If you’re a fan of cartoons, chances are you’ve heard Sarah Natochenny’s voice even if her name doesn’t ring a bell. For almost half her life, Natochenny has lent her voice to Ash Ketchum in Pokemon. She’s provided the English-dubbed voice for Ash and various other characters across the Pokemon universe for 17 years, starting at the tender age of 18 in 2006.
“There’s a reason that I [played] Ash,” Natochenny, 36, says, reflecting on her character. “It took me a while to recognize that, but when you book a role, that’s because there’s a part of you in that role. So I knew that there had to be an adventurous, protagonistic spirit in me that’s coming through.”
Character and Connections
Natochenny admits that portraying Ash meant a “real sense of responsibility” to encourage young viewers to emulate the Pokemon catchphrase “be the very best like no one ever was.” Replacing Veronica Taylor as the voice of Ash in the ninth season of Pokémon was a significant career milestone for Natochenny, who also voiced 21 of the series’ Pokemon.
Initially, she didn’t picture herself pursuing voice acting. She explains, “I wanted to do theater and film, and suddenly this audition fell in my lap, and I was like, ‘OK, cool, that’s amazing, and I just happen to be right for it.’”
One of the most engaging parts for Natochenny is how fans react when they learn that a woman lends her voice to the character of Ash. “It’s really cute. It makes women see that you can play anybody, even a boy. You can do anything you want,” the actress expresses. She also recounted a time when a fan had her autograph and an ugly Pikachu drawing tattooed on his leg, which is a permanent gesture of his admiration.
Moving Forward
When Natochenny discovered that her role as Ash would be concluding with the 10-episode Netflix series “Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master” in December 2022, she experienced a deep sense of sadness. However, she remarked that the series will always remain a part of her and everyone she’s connected with while voicing the character.
Though she’ll no longer be catching Pokemon, Natochenny’s voice-over journey continues. Recently, she joined Season 2 of the Manga series “Tokyo Revengers” as Yuzuha. In “Tokyo Revengers,” she steps into the character of a grown-up, animated series, and she emphasizes this transition as “fun” due to the change in the show’s themes and content.
For future projects, she’s drawing strength from the attributes she shares with her long-standing character, Ash. “You got to keep going. You have to be incredibly strong. That’s Ash,” Natochenny asserts.
Tokyo Revengers Season 2 is currently streaming on Hulu.
