Ash Ketchum

Ash Ketchum is the protagonist of the anime Pokémon. There are also incarnations of him in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, the Pocket Monsters Zensho manga, and the Ash & Pikachu manga. He is loosely based on the male protagonist of the ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''. The surname "Ketchum" is a pun of the anime's former tagline and slogan "Gotta catch 'em all!".

Character biography and personality

Ash is a typical shōnen hero: courageous, empathic, sometimes focused to the point of distraction , but clever when it comes to his interest, Pokémon training. Throughout the anime, Ash is featured as being on a journey; he seeks to become the greatest Pokémon Master.^[1] In pursuit of this, he travels around the fictitious world of Pokémon, battling Gym Leaders and entering in Pokémon League competitions, similar to the canon of the Pokémon video games. He is currently traveling with Brock and Dawn in the Sinnoh region. Throughout the series, Ash meets, befriends and battles many people; most of them appear only once in the series, but have nevertheless taught him important lessons.

Ash started at the age of ten years old at the beginning of the series. In the episode "The Battle Of The Badge", Ash says that it was a whole year since he, Pikachu, and Misty first came to Viridian City. Also later in the short called Pikachu & Pichu in the third movie, Ash said it was the day he met Pikachu, meaning his age at that time would be 12. A English promo for the episode "Better Eight Than Never", which involved Ash getting his final Johto badge, said that Ash started his journey three years before, meaning he was 13 then.

Ash is a caring and valiant trainer but he can be confident to the point where he is arrogant and is known for being stubborn at times. He also has quite the reckless streak, which has lead him to troublesome situations and even near death.^[2]^[3] But when in a Pokémon battle, he is highly competitive, and he shows tremendous presence of mind, taking advantage of the battlefield as well the nature of his and the enemy Pokemon's moves to claim victory after victory. Due to overconfidence,he is defeated sometimes, most notably in his battles against three of the Elite Four members Agatha, Drake and Lorelei, but he has never given up in his quest.

Ash has matured greatly over the course of the series, and has considerably improved his abilities as a trainer, but his earnestness and determination remain the same. During the first season of the series, Ash trained to catch more Pokémon than his rival, Gary Oak,^[4] He soon begins to focus on each of his Pokémon's abilities. He impresses many trainers by winning battles in which his Pokémon has a type disadvantage against. At the Johto League Silver Conference, Ash finally wins a battle against Gary.

In various seasons of the anime, Ash meets a number of other rivals. These trainers include Richie, whom he faced in the Indigo League, and Casey. During Pokémon tournaments, Ash's rivals have been Harrison, Jackson, Morrison, and Tyson. Near the beginning of the tenth season, Ash meets an young trainer named Paul, who is described as being the antithesis of Ash, quickly becomes his new rival.^[5]

Ash's greatest nemesis is a group of antagonists named Team Rocket (anime). Ever since the second episode, "Pokemon Emergency!", two Team Rocket operatives named Jessie and James, along with a talking Meowth, have always tried to steal his first Pokemon Pikachu but have always failed.^[6] There are some occasions when they work together like the Pokémon: The Movie 2000.^[7]

Ash's mother is Delia Ketchum (Hanako in Japan). She is a caring, though strong-willed woman, and in the English version of the anime, often pesters him to change his boxer shorts every day, a gag throughout the early episodes of the first few series.

The identity of his father has remained unknown. One reference to him exists in the anime. During a phone conversation between Ash and his mother in the second episode,^[6] she states to her amazement that he got from Pallet Town to Viridian City in one day. "It took your father four days to get there when he started Pokémon training", she says, "He'll be so proud!". A line from the play, Pokémon Live!, suggests that Delia, at one time, had a relationship with the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni when she was a teenager, but in the anime, no evidence of Giovanni being Ash's father has been shown currently.

Pokémon

Ash strongly considers all of his Pokémon to be his friends. As a Pokémon trainer, Ash carries six Pokémon with him that form his team's active roster. However, due to the anime not strictly conforming to the video games, there are Pokémon that are on Ash's team that have not been formally caught by Ash. This often allows Ash to be accompanied by more than six Pokémon, especially since Pikachu, the only permanent member of his active roster, never stays in a Poké Ball. So far, Ash has formally caught 42 different kinds of Pokémon, including evolutions. He has befriended but not formally caught three Pokémon.

On hand

These are the Pokémon that Ash is currently carrying around with him in Sinnoh. The first two are ones that he has with him at the beginning of his adventure. Just like Hoenn, Ash only intended to bring Pikachu, but Aipom snuck on the ship to Sinnoh.

