Ash used Pikachu, but lost the match and became runner-up in the tournament. He didn't feel bad, though, and was happy to see Iris win the tournament.

After managing to obtain the Unova Badges, he was allowed to participate in the Vertress Conference along with his current and some new rivals. In the preliminary round, he battled Trip one-on-one, defeating him for the first time and ending their rivalry. Ash also defeated his friend and rival Stephan. He then battled one of his recent rivals, Cameron, whom he lost to in "A Unova League Evolution!, making it to the top 8 of the Vertress Conference.

In the XY series, Ash travels to the Kalos region with Alexa, whom he met while traveling in the Decolore Islands. He first visited Lumiose City in "Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!", where he parted ways with Alexa and tried to challenge the Lumiose Gym at Prism Tower, only to be forcibly ejected from the tower when the computerized security system found out that he didn't have any Badges. He was rescued by Clemont and Bonnie, who traveled with him after he calmed down a rampaging Garchomp at the top of Prism Tower. In "Battling on Thin Ice!", Ash won his first Kalos Badge, the Bug Badge, after defeating the Santalune Gym Leader Viola. The group was also joined by Serena, who still remembered Ash rescuing her in her childhood and decided to start her own journey to reunite with him, although he initially did not remember the two of them meeting until she showed him the handkerchief he used to mend her knee in "Giving Chase at the Rhyhorn Race!". In "Clemont's Got a Secret!", Ash learned that Clemont was the Lumiose City Gym Leader. Although initially angry that his friend would keep such a secret from him, he quickly forgave Clemont and encouraged him to take back the Gym from Clembot, the robot that had taken over the Gym and ejected him when he tried to challenge it. Even though the Badge requirement ceased to be an issue after this, he still decided not to challenge the Gym until he had four Badges and decided that his opponent would be Clemont rather than Clembot.

As they traveled, the group started to learn the secrets of Mega Evolution after meeting Professor Sycamore, Diantha and Gurkinn, as well as briefly travelling with Korrina. During their journey, Ash captured a lost and traumatized Goomy which he raised into a Sliggoo, and later a powerful Goodra. After earning his fourth Gym Badge, Ash eventually faced Clemont in their promised 3-on-3 Gym battle and won, gaining his fifth Badge. Later, Ash and friends came across Goodra's old home, where they learned it was taken over by a Florges and her companions. After Ash saved Goodra's swamp from Team Rocket, while simultaneously solving the issue concerning Florges, Ash left his Goodra in the wetlands so it could act as the protector of its swamp and the Pokémon living in it.

Later in their journey, Ash and friends reached Anistar City, and together with Professor Sycamore, they met the psychic Gym Leader Olympia. She then revealed Frogadier's past as a Froakie, from before meeting Ash, and a glimpse of Frogadier's, his friend's, Professor Sycamore's, Team Rocket's and his future, indicating that they would all play a vital role in Kalos's future. Ash later challenged her to a Double Battle, which he won using Frogadier and Talonflame. Shortly after, the group came across a mysterious Pokémon, dubbed Squishy by Bonnie, who was being pursued relentlessly by the villainous organization, Team Flare, prompting the group to put it under their own protective custody.

Ash earned all eight Kalos Badges and competed in the Kalos League, where he ended up as the runner up.

Soon, Ash departed from Kalos and arrived back in Kanto.

Later, he and his mother, Delia, win the tickets to the Alola region for Ash to attend the Pokémon School and Ash was given an Electrium Z from the Melemele guardian and Legendary Pokémon, Tapu Koko. He decided to enter the Trial Challenge to earn Z-Crystals from the trial by enrolling in school.

Personality
Ash is an only child who lived with his mother, Delia until he left for his Pokémon journey at the age of 10. His main goal in life, as described in the first episode, is to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master. One particular characteristic about Ash that has not changed throughout the series, aside from his determination and his passion for raising and training Pokémon, is that he is incredibly selfless. He will often go to extraordinary lengths to earn a Pokémon's trust and respect and to better understand a Pokémon that he sees as troubled. He is also very fair-minded and trusting, a true testament to his good-natured character.

Ash is shown to have a strong sense of justice, especially when it comes to Pokémon. If a Pokémon is in trouble, he will make every effort to help them, even if he has no prior connection to them. If they are the cause of trouble, he will stop them, and then try to understand them, with almost all such occasions being a case of the Pokémon, or their Trainers or friends, having a problem which can't be resolved normally. In those cases, he will selflessly volunteer to help them. Should the problem be caused by humans, such as Team Rocket, Pokémon thieves, hunters, or poachers, Ash resolves to do anything in his power to stop them.

