History Characters / PokemonTheSeriesAshKetchum

* {{Foil}} He's this to Team Rocket. All of them start out as losers--Ash being a rookie who's arrogance and immaturity keep him from advancing as a trainer, Team Rocket being a bunch of {{Smug Snake}}s who's own criminal incompetency makes them the laughing stock of the organization they serve--and both are close with their friends (Ash, his Pokémon, and their friends versus the [=TRio=] and their Pokémon). Where the two are vastly different is that Ash takes his journey and lessons to heart, allowing his altruistic heart to grow through his ego and become a Pokémon Master in the sense that he's forever bonded to those he's close to, and he TookALevelInBadass (barring Unova) to become [[spoiler:Alolan Champion and later World Champion]]. Team Rocket, DependingOnTheWriter aside, never shook off being bumbling idiots that never quite got the idea that GoodFeelsGood and they'd be far more successful in their lives if they weren't so devoted to just stealing a single Pikachu, and their competency has varied from series to series (Unova ironically being their most competent series yet when Ash was at his lowest since his growth). It's this willingness to grow that's not only made Ash a better person, but given him more experiences and friendships in his lifetime, granting him the opportunity to live his best life, while Team Rocket's stagnation left them with nothing but empty dreams, constant failure, and [[spoiler:a brief parting of ways. Even at the end, Ash chooses to begin another journey anew so he can grow further, and Team Rocket reunites and still chooses to follow him, having learned nothing.]]

** The only times he drops it in regards to Team Rocket are when Team Rocket [[NotMeThisTime isn't actually at fault for what's going on]], such as in 'Viva Las Lapras' where he assumes they're the poachers Nurse Joy is telling them about, only for Team Rocket to show up beaten and broken thanks to said poachers.

** Earlier in the series, when challenging Misty in the Whirl Cup, he has his Kingler use Vice Grip on Misty's Psyduck's head--which Ash knows can unleash its full Psychic powers when its headache is intolerable. The duck quickly turns the tables on the crab, which gets even worse when Ash explicitly avoided this during the fight over who got to keep Togepi much earlier by having Pikachu ''tickle'' Psyduck instead.
* IdiotHero: Gets smarter in regards to Pokémon training, but he stays an idiot in other areas.
** To further emphasize this point, "Capacia Island UFO!" involved a bunch of Beheeyem hypnotizing the whole town in order to help them find a device needed to get their UFO running again. They say that they were able to get everyone but a small group of people. Those people being Ash, Jessie, and James. They started to get Pikachu, but Ash snapped him out of it. Using Meowth as a translator, when asked why they weren't hypnotized, Beheeyem said that it's hard to hypnotize idiots. Ash, Pikachu, Jessie, and James all have a blank expression of disbelief on their faces from the reaction.
** Thoroughly averted in ''XY'' and ''Journeys'', where he comes off as rational and inquisitive. He has a typical knowledge on his surroundings, and when he has no idea about something, he makes it a point to learn about it. He retains some comical naiveté and obliviousness, though it's more a case of BookDumb.

** All of Ash's losses in previous Leagues wound up being undone [[spoiler:during his Manalo Conference win]].

*** In Johto, he lost to a fully-evolved Fire Starter. In Alola, [[spoiler:his Fire Starter defeated its final evolution.]]

*** In Sinnoh, he lost to a Mythical and a Legendary Pokémon. In Alola, [[spoiler:he owned a Mythical and an Ultra Beast (which are often compared to Legendaries) that helped to defeat Professor Kukui's team.]]
*** In Unova, he lost when a Pokémon evolved mid-battle and flattened his team. In Alola, his Meltan evolved into Melmetal prior to the finals, giving him a serious powerhouse that [[spoiler:played a key role in his victory.]]

** In the original series, Ash lost the Indigo Plateau Conference, his very first league competition, because his Charizard refused to battle Sparky, Ritchie's Pikachu. In ''Journeys'', [[spoiler:he becomes World Champion after his Pikachu defeats Leon's Charizard.]]
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: If Ash sees his Pokémon are happier elsewhere than they are with him, or are needed for a greater purpose, he'll let them go. Thus far the list includes Butterfree, Pidgeot, Lapras, Goodra, Greninja, and Naganadel for his permanent releases, Squirtle and Primeape for special training[[note]]Charizard was on the list until Unova[[/note]], and Aipom for a trade. Pikachu was almost on that list in "Pikachu's Goodbye!" when he saw how happy his friend was with his own kind, but Pikachu still wanted to travel with him. That said, it doesn't discount the possibility of him reuniting with them down the line, as he's bumped into or called back all of them except Pidgeot and Primeape.

* TheLeader: He is essentially the leader of his group of friends in every installment of the series, since they are accompanying him on his journey, and from Hoenn onward, he sometimes provides guidance and mentorship to his female companions who are just starting their journeys. His male traveling companions, though usually older and wiser, have more of a TeamDad role in the group. Ash's leadership skills develop over the course of the series, to the point where it's more obvious than ever in the XY series that he's the one calling the shots. ''Sun and Moon'' downplays this due to the standstill format and Ash's more pronounced FishOutOfWater status, with him often willing to follow the direction of peers, though when situations become more serious he is still often the most fluent leading the others. ''Journeys'' further downplays this, as the only person he's traveling with this time is Goh.

* LovedByAll: Gradually grows to become the most beloved figure in the entire Pokémon series over the course of his journey. At his first league, he was booed for showing up so late to his match against Ritchie and using a disobedient Charizard (though Team Rocket kidnapping him and nobody bothering to look for him didn't help). By the time he [[spoiler:qualifies for the Masters Eight]], all of Alola cheers for Ash--their [[spoiler:champion]]--to the point even ''Team Skull'' shows up to a special match in his honor. And when Ash [[spoiler:does defeat Leon]], he becomes recognized as [[spoiler:The World Monarch]] everywhere he goes, with plenty of cheering thralls and fans to his name.

* MirrorCharacter: Ash has a tendency to resemble people throughout his career as a Pokémon trainer, be it a traveling companion or a rival.
** Ash was much like Gary in the Kanto region as they were both snarky and immature. However, they both grow out of their immaturity later as their journeys changed them for the better. Gary would retire from competitive battle after losing to Ash in the Silver Conference to pursue the field of Pokémon research, while Ash would continue on in the field of Pokémon battle.
** Ash's FriendlyRival Ritchie is pretty much who Ash would be if he were a little bit more competent. Their Pokémon rosters are very similar (both using a Pikachu, a member of the Charizard line, a Butterfree, and a member of the Pidgey line), they have similar appearances aside from wearing contrasting colors, and they managed to have a very close championship battle.
** Ash and Misty have been shown to be too overconfident and hot-headed for their own good, not to mention both had powerful Pokémon at their disposal they were too lazy or arrogant to try and train up properly. However, Ash has learned to dial himself back and tries not to let it get the better of him most of the time as his skills grew, but Misty's tendencies increase because of her status as a Gym Leader. However, she does learn to be less temperamental with time.
** Ash and May were both clueless rookies at the start of their journeys, and both get a seriously swelled head that costs them dearly at a crucial juncture in their careers. Such a loss allows them to grow better, the biggest difference being that May eventually decided to become a coordinator while Ash always wanted to be a trainer.
** Ash and Dawn were overconfident at the beginning of their journeys, but a significant and heart-breaking loss for them helped them realize how too far they went. Dawn has a degree of rotten luck when she starts her journey in Sinnoh like Ash did when he was starting out in Kanto. They both have a hard time getting any respect as rookies, even from their own Pokémon. They then gradually became more humble in losing even as their skills grew, whether it was in gym battles or contests. Dawn is a coordinator, while Ash is a battler.
** Despite their polar opposite philosophies on training, Ash and Paul are described as "two sides of the same coin," having always had the same dream but taking wildly different paths to achieve it and even managing to influence each other.
** Witnessing Iris' cocky attitude and her not opening up to those around her, Ash is sympathetic towards her as he was once like her when he started his journey, but sometimes he argues with her when she calls him out on his immaturity. Also, Ash and Iris may be Champions, but they believe that it isn't enough to fulfill their dreams, with Ash wanting to be a Pokémon Master while Iris seeks to be a Dragon Master.
** Ash and Serena share a similar mindset and approach to achieving their goals relating to Pokémon. Despite having different careers, with Ash being a battler and Serena being a performer/coordinator, they strive to become the best. Although they may have different ways of achieving their aspirations, their underlying motivations are similar.
** Alain and Ash were quite similar in the beginning about making friends as they wanted to travel alone with just their Pokémon. However, after meeting their best friends and traveling companions, Alain and Ash realized how wrong they were about making friends as they had their opinions changed.
** Ash and Lillie are a lot alike when it comes to helping Pokémon in need, as they would risk their lives to help them, especially their partners and best friends.

* NoRespectGuy: Throughout the Original Series, Ash was treated as just a rookie--a very skilled rookie, but an arrogant, egotistical, lazy slacker of a rookie that nobody took seriously. Gary thought he was a nobody, Professor Oak snarked at him for being late, Pikachu refused to obey him out of the gate, Nurse Joy gave him hell over the condition Pikachu was in following the Spearow attack, Misty picked on him all the time, Brock just barely defended him, Ash was given half his badges not for beating the gym leaders but out of a good deed (a fact of which Brock and Misty never let Ash live down years later), Charizard wouldn't do anything he asked, and when he lost the Indigo League, his friends chewed him out for his lazy attitude costing him the event. Granted, Ash's attitude at the time didn't help his cause any, but it would be ''years'' in real-time before the rest of the world came to respect his skills as a trainer.
** Charizard not respecting him was a major plot point in his rookie days. After Charmander evolved into Charmeleon, it developed a rebellious streak and wanted to fight stronger opponents. Ash made the mistake of [[NiceJobBreakingItHero asking it to throw a fight]] against a Paras, whom Charmeleon was quad-effective against. The fire lizard refuses and starts loafing off or throwing tantrums at his owner, and the character of the day's grandmother points out that he'd grown too powerful for an inexperienced trainer like Ash to command--problems of which only grew worse when he evolved again two episodes later. Nothing Ash did got Charizard to listen again, which partially contributed to his Indigo League loss when he called him out as a last resort, only to get snubbed when it refused to fight Ritchie's Pikachu, Sparky. Only after Charizard is nearly killed fighting a Poliwrath does the big lug realize how much of a jerk he had been to Ash, especially when Ash spends all night trying to save his life, and he starts following his commands once again.