Pikachu (Starter Pokémon) Ash considers his best friend to be his Pikachu. In the first episode, Pikachu disliked him, and shows it by shocking him frequently. It still shocks him to wake him up in emergencies or when he is accidentally in the way of an electric attack. His Pikachu has the particular characteristic of hating Poké Balls so it always tags along with Ash. At the end of first episode, the two of them become best friends after Pikachu saves Ash from a flock of Spearows.^[8] Pikachu was the first Pokémon that Ash obtained, and the only one that has always been with him. Ash's Pikachu also refuses to evolve into a much more powerful Raichu. Ash was reluctant to expose Pikachu to the Thunderstone and Pikachu is quick to express it has no desire to change who he is. In the end, Pikachu shows that he is still able to beat his evolved counterpart Raichu.

Aside from being part of Ash's Pokemon fighting arsenal, Ash's Pikachu has played a key role as a companion to not only to Ash but Ash's entourage as well - defending them as well as occasionally intervening when hostility arises in the group.(This usually being something like quarreling between Ash and Misty) Though apparently loyal to Ash, Pikachu has always had the most sympathy toward Misty and her friendship with Ash. Ash's Pikachu has a sensitive dislike toward hostility between friends, especially his own. During the Gym battle between Ash and Misty, though Pikachu enjoys the spirit of competition with anyone, Pikachu was very reluctant and deplored to participate in the battle due to the vendettas involved and meltdown prior which made the atmosphere of the match far beyond just competitive. Pikachu also greatly helps Ash in communicating with fellow Pokemon among the group which has helped in Ash's success in befriending Pokemon.

Pikachu is often considered to be exceptionally powerful for its species, which makes it a consistent target for Team Rocket. As such, Pikachu is Ash's most powerful Pokemon and is his main enforcer during battles. It has grown physically and mentally superior over the course of the series through battles and through his role as an entourage companion to Ash and his group. So much it is able to dominate even some of the statistically most powerful Pokemon he has confronted. Pikachu is Ash's second Pokémon to have defeated a Legendary Pokémon, having defeated Pyramid King Brandon's Regice in Ash's third battle against him. It is also one of the only known Pokemon of the series to use the extremely powerful but reckless Volt Tackle, a move involving an electrically charged Pikachu running at high speed and colliding head on with the enemy.

Aipom Ash met Aipom on a mountain where it worshiped a giant Slaking(this was actually a trick by Team Rocket) and stole Ash's hat,^[9] mirroring what Mankey did to Ash before he captured it in the first season. However, after Ash found the Aipom, he quickly befriended it. Ash gave the Aipom his hat but it gave it back. It then follows Ash and turns up at the Grand Festival, where it steals his hat again. Near the end of the Grand Festival, Ash battles the Aipom and captures it. Like Bayleef before it, Aipom became jealous of Pikachu, and is a female as well, as stated by May in the Japanese version of "Aipom and Circumstance". Aipom is also occasionally seen on Ash's shoulder. Ash and Aipom show a very strong bond. Like when he left for Hoenn, Ash wanted to start his journey again for Sinnoh and so left behind all of his Pokémon with the exception of Pikachu, but Aipom stowed away on the ship. So Ash welcomed Aipom into his Sinnoh squad. It travels with him for the end of the Battle Frontier saga and so far the beginning of the Sinnoh saga. After watching May battle in the Grand Festival, Aipom seems to taken an interest in Pokémon Contests. When Ash decided to use it in a contest in Sinnoh, it pulled off a dazzling show, but didn't make it to the final round due to losing to Nozumi and her Glameow.

Starly → Staravia Ash captured a male Starly at the end of "Two degrees of separation!". Aipom accidentally attacked Starly in the forest after they crashed in midair and gave gave Starly a bump on i'ts head.. Aipom won with Focus Punch and Ash threw the Poké Ball and captured it, making Starly Ash's first Sinnoh Pokémon. This is similar to his capture of Taillow as his first Pokémon in Hoenn. Ash was excited to catch the Pokémon, although he felt sad after remembering Pikachu wasn't with him, as it had been stolen and lost by Team Rocket. It later evolved into a Staravia in a battle against Team Rocket. Staravia isn't the strongest Pokemon but is good for searching and spying.

Turtwig Ash captured Turtwig at the end of Diamond and Pearl episode #5, "Gettin' Twiggy With it!". A wild Turtwig rescues Pikachu from Team Rocket, but when Ash finds Pikachu with Turtwig, Dawn tries to catch it with Piplup, which causes a Razor Leaf aimed at Piplup to unintentionally hit an Oddish. The Oddish then puts Ash and Pikachu asleep with Sleep Powder, but Turtwig flees, and carries Pikachu to a safe place. Trying to get Pikachu back, Ash meets up with the Turtwig and then befriends it. After Ash rescues it from Team Rocket, Turtwig grows attached to him and wants to battle him. Accepting the challenge, Pikachu and Turtwig face off, Pikachu ends up winning by slamming Turtwig against a tree using Iron Tail, and finishing the fight with a Thunderbolt. Ash then throws a Poké Ball and captures it. Turtwig shows some characteristics of James' grass Pokémon, because Turtwig bites Ash's head in the episode "Forest of Hesitation! Paul Again!". It also has some characteristics of Ash's Bulbasaur, due to the fact that it helps solve problems between other Pokémon who may quarrel.

