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Ash Ketchum Voice Actor Shares Emotional Tribute to the Pokémon Champion


Ash Ketchum and Pikachu’s journey has come to an end now that Ash has become a Pokemon Tournament Champion. Although the franchise’s next anime won’t be focusing on the iconic duo anymore, we’ll still be able to see the last of Ash and Pikachu with 11 new episodes wrapping up their storyline before proceeding to the next characters set to lead a new generation of the Pokemon franchise, Riko and Roy, under an untitled anime for now.

READ MORE: Pokemon to End Ash Ketchum’s Historic Anime Run in 2023

As things are coming to a close, Ash Ketchum’s voice actor, Sarah Natochenny, says a few words via Twitter, sharing an emotional tribute for having played the character for 17 years. You can check out Natochenny’s full tweet reply below:

The tweet reads: “It’s been an extraordinary privilege to have been the English voice of Ash Ketchum for what will be 17 years. No matter what lies beyond his final chapter, he’ll live forever in the hearts of many generations to come. Cheers to new beginnings! <3”

Although Natochenny had been replaced by voice actor Veronica Taylor in 2006 (starting in the ninth season), playing Ash for the past 17 years is no easy feat and deserves a proper bidding farewell to an era. Fans are quick to take their reactions to Twitter on saying goodbye to Ash and welcoming the new leads for the upcoming untitled anime.

After 25 long years, Ash and Pikachu’s final storyline within the 11 last episodes will conclude Ultimate Journeys. The episodes will first begin airing in Japan on January 13, 2023. The official Pokemon twitter account even revealed a sneak peek behind the 2 new characters to lead the anime. You can check out the trailer below:

The new Pokemon anime generation duo, Riko and Roy, will be the two new protagonists in the upcoming anime based on Scarlet and Violet’s Paldea region. Although there is no official title for the Paldean series yet.

Most of the Pokemon anime franchise are currently available to stream on Netflix.

ALSO READ: Next Pokemon Anime Will Not Star Ash Ketchum for the First Time Ever

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