RIFQI CORPORATION: Juli 2011

In the anime

Character

Ash'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 in his sleep 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.

Ash trying to keep Pikachu safe

However, from that point, Ash still had a lot to learn about becoming a Trainer. The first Pokémon he caught, was caught by luck, as he knew absolutely nothing about battling, and was hesitant to admit it whenever he was wrong. Many of his first Gym badges were given to him merely out of gratitude for his assistance rather than claiming an actual victory in battle over the Gym Leaders; of his first five Gym battles, only his victory over Lt. Surge was an actual victory. Every time he thought he was doing well, he would somehow cross paths with his childhood rival, Gary Oak. He always reminded Ash that he was always a step or seven behind, with Gary catching around forty-five Pokémon by the time Ash had only caught his seventh. This hampered matters further when, owing to his inexperience, his Charizard, his most powerful Pokémon, refused to listen to him until Ash could prove himself to the powerful Fire-type.
Over time, Ash's dedication to his goal paid off. After earning his first eight badges he went on to compete in the Indigo League, advancing to the fifth round - one further than Gary, and ending up in the top 16. After recovering from his defeat, he continued on to improve his skills; take on new challenges; and compete in more Pokémon League competitions - triumphing in the Orange League and the Battle Frontier.

Ash in the Advanced Generation series

Ash 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.

Ash using Aura inside the Tree of Beginning

Early on, Ash originally trained not to further himself but instead to catch more Pokémon than Gary. He later slowed his pace which allowed him to focus on the individual traits of each Pokémon. At the Johto League Silver Conference, with great humility and maturity, Ash finally won a battle against his old rival, signifying a great milestone in his history. His maturity has also increased in his dealings with Pokémon. This is shown when a Mankey stole his hat in Primeape Goes Bananas, he screamed and yelled at it, even climbing trees just to get his hat back, but when an Aipom did the same in Slaking Kong, he stated merely that he would feel strange without a hat. When Aipom stole his hat again in Setting the World on its Buneary, however, while it was under his ownership, he chased after it in the same manner as before.
In most episodes of the anime, especially those during the Johto League saga, Ash befriends someone who will influence him and cause him to strive to become a better Trainer. Although he is not a dependent individual, he is still young and has learned to make his way relying on his friends, particularly the maternal skills of Brock. The honor of "best friend" is usually reserved for Pikachu but Ash has come to see his closest human friends in the same light over time; using the term for Misty and Brock in Gotta Catch Ya Later as well as May and Max in Battling the Enemy Within.
He has traversed much of the Pokémon world and has thus far participated in four Pokémon League regional competitions, but he is still learning new things about Pokémon all the time.

Ash in the Diamond & Pearl series

Ash has gained a close connection with many legendary Pokémon, including Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Latias, Azelf, Shaymin, Giratina, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram and Zekrom. 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.

Ash in the Wallace Cup

Ash has also participated in contests. He 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.
Ash soon obtained all of the Sinnoh Gym badges. During his battles in the Lily of the Valley Conference, he managed to advance to the Top 4, during which time he defeated his long-time Sinnoh rival Paul for the first time, and fought against Tobias, becoming the only known Trainer to defeat his Darkrai. Though he lost later on in the battle, he seems to be okay with losing, as he has become closer to his Pokémon than ever before. Ash, Dawn, and Brock then set off on their own paths to follow their respective dreams, with Brock saying he will no longer be joining Ash on his next journey.
In the Best Wishes series, Ash came with Professor Oak and his mom on a trip to the Unova region. After losing in a battle to Trip and seeing the power of the legendary Zekrom, Ash became interested in traveling Unova to meet new Pokémon, as well as new friends. He is now currently in journey in Unova, first bringing along only his Pikachu as he did in Hoenn.

Family

A young Ash

Ash 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.
Ash is an only child, breaking from the tradition of several other main characters, with the exception of Dawn and possibly Tracey and Iris, 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.

Currently in rotation

In the Unova region, Ash does not keep the same party at all times like he had done previously. Instead, he swaps his on hand Pokémon with ones that are being stored at Professor Juniper's lab.

Pikachu ♂	Pidove → Tranquill ♀	Oshawott ♂
Tepig ♂	Snivy ♀	Egg → Scraggy ♂
Sewaddle → Swadloon ♂	Palpitoad	Roggenrola

With Professor Oak

This section shows the Pokémon that Ash keeps at Professor Oak's laboratory.