With Professor Oak

As Ash can only carry six Pokémon around at once, he often leaves his Pokémon at his mentor Professor Oak's laboratory. These Pokémon also appear in the episodes of Pokémon Chronicles that are set at the laboratory.

Bulbasaur Ash received Bulbasaur as his fourth Pokémon from a girl named Melanie who watched over several Grass-type Pokémon in a reserve.^[10] Since then, it has been on Ash's team throughout the entire Kanto and Orange Islands sagas, and part of the Johto saga, helping out with various Gym battles. It is a leader and mediator, preferring peaceful resolutions to conflicts over fighting. It had a chance to evolve while in Kanto, but it chose not to.^[11] Later in the Johto saga, Prof. Oak needed it to help mediate the rivalry between the Grass-type Pokémon at his lab, so Ash sent it over. Its mediation skills still keep the peace between the many Pokémon that reside in Professor Oak's lab.^[12] Later, at the end of the Honen League, May saw that her Bulbasaur had befriended Ash's. So May left her Bulbasaur at Proffessor Oak's lab. Bulbasaur's latest appearance was in a battle against Brandon.

Krabby → Kingler In order to show Misty and Brock he could properly catch more Pokémon, Ash found Krabby on a nearby beach and caught it without any effort.^[13] It was also the sixth Pokémon he caught and the first Pokémon to stay at the lab. Krabby remained in Pallet Town until the first match of the Indigo League championships, where it evolved into a Kingler in its first battle.^[14] At the same time, it won the first round all by itself on the Water Field, defeating an Exeggutor before evolving into Kingler, a Seadra, and a Golbat. Ash also used Kingler in the third round on the Ice Field where he had his Kingler already out after one Poke'mon on each side already fainted. If Kingler was used in the first battles is unknown. In the battle, Kingler is seen fighting and defeating a Cloyster then gets pummeled to the next Poke'mon, Arcanine, even with the type advantage. Despite Kingler still standing, Ash calls Kingler back to his poke'ball. Kingler wasn't used again until the Johto saga, where it was called upon in the Whirl Cup. Kingler easily knocked out Misty's Poliwhirl, but lost to Psyduck out of sheer good luck on Misty's part with her Psyduck. Kingler was not able to battle in the Johto League, as it received an injury from a Voltorb. Kingler is known to be a very jolly and friendly Pokémon, seen "shaking claws" with fellow crustacean Corphish as a sign of friendship when Ash returned to Pallet Town after the Hoenn League.

Muk While exploring a problem in a power plant, Ash captured a Muk, who was a leader of a group of wild Grimer.^[15] Then, he sent it to Professor Oak. Ash has called upon his Muk in the Indigo League, where it helped him win the fourth round.^[16] It also helped out battle Gary's Blastoise in the Johto League, but Ash recalled it before it was defeated by Blastoise. Later in the match, it lost to Gary's Scizor.^[17] Muk is still very affectionate towards both Ash and Professor Oak, and is often seen smothering Professor Oak, Tracey, and most recently Professor Birch.

Tauros x30 After unintentionally catching an entire herd of 30 Tauros in Kanto's Safari Zone, Ash ends up sending them all to Prof. Oak, much to the Professor's dismay. However, the episode of their capture was banned in English-speaking countries. In that episode, it was a running gag that Ash used all his Safari balls on Tauros, when in the video games, Tauros are seldom seen. In the Orange League, Ash used a Tauros to help defeat Drake's Venusaur,^[18] and used a Tauros later on in Johto for a Tauros race. Then, it was used in the Johto League in Ash's battle against Gary. Ash also brought Tauros back to his team temporarily for the battle against Anabel at the Battle Tower. Ash's Tauros have been known to be somewhat rebellious; once, they destroyed a fence in Professor Oak's farm.

Snorlax During his travels in the Orange Islands, Ash came across a large orchard that was under attack by a Snorlax with a ravenous appetite, which had stripped several islands bare of plant life in less than a day. Ash, with the help of a wild Jigglypuff, eventually managed to stop Snorlax and catch it. Snorlax proved to be a strong battler and Ash used it when he needs to fight a tough battle.^[19] Ash kept it in his team for most of the remainder of his adventures in the Orange Islands, but when he arrived at Pummelo Island for the Orange League finals, Snorlax's sleeping patterns proved it unreliable for the upcoming battle and he sent it to Professor Oak's lab in exchange for one of his Tauros.^[20] In Johto, Snorlax was used in a sumo contest, and later against the Pokémon of the final Gym Leader Claire.^[21] After Ash's journey in Hoenn, May's Munchlax and his Snorlax became friends. Ash temporarily brought Snorlax back to his team for the battles against Gary and Harrison at the Silver competition, and Greta at the Battle Arena.