* NotAllowedToGrowUp:
** Ash Ketchum is forever 10 years old, as well as the other main characters remaining at their own ages. However, as far as the Dub goes, the Pokémon series documented the passing of at least three years. Ash has noted a year's time passing between his first two visits to Viridian City (dub-only), celebrated the anniversary (when Ash and Pikachu first started their journey) during his time in Johto (which would ''presumably'' be on the same day as Viridian City), and that ''another'' year passed since he first met May.
** Until ''Best Wishes'' came, where even the dub {{Narrator}} outright states that Ash is ''still'' ten.
** With ''Journeys'', it's getting worse. In episode [=JN002=], his room has a shelf with many of his badges from previous series, including the trophies for winning the Orange League (Orange Islands) and the Manalo Conference (Alola), and badges from every region ''plus the Kanto Battle Frontier''. That's an awful lot of stuff having been done ''all allegedly at the age of ten''. The Japanese narrator even outright states in [=JN001=] that he and Pikachu have had "many aventures" together to that point. Not to mention that the child of Professors Kukui and Burnet, Lei, is several months old when Ash meets him. Even though they got married while Ash was on Alola, and Lei's conception occurred at some point close to Ash's departure from Alola. And yet, Ash is ''still'' ten.

** [[spoiler:The ''Aim to Be a Pokémon Master'' miniseries provides a {{Downplayed}} example: After winning the Masters Eight Tournament and dethroning Leon as the new World Champion, he ends up losing to Misty in a battle to determine the ownership of a Clauncher. However, it was an unofficial battle and [[DramaPreservingHandicap Ash consciously made the decision to not use Pikachu or his two grass types on him at the time in favor of Corphish]], a Pokémon that had not seen serious action since ''Advanced Generation''.]]

* TearsOfJoy: Sheds them briefly in the ''Sun and Moon'' finale when the rest of his TrueCompanions fly by to see him off properly.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Ash will never become a Pokémon Master. The original series to ''XY'' took this a step further in that Ash would also fail to win each Pokémon League, and while ''Sun & Moon'' and ''Journeys'' downplay it by allowing him to win their respective tournaments, every series with inevitably end with Ash feeling he still hasn't become a true Master.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Ash will never win a major tournament. How badly he loses tends to vary, as his showings tend to improve with each arc. The fact that he manages to get in at high ranks is a feat by itself, especially if the participants are taken into account. The Kalos League is his best performance, managing a very close second which came down to one Pokémon on each side. While he did win both the Orange Islands league and Battle Frontier, the Orange League was made up for the anime universe and neither of them were tournaments anyway. [[spoiler:This trend finally came to an end with the Alola Pokémon League, which allowed him to later rise to the top in ''Journeys'' by beating Leon.]]
** Ash very rarely obtains more than the bare minimum of six Pokémon for a given region (the only major exceptions being Kanto, where he obtained 40[[note]]counting his 30 Tauros and Mr. Mime, but excluding the Raticate that he briefly owned from a trade[[/note]], and Unova, where he obtained 9). This is downplayed as the anime tends to put more focus on the bond between trainer and Pokémon, as opposed in the games where catching all of them is part of the challenge. When Gary insulted the low number of Pokémon Ash had caught in "Showdown at the Poké-Corral", Ash retorted that his stronger bond with each of them individually is more important. Trainers that capture dozens of Pokémon are the exception rather than the rule, and Ash himself hasn't actually cited that goal since the early days of the show. Regardless, even if Ash's overall captures are low, he's certainly explored more of his world and seen more Pokémon in a few years of travelling than most people would in a lifetime.

* {{Fauxshadowing}}: Throughout the DP series, Ash encountered every member of the Sinnoh Elite Four including the Champion Cynthia, who especially took a keen interest in Ash's potential. The series also elaborated upon how challenging the Elite Four is done for the first time in the anime's existence, and clearly made winning the Champion League one of Ash's goals. All of this seemed to suggest that Ash would actually win the Sinnoh League for a change and move on to face the Elite Four. Instead, he was [[CurbstompBattle shut out]] by a [[DiabolusExMachina trainer using a team]] of [[OlympusMons Legendary Pokémon.]] It wouldn't be until ''Journeys'' that [[spoiler:Ash not only defeated several Elite Four members from other regions, but Cynthia herself!]]

* TheFellowshipHasEnded: While Ash has had nothing but fond memories traveling with his companions, their respective paths often diverge from his own, leading him to continue to pursue his goal of being a Pokémon Master without his friends beside him, usually returning to Pallet Town when he parted ways.
** Brock was the first to leave the group when he decided to stay behind on the Orange Islands as Professor Ivy's assistant, making room for Tracey in the process. He quickly came back at the end while Tracey was PutOnABus and stayed behind at Oak's (what drove Brock to leave Ivy, [[NoodleIncident he won't divulge]]). Brock then left temporarily at the end of ''The Original Series'' and ''Advanced Generation'' to wrap up some things at home before he finally left the group permanently at the end of ''Diamond and Pearl'' to pursue his new goal of becoming a Pokémon Doctor. He would return twice in ''Sun and Moon'' and [[spoiler:as a guest for ''The Arceus Chronicles'' four part-special, making a cameo in [=JN132=] watching Ash's final battle against Leon alongside Cilan]] before they would reunite once more in 'Aim To Be a Pokémon Master''. By the end of that series, he would return home to Pewter City.
** At the end of ''The Original Series'', Misty is called back to Cerulean City to take over for her sisters as Gym Leader. She comes back twice in ''Advanced Generation'', once more for the ''Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon'' special, twice in ''Sun and Moon'', and [[spoiler:as a silent cameo in ''Journeys'' watching Ash battle Leon]] before the two would cross paths again in ''Aim To Be A Pokémon Master'', [[spoiler:at which point she asked to travel with him again]]. She ultimately left him once again by the end and returned home to Cerulean City.
** At the end of ''Advanced Generation'', May decides to step out from Ash's shadow and further pursue her Coordinator career in Johto, while Max is forced to return home to Hoenn. She stops by in ''Diamond and Pearl'' for the Wallace Cup arc, but hasn't been seen since[[note]]Due to her Japanese voice actress, KAORI, semi-retiring from acting due to struggles with her vocal cords[[/note]] outside of flashbacks or silent cameos, including [[spoiler:her and Max watching Ash battle Leon while in Serena and Lisa's company]].
** At the end of ''Diamond and Pearl'', Dawn stays behind in Sinnoh so Buneary can temporarily serve as a Pokémon fashion model for Paris, before deciding to travel to Hoenn shortly after to continue her coordinator career. She has come back for a TournamentArc in ''Black and White'' and four times total in ''Journeys''.[[note]]The first time for a two parter involving Cresselia, the second time for a two parter involving Dialga and Palkia, in ''Journeys'', the third time for the four-part ''Arceus Chronicles'' special, and the fourth time [[spoiler:for Ash's match against Leon in the Masters Eight.]][[/note]]
** ''Black and White'' would see both Iris and Cilan leave for Johto (Iris to train with Clair and Cilan to compete in a fishing competition held by Mr. Briney), with the two parting ways shortly after. While Iris would eventually return in ''Journeys'' [[spoiler:as the Champion of Unova and later a member of the Masters Eight]], Cilan hasn't come back outside of a flashback or cameo appearance [[spoiler:until his silent cameo in ''Journeys'' watching Ash's match against Leon alongside Brock]] (though he returns in the third episode of ''Aim To Be A Pokémon Master'').
** ''X and Y'' saw Ash head home to Kanto while Serena would fly to Hoenn to start a new chapter in her Performer career as a Coordinator (though not before planting a kiss on a surprised Ash), leaving Bonnie and Clemont back in Kalos so the latter could continue to fulfill his role as a gym leader. He would reunite with the former two in ''Journeys'' to help him train for his match against Drasna, while he'd only bump into the latter [[spoiler:very briefly in [=JN105=]. She would pop up later with May, Max, and Lisia, watching Ash battle against Leon, while Bonnie and Clemont would watch the match from home.]]
** ''Sun and Moon'' would see him leave Alola behind, and his classmates along with it, though he would come back a few times more in ''Journeys'', as well as hanging out with Sophocles in Mossdeep City, whenever he needed to clear his head or partake in a local competition there. [[spoiler:They all tune in to watch Ash's final match against Leon.]]
** Ironically, ''Journeys'' would see him on the receiving end of it with [[spoiler:Goh, who leaves for a Project Mew mission before Ash could battle Leon. While he does come back for a few more episodes, the two officially decide to go their separate ways shortly after.]]
** At the end of each series, he would leave all of his Pokémon (sans the ones he released or traded away, as well as Pikachu) at Oak's lab (with his Alolan team, whom he left at Kukui's being the exception) so he could start his journey afresh. He would occasionally call them back for special events or tournaments, but he wouldn't start rotating his old roster in and out until ''Aim To Be A Pokémon Master''.
** Of all the Pokémon he released, this would include Butterfree so it could mate, Pidgeot so it could protect its pre evolutions from a flock of Spearow and Fearow, Lapras to allow it to reunite with its herd, Goodra so it could protect its home now that it was more powerful, Greninja so it could aid both the Zygarde cores in cleaning up the mess that Lysandre made, and Poiple so it could be with its own kind. He would reunite with Lapras in Johto and is set to meet it again, called Goodra back for the Kalos League, Poiple (now a Nagadael) came back to him to stop a horde of rampaging Guzzlord, he met up with Greninja once more to [[spoiler:assist in training Lucario]], and Butterfree [[spoiler:came back to see him at the end of the main ''Journeys'' arc]]. At the end of ''Aim To Be A Pokémon Master'', [[spoiler:Pidgeot returns and rejoins his team.]]

** Averted at the start of the XY series, where his appearance on live television calming down the Garchomp that escaped from Professor Sycamore's lab is watched by Serena, who recognizes him as the childhood friend she has known in years gone by. It also allows her to know that he is in Kalos and that she now has a good chance of meeting up with him.
** This also applies with Mairin from the Strongest Mega Evolution special where she tells Alain about Ash's exploits at Prism Tower, meaning she watched the broadcast as well.

