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Template:Pokémon character Ash Ketchum (サトシ, Satoshi) is the main character whose adventures are followed in the anime Pokémon.

The Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, based on the character from the original games, is the main character of the Pokémon anime, the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, and the Ash & Pikachu manga. Like Red of Pokémon Adventures, he is loosely based on the protagonist of Pokémon Red and Blue.

The names Ash and Satoshi (as in the creator of the Pokémon franchise, Satoshi Tajiri) were default choices for names in Pokémon Red (and similarly, Gary and Shigeru (named for Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of many other Nintendo franchises such as Mario and Zelda) for Pokémon Blue). The surname Ketchum is a pun on Pokémon's now-defunct slogan, "Gotta catch 'em all!" It is possible that he was given this surname to match the number of mouth movements in the anime (Satoshi has 2 more syllables than Ash), so as to make redubbing easier.

Ash is voiced by Rica Matsumoto in the Japanese version and currently by Veronica Taylor in the English dub. However, in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, his dub voice was provided by Jamie Peacock.

Background and Story

Ash often does things without thinking. He is a typical shōnen hero: very excitable, empathic, sometimes focused to the point of distraction, and clever when it comes to his obsessive interest (Pokémon training, in this case) though often clueless in other areas. He's also extremely confident and valiant, but he can be slightly arrogant and very stubborn. Ash also shows impressive stamina, having on several occasions been hit by Pokémon attacks without suffering any lasting harm, such as being breathed fire on by Charizard and being hypnotized by an Exeggcute, though such events are usually used for comedic effect.

Like most shōnen protagonists, he is on a great quest; in this case, Ash seeks to become the greatest Pokémon trainer in the world. In pursuit of this end, he travels around the world, battling Gym Leaders and entering in Pokémon League competitions, similar to the protagonists of the Pokémon video games. He is first accompanied by Misty and Brock, and later on by Tracey Sketchit during the Orange Islands saga, and May and Max in Advanced Generation.

Ash seems to have connections to Legendary Pokémon. In Pokémon: The Power of One, it's revealed that Ash is the Chosen One to help Lugia save the world and the Pokémon, Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno. The most notable connection is that he is the only living person known to have seen Ho-Oh, a Legendary Pokémon that allegedly disappeared from the world three centuries ago.

His lifelong rival is Gary Oak who is the same age as Ash. On his tenth birthday, Ash was to receive his first Pokémon. But he overslept and by the time he arrived at Professor Oak's Laboratory, all the starter Pokémon (Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle) had been taken (his original choice was Squirtle, which ironically was taken first by Gary Oak) and he had to start with a Pikachu instead. His Pikachu has the particular characteristic of hating Poké Balls so it always tags along with Ash. Because of Pikachu's powerful electric attacks, Ash is the frequent target of Team Rocket's plans of stealing Pokémon for their own interests.

Ash has quite the reckless streak, as shown in the movies. Ash says that he probably got this streak from his mom. In the first movie, he runs into the path of a pair of psychic attacks fired by Mewtwo and Mew, getting himself temporarily petrified; in the second movie, he runs into electrical cages containing Moltres and Zapdos; in the third movie, he runs into a force field protecting the elusive Unown; in the fourth movie, he runs up the side of a tree after being hit by one of Celebi's attacks and also venturing into "a giant twig monster" to rescue a brainwashed Celebi; and in the fifth movie, Ash runs into a force field that is hurting Latios, Pikachu and Latias, doing likewise.

Ash's mother is Delia Ketchum (or Hanako in Japan). She is a caring, though strongwilled young woman, and (in the English dub) oftens pesters Ash to change his underwear every day, a gag that runs throughout the series. Much speculation exists about the identity of Ash's father, which is officially unknown. One reference to him exists in the Pokémon anime. During a phone conversation between Ash and his mother in the second episode, she states her amazement that he got from Pallet Town to Viridian City so fast. "It took your father four days to get there when he started Pokémon training", she says. "He'll be so proud!" In the Pokémon Live! stage show, it is suggested that Giovanni, the head of Team Rocket, is Ash's father.