Heracross Heracross was the first Pokémon that Ash caught in Johto.^[22] Its most notable feature is in its nature to try and suck the sap out of nearby trees and the bulb on Bulbasaur's back, thus annoying the latter.^[23] Heracross was later sent to the Lab at Professor Oak's request. Ash temporarily brought Heracross back to his team for the battle against Gary in the Johto League, where it defeated his Magmar, and then later against Spenser at the Battle Palace, where it promptly attempted to suck the sap from Spenser's Venusaur. After Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Version's release, Ash's Heracross is comfirmed that it's a male( females have a heart-shaped horn).

Chikorita → Bayleef Chikorita was a stubborn, yet brave, Pokémon. Ash protected it from a blizzard and saved it from Team Rocket, and it joined his team.^[24] Chikorita was jealous of Pikachu, seeing it as a rival for Ash's attention.^[25] It loves Ash very much, and is jealous of other pokemon that give him affection. When it evolved into Bayleef, it initially had trouble adjusting to its larger size while hugging Ash.^[26] However, Bayleef remained an integral part of Ash's team. Bayleef uses several unconventional tactics, such as the Vine Whip move to jump into the air.^[27]^[28] Ash left it at Professor Oak's lab after the Johto League. It never evolved into Meganium, its final form.

Cyndaquil When Ash and a rival trainer were trying to capture a young Cyndaquil, Ash was forced to protect it, and he did so with a Poké Ball.^[29] At first, Cyndaquil had trouble using its Flamethrower and needed to charge up between attacks. Ash used Cyndaquil in Johto, but left it with Professor Oak before journeying to Hoenn. Cyndaquil also has a habit of falling asleep at certain times, and seemed quiet and withdrawn in general.

Totodile When Ash and Misty attempted to catch a Totodile that appeared out of the water, they both threw their Lure Balls at it. Unsure of which Lure Ball had caught Totodile, they battled each other for the Pokémon; Ash won. Totodile is a carefree and relaxed Pokémon, often dancing whenever summoned,which has strangely helped it battle. It also likes to entertain other Pokémon with its water tricks. However, Totodile's antics have annoyed several other Pokémon. Ash used Totodile in Johto, but left it with Professor Oak before journeying to Hoenn. It never evolved throughout the series.

Noctowl Noctowl is Ash's only Shiny Pokémon, which are rare.^[30] It is also unique among the team as it is Ketchum's only Pokémon able to effectively use Normal attacks against Ghost Pokémon and use Psychic-type attacks, due to its use of Foresight.^[31] Smart and cunning, Noctowl had since grown to be one of the senior members of the team. Ash used Noctowl in Johto, but left it with Professor Oak before journeying to Hoenn.

Phanpy → Donphan After winning a Pokémon sled race in Johto, Ash received an egg,^[32] which later hatched into a Phanpy. This Pokémon is the youngest member on Ash's team, though its power makes up for its lack of experience. Ash used Phanpy in the Johto Pokémon League, and left it at Professor Oak's lab before travelling to Hoenn. However, when Ash returned after competing in the Hoenn League, he discovered that it felt left out and wanted to be part of Ash's current party. Since then, it has shown signs that it is growing up beyond the young Pokémon seen in Johto. Phanpy battled a Team Rocket mecha, and evolved into Donphan in order to defeat it. However, despite its newfound size and power, Donphan still has the personality of a playful young child, sometimes to the dismay of smaller Pokémon that it attempts to play with. Despite its childish nature and the fact that it wants to play with Pokémon that are smaller than it, Ash has used Donphan in a number of battles, including his Battle Frontier match with Pike Queen Lucy and her Seviper. To start off fresh in Sinnoh, Ash left Donphan at Oak's Lab.

Taillow → Swellow Taillow was the first Pokémon that Ash caught in Hoenn,^[33] and was leader of a large flock that resided in Petalburg Forest. Being unable to defeat the stubborn Taillow, Ash captured it, and has mainly used it to search the sky or puncture Team Rocket's hot-air balloons. It later evolved into Swellow during the PokéRinger Contest against James and Dustox.^[34] Its most notable appearance was in Ash's sixth Gym Battle where it had to face a Shiny Swellow who was able to use the attack Aerial Ace.^[35] After a lot of practice, Ash's Swellow mastered the move as well. Swellow has also been able to withstand electric attacks that would normally harm it severely. It is also well known for its staying power in major battles, often being able to defeat multiple opponents despite taking huge amounts of damage. Swellow was also one of Ash's six Pokémon to compete in the Hoenn League. Coupled with its impressive speed and admirable aerial maneuvers, Swellow is considered to be one of Ash's strongest and most valuable team members. Since Ash wanted make fresh start in Sinnoh, he left Swellow at Oak's lab.