* HereWeGoAgain: Ash really cannot go a single region without having to be treated like a rookie again. Unova is the most apparent, and having Iris berate him for it at every opportunity didn't help any.
** It got better after a few episodes though, when he steadied down on the initial excitement and hyperactivity - case in point, when first trying to catch Snivy he threw the ball immediately, but not out of idiocy; rather, he'd tried to get her while she was distracted and ''after'' that failed, he subsequently fought her. His excitable nature in the series is pretty consistent, really, no matter how much he learns.
** Averted in the XY series. While he still is excited at the prospect of meeting Pokémon he's never seen before again, he does cool down once he visits - and subsequently gets kicked out of - Lumiose City Gym. Plus, he doesn't have the same rash battle style this time around, using proper strategy in his first battle in the Kalos region. Which was against a gym leader of all things.
** Averted hard in Journeys, where he retains his strategic battle style from the previous two series. This is mainly thanks to this series rotating between different regions instead of staying put like before. This trope stays averted, even when he does eventually go on a trip to Galar.

** While Team Rocket's interference certainly played a role (tiring out Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Pidgeotto), Ash's loss in the Indigo League can also be attributed to his own laziness. Leading up to the league, Ash repeatedly looked for every opportunity to avoid actually training his Pokémon. He was even warned before his Charmeleon evolved that he also needed to work on making it obedient again (something he also slacked off on, though it became clear that it would take ''almost dying'' before Charizard would finally start listening to him). His loss came as a result of his Charizard not listening to his orders. It clearly had an effect on him, since he now works much harder training, and several episodes showcase it. Arrogance also played a role since he kept Charizard around as his go-to for the big guns despite how it wasn't trained. Had he used ANY of his other Pokémon as his 6th, he would have fared much better, even with Bulbasaur.

* HoldingBackThePhlebotinum: Ash is often prevented from having a team that is too strong, which often leads to his ultimate defeat at the end of the respective Pokémon League. It also makes his Gym Battles more difficult, so suspense can be held whenever he challenges a Gym or participates in a league. Most of the time, Ash's team is held back by not having members that are exceptionally strong in the first place -- he never catches a Legendary Pokémon, mostly out of respect for them, or some of his Pokémon never evolve or only evolve once, keeping them from unleashing their true potential (although, there are a few examples that are fine as they are, and one evolved Pokémon basically received a PowerUpLetdown from evolving in the first place). Those who do evolve tend to evolve very late. And if he does have Pokémon that are too strong, they tend to leave his party for some reason. He also rarely swaps out his Pokémon for ones he's caught previously, even if it might benefit him to do so.
** The original series, most specifically the Kanto journey, is very guilty of this. Pikachu and Bulbasaur don't want to evolve at all, keeping them from potentially becoming stronger, but Squirtle takes the cake, since he is never shown to have an issue of evolving, but he never shows any signs of it. After Ash releases his first fully evolved Pokémon (Butterfree), he's left with a team of five members for the majority of the journey, and strong Pokémon who could fill this spot (Krabby/Kingler, Muk, Tauros) are left at the lab and only ever come back for some occasional battles. The powerful Primeape starts out as very disobedient, but he becomes loyal to Ash when it gets its DayInTheLimelight, but is then PutOnABus in the same episode, which effectively prevents Ash from having a strong member in his team. Charmander suddenly becomes disobedient after evolving (twice even!), which makes it very difficult for Ash to use him at all, and it ultimately costs him the Pokémon League. The loyal Pidgeotto is often OutOfFocus and tends to be forgotten in battles where Ash could have need it (most notably against Sabrina), and it doesn't evolve until the beginning of the Orange League journey, where it is released in the same episode, which not only prevents Ash from having a loyal and strong party member that is fully evolved, but it prevents him from flying from island to island, a job that is occupied by the swimming Lapras who is large enough to carry multiple people at once.
** The Orange League does a good job of making Ash more competent, but still gives him some struggles when it comes to half of his party. The two new additions, Lapras and Snorlax, two Pokémon whose species are known for being very strong, come with their own issues that prevents Ash from having an even stronger team. Lapras is still very young and inexperienced, making it a rather ineffective battler, and Snorlax sleeps most of the time and is BrilliantButLazy and is even absent in the League match because of this (although Ash does win that one). Charizard doesn't start to obey Ash until about 2/3 of the journey.
** The Johto journey is another fine case of why multiple characters can often lead to Pokémon not pulling their weight as much as they otherwise could. Similar like in the Orange Archipelago journey, Ash starts out with four Pokémon, but since the series requires him to catch and raise new Pokémon native to the region (you know, to promote stuff), two of Ash's Pokémon are PutOnABus to give space for two inexperienced newcomers. Ash's first Johto Pokémon and powerful Bug/Fighting-type, Heracross, leaves the party once it is given the opportunity to get send to the lab, whereas Bulbasaur is OutOfFocus and is never used in any Gym Battle. He finally leaves for good and gives the space for the newly hatched Phanpy, who is not given enough time to be properly raised before the League begins. The only starter who evolves is Chikorita, albeit only once. It becomes obvious that Ash's final Johto roster is inferior to his Kanto Pokémon when the League happens, causing the Johto team to be OutOfFocus; to clarify further, the only Johtos in the last two matches of the League were Bayleef, Totodile, Noctowl, and Heracross.
** The Hoenn League shows again that having a team of with half of its members being not fully evolved (specifically Grovyle and Corphish, who did a good job in the previous matches) is a factor of his loss against a trainer who is equally as good as Ash, but has five fully evolved Pokémon.
** The Sinnoh series is much better in handling a strong team for him, as four of his six Sinnoh Pokémon fully evolve (though, one of them gets PowerUpLetDown), there are some cases that do hold him back. Buizel is soon OvershadowedByAwesome when his teammates start to evolve, Torterra suffers from the PowerUpLetDown trope after going through two evolutions, and while Gible has great potential, he is caught too late to evolve. Charizard doesn't come back for the Sinnoh League unlike most of Ash's Pokémon, and instead he uses Torkoal in his semi-final match against Tobias, his weakest Fire-type Pokémon. Speaking of Tobias, his presence as a DiabolusExMachina is another factor that prevents Ash from winning the Sinnoh League.
** The Unova series shows again why many characters don't work well in the anime series. Ash's rotating members don't become as quite as strong as his previous team, and while three of nine Pokémon fully evolve, three others aren't evolved at all. Since Ash uses all nine of them (plus Pikachu) throughout the Unova League, most of his weaker members are used in his match where he loses, and his arguably strongest Unova Pokémon, Krookodile, is used in a previous match.
** Aside from some late evolutions, the Kalos series does have notable cases that hold Ash's team back. First of is Goodra, who became Ash's strongest team member in a short amount of time, but is temporarily released to care for some Pokémon. When it comes back to his team, it hasn't been trained by Ash for quite some time, thus it suffers from TheWorfEffect and only gets as far as a tie against Sawyer's Slurpuff. Next is Noivern, a Pokémon who starts out very strong after his evolution, his young age and inexperience in battle prevents him from being too good and thus doesn't really gets much glory in the league often acting as the fall guy. And then finally is Greninja, who has an exclusive SuperMode that is on par with Mega Evolution. Greninja is released at the end of ''[=XY&Z=]'' in order to deal with the remnants of the Zygarde Megalith along with [=Z2=], causing Ash to lose one of his strongest Pokémon for the rest of the series, barring a possible return in the future.
** Even in Alola, Ash's team was slightly held back in some instances. His Rowlet uses an Everstone as the projectile for Seed Bomb (thus preventing it from evolving), Incineroar didn't evolve all the way until after [[spoiler:it bested Kukui's own Incineroar, and even then it fainted right after]], he had to struggle with his Lycanroc going into a pure, unbridled rage when its fur got dirty for a good while, he released his Poiple after owning it for a short while, only coming back fully evolved [[spoiler:for his six-on-six exhibition match]], and his Meltan didn't evolve into Melmetal until before his final match against Gladion. That said, [[spoiler:he was able to win the Manalo Conference and his exhibition match against Kukui and Tapu Koko.]]
** Ash does this on purpose in ''Aim To Be A Master'' when [[spoiler:he and Misty have a friendly match to see who gets to keep a Clauncher. While he has Pikachu, his most powerful Pokémon, and both his Rowlet and Leavanny on him, he instead uses Corphish rather than the former three (all of whom have a type advantage) to make the match between him and Misty an even fight. He winds up losing as a result.]]

** Ash will frequently use Pokémon in battles against their personal rivals and let their personal rivalries influence his decision over strategies. This, alongside his tendency to follow his gut in team picks, has backfired as often as it has succeeded for him, particularly tending to backfire on him in Sinnoh (see below)
** Becomes a recurring plot point in ''Diamond and Pearl''; whenever Ash battles Paul, he doesn't just aim to win but to win in a way that makes his Pokémon the most happy. He continuously puts his pride on the line by using Pokémon that are clearly outmatched [[note]]examples include using his less experienced Turtwig against Paul's skilled and trained with a type advantage on top Honchkrow, or his unevolved and inexperienced Gligar against the former-leader of a flock Gliscor[[/note]], something that bites him in the ass time and again because Paul is easily able to predict his strategies and bait Ash into leaving openings for him to exploit in order to turn their battles into one-sided beatdowns, especially prominent in the League where Paul uses 3 new Pokémon (Drapion, Frosslass, Gastrodon) to throw off Ash who brought his Sinnoh team for payback and almost wins with Drapion alone after using Aggron and Gastrodon as fall guys.

** Ash is more than willing to let a Pokémon go or let someone else capture it, either because they are more happy where they are now, and/or because the trainer/friend is most active for it. Case in point, his Charizard was abandon by his trainer as a Charmander, and Brock was the most active in trying to save it, it's why he was insistent in having Brock look after him rather than catch it himself, and only did so when Brock trusted Ash to take care of him instead. Another example comes from his capture of Noctowl, because of it's smaller size and shiny form, another person, Dr. Wiseman, spent a long time trying to capture it through man-made traps, but never could. While Ash does make attempts to catch it and fail, he is more considerate to Dr. Wiseman, since he spent so long trying to catch it, but when Wiseman respectfully stepped aside saying he's had plenty of tries and Ash is more deserving to try, Ash does proceed to battle and catch the Noctowl. As for letting Pokémon go, Rowlet was with his adoptive family ran by a Toucannon, so Ash decides to forego catching it, as he did not want to separate them. When Rowlet got permission by Toucannon to go, and made it clear to Ash he'd rather be with him.

