ASH KETCHUM

'Ash Ketchum', known as in Japan, is the protagonist of the anime ''Pokémon''. There are also incarnations of him in the '' 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!".

Contents

Character biography and personality

Pokémon

On hand

With Professor Oak

In training

Released

Befriended

Accomplishments

In other media

References

Character biography and personality

At the beginning of the series, he was 10 years old. In the episode "The Battle Of The Badge", Ash said that it was a whole year since he, Pikachu, and Misty first came to Viridian City, making him 11. Also, in the short called "Pikachu & Pichu" in the '', he said the day when the events depicted in the short took place was the day he met Pikachu, meaning his age at that time would be at least 12. However, two seasons later, the official Japanese Pokémon website reported that Ash was the same age as May, who was 10 years old at the time, suggesting that none of the characters have aged since the show began.

Ash is a caring and valiant trainer but he can be confident to the point of arrogance and is known for being stubborn at times. He also has quite the reckless streak, which has led him to troublesome situations and even near death.^[1][2] 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 Pokémon's moves to claim victory after victory, though he has been known to lose from time to time.
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 childhood rival, Gary Oak, although Gary has caught more. He soon begins to focus more on each of his Pokémon's abilities. He also impresses many trainers by winning battles in which his Pokémon has a type disadvantage. At the Johto League Silver Conference Ash finally won 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 arrogant young trainer named Paul, who quickly becomes his new rival.^[3]
Ash's primary nemesis is a group of comical antagonists named Team Rocket. Ever since the second episode, "Pokémon Emergency!", two Team Rocket operatives named Jessie and James, along with a talking Meowth, have always tried to steal his first Pokémon Pikachu but have always failed. There are some occasions when they work together like the ''.^[4]
Ash's mother is Delia Ketchum (''Hanako'' in Japan). She is a caring and thoughtful woman, though occasionally oblivious as her son, 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, 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

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. Like all Pokémon Trainers, Ash can only have up to six Pokémon in his active battling roster.
When Ash first had six Pokémon (Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle) Ash caught a Krabby and it was transferred automatically meaning that Pikachu was counted as one of Ash's Pokémon he has in his party. Pikachu stays with Ash even when he is not on Ash's party, as demonstrated during the Silver Conference in the Johto League.

★ 'Pikachu'(Voice Ikue Ohtani sometimes Rachael Lillis in Season one)

Ash gets Pikachu in the episode, "Pokémon, I Choose You!"

::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 Spearow.^[5] 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 it is. In the end, Pikachu shows that it is still able to beat its evolved counterpart Raichu.
::Aside from being part of Ash's Pokémon 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 Pokémon among the group which has helped in Ash's success in befriending Pokémon.
::Pikachu is often considered to be exceptionally powerful for its species, which makes it a consistent target for Team Rocket. As such, Pikachu 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, in fact, that it is able to dominate even some of the statistically most powerful Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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'(Voice Miyako Ito)
::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,^[6] 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 Chikorita 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 Zoey and her Glameow.

★ 'Starly' → 'Staravia' (Voice Emily Jenness
::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 Starly a bump on its 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 in "A Staravia is Born". Staravia is also good for searching, spying, and is a great aerial attacker. The large spot on its head identifies it as being male.

★ 'Turtwig' (Voice Jimmy Zoppi as Billy Beach)
:: 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. It is known to be a male.

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'(Voices Tara Sands as Tara Jayne and Michelle Knotz

Ash's Bulbasaur holding Ash's Totodile.

::Ash received Bulbasaur as his fourth Pokémon from a girl named Melanie who watched over several Grass-type Pokémon in a reserve.^[6] 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.^[6] 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.^[6] Later, at the end of the Hoenn League, May saw that her Bulbasaur had befriended Ash's. So May left her Bulbasaur at Professor Oak's lab. Bulbasaur's latest appearance was in a battle against Brandon, where it defeated Brandon's Dusclops and tied with his Solrock.

★ 'Krabby → Kingler'(Voices Rikako Aikawa -Krabby Unshou Ishizuka -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.^[6] 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.^[6] 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon, 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'(Voices Michael Haigney)
::While exploring a problem in a power plant, Ash captured a Muk, who was a leader of a group of wild Grimer.^[6] 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.^[6] 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.^[6] 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' (30)(Voices Unshou Ishizuka)
::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,^[6] 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. It is uncertain whether Ash always uses the same Tauros or not.

★ '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.^[6] 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.^[6] In Johto, Snorlax was used in a sumo contest, and later in the battle against Gym Leader Clair.^[6] 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 (where he defeated Nidoqueen and Arcanine) and Harrison (where it defeated both Hypno and Steelix) at the Silver competition, and Greta at the Battle Arena, where it defeated both Greta's Hariyama and Medicham.

