Ash

Write the text of your article h =Ash Ketchum=

_qoptions={ qacct:"p-e6QSFePfPdgHc" };===From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.=== Jump to: navigation, search :''Ash redirects here. For the item attached to Ho-Oh, see Sacred Ash. For the ash found at the foot of Mt. Chimney, see volcanic ash .''

Ash Ketchum (Japanese: サトシ Satoshi) is the main character of both the Pokémon anime  and the  Electric Tale of Pikachu  manga, and is believed to be based on the  protagonist  of the  first generation  Pokémon games. He shares his Japanese name -- which can be taken to mean "wisdom" or "reason" (智) -- with the creator of the Pokémon  franchise,  Satoshi Tajiri. His English surname is a pun of the original English motto, " Gotta Catch 'em All! ." {| class="toc" id="toc"

Contents
[hide]*1 In the anime
 * 1.1 Character
 * 1.2 Family
 * 1.3 Pokémon
 * 1.3.1 On hand
 * 1.3.2 With Professor Oak
 * 1.3.3 In training
 * 1.3.4 Released
 * 1.3.5 Traded away
 * 1.3.6 Given away
 * 1.3.7 Status unknown
 * 1.3.8 Unofficial
 * 1.3.9 Temporary
 * 1.4 Badges obtained
 * 1.4.1 Indigo League
 * 1.4.2 Orange League
 * 1.4.3 Johto League
 * 1.4.4 Hoenn League
 * 1.4.5 Battle Frontier
 * 1.4.6 Sinnoh League
 * 1.5 Pokémon Competitions
 * 1.5.1 Pokémon League ranking
 * 1.5.2 Pokémon Championship battles
 * 1.5.3 Miscellaneous Competitions
 * 1.6 Voice actors
 * 2 In the manga
 * 2.1 In the Ash and Pikachu manga
 * 2.2 In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
 * 2.2.1 Pokémon
 * 2.2.1.1 Traded away
 * 2.3 In the Magical Pokémon Journey manga
 * 3 In the TCG
 * 4 Trivia
 * 4.1 Pokémon
 * 4.2 Challenges/Gym related
 * 4.3 Miscellaneous
 * 5 Names
 * 6 Related articles
 * 7 External links
 * 7.1 On Bulbagarden forums
 * }

Character
EnlargeAsh Ketchum in the original seriesAsh's main goal in life, as described in the first episode, is to be the world's greatest  Pokémon Master. Ash began his journey at the age of 10 as a warm-hearted and well-intentioned but stubborn, rash and amateurish Pokémon Trainer. He was forced to accept the cheeky Pikachu  from  Professor Oak  as his  starter Pokémon  because he carelessly broke his alarm clock and woke up late 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. EnlargeAsh trying to keep Pikachu safeHowever, from that point, Ash still had a lot to learn about becoming a Trainer. His first Pokémon  was  caught  by luck, 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, 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. 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. EnlargeAsh in the Advanced Generation seriesAsh has changed a great deal over the course of 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, 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. EnlargeAsh using Aura inside the Tree of BeginningEarly 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. EnlargeAsh in the Diamond & Pearl seriesAsh has gained a close connection with many legendary Pokémon, including  Mewtwo ,  Ho-Oh ,  Lugia ,  Latias ,  Azelf ,  Shaymin ,  Giratina  and  Arceus. 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. 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. EnlargeAsh in the Wallace CupHe has a Contest Pass  for the  Sinnoh  region, though he has stated that the contest he got it for was the only one he intends on entering. He also has 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.

During his battles in the Suzuran Conference, he managed to advance to the Top 4, during which time he defeated his long-time Sinnoh rival  Paul , and fought against  Takuto , becoming the only 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 will next venture to Isshu, bringing along only his Pikachu as he did in Hoenn.

Family
EnlargeA young AshAsh lived with his mother, Delia Ketchum, until he left for his Pokémon journey at the age of ten.

His father was never 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. An interview with the series' storyboarder confirmed Ash's father is a Trainer on his own journey. According to the same storyboarder, Ash's father may or may not be introduced in the series, depending on its necessity to Ash's further maturity and development as a Trainer.

He was born the only child of Delia Ketchum, breaking from the tradition of several other main characters, with the exception of Dawn, Serena, and possibly  Tracey  and Barry, whose siblings are often a foil or focal point in their lives.