It should be noted that for a small time Ash had been turned into a Pikachu by a Pokémon sorceress by accident near the end of an episode, making him the first human in the anime to be turned into a Pokémon. The girl made a spell that was supposed to let the receiver see into the mind of a Pokémon. Ash was eager to be first, since he and his Pikachu helped gather most of the ingredients over the course of the episode; the spell, however, went wrong and he became a Pokémon instead. This Pikachu version of Ash had messed-up hair (similar to the human Ash) and his trademark hat. His eyes and voice (he was still capable of speech) stayed exactly the same. The next episode, which took place four days later, showed Ash still as a Pikachu, but he reverted to his human self before the plot started.

Pokémon

As a Pokémon trainer, Ash carries six Pokémon with him that form his team's active roster. However, due to the anime being 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 allowed 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. An even looser definition of Ash's team allows for Pokémon that are caught by other regular characters. However, only the first is discussed here.

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. Later, when Ash battles Gary in the Silver Conference, Ash uses Tauros, Heracross, Muk, Bayleef, Snorlax and Charizard. At that time, Pikachu was on the sidelines as cheerleaders with Misty's Togepi and Politoed meaning that Pikachu is not counted as one of Ash's Pokémon.

Current Pokémon

Template:Spoiler These are the Pokémon that Ash is currently carrying around with him in the Battle Frontier. Ash currently has an active roster of only five out of the possible six Pokémon, with the sixth position sometimes being temporarily filled by a Pokémon he calls up to use at one of the Battle Facilities, until he captures an Aipom.

Pikachu

Pikachu was the first Pokémon that Ash obtained, and the only one that has always been with Ash in every adventure. Preferring not to stay in its Poké Ball, the two found friendship together. After losing to Lt. Surge's Raichu, Pikachu decides not to evolve and do what it took to defeat the Raichu, and it did. Pikachu is often considered to be Ash's third strongest Pokémon, behind Charizard and Sceptile, and is noted to be exceptionally powerful for its species, competeing in almost every gym battle of Ash's. Shortly before his first gym battle in Hoenn, Ash finally took the time to actually teach his old buddy an attack, Iron Tail, initially for use against the gym leader's Rock-type Pokémon, though it has proven very useful in many battles since then. In the Battle Frontier, it learned to use Volt Tackle, which has also become one of its signature attacks.

Donphan

After winning a Pokémon race in Johto, Ash received an egg, which later hatched into a Phanpy. Phanpy is the youngest Pokémon 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 the fact of wanting to play with Pokémon that are smaller than it, Ash has been vigorously training Donphan, and using him in many battles including one with Pike Queen Lucy and her Seviper.

Swellow

Taillow was the first Pokémon that Ash caught in Hoenn, 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. Its most notable appearance was in Ash's sixth Gym Battle where it had to face a Shiny Swellow that knew Aerial Ace. After a lot of practice shortly after, Ash's Swellow mastered the move as well. Swellow has also been able to withstand electric attacks that would normally harm it severely, either because of great stamina or simply extreme determination. 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 to date.

Sceptile

From capturing it as a Treecko, it has been one of the elder 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, its first act was to use its new Leaf Blade attack to slice off a larger twig from a nearby tree. Grovyle helped defeat Norman and his Slaking for his fifth Hoenn Badge, 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 a crush on, 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 and co. 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 is now second only to Charizard as Ash's most powerful Pokémon, even managing to hold its own against a Deoxys. Being Ash's fourth stage 2 evolved Pokémon, Sceptile is a tough fighter, and the second warrior Pokémon on Ash's team. As such, it often puts its integrity on the line in every battle.

Corphish

Ash caught Corphish on Dewford Island while training for his rematch against Brawly. After its capture, it helped Ash defeat Brawly's Machop for the second Hoenn badge, as well as fight a difficult battle with Flannery and her Torkoal for the fourth badge. Corphish is unaware of its own strength, and consequently often unintentionally hurts people as a sign of affection. Corphish is also short-tempered, often trying to instigate a fight when peaceful solutions exist. As yet, Corphish is one of only two Pokémon from his Hoenn team to whom Ash didn't teach any new attacks (the other is Torkoal). Corphish is also the only Pokémon on Ash's current team that has not evolved, other than Pikachu. Ash's Corphish fell in love with a Mawile in one episode, but got rejected for it liked Brock's Ludicolo (still a Lombre). On this episode, Corphish's Bubblebeam attack goes from blue to colourful although there's no mention of it from anyone. Ash's Corphish is known to be a bit hot-headed, such as being jealous of Ash's Sceptile, or seeing another Pokemon evolve and being jealous that they are getting more attention.