Despite this, and previous dealings with evil organizations and poachers, Ash has retained a remarkably optimistic and naive outlook, a trait his companions seem to share. He is quick to praise and has an unshakable trust in both his Pokémon and his friends. Also, Ash is determined to see the best in everybody unless he has a very good reason not to. An example would be Team Rocket's frequent 'sudden appearances' that coincide with their needs at that time, and Ash never questioning it until it is too late. Another example would be how he always praises Clemont for his inventions, no matter their high failure rate, and the near-inevitable explosion, or Cilan for his various hobbies. Furthermore, even though almost all of his friends have large dreams, Ash fully supports them and has never doubted their ability to accomplish them, possibly due to his own highly ambitious goal. He also encourages Pokémon to do the best they can, even if they aren't his own and has even helped train wild Pokémon.

Despite not being a police officer like Officer Jenny, Ash has a strong sense of justice to do whatever it means to ensure the evil organizations and poachers or hunters defeat. Ash holds a greatest hatred towards all the evil organizations such as Team Rocket, Team Aqua and Magma, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare and Team Skull due to they (except for Team Skull) doing bad thing such as experimenting on powerful Pokemon even to Legendary and as for Team Skull bullying people and their Pokemon.

In the original series, though Ash actively took part in battles, he was rarely seen independently training his Pokémon. However, since the Advanced Generation series, Ash is shown training more noticeably, having practice battles with his friends and focusing on moves, techniques, and strategies with his Pokémon. A noticeable trait of Ash's is his willingness to learn from both his victories and defeats. For example, after winning in a Gym battle against Winona in Sky High Gym Battle! and witnessing her Pokémon's powerful Aerial Ace, Ash was motivated to have his Swellow learn it. Even his losses can inspire him, such as when he lost to Clayton in Short and To the Punch! and decided to teach his Buizel one of the moves Clayton's Mr. Mime had used during their battle. He believes nothing he and his Pokémon do on their journey is a waste of time.

In the beginning, Ash had a bit of an inferiority complex, as well as some form of personal pride, most likely stemming from his rivalry with Gary. As a result, he had some bad habits, such as shamelessly boasting of his skill if he were ever on a winning streak, and becoming angered easily if he were personally insulted, as seen in The Path to the Pokémon League. Ash used to complain about perfectly legal things, like Giselle's Cubone using a bone in The School of Hard Knocks, or Blaine's use of the lava in Volcanic Panic. He even locked himself up in his room and sulked after losing to Ritchie, although this anger was not entirely unfounded as Team Rocket had worn out his Pokémon before the match began. He overcame his disappointment after seeing and listening to how Ritchie took his loss as a way to better himself as a Trainer in Friends to the End. Fortunately, during his journey, Ash has gotten over this particular character trait and is now more accepting of criticism to his skill, though he still gets upset if his Pokémon is insulted or degraded.

Perhaps one of Ash's greatest rivalries was against Paul during his time in the Sinnoh region. On the contrary of Ash, who strongly believed in the bond between Trainer and Pokémon, Paul's only concern was with a Pokémon's strength, believing that bonding only caused them to become spoiled and unmotivated. Due to this, aside from winning the Sinnoh League, Ash's biggest goal during his Sinnoh travels was to ultimately change Paul's mindset and have the latter finally acknowledge him as a Trainer worth of his attention, and after a long, and exhausting, journey, finally managed to accomplish so after defeating Paul at the Lily of the Valley Conference, after which Paul finally recognized Ash as his rival and equal, if not superior.

In most episodes of the anime, especially those during the Johto League arc, Ash befriends someone who will influence him and cause him to strive to become a better Trainer. Although he is not a dependent individual, he is still young and has learned to make his way relying on his friends, particularly the maternal skills of Brock. The honor of "best friend" is usually reserved for Pikachu but Ash has come to see his closest human friends in the same light over time; using the term for Misty and Brock in Gotta Catch Ya Later! as well as May and Max in Battling the Enemy Within.

Ash has changed a great deal throughout the series, particularly in regards to his skill at Pokémon training, but his earnestness, rashness, and determination have remained. Never straying from his goal, he has remained loyal to his friends, family, and supporters, but most of all his Pokémon. Ash became a great Trainer by learning to find and use the inner strength of each of his Pokémon by bonding with them. For example, when he received a banner filled with prints from his Pokémon in The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing!, he knew which Pokémon placed specific prints, showing his close bond with them. He also learns where their hidden abilities lie, as well as resorting to unorthodox strategies when fighting particularly challenging opponents. For example, he uses his Pikachu's speed to outmaneuver larger foes and attack. In another instance, his Charizard defeated Gary's Blastoise by causing the field to overheat before mounting a close-quarters attack while Blastoise was blinded by the steam. He also prefers to train a Pokémon to be the best it can without forcing it to evolve, as evidenced by his treatment of Gligar in Fighting Fear With Fear!. He is happy when his Pokémon evolve but lets them choose whether or not they want to evolve instead of forcing them.