Pokémon
As a Trainer, Ash has captured and befriended a sizable number of Pokémon over the course of the anime. His philosophy on training  is that Pokémon are individuals and that a combination of trust, friendship and hard work are needed to overcome adversity. He seems to battle best with Pokémon that are similar to Pikachu: ones that are speedy and maneuverable, yet able to perform high-powered attacks ; however, he is willing to work with any Pokémon that comes into his care. Ash's battle style is generally spontaneous and fairly unorthodox, and his Pokémon often reflect these traits.

On hand
This section is based on the Pokémon with Ash in the most recent episode to air in Japan. For the current tournament, he also has access to any Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab.

Temporary

 * Ponyta/Rapidash: Borrowed from Lara Laramie  after she was injured and couldn't ride Ponyta in the race in  The Flame Pokémon-athon! . It evolved into Rapidash when it was racing against Dario's Dodrio during the race and earned Ash the win.
 * Porygon: Lent to by Dr. Akihabara  to help stop  Team Rocket  from stealing Pokémon from the Pokémon Center's PC system in  Computer Soldier Porygon  however, this episode was not aired outside Japan.
 * Arbok, Weezing, and Meowth: Used during a Pokémon League exam in  The Ultimate Test .
 * Hoothoot: Borrowed (with Brock  and  Misty ) from  Hagatha  in order to navigate the haunted forest in  Illusion Confusion! .
 * Seaking: Caught and released during the contest in  Hook, Line, and Stinker .
 * Hitmonlee: Borrowed from Master Hamm  in  Pasta La Vista!  to battle May with a  Hitmonchan.
 * Raichu: Trained during  Camping It Up! .
 * Spoink and Mantyke: Used in the Pokémon triathlon in  One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team! .

Badges obtained
EnlargeAsh's eight badges from Kanto====Indigo League==== EnlargeAsh's four Orange League badges====Orange League==== EnlargeAsh's eight badges from Johto====Johto League==== EnlargeAsh's eight badges from Hoenn====Hoenn League==== EnlargeAsh's seven Frontier Symbols====Battle Frontier==== EnlargeAsh's eight badges from Sinnoh====Sinnoh League====
 * Boulder Badge ( Showdown in Pewter City )
 * Cascade Badge ( The Water Flowers of Cerulean City )
 * Thunder Badge ( Electric Shock Showdown )
 * Marsh Badge ( Haunter versus Kadabra )
 * Rainbow Badge ( Pokémon Scent-sation! )
 * Soul Badge ( The Ninja Poké-Showdown )
 * Volcano Badge ( Volcanic Panic )
 * Earth Badge ( The Battle of the Badge )
 * Coral-Eye Badge ( Fit to be Tide )
 * Sea Ruby Badge ( Navel Maneuvers )
 * Spike Shell Badge ( Misty Meets Her Match )
 * Jade Star Badge ( Pokémon Double Trouble )
 * Zephyr Badge ( Fighting Flyer with Fire )
 * Hive Badge ( Gettin' The Bugs Out )
 * Plain Badge ( A Dairy Tale Ending )
 * Fog Badge ( From Ghost to Ghost )
 * Storm Badge ( Machoke, Machoke Man! )
 * Mineral Badge ( Nerves of Steelix! )
 * Glacier Badge ( Nice Pryce, Baby! )
 * Rising Badge ( Better Eight Than Never )
 * Stone Badge ( The Winner By a Nosepass! )
 * Knuckle Badge ( Just One of the Geysers )
 * Dynamo Badge ( Watt's with Wattson? )
 * Heat Badge ( Going, Going, Yawn! )
 * Balance Badge ( Balance of Power )
 * Feather Badge ( Sky High Gym Battle! )
 * Mind Badge ( Solid as a Solrock )
 * Rain Badge ( Eight Ain't Enough! )
 * Knowledge Symbol ( The Symbol Life )
 * Guts Symbol ( Wheel... of Frontier! )
 * Tactics Symbol ( Tactics Theatrics!! )
 * Luck Symbol ( Queen of the Serpentine! )
 * Spirits Symbol ( Ka Boom with a View! )
 * Ability Symbol ( Second Time's the Charm! )
 * Brave Symbol ( Pace - The Final Frontier! )
 * Coal Badge ( O'er the Rampardos we Watched! )
 * Forest Badge ( The Grass Menagerie! )
 * Cobble Badge ( A Triple Fighting Chance! )
 * Fen Badge ( A Crasher Course in Power! )
 * Relic Badge ( Shield with a Twist! )
 * Mine Badge ( Dealing With Defensive Types! )
 * Icicle Badge ( Sliding Into Seventh! )
 * Beacon Badge ( DP179 )

Pokémon League ranking
Ash placed in the Pokémon League   competitions  listed below.