Aipom

Ash obtained an Aipom in the episode "Haruka vs Shū! The Final Battle". Ash met Aipom in a mountain where it worshipped a giant Slaking and stole Ash's hat. 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, Aipom became jealous of Pikachu.

Pokémon with Professor Oak

As Ash can only carry six Pokémon around at once, he often leaves his Pokémon with Tracey and Professor Oak. The scriptwriters have adopted this as a device to get Ash new Pokémon without having to lose his old ones. These Pokémon even appear in the episodes of Pokémon Chronicles that are set at the laboratory, and Ash always visits them when he is between regions. Ash also has the ability to call any of them over to him with just one phone call to Professor Oak.

Kanto Pokémon

Bulbasaur

Ash received Bulbasaur as his fourth Pokémon from a girl named Melanie who watched over several Grass-type Pokémon in a reserve. 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 in the Kanto saga, but it chose not to until it was ready and succeeded in staying a Bulbasaur. 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. May's Bulbasaur apparently has a crush on Ash's Bulbasaur, and the feeling appears mutual.

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. It also the sixth Pokémon he caught overall and the seventh he had, making it 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. At the same time, it won the first round all by itself, defeating an Exeggutor, a Seadra, and a Golbat. It wasn't used again until the Johto saga, where he was called upon in the Whirl Cup. Kingler easily knocked out Misty's Poliwhirl, but lost to 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 Corphish as a sign of friendship when Ash returned to Pallet Town after the Hoenn League.

Muk

While exploring a problem in a local power plant in Kanto, Ash captured a Muk, who was a leader of a group of Grimer. Then, he sent it to Professor Oak the moment he caught it, since its Poké Ball couldn't contain its smell. Ash has called upon his Muk in the Indigo League, where it helped him win the fourth round. It also helped out battle Gary's Blastoise in the Johto League. Muk is still very affectionate towards both Ash and Professor Oak, and is often seen smothering Professor Oak, and most recently Professor Birch.

Tauros

After unintentionally catching an entire herd of 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, and as a result, they seem to just magically appear. In the Orange League, Ash used a certain Tauros to help defeat Drake, and then used the same 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 of rebels of the group, for they destroyed a wall in Professor Oak's lab once. It is believed by some fans that the Tauros Ash has used is the leader of the herd, although it is often wondered if Ash does use the same one each time.

Orange Islands Pokémon

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 Jigglypuff, eventually managed to stop the monster and catch it. 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. In Johto, Snorlax was used in a sumo contest, and later against the Pokémon of the final Gym Leader Clair, where Snorlax showed off its newly-learned Ice Punch. After Ash's adventures in Hoenn, May's Munchlax and his Snorlax got to be friends. Ash temporarily brought Snorlax back to his team for the battles against Gary at the Silver competition, and Greta at the Battle Arena.

Johto Pokémon

Heracross

Heracross was the first Pokémon that Ash caught in Johto. Its most notable feature is in its nature to try and suck the sap out of nearby trees. As a result, when both Heracross and Bulbasaur are called upon, Heracross tries unsuccessfully to suck the sap out of the bulb on Bulbasaur's back. Heracross was later sent to the Lab at Professor Oak's request. Ash temporarily brought Heracross back to his team for the battle against Spenser at the Battle Palace, where it promptly attempted to suck the sap from Spenser's Venusaur.

Bayleef

Chikorita was a stubborn Pokémon. Ash protected it from a sudden snowstorm, and Chikorita joined Ash some time after. Chikorita was jealous of Pikachu, seeing it as a rival for Ash's attention. It usually kisses up to Ash when called upon. When it evolved into Bayleef, it initially had trouble adjusting to its larger size. However, Bayleef remained an integral part of Ash's team. Bayleef uses several unconventional attacks, such as using Vine Whip to jump into the air. Ash left it at Professor Oak's lab after travelling around Johto.

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. At first, Cyndaquil had trouble using its Flamethrower and needed to charge up between attacks. After getting some training with Ash, it can now use its Flamethrower right away. Ash used Cyndaquil in Johto, but left it with Professor Oak before journeying to Hoenn.