* BadassAdorable: He's capable of using Aura, he shows superhuman reflexes, ''he's punched a legendary Pokémon in the face'', he's [[spoiler:become a regional Champion and bested ''three'' others, including Cynthia and Leon, who had never been beaten on screen beforehand[[note]]Though according to Leon, Sonia bested him first[[/note]] to become the Champion of the entire Pokémon World, and ]]...and he's only 10 years old! '''So cute!'''
* BadassBoast: Ash delivers a particularly powerful boast towards [[spoiler:[[WorldsBestWarrior Leon]] in [=JN132=] right before the final stage of their battle in the Masters Eight Tournament, which manages to both shake and excite the latter]]:
-->'''Ash:''' [[spoiler:"Thanks to you, we've gotten a whole lot stronger than we were before, Leon. This battle... is the peak of all the adventures Pikachu and I have had up until this point. That's why... '''''we're gonna win'''''!"]]

* BrokenAce: After [[spoiler:becoming Alolan Champion]], Ash decides to challenge the World Coronation Series to beat Leon. A humiliating loss to Bea breaks his spirit, and he spends an entire episode in a funk until Goh is able to inspire him by using a strategy Ash himself developed.

** During Kanto, Ash failed to defeat Brock (forfeiting twice, but still getting the badge the second time) and having his match with Misty interrupted by Team Rocket (though still getting the badge from her sisters). He would win ten battles in a row, the last of which occurred on screen, only for AJ and his Sandshrew to soundly hand him defeat on a silver platter. After that, he would lose his third gym match against Surge, but would fortunately win the rematch.
** While in Johto, Ash managed to defeat Falkner and Bugsy, but it was Whitney and her infamous Miltank that put an end to that run.
** Hoenn saw Ash go through this twice. After defeating Roxanne, he wound up on a hot streak and got a swelled head. Then Brawly beat him, popping his ego so badly that he actually exploded at his friends. He did win the rematch, but after yet another hot streak through each of the other gyms swelled up his head yet ''again'', Drake of the Elite Four sensed Ash's ego and challenged him to a battle. The Elite Foursman quickly taught Ash a lesson.
** The Battle Frontier was better for Ash, as he cleared the first five Frontier Brains despite the challenges. Annabel was the first to defeat him, knocking him out with only one of her Pokémon down. He also failed to defeat Pyramid King Brandon twice, only winning on his third try.

** Alola marked Ash's biggest milestone when [[spoiler:he finally won a League match and defeated Gladion in the last round.]]
** ''Journeys'' then turned things around in both directions. His loss against Bea ended his winning streak since [[spoiler:becoming Alola champion]], but he was able to bounce back and not only defeat [[spoiler:Steven Stone, but also Cynthia and then Leon, none of whom had ever been defeated on screen]]. But his final battle on screen against Misty [[spoiler:saw him lose in a friendly competition to see who got to keep Clauncher.]]

** When Ash and Gary finally returned to Pallet Town after acquiring enough Badges to qualify for the Indigo League, Gary mockingly gave Ash some advice to show how superior he was over Ash. That advice was team rotations and analyzing the opponent's moves before choosing your Pokémon. Later seasons would show that Ash had taken that advice to heart (if so maybe subconsciously). In Unova, Ash caught too many Pokémon again, but this time he actually rotate his team members, which is a huge improvement of what he did in Kanto. In some Gym Battles, especially apparent in the Kalos ones, Ash would analyze the Gym Leader's strategy beforehand or during the battle and then develop a countermeasure to deal with them, choosing the right Pokémon to do the job. His improved relationship with Gary is also shown as Ash doesn't hesitate to take Gary's (honest) advices, such as evolving his Gligar to Gliscor to give it a boost in confidence.
** A key point up until ''Diamond And Pearl'' was that Ash was relying too much on the strength of his bonds between him and his Pokémon, which kept him from getting as far as he did in the various Leagues. Paul shows up and keeps wiping the floor with Ash in each of their battles, even using many of his tactics against him, in spite of the fact his methods are horribly abusive to his own Pokémon. Ash realizes he can't rely solely on ThePowerOfFriendship and starts implementing further strategies into his training, which eventually leads to him beating Paul in the Sinnoh League. He still loses that League thanks to [[DiabolusExMachina Tobias]], and he loses the Unova League because [[TookALevelInDumbass his personality had been reset]], but it turned out much better for him in Kalos when he makes it to the finals (although he loses), and then [[spoiler:Alola, where he actually wins!]] By the time of ''Journeys'', he's made it a point to prepare specific strategies in dealing with specific trainers, notably bringing out his Z-Ring to deal with Volkner, or training [[spoiler:Lucario to Mega Evolve and Gengar to Gigantamax]] to give them both a power boost.
** As Ash journeys through the Unova region and beyond, he gradually develops into a more independent and self-reliant trainer and individual. Unlike in earlier seasons where he heavily relied on the guidance of Brock and Misty, Ash now charts his own course and faces challenges with newfound confidence and maturity.
** While other characteristics come and go depending on the series, Ash's temperament has consistently became more good natured as the anime has progressed. In early episodes of the original series, Ash was often tantrum prone and vindictive concerning his hubris, by the time of ''Sun & Moon'', while still HotBlooded and something of a ButtMonkey, he is much more upbeat and patient, and very difficult to seriously anger. For example, he would frequently butt heads with Misty, and occasionally lost his cool with May, Dawn, and Iris, but ''XY'' would see him act as TheLeader to the quartet of him, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont without skipping a beat, only getting into an argument with the former once during a HeroicBSOD following his lost to Wulfric.
** In the earliest seasons, Ash had a habit of letting any winning streak go to his head, and [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism become smug and overconfident]]. In ''Journeys'', Ash enjoys an early winning streak in his World Coronation Series battles (until he faces Bea, that is), but he doesn't let it make him overly boastful or arrogant. In fact, he's been on his longest winning streak thus far, even defeating [[spoiler:''five'' other Champions (counting Wallace, who is a former Champion), including ''Cynthia'' and eventually ''Leon himself'']], but he's still humble about it.
** During ''Advanced Generation'', though Ash was happy to help show May the ropes about Pokémon, his first time in the mentorship role wasn't an easy one. Despite his unconditional support for her goals, he would get into arguments with her when she was running late, and he would try to put his goal of challenging gyms above hers. With Dawn and Serena, he rarely argued with them, and he would make sure they got to attend their events first before they went to the next gym.
** As Kalos nears its end, Ash is depicted as a [[VanillaProtagonist somewhat plain and overly serious character]] who is solely focused on battling. He lacks any distinct personality traits. However, when he arrives in Alola, he begins to develop in various ways. Not only does he find a second home and love the people and Pokémon there, but he also becomes more expressive and childlike. He even regains some of his awkward tendencies without compromising his skills as a trainer. This portrayal blends strategies and training techniques from both Kalos and Alola, resulting in a well-balanced depiction of Ash. The series "Journeys" builds on this foundation, presenting Ash as a well-rounded character with both strengths and weaknesses, poised to become the next World Monarch.

* ChasteHero: Always, with the strange, early exception of Giselle.
** He's been having trouble recognizing love between Pokémon too. He assumed Grovyle had a fever when Grovyle was clearly crushing on a Meganium and, throughout Sinnoh and Unova, he's been clueless to it all, to the point that his then-newborn Pokémon Scraggy understood more about love than he does. He does employ his female Snivy's [[EmotionBomb Attract]] against opponents, though it's most likely because he recognizes it as an effective move when it hits without understanding ''how'' it works.[[note]]Attract makes opponents not act half the time, though it only affects Pokémon of the opposite gender.[[/note]]
** His response to Dawn's Piplup crushing on [[GirlOfTheWeek another trainer's Marill]] says it all:
--->But Pokémon like each other all the time. I don't get it. What's the big deal?
** In Unova, he doesn't understand that two Cottonees wish to mate, thinking that the male one just "wants a best buddy". This might just be the definitive showcasing of how his CharacterizationMarchesOn as, back in the first ever season of the show, Ash's Butterfree fell in love and wished to mate and Ash was ''well aware'' of this fact. This can be supported by the fact that in the Decolore Islands, Ash was aware that his Oshawott was in love with Osharina.
** During the Kalos era, he doesn't seem to pick up on Serena's obvious crush on him, or Miette hitting on him in response to try and play ShipperOnDeck with them. It doesn't stop him from blushing when Serena gives him a kiss before she leaves for Hoenn, indicating he's finally getting the hint.

* TheChosenOne: Ash seems to be the go-to guy for any Legendary which needs a hero to help them. In addition, he's officially been this for the Lugia in ''Anime/{{Pokemon 2000}}'' (though this is dub-only), ''might'' be it for Ho-Oh given how many times he sees the damned phoenix (and how many characters he tells this to respond that he was ''only seeing things''), Azelf of the Lake Trio in the ''Diamond and Pearl'' Saga (Mesprit and Uxie also chose his companions Dawn and Brock) and Melemele Island's Guardian Tapu Koko sees something in him as he gave Ash a Z-ring and a Z-Crystal in the Sun and Moon Saga. Ash is also chosen by Zacian in ''Sword and Shield'' to battle Eternatus alongside it.
** He was hinted (though unconfirmed) to be the Hero of Ideals chosen by Zekrom (the {{Foreshadowing}} in the first ''Best Wishes'' episode is rather blatant). N, meanwhile is hinted to be the Hero of Truth chosen by Reshiram.
** May be in play again in ''Sun and Moon'', where it seems he was chosen by Solgaleo and Lunala to receive their offspring, Cosmog.

** Of the male protagonists from the games, although some exist in the anime[[note]] Besides Jimmy from ''The Legend of Thunder'' (Gold/Silver then nameless protagonist), Brendan and Lucas have appeared in movie cameos [[/note]]. Highlighted by the fact that his outfits in each region are based on the male protagonists'. In general, he mostly represents Red, but he shares some traits with the other male protagonists, especially when it comes to the respective Badge/League quests and facing the respective villain teams. Another special trait Ash got from a specific protagonist is Hilbert's ChosenOne status, even though it is never played out in the actual series beyond the "help N understand a different view about people and Pokémon" aspect.

** He also takes a lot from the role of the lead male protagonist of ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', Victor, in that he seeks to challenge Leon and end his winning streak, and partakes in saving Galar from the Darkest Day by fighting Chairman Rose and helping to best Eternatus.

** It ''can'' backfire though, such as his first battle against Sabrina for her badge: Ash orders Pikachu to [[BeamSpam fill the entire battlefield with electricity]] to beat her Abra, who [[FlashStep was teleporting]] all around the field to dodge Pikachu's attacks. Abra promptly gathered all the electricity and one-shotted Pikachu with it.

* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: In [=JN143=], Ash and co. [[spoiler:bump into his old Lapras, who calls for their aid in trying to rescue a trapped Wailmer. They go through all levels of hell just to get it loose throughout the day, and when they finally get it free, Misty points out they could have just caught it in a Pokéball. Ash realizes she's right, but he still thinks the whole experience was worth it.]]

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Ash is often thought of as a ditz, but when the chips are down he can really prove his worth. Some of his battle strategies are flat-out crazy. And the lack of fear he possesses is borderline insanity. There are countless examples, but ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' has him stare down Mewtwo, after taking out a Gyarados, and calls him out. A Pokémon that could literally flood the world while sitting on his throne and he shows zero fear.
** This is actually a bit of a plot point in a ''Diamond and Pearl'' episode, where Ash and co. attend classes at a school in Snowpoint City where Gym Leader Candice teaches. One of the adult students is utterly dumbfounded that Ash could have obtained six badges when he can't even pass a single test, but when Team Rocket shows up and said student has no idea how to battle properly, Ash quickly bests the baddies with his own skills. The student quickly realizes that, yes, Ash ''did'' earn those badges.
** This is also notable in the Sun and Moon arc where Ash is kind of a naive idiot when it comes to most things. Most things, however, do not include battle where he is shown to be a master of strategy and thinking quickly on his feet, able to come up with counters for attacks that caught him off guard and skillfully escape sticky situations.

** [[spoiler:After winning the Manalo Conference and becoming the Alola Champion, he faces off against Professor Kukui (the implicit strongest trainer in the region, who also ends up having Tapu Koko, one of the guardian deities, battling for him) in a Full Battle and wins, solidifying himself as the new strongest trainer in Alola.]]
** [[spoiler:In ''Journeys'', Ash becomes the first trainer to defeat both Steven and Cynthia on-screen, notably defeating the latter in a very difficult Full Battle.]]
** [[spoiler:After a long and grueling battle in the finals of the Masters Eight Tournament, Ash becomes the first trainer to ever defeat Leon in an official battle[[note]]although Sonia was the actual first trainer to defeat him, doing so in Leon's very first battle; to Ash's credit, he pulled this off while Leon was in his prime[[/note]] and dethrones him as the Monarch of the World Coronation Series, thus now officially making him [[WorldsBestWarrior the strongest trainer in the world.]]]]
* {{Determinator}}: Ash will not give up on his goals regardless of setbacks he encounters.
** Azelf, the Willpower Pokémon, ends up connecting with him.

** [[spoiler:He finally accomplishes one of his major goals in winning a Pokémon League Conference and becoming a League Champion after going through ''seven'' main regions.]] And as ''Journeys'' demonstrates, even ''that's'' not enough to satisfy him.

* DramaPreservingHandicap:
** Ash collecting a new team in each region not only serves to show off that region's Pokémon, but to keep Ash from having a team that would sweep through the gyms with no effort.
** Subverted in ''Journeys'', which in general turns the usual formula on its head. Ash's arc deals with competing in the World Coronation Series this time around, meaning he's going to be competing against countless experienced veterans who are far above the average gym leader (even most Champions are competing) once he reaches the higher tiers. Understandably, making him raise a new team entirely from scratch would really do him more harm than good this time around if he really wants to boost his rank, so Ash's captures reflect him building a powerhouse team from the onset, rather than the newbie-to-regional champion arcs of previous series. His first two captures (Dragonite and Gengar) were already fully evolved by the time Ash caught them (with the former in particular being a pseudo legendary, of all things), and his final capture so far (Dracovish) is an absurdly powerful fossil Pokémon with no evolution to speak of. The only two new captures he had to spend the most time training were Riolu and Galarian Farfetch'd, but by episode 60, both have fully evolved as well. Lastly, all of the new captures, save for the aforementioned fossil Pokémon, are all Pokémon introduced in earlier Gens (Farfetch'd is a regional form). [[spoiler:It's safe to say it pays off, as he's able to beat Steven Stone, Cynthia, and Leon using these Pokémon.]]
** [[spoiler:It's played straight in the ''Aim to Be a Pokémon Master'' miniseries when Ash battles Misty for ownership of a Clauncher, with Ash opting to not use Pikachu (his strongest partner that also has a type advantage over Misty's Pokémon) in favor of Corphish (who, while powerful in its own right, had not been used by Ash in a battle since ''Advanced Generation''). Ash ends up losing as a result.]]
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Despite having pretty impressive stats when it comes to accomplishments[[note]]including traveling through six regions (plus one archipelago) worth of gyms, winning the Orange League, conquering the Battle Frontier, winning several minor events, and making it to at least the Top 16 in seven regions' Pokémon League Conferences (with him outright winning Alola), and now [[spoiler:World Champion]][[/note]], it's very rare for other characters to actually acknowledge this.
** In Kanto, he earned half his badges by performing a good deed for the Gym Leader. When he saved Blaine's gym from blowing up, he actually thought Blaine was going to give him his badge just for doing so!
** Case in point: Trip. Granted, he probably doesn't watch the other regions' Leagues given his tendency to talk down Kanto, but still.
** For one battle, this is actually ''averted''. When he goes to the Battle Frontier and does battle with Tucker, he gets swarmed by press and/or paparazzi, and his numerous achievements are actively talked about.
** In the second episode of the ''XY'' series, he climbs all the way to the top of Lumiose City's tower and risks his life saving a Garchomp, and ''it was being filmed on national television for all of Kalos to witness''. Serena seemed to be the only one to even notice the act of bravery.
** Most rare occasions Ash's previous endeavours are brought up it is to shoot him down mercilessly. Max doesn't leave him alone about the fact he lost the Johto league, and when Kiawe asks about his Kanto badges, Misty and Brock teasingly point out he was given theirs' out of pity.
** ''Journeys'' both plays this straight and subverts it. When Ash runs into anyone who he's met before people will often bring up his past achievements, such as defeating Lt. Surge, saving Erika's Gloom, etc, and several Alolans note his status of Champion. In the Ultra Class and later battles of the World Coronation Series, his achievements in the World Coronation Series, and his title of Alola Champion, come up. However, no one recognizes him outside of just these achievements.
** Finally {{Subverted}} for good in ''Aim To Be a Pokémon Master'', where [[spoiler:a crowd flocks around Ash and recognizes him as the World Champion after he and his friends aid the Squirtle Squad in putting out a warehouse fire.]]

* DumbIsGood: His strong suit has always been guts, not intelligence. Especially in the Unova series where his recklessness and naivety are played up. A group of Beheeyem actually fail to brainwash him because it doesn't work well on stupid people.
** From Johto to ''XY'' (with the aforementioned exception of Unova), this is played with. Ash is pretty consistently BookDumb, but he slowly improves as a battler and becomes more insightful in terms of raising Pokémon, as well as mentoring the new Trainers that he travels with.
** Similarly downplayed in ''Sun and Moon''. While he's outwardly buffoonish, he can still come up with elaborate tactics and training methods, and even in non-battle situations he can think up unconventional ways to solve a problem.
** This continues to be downplayed in ''Journeys'', still showing the tactics and strategy he had from the two previous series.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Starting out the series, Ash was a naive, overconfident rookie whose altruism was hidden behind several layers of self doubt, a massive ego, and a lack of knowledge of the very Pokémon he professed to love. After 25 years in real life that saw him travel through six regions [[spoiler:before winning a league in the seventh]], conquer 52 gyms, 4 island challenges, and the Kanto Battle Frontier with numerous companions and Pokémon, putting in plenty of hard work and experiencing a lot of heartbreak along the way, he ends the series [[spoiler:recognized as the strongest trainer in the entire world after a narrow victory against Leon, ending with a clear mindset on how to accomplish his goal with his best friend by his side.]]

* EveryYearTheyFizzleOut: He's certainly in an upper eschelon of trainers given only the select few with all (usually eight) badges compete in the league finals. Plus, he managed to win two side tournaments (Orange Islands and Battle Frontier) that didn't involve an elimination bracket. Yet only in Sinnoh, his fourth championship, Ash managed to go beyond the quarterfinals. And two more until he got to the final in Kalos, and even then it was a defeat in a DownToTheLastPlay bout. [[spoiler:Ash is downright shocked when he finally wins it all in Alola!]] And then in ''Journeys'' [[spoiler:Ash manages a Cinderella Run to become World Champion by defeating Leon, down to the wire!]]
* ExperiencedProtagonist: Starting from Hoenn, he is this at the start of every series, demonstrating his battle competence from the start while the {{Deuteragonist}} companions take the role of the rookie. Downplayed in ''Best Wishes'' due to a SnapBack.

* BigBrotherWorship: Ash is like this to Clemont, always squeeing over whatever invention he has created using science, despite his track record of them exploding. Ironically it's two way since Clemont, due to his geeky disposition, is in awe over many of Ash's confidence, battling skills, and physical feats.