Pokémon Championship battles
Ash challenged the following Pokémon championships as well:

Miscellaneous Competitions
Ash has also participated in the following competitions:

In the Ash and Pikachu manga
Ash is a starring character in Ash and Pikachu, a manga series based on the  Johto  saga of the Pokémon anime.

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
EnlargeAsh in the Electric Tale of Pikachu mangaAsh Ketchum is a starring character in The Electric Tale of Pikachu, a manga series based on the anime. Ash's journey in The Electric Tale of Pikachu follows roughly the same plot as in the anime: first traveling the Kanto  region to participate in the  Pokémon League, before embarking on a journey around the  Orange Archipelago.

While there are many similarities between the anime and manga versions of Ash, there are several differences as well. For example, while the anime version of Ash appears to be indifferent to love and romance, the manga version of Ash has a huge crush on Gary's sister, May Oak. He is also prone to quickly falling in love just like Brock, but to a much more subtle or less extreme degree.

Ash's appearance differs in the manga as well. He wears a red jacket, much like Red 's, instead of the blue he wears in the anime. Also, for the duration of the first volume, he wears a different hat, which is solid red with a "PM" on the front. Beginning in  The Human Race and the Pokémon Race , his hat is changed to match the one he wears in the anime.

Ash owns many of the same Pokémon as in the anime, with a few exceptions: he captures a Fearow  and an  Oddish. He also captures a Mankey, which he trades to a shady salesman for a map of  Mt. Moon , and a giant  Slowpoke , which he trades to  Gary Oak.

Traded away

 * Mankey: Given away for a map of Mt. Moon  with false directions to find a  Clefairy.
 * Giant Slowpoke: Given away to Gary  for  May Oak 's photo.

In the Magical Pokémon Journey manga
EnlargeAsh and Brock in Magical Pokémon JourneyAsh, along with Misty  and  Brock, make cameo appearances in bonus chapters of the  Magical Pokémon Journey  manga. In the bonus chapters, Ash and co. have mistakenly wandered into the world Magical Pokémon Journey is set in. The bonus chapters chronicle their attempts to return to their own world (of the anime ) and their encounters with various aspects of the Magical Pokémon Journey canon which differ from the anime's canon (such as the use of  Poké Balls ).

In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Ash or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Pokémon
EnlargeAsh after catching a Pokémon*Ash has captured each generation 's  Grass-type   starter Pokémon :  Bulbasaur,  Chikorita ,  Treecko  and  Turtwig.
 * Ash has also captured every Fire-type   starter Pokémon  whose English names begins with a 'C' and whose Japanese names begins with a 'ヒ' hi:  Charmander  (Hitokage),  Cyndaquil  (Hinoarashi), and  Chimchar  (Hikozaru).
 * Ash has captured, befriended, used, or otherwise had under his command at least one of every type of Pokémon except for Dark-type  and  Steel-type.
 * In both the Kanto  and  Johto  story arcs, Ash managed to capture all three of the starter Pokémon for both regions. This trend was broken in the  Advanced Generation series, where he only captured  Treecko ; instead the  other   two  were caught by  May  and  Brock.
 * The last Pokémon that Ash has captured in every region  (except  Sinnoh ) are a part of  one-evolution families, namely  Phanpy  in  Johto ,  Snorunt  in  Hoenn , and  Aipom  in  Kanto . Of these three, Aipom is the only one not to evolve under Ash's care.
 * He always catches a local bird-like Pokémon of the region - Pidgeotto  in Kanto,  Noctowl  in Johto,  Taillow  in Hoenn, and  Starly  in Sinnoh. Though not all of these Pokémon were captured in their first form, they all evolved into their final forms under Ash's care; the exception being Noctowl, who cannot evolve.
 * As of the thirteenth movie, Ash has encountered every legendary Pokémon from the first four generations at least once.
 * All of Ash's primate-based Pokémon have been under the control of someone other than Ash at some point ( Primeape is currently under Anthony's command,  Ambipom  was under Dawn's ownership and is currently being trained in  Vermilion City, and his  Infernape  was formerly owned by Paul).
 * All three of these primate-based Pokémon were also shown evolving on-screen, and none of them evolved in the care of their original Trainer (Primeape evolved in the wild just prior to Ash capturing it, Ambipom evolved under Dawn's care, and Infernape (also as a Monferno ) evolved under Ash's ownership).
 * Ash also captured a member of each turtle-based evolutionary family.
 * Three members of Ash's Sinnoh party have evolved while battling Paul :  Grotle,  Staraptor , and  Monferno . Of those three, Grotle and Staraptor both evolved while battling  Paul's Honchkrow.
 * Ash has only caught Pokémon when he does not have a full party of six with one exception: his capture of Krabby.
 * Ash has two fully-evolved Grass-type   starter Pokémon  ( Sceptile  and  Torterra ) and two fully-evolved  Fire-type  starter Pokémon ( Charizard  and  Infernape ), however, neither of his  Water-type  starter Pokémon ( Squirtle  and  Totodile ) have evolved at all, or even indicated their desire to.
 * Ash has several Pokémon in common with his current rivals; Paul and Barry. He and Paul both own a Torterra  and have owned a  Gliscor  as well as both training the same  Chimchar  at some point. Like Ash, Barry owns a  Staraptor  and a  Heracross . Other rivals of Ash's have had alike Pokémon; Gary has also owned a  Squirtle  and a  Krabby, Morrison has a  Gligar , and Tyson has a  Sceptile  and  Donphan . Both had them on their league teams before Ash would later obtain them himself.
 * All of Ash's Flying-types  that he still owns, except for Charizard, have two immunities. Gliscor is immune to  Electric - and  Ground-types . Noctowl, Swellow, and Staraptor are all immune to  Ghost - and Ground-types.
 * Ash has traded away three Pokémon: Butterfree,  Raticate , and  Aipom . Of these three, Butterfree was the only one Ash got back, and also the only one that is not a  Normal-type.