Treecko → Grovyle → Sceptile Since Ash captured it as a Treecko, it has been one of the eldest Pokémon in Ash's Hoenn team. Treecko tended to be a loner, preferring its moments of solitude up atop a tree to the company of the rest of its team. Surprisingly, Treecko didn't know any actual Grass attacks when it joined Ash's team, but Ash later taught it Bullet Seed. A notable feature is a twig from the tree it used to live in Petalburg Forest. It often carries the twig around and puts it in its mouth as a sign of defiance to opponents. After evolving into Grovyle during a battle with a trainer's Loudred (which also evolved, into a Exploud), its first act was to use its new Leaf Blade attack to slice off a larger twig from a nearby tree. Grovyle helped Ash defeat Norman and his Slaking for his fifth Hoenn Badge,^[36] and was another one of the six Pokémon he used in the Hoenn League. Then, during a rematch against a wild Tropius in the Battle Frontier saga, Grovyle defeated the Pokémon but later found out that Nurse Joy's Meganium, whom it had loved, was in love with the wild Tropius. This crushed Grovyle's spirit but when Team Rocket attacked Meganium, it evolved into Sceptile to protect it, making it the fourth Stage 2 Pokémon Ash has had, after Butterfree, Charizard and Pidgeot. This evolution, and its rejection of love from Meganium, caused mental shocks that prevented Sceptile from being able to use its attacks. Luckily, a few episodes later, Ash met Spenser of the Battle Palace. His involvement enabled Sceptile to regain its full strength, and during their battle for the Spirit Symbol, it was revealed that Sceptile could use the Solarbeam technique, which it used to defeat Spenser's Claydol. Sceptile has since become one of Ash's most powerful Pokémon, even strong enough to hold its own in battle against certain Legendary Pokémon. Ash's Sceptile and May's Blaziken had a firece and evenly fought battle at a unofficial contest at the end of their journey through the Battle Frontier, their battle ended up in a draw despite the type advantage Blaziken had. Ash also left Sceptile at Oak's Lab while on his way to Sinnoh in the tenth season of the anime.

Corphish Ash captured Corphish on Dewford Island while training for his second Hoenn League badge.^[37] Besides being jealous when a Pokémon evolves, Corphish has proven to be a very dependable Pokémon on Ash's Team. Like many others of its species, it has a somewhat surly disposition, but it loves to fight, which works to Ash's advantage.

Torkoal Ash caught his Torkoal in Hoenn when Ash used it to defeat a wild Steelix.This happened shortly after battling the one that belonged to Flannery. Initially, Torkoal appears as if it has a problem in its self-esteem, as it often cries or blows smoke in a show of affection. Sometimes, it cries for no reason, often leaving the characters covered with soot. Ash left Torkoal at Professor Oak's lab after travelling around Hoenn. It later reappeared in the Battle Frontier saga in a battle against Brandon's Registeel. It put up a tough fight but lost.

Snorunt → Glalie On Izabe Island, Ash caught a Snorunt with a very mischievous nature.^[38] Snorunt often froze objects as a prank, and in its first appearance, it stole Ash's badges. However, it had bad aim, so its Ice Beam attack usually failed in battle. Ash kept working at it until Snorunt evolved into Glalie and perfected its Ice Beam with some encouragement from Robert at the Grand Festival. Glalie did prove to be a powerful battler, defeating several strong Pokemon, including a Charizard that it had a type disadvantage against. Glalie so far only appeared in the Ever Grande Conference Tournament. Ash left it at Professor Oak's lab as soon as he returned from Hoenn.

In training

Pokémon that Ash has left in different locations during his adventures in the Johto region. These, like the Pokémon he has at Professor Oak's lab, can be called upon at any time when needed.

Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard Ash, Misty and Brock found a Charmander sitting on a rock in the wilderness. Charmander had initially belonged to another trainer, who had abandoned it on a rock in the pouring rain where its flame was dying out, believing it to be a weak Pokémon. Ash took Charmander to a Pokémon Center to recover from prolonged exposure to the elements and an ill-tempered flock of Spearow. After recovering, Charmander eventually rejected his old trainer for Ash.^[39] At this stage, it was a very happy and very loyal Pokémon. Yet, for some reason, when it evolved into a Charmeleon, it underwent a severe attitude change, only wanting to fight strong opponents, and dismissing Ash completely.