** After losing the Indigo League, Ash spends all day moping in bed. Misty, Brock, and Professor Oak chew him out for this attitude, pointing out he was lazy and didn't properly train for the league, and only lost because he never resolved the conflict between him and his disobedient Charizard. It's true that Ash spent a lot of time getting sidetracked on adventures that had nothing to do with his training, only earned half his gym badges with actual skill, only ever really fought [[GoldfishPoopGang a team of incompetent criminals]], and never tried resolving things with Charizard. Nevertheless, Ash only lost his match with Ritchie because Team Rocket kidnapped him just minutes before things got underway, had to exhaust half his team just to get there, and nobody, not even his [[WithFriendsLikeThese friends]], bothered to check what happened to him, especially since Team Rocket had pulled several of their stunts like this just days before. Lazy or not, Ash just ended up in a bad situation, and the show later made it clear that it would take almost dying for Charizard to '''finally''' start listening again. While Ash was right to be upset, he did acknowledge that he couldn't loaf around anymore, and started taking things seriously during his travels.
** In later years, during ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl'', Ash and his rival Paul come into conflict with their methods of training, both of which have valid points, but also their drawbacks. Ash relies on ThePowerOfFriendship, which gives him strong bonds with his Pokémon to the point they've surpassed their limitations out of sheer loyalty to their trainer, yet a reliance on their strength alone and not any valid strategy has led Ash to keep getting flattened in crucial battles. Paul, on the other hand, relies on TrainingFromHell, cold and calculating strategy, and powerful stat-based mons to wipe the floor with his opponents (especially Ash), even using Ash's [[HoistByHisOwnPetard own tactics against him]] through several {{Batman Gambit}}s. Where Paul's training falls flat is that he abuses his poor Pokémon, especially Chimchar, scolding them for being too "weak" whenever they fail him and releasing them [[YouHaveFailedMe if they keep failing]]. It's only when Ash starts using good strategy that he beats Paul fair and square, and implements this for his future travels ([[TookALevelInDumbass barring Unova]]), but Paul comes to see Ash's way of thinking after Brandon--whom Ash has actually beaten--[[CurbStompBattle trashes Paul's team]] and pokes holes in his training methods. This shows when Paul thanks Brandon for a good battle, he didn't mock Ash for losing their first full battle and even thanks his Electivire for a job-well done after it loses.
*** Infernape is a particularly crucial point of debate between Ash and Paul, with Ash believing that Chimchar was strong on his own merits, and Paul believing his only worth was his exceptionally powerful Blaze. When Ash first receives Chimchar, he explicitly refuses to train Blaze, focusing instead on rebuilding his self-esteem through positive reinforcement. Even without it, Chimchar serves as one of Ash's most reliable Pokémon all throughout Sinnoh, even moreso after his evolutions. However, Paul's belief is validated when Blaze is finally activated in an intense battle, sending Chimchar into an UnstoppableRage that Ash could just barely contain with a CooldownHug. Whether they like it or not, Ash and Chimchar would have to learn to control Blaze one day; however, rather than through TrainingFromHell like Paul tried so hard to do, Ash controls it through ThePowerOfFriendship, adding several more layers of nuance to the ultimate result.
* ABoyAndHisX:
** Ash's unbreakable bond of friendship with Pikachu has been explored many times throughout the series as they have each others back. Also, Ash understands Pikachu's hatred for not wanting to be inside his PokéBall as he lets him travel on his shoulder or head during their journey.
** During the ''Sun and Moon'' series, Ash forged a similar bond with his Rowlet as it stays out with him like Pikachu does, although it doesn't have a problem in being in its PokéBall, because it enjoys sleeping inside his backpack. In addition, Ash lets Rowlet sit or sleep on his head or shoulder, which shows how close their bond is to each other.
** In ''Journeys'', Ash easily formed a strong relationship with his Riolu because of their similarities with Aura as he lets it spend time with him and Pikachu. However, Ash's closeness to Riolu nearly cost his friendship with Pikachu when he spend more time training with it. After Riolu evolved into Lucario, Ash maintain his relationship with it, as it became able to use Mega Evolution because of their strong bond.

* BrattyHalfPint: In the early seasons, while Ash was still altruistic at heart, he also had a tendency to be haughty, egotistical, and a SoreLoser. One of the most notable examples of this is his one-sided loss to AJ in "The Path to the Pokémon League", whom Ash not only accused of cheating, but even suggested his Sandshrew ran away because it didn't love him anymore for his [[TrainingFromHell overzealous training methods]]. It took losing the Indigo Plateau Conference to start shedding most of these negative traits, but even then some of these aspects remained visible until later on in his travels. In later series, while he can still have these moments slip through the cracks every once in a while, they are now rare moments rather than the norm, with his newer traveling companions getting shocked upon seeing [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness this normally nice guy act that way.]]

* BreakTheHaughty: Whenever Ash begins to feel too overconfident about his skills, this is what tends to happen.
** After Ash gets the Boulder Badge and Cascade Badge, he ends up on a 10-win streak. Then he hears about AJ, an unofficial gym leader with a 98-win streak and decides to challenge him. His absurdly powerful Sandshrew hands Ash's entire team their asses on a silver platter, leading Ash to accuse AJ of cheating.

** During the Orange Islands arc, Ash had bested a few trainers in battle, and thought he was on top of the world. Then Prima of the Elite Four broke that streak and beat him into the ground hard (though it didn't help that Charizard was being much more disobedient than usual).
** In Hoenn, while Ash was on a hot streak following his first gym battle, he thought he could beat Brawley given how lax he seemed in his training. Brawley reminded him otherwise, giving Ash a harsh beating and popping his ego once more.
** His ego swells up and he thinks he's on top of the world during "Vanity Affair!" after he beats a Scizor. Drake, a Hoenn Elite Four member who saw Ash embarking down a path he once did in his youth, challenges Ash to a battle and handily bests him. After that, ''then'' Ash would stop letting his ego grow so big.

* ButtMonkey: Especially in the Kanto, Unova, and Alola sagas.
** Expanding on Kanto, hardly anything went Ash's way. Even though he could be overconfident, there are times he is given a very hard time for minor infractions, such as Misty's burned bike and his comment on Erika's perfume. Speaking of Misty, he gained a rather critical travelling companion who barely had any respect for him at the beginning, with another somewhat more supportive travel mate (Brock) only making things slightly better, both only being supportive around half the time. People commented on what a bad trainer he was despite the fact he was just starting out. Even his own Pokémon only had respect for him around half the time and when they didn't, it cost him dearly, such as with his Charizard. It was only when Ash headed for the Orange Islands that things started to look up for Ash.
** Unova wasn't his best season either (TookALevelInDumbass aside). Aside from having the Legendary Pokémon Zekrom zap Pikachu and cause him to be unable to use electric attacks during a match against a new trainer who beats him with a ''starter'' Pokémon, he winds up with another traveling companion who puts him down half the time for "being a kid". Most of his team winds up getting subject to as much slapstick as he does, he gets knocked into a body of water ''every single time'' Bianca runs up looking for him, he doesn't win many of the major tournaments being held in the region, and he loses the Unova League to a trainer who's much more of TheDitz than even Kanto-era Ash was.
** This seems to be a defining trait for him in the Alola Region. Whether it's being burned, frozen, electrocuted, or whacked by blunt force, it's rare for Ash to escape any physical slapstick abuse.

* TheAce: Following a period of setbacks in the Unova region, Ash manages to regain his momentum and never looks back. Despite the challenges he faces along the way, his unwavering determination to become the best Pokémon trainer never falters.
** Ash is this during the ''XY'' series, at least in relation to his traveling companions (one of which happens to be a Gym Leader). He is a much more powerful trainer than they are, is by far the one who handles things best in a crisis, large or small, and is in much better shape than them. Not to mention they all look up to him. It's downplayed in that he is still BookDumb and doesn't master everything right away, but this series is still by far the smartest and most mature he's ever been.
** ''Sun and Moon'' tones down this characteristic a fair deal, though he's still often this in regards to his expertise in battling and bonding with Pokémon. [[spoiler:Winning the Manalo Conference, becoming Alola's first League Champion, and beating both [[SurpassedTheTeacher Professor Kukui]] and [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable Tapu Koko]] in a well-fought 6-on-6 battle cements his status as an ace, crowning himself Alola's most powerful trainer.]]
** He returns to this in full force during ''Journeys'', [[JustifiedTrope which makes sense]], given that he is [[spoiler:coming off of his win in the Manalo Conference.]] Alolan residents actually [[spoiler:recognise and respect him as their Champion]], while the PWT news circuit dubs him "Kanto's rising star" after he makes it to the top 15.
** At the end of [=JN109=], he [[spoiler:becomes part of the Masters Eight. While he currently sits in 8th place due to his late entrance, he is otherwise now officially on the same the level of Champions such as Leon, Cynthia, Steven, and Lance, which firmly places him as one of the world's strongest and most skilled trainers. He even goes as far as to finally defeat Cynthia in [=JN125=] which is telling since Cynthia was never defeated on screen prior to this episode.]]
** [[spoiler:Ash actually managed to defeat Leon's entire team and become World Coronation Series Champion, making him the world's strongest trainer! Neither Alain (whom Ash never defeated) nor Diantha (whom Ash would have most likely beaten if not for a PowerStrainBlackout) could even defeat ''half'' of Leon's team.]]
* AchillesHeel: Even with his vast array of achievements with many different Pokemon, he always has struggled getting the most out of bigger, slower mons, notably Muk, who he rarely used because of this and never got much out of when he did, as well as Torkoal and Torterra who took the most defeats in Hoenn and Sinnoh respectively, and struggled getting the most out of Goodra in the Kalos League. [[spoiler: Even Melmetal, who was on his team when he finally won a championship, struggled and was defeated without getting a KO in its first battle, and Ash had to train its attack to become faster and put it against a fellow slow Pokemon for it to get some success, and even then, it was immediately taken out afterwards, albeit in a disadvantaged Type matchup. Ash notably mostly avoided this issue in ''Journeys'', with his only Pokemon that might be considered slow, Dragonite, having Dragon Dance to increase its speed if needed.]]

* AdaptationalBadass: Eventually. As noted below, his early feats paled in comparison to Red, who became Champion of Kanto ''and'' a Pokémon Master relatively quickly, while it took Ash ''22 years'' in real time to [[spoiler:become Alolan Champion]]. That said, he's in a far more prestigious place as [[spoiler:World Coronation Monarch]] compared to Red. [[ZigzaggedTrope Zigzagged]] in that [[spoiler:Ash still doesn't consider himself a Pokémon Master.]]

* AdaptationalWimp: Unlike his game counterpart who became the Champion at the end of his Kanto journey and was recognized as a Pokémon Master by Lance, Ash was kept by the writers as a skilled but not Champion-level trainer for most of the series' duration in order to prevent him from becoming overpowered against most opponents, and to justify him visiting the many regions of the Pokémon world, always challenging the next Pokémon League after losing in the last one. He's slowly closing the gap, though, having finally become the winner of a major League at the end of the Alola series, after which he moved on to the loftier goal of entering the World Coronation Series as his next step in his quest toward becoming a Pokémon Master. [[spoiler:By [=JN109=] he's even joined the Top 8 trainers in the world in the Masters Eight Class participating in the World Coronation Series, dialing back on this even more. And then, he manages to rise to defeat the number 2 ranked trainer by [=JN125=], putting him just behind Leon until [=JN132=], where he manages to defeat Leon himself!]]