Challenges/Gym related

 * In each region (except for the Orange Islands), Ash always loses against at least one of the Gym Leaders  before challenging them to a rematch.
 * In the original series, Ash pinned his badges to the inside of his jacket. From Hoenn onwards, they have been kept in a case.
 * Ash battled four legendary Pokémon, he has defeated two legendary Pokémon and also has been defeated by the other two.
 * Ash has so far battled five Elite Four  members, namely  Lorelei,  Drake ,  Agatha ,  Flint  and  Bertha . He has lost to all five without defeating a single Pokémon of theirs.
 * In all of these battles, except Bertha, Ash used Pikachu in each one.
 * The largest amount of episodes that Ash has gone without obtaining a badge  was the gap between the  Snowpoint  and  Sunyshore  Gyms, ends in  DP179, where Ash finally won the Beacon Badge. The gap was a total of 52 episodes. The shortest amount of time between badges was the  one-episode  gap between  Showdown in Pewter City  and  The Water Flowers of Cerulean City .

Miscellaneous
EnlargeAsh crossdressing for the third time.*The date of Ash's birth, according to Takeshi Shudo 's anime novelizations, is 10 years, 10 months, and 10 days exactly prior to the day he began his Pokémon journey. Being that the same novelization declares that Pokémon Trainers obtain their first Pokémon in April of the year following their 10th birthday, and the anime itself began broadcast on the first of that month in 1997 in Japan, Ash's birthday, if April 1 was the first day of his journey, would be May 22.
 * Ash has crossdressed once in each anime series: The first time he did this was in  Pokémon Scent-sation! , in the original series . He crossdressed a second time in  Love at First Flight , in the  Advanced Generation series .  Tanks for the Memories!  marked the third time he crossdressed, in the  Diamond & Pearl series . Each time Ash has crossdressed, he was never willing to do so and was coerced or forced into it in some way.
 * In addition to dressing as a girl, Ash has dressed up as fruit on at least two occasions. The first time, he dressed as an apple in  Pokémon Food Fight!  while the second he dressed as an eggplant in  Claydol Big and Tall . On both occasions he was used to lure a large Pokémon.
 * Several of the variety of ash trees, from which his name could be derived, are related to Kanto in some way: not only are there trees known as the "red ash", "green ash", and "blue ash", for the first three games, but also the "indigo ash", for the Indigo Plateau.
 * Arnold and  Travis  are both  doppelgängers  of Ash. His first meeting with both of  their   mothers  was being mistaken for them and embraced in a hug as the boys were away from home at the time.
 * When Veronica Taylor  was interviewed in the documentary "Adventures in Voice Acting", she stated that during her audition for the role of Ash, he was known as Casey at the time.
 * In Ash's Isshu design, his eye irises are larger to match most other people in the anime, like artwork of Red from Generation III.
 * Besides clothing, this is Ash's first physical change since his debut in EP001.

Related articles

 * Ashley
 * Ashachu
 * Episodes focusing on Ash

On Bulbagarden forums

 * Ash Club

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