Ash's English voice actor looks back on the last 17 years of Pokemon and now I'm crying

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Sarah Natochenny is getting ready to say goodbye to Ash Ketchum

Pokemon anime Ash & Pikachu
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

The English voice actor for Ash Ketchum in the Pokemon anime has shared a TikTok documenting their experience with the character, and it's got even the slightest Pokemon fan tearing up.

As Ash and Pikachu's final arc in the Pokemon anime comes to an end, the current English voice actor for Ash, Sarah Natochenny, has shared their 'Pokemon Journey' to TikTok which looks back on their time with the character. The video feels super sentimental and has got Pokemon fans of all ages feeling nostalgic and emotional in the comments of the TikTok.

At the very start of the video, Natochenny explains that they started voicing Ash back in 2006 - after taking over from the previous voice actor Veronica Taylor - when they were just a teenager. After sharing a few photos from around this time, as well as behind-the-scenes clips from themselves in the studio, Natochenny then talks about the impact Pokemon Go had on the series as well as their career. 

The TikTok also mentions the now-famous Pokemon Vanity Fair video that Natochenny features in, which resulted in several kids having their minds blown at the fact that Ash is voiced by an adult woman and not a 10-year-old boy. "I made a video with Vanity Fair," Natochenny narrates in the TikTok, "and loved watching you all react to it," the voice actor continues. 

The rest of Natochenny's video features clips from their convention appearances, charity work, and Pokemon-inspired cat fostering initiative which revealed that the voice actor has named their real-life cat Pikachu - is anyone else starting to tear up just a little? 

It's not clear whether Natochenny will remain a part of the Pokemon anime going forward, what with Ash taking a back seat once the current series has finished airing. All we do know is that season 26 of the Pokemon anime is set to feature two new protagonists named Liko and Roy and will include Pokemon from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet such as Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly when it begins airing in April 2023.

Was Natochenny's video not quite enough to move you to tears? Take a look at all the heartfelt goodbyes Ash and Pikachu got from Pokemon fans across generations.

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.