Physically Ash is in very good shape, especially for someone 10 years of age. He has constantly been shown to have a lot of stamina, walking miles upon miles through all kinds of environments, while journeying between towns on his journey. He also has huge endurance, as seen when he took powerful attacks from various Pokémon head-on and then recovered quite quickly. Furthermore, Ash has demonstrated himself to be a bit acrobatic, occasionally being able to keep up with Iris, who virtually grew up swinging and jumping through treetops. Ash has occasionally displayed great reflexes, being able to dodge attacks or catch falling objects out of the blue, and even being able to save himself, or others, in the last second during perilous situations. What's more, Ash has exhibited tremendous will power, as seen when he took attacks for long periods and keeps advancing, which also drives his "never give up" attitude when it comes to Pokémon battles.

Ash is also quite dense when it comes to matters of the opposite sex, more specifically in the field of romance. Throughout the series, Ash has only displayed open interest in a female-only once, and nothing came out of it. Though some girls in the series have shown obvious (and subtle) affection towards him, Ash meets it with nearly unfailing obtuseness, which some characters have also noticed. Even when it involves other people's romance Ash is usually oblivious until someone points it out to him. A few times when it came to a matter of Pokémon love, with a male who's experiencing difficulty in gaining the attention of a female, while his friends will mainly advise on improving the male's looks or charm, Ash's advice is simply to be stronger.

Early on, Ash originally trained not to further himself but instead to catch more Pokémon than Gary, a feat that he never accomplished. Ash later slowed his pace, which allowed him to focus on the individual traits of each Pokémon. At the Silver Conference, with great humility and maturity, Ash finally won a battle against his old rival, signifying a great milestone in his history as a Trainer. His maturity has also increased in his dealings with Pokémon. This was shown when a Mankey stole his hat in Primeape Goes Bananas, he screamed and yelled at it, even climbing trees just to get his hat back, but when an Aipom did the same in Slaking Kong, he stated merely that he would feel strange without a hat. When Aipom stole his hat again in Setting the World on its Buneary!, however, while she was under his ownership, he chased after her in the same manner as before.

Ash has traversed much of the Pokémon world and has thus far participated in various Pokémon League Conferences, but he is still learning new things about Pokémon all the time. He has also gained a close connection with many Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, such as the ones who played major roles in the movies. In the English dub of the second movie, he was revealed to be "The Chosen One" - the one who would bring balance back to the world when it was disrupted.

Although viewed as a normal human, Ash does have some special abilities, as he is said to have the same Aura as Sir Aaron, a legendary hero, and is theoretically able to manipulate it in much the same way. Therefore, he made a connection with Sir Aaron's Lucario. However, he has not received any training in this field, opting to continue his Pokémon journey instead. He has also been likened to an ancient Aura guardian in The Keystone Pops!, who also had a partner Pikachu. Later, in ''Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! Parts 1 and 2'', Ash uses Aura again to locate a lost Riolu and read Riolu's mind as well. This time, however, he merely senses the Aura, rather than manipulating it.

Though his passion remains in battling, Ash is always eager to try new things, especially if he can do them together with his Pokémon, having participated in other events like Pokémon Contests, PokéRinger tournaments, and even a fashion show and a cosplay convention as well as various other Pokémon competitions. He has Contest Passes for Sinnoh and Hoenn. Ash carries with him half of a broken Poké Ball, while Gary Oak has the other half, as a symbol of their ongoing, but now friendly, rivalry; Misty's special lure, which she sent to him as a gift; and half of the Terracotta Medal he received after his Contest Battle with May in the unofficial Terracotta Contest ended in a tie.

His father has not been introduced. The anime suggests that his father was once a Pokémon Trainer who began his journey in Pallet Town and that he is still living. In the original, he is also confirmed to have a grandfather, whose son followed his footsteps. An interview with the series' storyboarder Masamitsu Hidaka confirmed Ash's father is a Trainer on his journey. According to Hidaka, Ash's father may or may not be introduced in the series, depending on its necessity to further Ash's maturity and development as a Trainer. On the other hand, according to Takeshi Shudō's novelization, Ash's father left home to go on a journey right after Ash was born, and never returned since. As he never registered his name in the Pokémon Trainer's list, his whereabouts are unknown.

Original series
In the original series, Ash wears a blue jacket with gold trim and white-collar and sleeves, worn open over a dark teal T-shirt. His lower outfit consists of jeans with light blue cuffs, black and white sneakers with red dots on both sides, and a brown belt, which he used to hang his Poké Balls. He also wears green finger-less gloves with light green borders and an Expo hat that was red and white with a green, stylized "L" on the front. His outfit is similar to Red's outfit from the Generation I games.

