Commencing their widely-known animated television series, Pokémon, back in April 1997 on TV Tokyo, Creature, Game Freak, and Nintendo recently made the executive decision to conclude the main characters Ash Ketchum and Pikachu’s animated journey. Announced to the public this past Friday, December 16, 2022, the Pokémon corporations publicized that they will be looking towards the future as they respectfully end Ash and Pikachu’s appearances.
The 17-year-long English voice actor for Ash, Sarah Natochenny, released a short statement to her verified Twitter account this past Friday: “It’s been an extraordinary privilege to have been the English voice actor for 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 and I’ll keep him present for all of us in every way I can.”
With this news, Natochenny was not the only one from the voice-acting crew who gave a genuine response to the abrupt news. “An incredible 25-year journey like no other,” Veronica Taylor – voice actor for multiple 2006 actors – uploaded to her social media account. “This is truly the end of a very joyful era. Ash and Pikachu are the heart of Pokémon… Ash may not age, but we have all grown up with their friendship and adventures.”