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 and Misty's Lure Ball was later used to catch Corsola. Totodile is a carefree and relaxed Pokémon, often dancing whenever summoned. 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

Ash's Noctowl is the only Shiny Pokémon to have a regular part in the series. It is also unique among the team as it is the only Pokémon able to effectively battle against Ghost Pokémon and use Psychic-type attacks. 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.

Hoenn Pokémon

Torkoal

Ash caught his Torkoal in Hoenn 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 will cry for no reason whatsoever. Ash left Torkoal at Professor Oak's lab after travelling around Hoenn. As yet, Torkoal is one of only two Pokémon from his Hoenn team to whom Ash didn't teach any new attacks (the other is Corphish). The only time he did teach Torkoal a new attack was when it was battling a strong wild Steelix and in order to win Ash told it to use Overheat, but at that time Torkoal didn't belong to Ash yet.

Glalie

While on Izabe Island, Ash caught a Snorunt with a very mischievous nature. Snorunt often froze objects for no reason, or as a prank. However, it had a bad aim, and 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 only appeared in the Ever Grande Conference Tournament, as Ash left it at Professor Oak's lab as soon as he returned from Hoenn. Out of the Pokémon caught in Hoenn, Glalie is the one that has spent the least amount of time with Ash.

Pokémon in training

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

Charizard

Ash 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. Ash took Charmander to a Pokémon Center to recover from prolonged exposure to the elements and ill-tempered Spearow. After recovering, Charmander eventually rejected his old trainer for Ash. 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 competely. Soon after the first evolution, Charmeleon evolved again into Charizard to battle an Aerodactyl. If anything, Charizard's defiant attitude got even worse, eventually causing Ash to lose in the Indigo League. 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. From this point, Charizard served faithfully as Ash's most powerful Pokémon, even after Ash let it train itself among other strong Charizard at the Charicific Valley. 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 two warrior Pokémon Ash has used so far, and is by far the most powerful Fire Pokémon Ash has ever had, also being able to use Dragon attacks. Its 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 the only 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. It also gave Charizard a chance to use one of the most powerful Fire-type attacks of all, Overheat. Even before it left to train in the Valley and before he began obeying Ash again, Charizard was a senior member of Ash's team, sometimes sleeping in the sun and enjoying solitude while the other Pokémon were having fun. This role has also been carried on by Sceptile. Of course, there may come a time when Charizard is needed again. Charizard also happens to be in love with Liza's Charizard, "Charla", and the feeling is mutual. Notably, whenever Charizard does come back to Ash, it uses its Flamethrower on him as though to say "Hello, Ash".

Squirtle

Having been abandoned by another trainer, when Ash first saw Squirtle, it was the leader of a group called the "Squirtle Squad". When 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 department. Later, in the Orange Islands, Squirtle met its match in a firefighting Wartortle, but the two Pokémon later became friendly rivals. 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. 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. Squirtle hasn't been seen again since the Silver Conference, but it's lately been rumored that Squirtle may come back in the Battle Facilities and meet May's Squirtle and Ash's Corphish. Notably, Squirtle along with its fellow squad members wears sunglasses. Squirtle only wears its sunglasses if getting in a fight, or being heroic in someway. 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.

Pokémon left behind or set free

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.

Kanto Losses

Butterfree

The first Pokémon that Ash ever catches is a Caterpie. It is also the Pokémon that he 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, making it the first Stage 2 Pokémon Ash ever had at the time. Butterfree's main use is its arsenal of status-affecting moves. Ash let it go during the Butterfree mating season along with its mate, a pink Butterfree. Notably, it now wears an orange 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.

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 Team Rocket often attacks or escapes in. Shortly after Ash returned to Pallet Town, Pidgeotto evolved into a Pidgeot. However, it left Ash's team on the same day to defend a group of Pidgey and Pidgeotto from a group of Spearow and Fearow that was terrorizing them. Ash told Pidgeot that he would come back after he was done in the Orange Islands, but since then, the Pokémon has never appeared aside from certain scenes in the various Japanese openings and endings.

Raticate

Ash traded his Butterfree for a Raticate. However, he soon realised that this was a mistake and traded it back.

