Ash Ketchum

"I choose you!"

- Ash Ash Ketchum (Japanese name: Satoshi) is the main protagonist of the entire Pokémon anime series. Pikachu is the only Pokémon he travels with to every region he goes to in his journey. His mother is Delia Ketchum. His father has not yet been seen in the series. The longest running character in The Pokemon Series.

Character
Ash 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 PokeBall on each corner around her wounded knee to brace it. He then helped her stand up and guided her out of the forest.

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 own 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 were given to him merely out of gratitude for his assistance rather than claiming an actual victory in battle over the Gym Leaders; 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 further than Gary, and ending up in the top 16. After recovering from his defeat, he continued on 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 over the course of 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 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 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 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 four 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 seems to be okay with losing, as he has become closer to his Pokémon than ever before. Ash, Dawn, and Brock then set off on their own 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 is now currently in journey 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, where he lost 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 doesn't have any badges. He is rescued by Clemont and Bonnie, who travel with him after he calms down a rampaging Garchomp at the top of Prism Tower. In "Battling on Thin Ice!", Ash wins his first Kalos Badge, the Bug Badge, after defeating the Santalune Gym Leader Viola. The group is 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 learns that Clemont is the Lumiose City Gym Leader. Although initially angry that his friend would keep such a secret from him, he quickly forgives Clemont and encourages him to take back the Gym from the Clembot, the robot that had taken over the Gym and ejected him when he tried to challenge it. Even though the badge requirement ceases to be an issue after this, he still decides not to challenge the Gym until he has four badges and decides that his opponent would be Clemont rather than the Clembot.

As they travelled, 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 wins, gaining his fifth badge. Later, Ash and friends come across Goodra's old home, where they learnt 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 leaves his Goodra in the wetlands so it can act as the protector of its swamp and the Pokémon living in it.

Later in their journeys, 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, Sycamore's, Team Rocket's and his own future, indicating that they will 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 comes 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.

So far Ash has earned seven badges.

Original series
In the original series, Ash is shown wearing a medium 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.

Advanced Generation series
In the Advanced Generation series, Ash is shown wearing a black-and-red one which had a green Poké Ball symbol/logo on it, a 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 is shown wearing a jacket instead of a hoodie, and with colors closer to the original. It also has a white undershirt instead of black for a change, as well as a black-and-red one which had a blue Poké Ball symbol/logo on it, new jeans, and new sneakers. The gloves are the same as those from his second outfit.

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 but the border is red and a red and off-white hat with a blue Poké Ball design for a logo and no line running down the middle.

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.

On Hand

 * Pikachu
 * Greninja
 * Talonflame
 * Hawlucha
 * Noivern

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

In Training

 * Primeape
 * Squirtle

Released

 * Butterfree
 * Pidgeot
 * Lapras
 * Goodra

Traded Away

 * Raticate
 * Aipom

Trivia

 * Most of the female characters in Ash's life have names with the letter M: Misty, Melody, Molly & May.
 * It's currently unclear if Ash reciprocates Serena's feelings.