Soon, Charmeleon evolved into Charizard to chase and battle an Aerodactyl that had taunted it and captured Ash.^[40] Charizard's defiant attitude got even worse, eventually causing Ash to get dismissed from the Indigo League.^[41] However, when Charizard was critically injured in a battle against a powerful Poliwrath, Ash stayed up all night to care for him, finally earning his respect.^[42] From this point, Charizard served faithfully as Ash's most powerful Pokémon, even after Ash left it to train itself among other strong Charizard at the Charicific Valley.^[43] Charizard has a habit of finding its way back to Ash in time to help out with some of his toughest and most memorable battles.

Charizard is one of the stage two Pokémon Ash has used so far, and is by far the most powerful Pokémon Ash has ever had, also being able to use Dragon attacks. Its signature finishing move in battle is the use of Seismic Toss, and very few Pokémon have ever been able to escape it. Charizard is also unique in that he is one of only two non-Legendary Pokémon in the series to ever defeat a Legendary Pokémon, Articuno, in a one on one battle in the Battle Factory with Noland.^[44] This battle gave Charizard the chance to use one of the most powerful Fire-type attacks of all, Overheat(this attack was previously used by Ash's Torkoal). Before it left to train in the Charicific Valley, Charizard was a senior member of Ash's team, often sleeping in the sun and enjoying solitude while the other Pokémon were having fun.

Notably, whenever Charizard does come back to Ash, it uses its Flamethrower on him. A rivalry with Tracey's elderly Scyther was briefly touched upon during the Orange Islands saga.^[45] Charizard, along with Squirtle and Bulbasaur, made a return in Ash's rematch against Brandon, the leader of the Battle Pyramid.

Squirtle Having been abandoned by another trainer, when Ash first saw Squirtle, it was the tough leader of a rogue group called the “Squirtle Squad”, comprised abused and abandoned Squirtle who committed acts of mischief.^[46] Initially distrustful of humans, Squirtle was moved when he saw how much Ash cared for Pikachu. After the Squirtle Squad saved a nearby town from a forest fire, Squirtle joined Ash on his adventures while its fellow squad members formed the town's fire-fighting department. Later, in the Orange Islands, Squirtle met its match in a firefighting Wartortle, but the two Pokémon later became friends.^[47] In Johto, Squirtle reunited with its former comrades, and after seeing its squad members in bad shape due to lack of leadership, Squirtle returned to the Squirtle Squad.^[48] It later returned to Ash's side to help him in the Silver Conference, but left to once again lead the Squirtle Squad when the tournament concluded. Following the Conference, Squirtle was absent from the series until Pokemon: Battle Frontier, when it returned to Ash (alongside Charizard and Bulbasaur) for his third and final match at the Battle Pyramid against Brandon. Notably, Squirtle and its fellow squad members wear sunglasses. Squirtle only wears its sunglasses if getting into certain fights, or being heroic in some way. Squirtle has also been seen wearing the sunglasses when he and Ash, Misty, and Tracey's Pokémon encounter Elekid in the "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure" animated short.

Released

For various reasons, Ash has left behind many of the Pokémon that he has captured. Unlike the Pokémon at the lab, Charizard or Squirtle, these cannot be reclaimed with a phone call. Ash has promised to return to a number of the Pokémon he left, but has failed to reclaim any as yet. However, some of them have been featured in the 10th opening of Pocket Monsters, suggesting that he'll be seeing them again.

Caterpie → Metapod → Butterfree The very first Pokémon that Ash catches is a Caterpie.^[49] It is caught without any effort. It evolved into a Metapod the following day. Metapod is next seen about a week later, when it was involved in a Pokémon Battle against another Metapod where the only attack that either could use was Harden. Soon after, it evolves into Butterfree,^[50] making it the first Stage 2 Pokémon Ash ever had at the time. Butterfree's main use is its arsenal of status-affecting moves. During his time on the St. Anne, Ash trade Butterfree for a Raticate but traded for it back in a few hours.^[51] Ash let it go during the Butterfree mating season along with its mate, a pink Butterfree, making it the first Pokémon Ash has released into the wild.^[52] Notably, it now wears a yellow scarf that Brock gave it before it left. It is possible that Ash will see it again sometime in the future as it is seen on one of the Japanese openings.

Pidgeotto → Pidgeot The second Pokémon that Ash captured was a Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto proved to be most useful to Ash outside of battle, often attacking the hot air balloons that Team Rocket uses or escapes in, or using its Gust attack to blow away James' Koffing's/Weezing's Smokescreen. Shortly after Ash returned to Pallet Town, Pidgeotto evolved into a Pidgeot to protect a group of Pidgey and Pidgeotto from a group of Spearow and Fearow that was terrorizing them.^[53] Ash then left it there to act as their guardian. Ash told Pidgeot that he would come back after he was done in the Orange Islands, and even remembered having it in Johto,^[54] but since then, the Pokémon has never appeared outside of scenes in the various Japanese openings and endings, until the tenth Japanese opening, "Spurt!", alongside many of Ash's other Pokémon. It is possible that it will have a role in the 10th Pokémon movie, as Ash is seen riding one in several trailers.