Haunter

Haunter originally followed Ash as part of a plan to defeat Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader. However, Haunter mysteriously disappeared while Ash demanded rematch after rematch. It is Haunter, ironically, that leads to Ash winning the badge by default. After the battle, Haunter stayed with Sabrina, ending its short tenure with Ash.

It is disputed whether Ash actually caught Haunter; he at least befriended it.

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. Primeape's short tenure with Ash ended when it was given to another trainer so that Primeape could take part in the P-1 competitions.

Orange Islands Losses

Lapras

Ash found a lost baby Lapras when he first arrived in the Orange Islands. 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 helping him in the contests 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. 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 grown so much.

Johto Losses

Beedrill

Ash caught a Beedrill as part of a bug-catching competition in Johto. With Ash winning the competition, he received Beedrill to keep, and promptly gave it away to Casey, who has an affection for yellow striped Pokémon. Casey uses it as one of her three main Pokémon.

Seaking

Ash caught a Seaking in a Seaking-catching competition. He used it only once. He lost the contest, which Misty won after a fierce battle. It is not known what happened to the Seaking after the contest and so it is assumed that they were released.

Larvitar

After Ash got his eighth Johto badge, Professor Elm asked him to return a Larvitar to its home at Mt. Silver, prior to entering the Silver Conference. Larvitar is distrustful of humans, initially only opening up to Ash and Pikachu. It now lives with its mother, a Tyranitar.

Note: it is disputed whether Ash actually caught Larvitar. He at least befriended it, though.

Template:Endspoiler

Rivals

Throughout the Kanto and Johto sagas, Ash had a strong rivalry with Gary Oak. They had been rivals for most of their lives and so this naturally transferred to them being rivals as trainers. However, Gary spent the entire Kanto saga one step ahead of Ash. Ash eventually finished the Indigo League Tournament one round above Gary, though they did not get to battle.

During the Indigo League tournament, Ash's "rival" was Richie, a nearly identical trainer who even had some of the same Pokémon. Richie defeated Ash when Ash's Charizard refused to battle, but they parted as friends.

After travelling around the Orange Islands, Ash met Gary in Pallet Town. There, he was beaten in battle by Gary, restoring the rivalry. Yet over the Johto saga, Gary came to respect Ash and appeared much more mature when they finally met in a tournament. Ash went on to beat Gary's Blastoise with his Charizard and Gary decided to become a researcher ending his Pokémon Journey - and effectively ending the rivalry. However, it was noted that they would still always be rivals in some way.

During the Whirl Cup tornament, Ash found a rival in Misty. Though Ash lost to her, the two still remained friends.

Also during the Johto finals, Ash becomes rivals in Harrison, a trainer with a powerful Blaziken, which ultimately defeated Ash and Charizard. Harrison lost his next match due to his Blaziken still recovering in the local Pokémon Center, and then went off to compete in the Indigo League. Harrison, originally from Hoenn, encourages Ash to pursue his quest in Hoenn as he himself journeys through Kanto.

Ash also met Vincent (also known as Jackson) from the Legend of Thunder movie. When Vincent and Ash fought, their match ended in a draw, but Ash proceeded to battle Gary and Harrison.

Ash has had no clear rival throughout Advance Generation however during the tournament itself Ash had a rival named Morrison, whose signature Pokémon was a Beldum (and then Metang). He seems to have an affinity towards Steel, as two of his Pokémon, Metang and Steelix, are Steel-types, while his Gligar knows Iron Tail and Steel Wing. Morrison's other known Pokémon are Swampert (who may have been his starter), Growlithe and Girafarig.

Ash also met Tyson, a trainer with a Sceptile (who may have been his starter), Donphan, Shiftry and Hariyama. He also has a powerful Metagross, but his signature Pokémon is a Meowth (In-Boots), whose attacks include Thunderbolt and Iron Tail. Meowth-In-Boots walks upright due to injuries sustained during a battle with a Persian, who led a band of wild Meowths. Meowth-In-Boots defeated Pikachu in their battle, allowing Tyson to advance to the top four and ultimately become Hoenn League Champion.

During the Kanto Battle Frontier, Ash again has no clear rival.

External links

• Bulbapedia article on Ash Ketchum

Template:Pokémon anime characters

• Pokémon trainers