★ 'Heracross'

Ash's Heracross battling Gary's Magmar in the Johto League.

::Heracross was the first Pokémon that Ash caught in Johto.^[6] 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.^[6] 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.

★ 'Chikorita → Bayleef'(Voice Mika Kanai)
::Chikorita was a stubborn, yet brave, Pokémon. Ash protected it from a blizzard and saved it from Team Rocket, and it joined his team.^[6] Chikorita was jealous of Pikachu, seeing it as a rival for Ash's attention.^[6] It loves Ash very much, and is jealous of other Pokémon that give him affection. When it evolved into Bayleef, it initially had trouble adjusting to its larger size while hugging Ash.^[6] 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.^[6] Ash left it at Professor Oak's lab after the Johto League.

★ 'Cyndaquil'(Voice Kayzie Rogers)
::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.^[6] 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'(Voice Eric Stuart)
::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.

★ 'Noctowl'(Voice Yuji Ueda)
::Noctowl is Ash's only Shiny Pokémon, which are rare.^[6] It is also unique among the team as it is Ash's only Pokémon able to effectively use Normal attacks against Ghost Pokémon and use Psychic-type attacks, due to its use of Foresight.^[6] 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'(Voices Tara Jayne,Lindsey Warner,Michelle Knotz and Jamie Peacock as Phanpy and Kenta Miyake as Donphan)

Ash's Donphan battling Pike Queen Lucy's Seviper in the anime.

::After winning a Pokémon sled race in Johto, Ash received an egg,^[6] 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, where it won. To start off fresh in Sinnoh, Ash left Donphan at Oak's Lab.

★ 'Taillow → Swellow'(Voices Kayzie Rogers as Taillow Darren Dunstan and Billy Beach as Swellow)
::Taillow was the first Pokémon that Ash caught in Hoenn,^[6] 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, a practice which was commonly used by Pikachu. It later evolved into Swellow during the PokéRinger Contest against James and Dustox.^[6] 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.^[6] 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. In Battle Frontier matches it has successfully defeated Tucker's Swampert and Spenser's Venasaur. Since Ash wanted to make a fresh start in Sinnoh, he left Swellow at Oak's lab.

★ 'Treecko → Grovyle → Sceptile'(Voices Dan Green as Treecko Darren Dunstan and Bill Rogers (voice actor) as Grovyle and Sceptile)

Ash's Sceptile VS May's Blaziken

::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,^[6] 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 Ash's third most powerful Pokémon (right after Charizard and Bulbasaur), even strong enough to hold its own in battle against certain Legendary Pokémon. Ash's Sceptile and May's newly evolved Blaziken had a fierce and evenly fought battle at a unofficial contest at the end of their journey through the Battle Frontier. The 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'(Voices Maddie Blaustein and Bill Rogers)
::Ash captured Corphish on Dewford Island while training for his second Hoenn League badge.^[6] Besides being jealous when a Pokémon evolves, Corphish has proven to be a very dependable Pokémon on Ash's Team. During its time in the Battle Frointer, Corphish managed to defeat Tuckers Arcanine and Anabels Alakazam. Like many others of its species, it has a somewhat surly disposition, but it loves to fight, which works to Ash's advantage.

★ 'Torkoal'(Voices Maddie Blaustein and Jimmy Zoppi as Billy Beach)
::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 amazing fight but lost.

★ 'Snorunt → Glalie'(Voices Kayzie Rogers as Snorunt and Pete Zarustica as Glalie)

Ash's Glalie

::On Izabe Island, Ash caught a Snorunt with a very mischievous nature.^[6] 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 Pokémon, 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' (Voices Michael Haigney, Eric Stuart and Snichirou Miki)

Ash's Charizard fighting Articuno in Episode 413, "The Symbol Life".

::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. ^[6] 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 ignoring Ash completely.
::Soon, Charmeleon evolved into Charizard to chase and battle an Aerodactyl that had taunted it and captured Ash. It is unknown if Charizard meant to save Ash, but when he was dropped by Aerodactyl, Charizard did purposely swoop down and catch Ash on its back.^[6] Ash was afraid to call on Charizard again after this, but was eventually forced to during his gym battle against Blaine. However, Charizard refused to fight until it met Blaine's Magmar. It allowed Ash to command it during the fight with Magmar, and eventually won, earning Ash his Volcano Badge, though Charizard immediatly returned to disobeying Ash. Once again Ash didn't summon Charizard again for a long time, but was again forced to during his fifth match in the Indigo Pokemon League against his newfound friend Richie. Charizard saw Richie's Charmander as a worthy opponent and defeated it, but when Richie summoned his own Pikachu, Charizard refused to fight and Ash lost the match.^[6]
::Despite this, Ash remained confident that one day his powerful Pokemon would obey him. His wish finaly came true later when Charizard was critically injured in a battle against a powerful Poliwrath and Ash stayed up all night to care for him, finally earning its respect.^[6] 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.^[6] 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, such as in the third movie to help against Entei and the Unown.
::Chrizard's 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.^[6] 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.^[6] Charizard, along with Squirtle and Bulbasaur, made a return in Ash's rematch against Brandon, the leader of the Battle Pyramid. Surprisingly, Charizard wasn't able to defeat Brandon's Dusclops.