* AllLovingHero:
** He has befriended almost every Pokémon, even those that had antagonistic ambition beforehand. Since so many trust and look up to him, and he can often empathise and understand their feelings, he can be considered a successful Pokémon Master in at least one regard.
** Frequently has sympathetic moments with Team Rocket, despite them constantly trying to snatch his best friend. Even after Meowth betrays him, Ash says he'll always treasure their time together, and despite constantly delivering whoop ass to his team afterwards, he tends to keep giving them the benefit of doubt.
** Faba tried to abduct Lillie and erase her memories and kidnapped, but he and Lillie forgive him when he apologizes.
* AlmightyJanitor: After finishing the Battle Frontier, Ash was offered the position of a Frontier Brain, but declined it in favor of his journey, although he can still take up Scott's offer later.
** His current treatment as a "rookie" trainer also counts; as detailed below, in his young age he has already competed in so many competitions already, and had the experience for it as well.
** Deconstructed in Kalos, where very few sell his abilities short. Most seem completely dumbstruck by all the heroics he and Pikachu perform in just the first few days they've arrived there.
** [[spoiler:This is averted in ''Journeys'', where Ash is not only recognized as the Alola Champion, but also as one of the members of the Masters Eight (which consists of the eight best trainers in the world).]]
** [[spoiler:And now, Ash isn't just the Alola Champion; he's the ''World Champion''!]]

* AlwaysSecondBest: When the regional conference comes around, you can expect him to do well - perhaps make the quarter finals, or the semi finals if he is lucky - but never actually ''win''. Then again, it could just be the writers deliberately parodying the trope, with Tobias and his team of [[OlympusMons Legendaries]] in the Sinnoh League and Cameron's Riolu, not only beating [[ElementalRockPaperScissors Unfezant]], but [[DiabolusExMachina evolving into a Lucario to beat Snivy and Pikachu]] in Unova.
** While Ash did win the Orange League by defeating the Head Leader of the Orange Crew, the Orange League did not consist of an actual tournament. He also managed to conquer the Kanto Battle Frontier, but that is generally regarded as a separate venue from a Pokémon League.
** [[spoiler:In the Alola League, this is averted. Ash wins the Pokémon League in the Sun and Moon series, becoming the first ever Alola League Champion in the process.]]
** [[spoiler:He tops his Alola League win by becoming [[WorldsBestWarrior World Champion]] in a nail-biting 6-v-6 against Leon, narrowly coming out on top. Because of this, Ash is no longer Always Second Best. He is now ''the'' very best!]]

* AmusingInjuries: Ash is a frequent victim of this, especially in the original series, Unova, and Alola. He had them downplayed in Hoenn, and in Sinnoh and Kalos they're a fairly minor part of his role.
** Thus far, this trope has been one of Ash's defining traits in Alola--just how many times he gets beat up, electrocuted, burnt, trampled, etc.

** This is a RunningGag where Ash will dress as a girl at least once per saga (except for XY and Journeys), each time against his wishes - [=EP026=], [=AG042=], [=DP062=], [=BW098=], and [=SM068=].
** [[{{Irony}} Ironically]], during the Bell of Wishes Festival in [=BW071=], Ash was the ''only'' participant to pick out a male to cosplay (Alder), while both Cilan and Stephan needed to crossdress (as Elesa and Nurse Joy, respectively!) Then, in XY, Serena crossdressed as ''him'' when Ash was out sick with the flu and a challenger showed up wanting a battle.

* BigBrotherMentor:
** He most notably mentors both May and Max - NotAllowedToGrowUp aside, he was always ready to dispense some personal advice and assistance to the Petalburg siblings, and it's clear that both of them look up to him as a veteran Trainer. Ash also seemed to take responsibility for their well-being: the first time May lost a Contest, he lamented that he should've spent more time teaching her, and during the time she pushed her Bulbasaur too hard, and lost for a second time, he was patient and forgiving even while she was acting like a brat. With Max, he seems to be an honorary big brother, since the boy is quick to point out Ash's lack of 'book smarts', so to speak, yet whenever the party splits up, he and Max, more often than not, are seen hanging out together.
** He helps Dawn in this way as well, with her often looking to him for guidance and having a sibling-like relationship with each other.
** He fills the role for Bonnie, although he travels with both her and her older brother Clemont, as they bonded through their love for Pokémon and lets her take care of his own in order to help her prepare for being a Trainer someday.
** He helped Serena in becoming a Trainer and supported her goal in becoming a Pokémon Performer, in addition to giving her important advice.
** His mentoring is especially prominent with Lillie in ''Sun and Moon'':
*** He becomes quite active in helping her become a Trainer and overcome her phobia of touching Pokémon, even becoming uncharacteristically morose when she [[NiceJobBreakingItHero almost regressed it]]. However, Ash inspired Lillie to find answers to her past in hopes of ending her fear once and for all, which they were able to do.
*** When she runs away with Gladion in an attempt to rescue her mother from Ultra Space, Ash makes a beeline to assist her, ignoring Gladion's insistence that he stay out of it. Ash explains to the two siblings that sometimes you can't do everything alone, which got Lillie to [[GrewASpine stand up]] to Gladion as she realized that he was right and sees that they have a better chance in getting their mother back if they all go together.
*** He even mentors Lillie in her Z-Move training, with his advice and encouragement coupled with her desire to see her long lost father again allowed her to become in sync with her partner.
** He also becomes this to Goh in ''Journeys'', dispensing key information about knowing to honor his Pokémon's feelings and working as a true team.
* BigBrotherWorship: Ash is like this to Clemont, always squeeing over whatever invention he has created using science, despite his track record of them exploding. Ironically it's two way since Clemont, due to his geeky disposition, is in awe over many of Ash's physical feats.
** Clemont even began traveling with Ash because of how much he admires him and wanted to emulate him, feeling like it'd make him a stronger gym leader. Clemont even shortly separated from the team to go to Lumiose City alone because he wanted to train for their upcoming gym battle so he could give Ash the battle he deserved.

* BigEater: Oh, boy. If there's one thing he loves as much as Pokémon and battling, it's food. This was also somewhat lampshaded in the mid-Advanced Generation episodes, where after a bunch of episodes where he's shown pigging out, he started to get a little chubby.
** In an early Kanto episode, when a gang of kleptomaniac Clefairy stole everyone's stuff, he was more upset about losing his ice cream than his backpack.
** In ''XY'', Ash asks Serena what he should gift his Pokémon. She responds they would like whatever he would. Ash gets them a mountain of berries to eat.
** In ''Sun and Moon'', Snowy actually picks up his eating habits after staying with him for a weekend.

** In later years, during ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl'', Ash and his rival Paul come into conflict with their methods of training, both of which have valid points, but also their drawbacks. Ash relies on ThePowerOfFriendship, which gives him strong bonds with his Pokémon to the point they've surpassed their limitations out of sheer loyalty to their trainer, yet a reliance on their strength alone and not any valid strategy has led Ash to keep getting flattened in crucial battles. Paul, on the other hand, relies on TrainingFromHell, cold and calculating strategy, and powerful stat-based mons to wipe the floor with his opponents (especially Ash), even using Ash's [[HoistByHisOwnPetard own tactics against him]] through several {{Batman Gambit}}s. Where Paul's training falls flat is that he abuses his poor Pokémon, especially Chimchar, scolding them for being too "weak" whenever they fail him and releasing them [[YouHaveFailedMe if they keep failing]]. It's only when Ash starts using good strategy that he beats Paul fair and square, and implements this for his future travels ([[TookALevelInDumbass barring Unova]]), but Paul comes to see Ash's way of thinking after Brandon--whom Ash has actually beaten--[[CurbStompBattle trashes Paul's team]] and pokes holes in his training methods. This shows when Paul thanks Brandon for a good battle, and even thanks his Electivire for a job-well done after it loses.

** After being beaten in a CurbStompBattle against Paul, where he got beaten 6-2. He spent an episode moping until he finally pulled himself together, but though his attitude improved, he didn't battle for quite a while until the Twinleaf festival.

** Sinnoh was not Ash's finest hour when going up against Paul. Though their first match ended in a draw, every subsequent match between the two saw Ash beaten, with his worst loss being at Lake Acuity in a full 6-6 match, managing to only beat 2 of Paul's team. Ash finally managed to overcome him (albeit narrowly) at the Sinnoh League.

** This is also notable in the Sun and Moon arc where Ash is kind of a naive idiot when it comes to most things. Most things, however, does not include battle where he is shown to be a master of strategy and thinking quickly on his feet, able to come up with counters for attacks that caught him off guard and skillfully escape sticky situations.
* CultureBlind: It's surprising how a guy who is so obsessed with Pokémon could be so uninformed of others in the other areas.

** Two of the most notable instances on the losing end are his 2-6 losses against Paul at Lake Acuity and Tobias in the Sinnoh League (although Ash was also [[DownplayedTrope the only trainer that was able to knock out even one of Tobias's Pokémon]]).

** Ash himself gets picked apart in ''Diamond and Pearl'' by Paul, who shows that his reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship is actually holding him back. True, it's far better to his Pokémon's well being than [[TrainingFromHell Paul's methods]], but Ash keeps getting the floor wiped with him every time he challenges Paul, simply because he puts too much faith in his team's abilities. Paul not only anticipates every single move of theirs, but he explicitly relies on Ash either using specific Pokémon to avenge earlier losses or fighting against other Pokémon despite major type disadvantages, utterly humiliating Ash in the process. Ash only starts improving once he starts adding in actual strategy to his battles, but he still proves himself as better than Paul by using it ''along'' with the friendship he's built up with his team.
** He's later subject to this again during ''XY'' with his bond phenomena with Greninja. Despite tapping into a tremendous power source that bolsters Greninja's strength, and it proving to be devastating to anyone he opposed, Ash's sole concern about tapping it was for its power only. Unable to master it and losing to both Sawyer and Wulfric handily, Ash found himself at a low point. It was only when he remembered that the reason he wanted to become a Pokémon trainer so he could form genuine bonds with all the Pokémon he met that he and Greninja were able to truly master this form.

* DetrimentalDetermination: As ''Diamond and Pearl'' demonstrates, Ash's desire to prove to Paul that his friendship with his Pokémon can beat Paul's reliance on cold, calculated strategy never works in his favor. Every time they fight, Paul wins, using Ash's own [[BatmanGambit tactics against him]]. Ash only wins when he accepts he has to use actual strategy alongside ThePowerOfFriendship.

** Throughout ''Diamond and Pearl'', his reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship was this, as demonstrated by Paul. Up until then, Ash had been relying exclusively on blind faith from his team to win major battles. When Paul shows up, he's able to flatten Ash each time they face, using Ash's [[HoistByHisOwnPetard tactics against him]] and [[BatmanGambit playing off Ash's personality]] to leave him vulnerable. When Paul utterly destroyed Ash 6-2 at Lake Acuity, it made Ash realize that he couldn't rely on friendship alone if he wanted to get further in his career, and implemented both in his final battle against Paul at the Sinnoh League. It worked, as, excepting Unova, he managed to place second in the Kalos League before he [[spoiler:won the Manalo Conference and then became World Monarch following his victory against Leon.]]