Advanced Generation series
In the Advanced Generation series, Ash wears a black-and-red cap which has a green Poké Ball symbol/logo on it, a blue sleeveless hoodie instead of a jacket, black gloves instead of green, and new jeans and sneakers. Ash can be seen wearing a T-shirt similar to the original series, but with an orange horizontal stripe. However, he keeps the hoodie closed, possibly because he no longer keeps Badges pinned to the inside.

Diamond and Pearl series
In the Diamond and Pearl series, Ash wears a black jacket instead of a hoodie, and with colors closer to the original. He also has a white undershirt instead of black for a change, as well as a black-and-red cap which has a blue Poké Ball symbol/logo on it, new jeans, and new sneakers. The gloves are the same as those from his second outfit. His outfit is similar to Lucas's outfit from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

Best Wishes series
In the Best Wishes series, Ash's sneakers are high tops, rather than the normal sneakers he wore during the other series. Instead of blue jeans, Ash starts to wear black baggy jeans and wears a hooded jacket just like in the Advanced Generation series, colored mostly blue and white along with a yellow zipper. He wears black finger-less gloves with a red border and a red and off-white hat with a blue Poké Ball design for a logo and no line running down the middle. His outfit is similar to Hilbert's outfit from Pokémon Black and White.

XY series
In the XY series, Ash wears a blue collared shirt with short sleeves with a black undershirt, darker blue jeans and red high top sneakers. Ash also wears a red hat with a white brim and a white semicircle across the front. His outfit is similar to Calem's outfit from Pokémon X and Y.

Sun & Moon series
In the Sun & Moon series, he wears a white and blue striped short-sleeved loose-collared shirt, brown capris with red outlines, baggy pockets, red folded sleeves at the edges and blue, light blue, and white sneakers. His hat is red and black and the Poké Ball design is white, and he wears a silver Z-Ring on his right wrist with an Electrium Z on it that was given by Tapu Koko. Unlike the previous seasons, he doesn't wear any gloves with no fingers. His outfit is similar to Sun's outfit from Pokémon Sun and Moon.

I Choose You!
In Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, Ash wears an almost identical outfit to his original one; the differences are that the hat bears a logo similar to the one he has on his Sun and Moon series hat, except it is colored green and half of the upper section is missing, which gives it a similar appearance to the old logo. His jacket has pockets that are horizontal rather than diagonal, and he only has a single top button instead of two.

Relationships
Due to Ash's friendly and upbeat personality, he made various human and Pokémon friends all over 7 regions of the Pokémon World (even though he traveled twice in his home region, Kanto during the original series and the Kanto/Hoenn Battle Frontier arc in the Advance series.) His closest friends are usually his Pokémon teams, Gym Leaders, regional professors, Trial Captains, classmates, and family. But he also made friends with various other people who help him along his Pokémon journey.

Pikachu
Ash's best friend and comrade; even though they had a rough start at first, they are nearly inseparable. They protect each other from trouble and stand up for each other. A lot of people see that they're perfect partners. Pikachu has helped Ash break free from someone's control a few times in their adventures, and Ash has helped Pikachu do the same thing, showing how strong their friendship is.

On Hand

 * Pikachu (signature pokemon)
 * Rowlet
 * Lycanroc (Dusk Form)
 * Torracat
 * Meltan

Traveling with

 * Rotom (as a Pokédex)

At Professor Oak's Lab

 * Bulbasaur
 * Charizard
 * Kingler
 * Muk
 * Tauros (x30)
 * Snorlax
 * Heracross
 * Bayleef
 * Quilava
 * Totodile
 * Noctowl (Shiny)
 * Donphan
 * Swellow
 * Sceptile
 * Corphish
 * Torkoal
 * Glalie
 * Staraptor
 * Torterra
 * Infernape
 * Buizel
 * Gliscor
 * Gible
 * Unfezant
 * Oshawott
 * Pignite
 * Snivy
 * Scraggy
 * Leavanny
 * Palpitoad
 * Boldore
 * Krookodile
 * Talonflame
 * Hawlucha
 * Noivern

In training

 * Primeape
 * Squirtle

Released

 * Butterfree
 * Pidgeot
 * Lapras
 * Greninja
 * Goodra
 * Poipole

Traded away

 * Raticate
 * Aipom

Given away

 * Beedrill

Trivia

 * Ash is the only character to appear in every season and episode of the Pokémon series.
 * Ash and Pikachu are the most recurring and ongoing characters.
 * Ash's Japanese name, "Satoshi", is also the name of Satoshi Hojo from the Higurashi series. Also, in the Japanese version (original version), he was named after his creator, Satoshi Tajiri.
 * While usually indifferent to romance in general, Ash only ever showed genuine attraction to Giselle.
 * Ash makes a cameo appearance in Pokemon Detective Pikachu, engaging in a Pokemon battle. He is played by Ryoma Takeuchi.

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Ash Ketchum