★ 'Squirtle'(Voice Eric Stuart)

Squirtle as featured in the ''Pokémon'' anime.

::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 of abandoned Squirtle who wore sunglasses and committed acts of mischief.^[6] 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.^[6] 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.^[6] 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 Pokémon: Battle Frontier, when it returned to Ash (alongside Charizard and Bulbasaur) for his third and final match at the Battle Pyramid against Brandon.

★ '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 Pokémon. Primeape was seen once again in the tenth Japanese opening 'Spurt'.

Released

For various reasons, Ash has left behind many of the Pokémon that he has captured. Unlike the Pokémon at the lab, or Charizard and 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.

★ 'Caterpie → Metapod → Butterfree'
::The very first Pokémon that Ash catches is a Caterpie.^[6] 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,^[6] making it the first Stage 3 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.^[6] 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.^[6] Notably, it now wears a yellow scarf that Brock gave it before it left. It was stated that Butterfree may have died after breeding but this is due to a mistranslation in the japanese version. To counter this Butterfree and its mate appeared in the Japanese opening for the Battle Frontier season.

★ '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.^[6] 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,^[6] 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 carrying Ash, Tracey, and Misty

★ 'Lapras'
::Ash found a lost baby Lapras when he first arrived in the Orange Islands.^[6] 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.^[6] 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.^[6]

Befriended

Ash has befriended, though not formally captured two Pokémon throughout his journey. Some of them have been featured in the 10th opening of ''Pokémon'', 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.^[6] 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.^[6]

★ '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!". ^[6] It is reunited with its mother, a Tyranitar, in the next episode "Mother of All Battles".^[6]

★ 'Lucario'
::In '', Ash befriends Sir Aaron's Lucario. Their newfound friendship causes Lucario to reconsider destroying himself and save the Tree of Beginning.

Accomplishments

Badges:

★ 'Kanto Region' - Boulder Badge, Cascade Badge, Thunder Badge, Rainbow Badge, Marsh Badge, Soul Badge, Volcano Badge, and Earth Badge

★ 'Orange Islands' - Coral Eye Badge, Sea Ruby Badge, Spike Shell Badge, and Jade Star Badge.

★ 'Johto Region' - Zephyr Badge, Hive Badge, Plain Badge, Fog Badge, Storm Badge, Mineral Badge, Glacier Badge, and Rising Badge

★ 'Hoenn Region' - Stone Badge, Knuckle Badge, Dynamo Badge, Heat Badge, Balance Badge, Feather Badge, Mind Badge, and Rain Badge

★ 'Sinnoh Region' - Coal Badge, Forest Badge
Leagues:

★ 'Indigo League' - Top 16

★ 'Orange League' - Winner

★ 'Whirl Cup' - Top 16

★ 'Johto League Silver Conference' - Top 8

★ 'Hoenn League Championship' - Top 8

★ 'Battle Frontier' - Winner, offered the position of Frontier Brain (declined)

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 Red, the protagonist of ''Pokémon Red and Blue'', the protagonist in ''Pokémon Yellow'' is based on him. Furthermore, in ''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'', Red acts a sort of "final boss" of the game, residing in Mount Silver. He carries a team comprising of Pikachu and the final evolutions of Pokémon that Ash had caught and used in the anime (with the exception of Espeon, a Psychic-type evolution of Eevee). As a nod to how powerful Ash's Pikachu is, Red's Pikachu is at level 81. Red's Pikachu is the strongest Pokemon, levelwise, to have appeared in any Pokemon handheld game that you can battle, with Arceus following at level 80.
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.

References

1. In the '', 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.
2. Mewtwo Strikes Back ''Serebii.net''. URL accessed on November 14, 2006
3. When Pokémon Worlds Collide ''Serebii.net''. URL accessed on November 15, 2006
4. The Power of One ''Serebii.net'' . URL accessed October 15, 2006.
5. Pokémon, I Choose You! on Serebii.net
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