Lapras Ash found a lost baby Lapras when he first arrived in the Orange Islands.^[55] Having missed the ferry to the next island, and with the Lapras' pod already far away, Ash takes the Lapras with him, using it as the group's primary transportation around the islands, as well as in the races and battles against the Orange Crew. Shortly after Ash won the Orange League Championship, Ash found the Lapras' pod, and returned it to its family.^[56] Lapras returned once since its departure, by which time it had gained the leadership of the pod thanks to its bravery. When Ash did see Lapras, he almost didn't recognize it, and was surprised that it had physically grown so much.^[57] Lapras reappeared in the tenth Japanese opening, "Spurt!", alongside many of Ash's other Pokémon.

Befriended

Ash has befriended, though not formally captured two Pokémon throughout his journey. Some of them have been featured in the 10th opening of Pokemon, suggesting that he'll be seeing them again.

Haunter Ash met a Haunter residing with its friends, a Gastly and a Gengar, in the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town.^[58] They played with Ash by separating his spirit after his body is trapped under a chandelier. However, when Ash returned to his body, Haunter agreed to join Ash's team to battle Sabrina's Psychic Pokémon. Once it got to Saffron City, it disappeared continually but eventually returned to battle. It was much more interested in joking about and immobilized Sabrina's Kadabra. It then stayed with Sabrina.^[59]

Larvitar After Ash got his eighth Johto badge, Professor Elm asked him to return a Larvitar to its home at Mount Silver, prior to entering the Silver Conference. Larvitar is distrustful of humans, initially only opening up to Ash and Pikachu. Ash used it to battle once, in the episode "Address Unown!".^[60] It is reunited with its mother, a Tyranitar, in the next episode "Mother of All Battles".^[61]

Given away

During Ash's journey, he has given, or left some of his Pokémon with/to other trainers. Some of them were seen in the tenth Japanese Opening 'Spurt', suggesting that me might see them again.

Raticate Ash traded his Butterfree for a Raticate in the S.S. Anne. Soon after he regretted the trade and traded the Raticate back.

Primeape As a wild Mankey, it had once stolen Ash's hat, though it had already evolved into Primeape by the time Ash caught it by using his Charmander's powerful Rage attack. Primeape is at the moment being trained by a trainer that specializes in fighting type pokemon. Primeape was seen once again in the tenth Japanese opening 'Spurt'.

Beedrill Ash caught a Beedrill in a Bug-catching contest in the Johto region. However, he gave it to Casey, who likes yellow and black striped Pokémon, owing to her favorite Baseball Team- The Electabuzz.

Accomplishments

Leagues:

Indigo League - Top 16
Orange League - Winner
Johto League Silver Conference - Top 8
Hoenn League - Top 8
Battle Frontier - Winner
Sinnoh League - Coal Badge (Ongoing journey) Other:
P-1 Championship (Pokémon 1 Fighting Championship) - Winner
Whirl Cup - Top 16
Extreme Pokemon Race - Winner
Poké-Ringer Contest - Winner

In other media

The only video game that Ash has truly appeared in to date is Pokémon Puzzle League, where he tries to become a Pokémon Puzzle Master. While Ash is loosely based on the protagonist of Pokémon Red and Blue, the protagonist in Pokémon Yellow is based on him.

The portrayals of Ash in the manga The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Pocket Monster Zensho, and Ash & Pikachu, are very simlilar to the one in the anime. There are key differences in the manga, though. In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, it is based on Ash's journey up until the end of the Orange Islands travel. Ash is usually seen traveling by himself during the course of this manga although he is joined by Misty and Brock in Indigo sometimes. Misty is the only one to join Ash in the Orange Islands and at the end of the series, Ash travels with Gary Oak. Ash has other Pokémon in addition to the some of the ones above including Fearow and Oddish. The Ash & Pikachu manga is similar, although it has the episodes from the anime like "The Fortune Hunters" and "A Goldenrod Opportunity" combined, but with a couple of changes. In Pocket Monsters Zensho, Satoshi (as Ash is known in Japanese) starts with Charmander instead of Pikachu. The manga ends at the Indigo Plateau, where Satoshi defeats the Elite Four.

Ash appeared in the Robot Chicken episode "Cracked China", where he was voiced by Seth Green.