* FlawExploitation: During ''Diamond and Pearl'', Paul was easily able to wipe the floor with Ash by counting on Ash's blind faith in his Pokémon's battling skills and natural power, knowing Ash wouldn't recall them if they wanted to keep fighting or would seek to avenge their earlier losses.

** Ash has a pretty huge BSOD moment again after a crushing 6-2 loss against Paul.

** Ash goes through another one during ''Making Battles in the Sand!'' when he has a little bit of a losing streak in the World Coronation Series after losing to Bea, which put him back in the Normal Class. However, Ash regains his confidences when he sees Goh use a strategy that he developed after watching his battles and reaffirms his desire to battle Leon again.
* HeroicRematch: This is the general theme for whenever he faces his main rival (i.e. Gary, Paul, Trip) in a region. Ash never wins a traditional Pokémon battle against them before they battle in the League of that region (the best he can hope for is a draw, though he can win against them in competitions that ''aren't'' battle based). This is done to slowly build up their rivalry and Ash's desire to win, until they finally clash one final time in the League and Ash claims victory. The only exceptions to this were against Sawyer (whom Ash had beaten in battle beforehand a few times before he caught up and briefly overtook him), and Alain, who Ash never managed to beat, even in the League.

** After losing his full battle against Paul, Ash felt at fault for both his Pokémon's injuries and the loss itself.

[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters.PokemonTheSeriesOriginalTrio Original Trio]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesAshKetchum Ash Ketchum]], [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPikachu Pikachu]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketOrganization Team Rocket Organization]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketTrio Team Rocket Trio]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSupportingCast Supporting Cast]]\\

[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' '''Ash Ketchum''' | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPikachu Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketTrio Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketOrganization Team Rocket Organization]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeries The Original Series]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesMistyAndBrock Misty and Brock]], [[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphire Ruby and Sapphire]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl Diamond and Pearl]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlMainCast Main Cast]], [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPaul Paul]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite Black & White]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXY XY]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon Sun & Moon]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]] ([[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesMainCast Main Cast]]) \\
'''Others:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movie characters]]-]]]]]

* BoyishShorts: {Zigzagged|Trope}}. Ash was the naive main character who became a skilled trainer, but almost always wore pants in all his appearances (at first, to resemble Red from the games). In ''Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries'', however, he switches to shorts -- which is the last series he appeared in before being retired from the series.

* ChickMagnet: The list of girls to have shown canon feelings for him include [[FieryRedhead Misty]], [[LoveTriangle Melody]], [[PlayingWithFire Macy]], [[PsychicPowers Anabel]], [[BirdsOfAFeather Angie]], and [[ChildhoodFriends Serena]]. To say nothing of the ''[[InterspeciesRomance Pokémon]]'' (like [[ClingyJealousGirl Chikorita]], [[OlympusMons Latias]], Smoochum, Aipom, [[HomoeroticSubtext Oshawott]] and ''maybe'' [[MacGuffinSuperPerson Meloetta]]) who have developed crushes on him. Ash, however, [[CluelessChickMagnet remains totally oblivious with the exception mentioned above]].

[-'''Series-wide:''' '''Ash Ketchum''' | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPikachu Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketTrio Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketOrganization Team Rocket Organization]]\\

[[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeries The Original Series]] ([[Characters.PokemonTheOriginalSeriesMistyAndBrock Misty and Brock]], [[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphire Ruby and Sapphire]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl Diamond and Pearl]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlMainCast Main Cast]], [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPaul Paul]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite Black & White]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXY XY]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon Sun & Moon]] ([[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonMainCast Main Cast]]) | [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]] ([[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesMainCast Main Cast]]) \\

----

[[folder:Pikachu]]
-->See his [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPikachu page]].

[[folder:Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]
-->See their [[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesAshsPokemon page]].

[[folder:Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]]
-->See their [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireAshsPokemon page]].

[[folder:Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]]
-->See their [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlAshsPokemon page]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]]
-->See their [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteAshsPokemon page]].

[[folder:Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]]
-->See their [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYAshsPokemon page]].

[[folder:Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]]
-->See their [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonAshsPokemon page]].

[[folder:Ash's Pokémon (Journeys)]]
-->See their [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesAshsPokemon page]].
[[/folder]]

%% Zero Context examples are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

[-'''Series-wide:''' '''Ash Ketchum''' | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPikachu Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketTrio Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketTriosPokemon Team Rocket Trio's Pokemon]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketOrganization Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Major Characters:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesMisty Misty]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBrock Brock]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesMay May]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDawn Dawn]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPaul Paul]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesIris Iris]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSerena Serena]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesLillie Lillie]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesGoh Goh]] \\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireGymLeadersAndFrontierBrains Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireVillains Villains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYMegaEvolutionSpecials Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonVillains Villains]]\\
'''Journeys:''' [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Journeys)]] | [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesGalar Galar]] | [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Horizons:''' [[Characters/PokemonHorizonsTheSeriesLeadCharacters Lead Characters]] | [[Characters/PokemonHorizonsTheSeriesPokemon Pokémon]] | [[Characters/PokemonHorizonsTheSeriesAntagonists Antagonists]] | [[Characters/PokemonHorizonsTheSeriesSupportingCast Supporting Cast]]\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]] | [[Characters/PokemonSecretsOfTheJungle Secrets of the Jungle]]-]]]]]

%%As new episodes are constantly airing, expect heavy spoilers for episodes not yet aired outside Japan.

!!Alternate Versions of Ash Ketchum
[[folder:Mirror Ash]]
A version of Ash from a MirrorUniverse, who's a big crybaby in comparison to his mainstream counterpart. His existence is revealed when his Pikachu runs off and accidentally steals the main Ash's one.

* AdaptationalRelationshipOverhaul: In his universe, Serena is TheBully to him, and Team Rocket are heroes supporting his efforts from afar, rather than Serena having an obvious crush on him and Team Rocket trying to steal his Pokémon right under his nose. His relationships with the more magically-inclined Clemont and the more polite Bonnie seem about the same though.
* AdaptationalWimp: Mirror Ash isn't a confident fighter eager for a challenge, but rather a wimpy young man who can barely stand up for himself.
* CurbStompBattle: On the receiving end of it by Mirror Serena.
* InSpiteOfANail: Pikachu is still his partner, and he's still traveling with Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont in this reality despite having a completely different personality.
* PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: He fell out with Mirror Serena because she not only crushed him in battle, but actively mocked him for it, causing him to run off and swear off traveling with his friends. It takes the main Ash to snap him out of it.
* ProneToTears: He tends to cry whenever things get tough.

[[folder:"I Choose You!" Ash]]
See [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou this character page]] for more information regarding this version of Ash.

[[folder:Alternate Ash]]
Another Ash from an AlternateUniverse, who's also a big crybaby, and distinguished by his blue-colored hat.

'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] ([[Characters/PokemonIChooseYouAshKetchum Ash Ketchum]]) | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]] | [[Characters/PokemonSecretsOfTheJungle Secrets of the Jungle]]-]]]]]

See [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYouAshKetchum this character page]] for more information regarding this version of Ash.

* LikeBrotherAndSister: With most of his female companions, except Serena Misty (Serena clearly loves him romantically, while in the Misty case, is only implied that she has feelings for him) and Chloe (with whom he did not have a close relationship), being that he is very close to them, but with nothing to indicate that there is romantic interest anywhere.

* * LikeBrotherAndSister: With most of his female companions, except Serena (who clearly loves him romantically.), Misty (mixed messages) and Chloe (with whom he did not have a close relationship), being that he is very close to them, but with nothing to indicate that there is romantic interest anywhere.

* * LikeBrotherAndSister: With most of his female companions, except Serena (who clearly loves him romantically.), Misty (Mixed messages) and Chloe (with whom he did not have a close relationship), being that he is very close to them, but without Nothing to indicate that there is romantic interest anywhere.

* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The original and Unova trios operate on this dynamic, wtih Ash serving as the In-Between to Misty/Iris's Mean and Brock/Cilan's Nice. Ash is stubborn and argumentative, but generally good-natured when not provoked, Misty/Iris is a hotheaded {{Tsundere}} who constantly butts heads with her companions, and Brock/Cilan is the CoolBigBro who tries to calm their arguments.

* AshFace: No pun intended. Ash's recalcitrant Charizard always fries him with Flamethrower [[RunningGag several times]]; ''every'' time Charizard returns to the main group, this is his way of saying hello to his trainer. This used to be how Charizard showed his disrespect, but now it is his way of showing affection. Torkoal and Pignite are known for invoking this trope as well, again out of affection.

* LikeBrotherAndSister: Ash's female travel companions have all has a sibling-like relationship with him, (except possibly Serena, whom he treats with greater respect and courtesy).

** Regularly zigzags with this in the Sun and Moon series. While he often acts like an accident prone FishOutOfWater adapting to Alola's different Pokémon and conventions, his experience built up across other regions makes him the most battle competent of his companions, and he adapts to the Z Ring mechanic even quicker than the native trainers do. In fact, he's only the second trainer to get said Z Ring (after Kiawe), and he winds up mastering all of his Z Moves in a relatively quicker time than the rest of them.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Ash's female travel companions have all has a sibling-like relationship with him, (except possibly Serena), whom he treats with greater respect and courtesy.

* LovedByAll: Gradually grows to become the most beloved figure in the entire Pokémon series over the course of his journey. At his first league, he was booed for showing up so late to his match against Ritchie and using a disobentant Charizard (though Team Rocket kidnapping him and nobody bothering to look for him didn't help). By the time he [[spoiler:qualifies for the Masters Eight]], all of Alola cheers for Ash--their [[spoiler:champion]]--to the point even ''Team Skull'' shows up to a special match in his honor. And when Ash [[spoiler:does defeat Leon]], he becomes recognized as [[spoiler:The World Monarch]] everywhere he goes, with plenty of cheering thralls and fans to his name.

** He is later tasked by Professor Oak to deliver a Pokémon egg to his cousin, Samson. Though he gets distracted by a wild Grubbin, Delia ensures that the delivery is successfully completed.