Pokémon voice actor Sarah Natochenny revealed her favorite pocket monster.
In an interview with IGN, Natochenny, the voice behind Ash Ketchum, proclaimed Pikachu as her favorite Pokémon of all time and “best friend.” “Pikachu is the name of my cat. Pikachu is the cutest. Pikachu is universal, and Pikachu is evergreen. Pikachu is the cutest character to ever have been drawn and animated,” she said. Despite her admiration for Pokémon’s mascot, Natochenny has never met Ikue Ōtani, the voice behind Pikachu, or Ash’s Japanese actor, Rika Matsumoto.
In 2006, Natochenny joined the Pokémon franchise in the anime’s ninth season to replace Veronica Taylor, the previous voice actor for Ash. At age 12, Natochenny began her voice-acting career around the same time the anime’s protagonist set foot outside Pallet Town. Aside from Pokémon, Natochenny voiced Alicia in the 2006 video game Bullet Witch and Aura Sentia in Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V. She even served as assistant editor for films like Life of Crime and Cold Comes the Night.
The End of a Pokémon Era
Following Pokémon’s announcement to retire Ash and Pikachu, Natochenny posted an emotional tribute to the franchise’s heroes. “No matter what lies beyond his final chapter, he’ll live forever in the hearts of many generations to come,” she wrote. On Dec. 16, The Pokémon Company revealed the iconic duo’s final journey would premiere across 11 episodes to conclude Ultimate Journeys. The episodes will begin to air on Jan. 11, 2023, in Japan. As seen in the trailer, memorable trainers like Brock and Misty will also appear in Ash’s conclusive storyline.
Many fans feared the ending would soon draw near for Ash and Pikachu following the trainer’s win against Leon in the Masters Eight Tournament of the Pokémon World Coronation Series. After 25 seasons, Ash finally became the Pokémon World Champion, with many familiar faces cheering him on, including Team Rocket and Professor Oak. Ultimate Journeys’ four-episode battle also featured past pocket monsters, like Butterfree, Pidgeot, Lapras, Goodra, Greninja and Naganadel.
Following Ash and Pikachu’s exit, The Pokémon Company announced two new protagonists, Riko and Roy, would take their place. One Pokémon fan theory suggests the female trainer could be Ash and Serena’s daughter. Some drew that conclusion after noticing Riko’s hair clip and its resemblance to the symbol on the hat Ash wore throughout his journey in the Kanto and Johto regions. One post pointed out the similarities in physical appearance between Riko and Ash and Serena. Serena made her anime debut as Ash’s traveling companion in the Kalos region and also acted as a Pokémon Performer.
Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: IGN
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