External links

Bulbapedia article about Ash Ketchum

Citations

[1] Pokémon - I Choose You! Pokémon Elite 2000. URL accessed on November 15, 2006
[2] In the Pokémon: The First Movie, Ash runs into the path of a pair of telekinetic attacks fired by Mewtwo and Mew, and is turned to stone, but then revived by all the Pokémon's tears.
[3] Mewtwo Strikes Back Serebii.net. URL accessed on November 14, 2006
[4] although Gary has caught more.
[5] When Pokémon Worlds Collide Serebii.net. URL accessed on November 15, 2006
[7] The Power of One Serebii.net . URL accessed October 15, 2006.
[8] Pokémon, I Choose You! on Serebii.net
[9] Channeling the Battle Zone, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 9, 25.
[10] Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 11, 25.
[11] Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 47, 25.
[12] Bulbasaur the Ambassador, Pokémon: Master Quest, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 5, 25.
[13] Mystery at the Lighthouse, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 13, 25.
[14] Round One, Begin!, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 25.
[15] Sparks Fly for Magnemite!, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 29, 25.
[16] The Fourth Round Rumble, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 25.
[17] Pokémon Master Quest, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 5, 25.
[18] Enter the Dragonite, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 2, 25.
[19] Snack Attack, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 2, 25.
[20] Hello Pummelo!, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 2, 25.
[21] Better Eight than Never, Pokémon Master Quest, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 5, 25.
[22] A Sappy Ending, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 3, 25.
[23] Spinarak Attack, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 3, 25.
[24] A Chikorita Rescue, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 3, 25.
[25] Grin to Win!, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 3, 25.
[26] Turning Over a new Bayleef, Pokémon: The Johto League Champions, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 4, 25.
[27] Pokémon Master Quest, Extreme Pokemon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 5, 25.
[28] Pokémon Master Quest, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 5, 25.
[29] Going Quill Hunting, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 3, 25.
[30] Fowl Play!, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 3, 25.
[31] From Ghost to Ghost, Pokémon: The Johto League Champions, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 4, 25.
[32] Extreme Pokemon!, Pokémon Master Quest, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 5, 25.
[33] You Can Never Taillow!, Pokémon Advanced, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 6, 25.
[34] That's Just Swellow, Pokémon Advanced Challenge, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 7, 25.
[35] Sky High Gym Battle, Pokémon Advanced Challenge, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 7, 25.
[36] Balance of Power, Pokémon Advanced Challenge, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 7, 25.
[37] Going Corphishin', Pokémon Advanced, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 6, 25.
[38] Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let Snorunt!, Pokémon Advanced Battle, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 8, 25.
[39] Charmander, the Stray Pokemon, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 11, 25.
[40] Attack of the Prehistoric Pokemon, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 43, 25.
[41] Friend and Foe Alike, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 25.
[42] Charizard Chills, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 2, 25.
[43] Charizard's Burning Ambition, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 3, 25.
[44] The Symbol of Life, Pokémon: Advanced Battle, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 25.
[45] A Way Off, Day Off!, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 2, 25.
[46] Here Comes the Squirtle Squad, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 12, 25.
[47] Pokemon Water Wars, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 2, 25.
[48] The Firing Squad, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 3, 25.
[49] Ash Catches a Pokemon!, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 3, 25.
[50] Challenge of the Samurai, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 4, 25.
[51] Battle Aboard St. Anne, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 15, 25.
[52] Bye Bye Butterfree, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 20, 25.
[53] Pallet Party Panic, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 25.
[54] | title = Fighting Flyer with Fire | episodelink = | series = Pokémon | serieslink = Pokémon (anime)#Series names | credits = Kunihiko Yuyama (Director) | writers = | network = Cartoon Network | station = | city = | airdate = | began = | ended = | season = 3 | number = | minutes =25
[55] The Lost Lapras, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 2, 25.
[56] Viva Las Lapras!, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 2, 25.
[57] Lapras of Luxury, Pokémon Master Quest, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 5, 25.
[58] The Tower of Terror, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 22, 25.
[59] Haunter vs. Kadabra, Pokémon, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 1, 23, 25.
[60] Address Unown, Pokémon: Master Quest, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 5, 25.
[61] Mother of All Battles, Pokémon: Master Quest, Pokémon (anime)#Series names, Kunihiko Yuyama (Director), Cartoon Network, 5, 25.

The actual descriptive text portion of the article above (and its Contents menu) are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License then in effect published by the Free Software Foundation. The text article uses material from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_Ketchum (retrieval date: 2007-05-27) and is provided "as-is" and without warranty. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify only the actual descriptive text portion of the article above (and its Contents Box) under the GNU Free Documentation License. A copy of the license is available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License. Any advertisements (or active links not embedded in the actual article) and the layout or selection thereof are excluded from such license.
(c) Ovidio Limited 2006-2009.

This website may utlize cookies and web beacons to help improve user experience and to collect aggregate usage data; we do not collect or otherwise use any personally identifiable information. Additionally, third parties may utilize cookies and web beacons in the course of serving ads on this website. Consult your web browser documentation for information about managing web cookies.