Bulbasaur	Krabby → Kingler	Muk	Tauros (×30) ♂
Snorlax	Heracross	Chikorita → Bayleef ♀	Cyndaquil → Quilava
Totodile ♂	Noctowl	Egg → Phanpy → Donphan	Taillow → Swellow
Treecko → Grovyle → Sceptile	Corphish	Torkoal	Snorunt → Glalie
Starly → Staravia → Staraptor ♂	Turtwig → Grotle → Torterra	Chimchar → Monferno → Infernape	Buizel ♂
Gible ♂

In training

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash still owns but are in the care of another Trainer. Some can be called upon at any time if needed.

Primeape

Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard

Squirtle

Status unknown

This section is for Ash's Pokémon whose current whereabouts are unknown.

Gligar → Gliscor

Released

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash formally released back into the wild.

Caterpie → Metapod → Butterfree ♂

Pidgeotto → Pidgeot

Lapras

Traded away

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash traded away.

Raticate

Aipom ♀

Given away

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash gave to another Trainer to keep for themselves.

Beedrill

Unofficial

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash had bonded with over the course of several episodes but never officially caught.

Haunter

Egg → Larvitar

Temporary

This section is for the Pokémon that Ash temporarily used. Many of which were rented and belong to another Trainer.

		Rapidash
		Ash borrowed Rapidash from Lara Laramie when it was a Ponyta after she was injured and could not ride it in the race. It evolved into Rapidash when it was racing against Dario's Dodrio. Ash was able to win the race.
Debut	The Flame Pokémon-athon!

		Porygon
		Porygon was lent to Ash by Dr. Akihabara to help stop Team Rocket from stealing Pokémon from the Pokémon Center's PC system. After they got out of the computer world, it was returned to Akihabara. Porygon's known moves are Conversion, Tackle and Sharpen.
Debut	EP038

		Arbok
		The Pokémon League entrance exam instructor gave Ash an Arbok by having him choose his own set of Poké Balls provided by the instructor. It was used during a Pokémon League exam by battling the Instructor's Jolteon and lost. Arbok's known moves are Glare and Wrap.
Debut	The Ultimate Test

		Weezing
		The Pokémon League entrance exam instructor gave Ash a Weezing by having him choose his own set of Poké Balls provided by the instructor. It was used during the Pokémon League exam by battling the Instructor's Flareon and won. Weezing's known moves are Smog, SmokeScreen, Tackle and Explosion.
Debut	The Ultimate Test

		Meowth
		Meowth was the final Pokémon used by Ash during the Pokémon League exam. It was up against the Instructor's Vaporeon in which Vaporeon froze the Meowth causing Team Rocket's Meowth to interfere with the battle by kicking the frozen one free. It was accidentally blasted off along with Team Rocket. The temporary switch was fixed in the next episode. Meowth's only known move is Fury Swipes.
Debut	The Ultimate Test

		Hoothoot
		Ash, Brock and Misty borrowed Hoothoot from Hagatha in order to navigate the haunted forest. It was returned to her sister, Nagatha after they were able to get to the exit. Hoothoot's known moves are Foresight and Peck.
Debut	Illusion Confusion!

		Staryu
		Main article: Misty's Staryu Ash borrowed Staryu from Misty for the Fire and Rescue Grand Prix in The Fire-ing Squad. However, he did not win the contest and returned Staryu to her around the end of the episode.
Debut	Clefairy and the Moon Stone

		Psyduck
		Main article: Misty's Psyduck Ash borrowed Psyduck from Misty for the Fire and Rescue Grand Prix in The Fire-ing Squad. However, he did not win the contest and returned Psyduck to her around the end of the episode.
Debut	Hypno's Naptime

		Seaking
		Ash caught a Seaking during a Seaking fishing contest. It was released under park rules.
Debut	Hook, Line, and Stinker

		Hitmonlee ♂
		Ash borrowed Hitmonlee from Master Hamm to battle May with Hitmonchan after Master Hamm was having problems. Hitmonlee's known moves are Rolling Kick, Hi Jump Kick, Jump Kick and Focus Punch.
Debut	Pasta La Vista!

		Raichu
		During the first day of the summer school academy, Ash was given a Raichu to train. It was called to battle Angie's Monferno and was able to put up a great fight. It had a very timid personality. Raichu's known moves are Dig, Thunderbolt, Focus Punch and Double Team.
Debut	Camping It Up!

		Spoink
		Ash was given a Spoink in the first leg of the Pokémon triathlon. He returned it after he was done with the first part of the race.
Debut	One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!

		Mantyke
		Ash was given a Mantyke for the second leg of the Pokémon Triathlon to ride across the lake. It was returned after the event was done.
Debut	One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!

		Cottonee ♂
		Ash temporarily commanded a wild Cottonee in order to help it win over a love interest. With Ash's assistance, he was able to learn to dodge attacks and aim his own attacks better. Cottonee's known moves are Cotton Spore, Cotton Guard, Razor Leaf, and Energy Ball.
Debut	BW029