Summary
Sarah Natochenny was surprised to learn that Ash’s time in the Pokémon anime is coming to an end after 17 years of voicing the character. Playing Ash for so long has been an honor for Natochenny and she appreciates the impact the show has had on fans, providing comfort during difficult times. Natochenny looks back fondly on the XY and
Since 2006, Sarah Natochenny has been speaking out PokémonAsh Ketchum in the English dub, a long career that has seen her throughout many different eras of the anime series. That culminated in Ash’s victory in last year’s Masters’ Eight Tournament (in Japan), where he claimed the title of World Champion, a momentous victory that signaled the beginning of the end. The end of Ash’s outstanding period. It was announced early on that Ash would be leaving the anime, handing over the reins to new characters for the first time in the series’ history, but not before a miniseries that would finally see Ash off.
With the final miniseries episodes, called Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master, now available in the US via Netflix, Screen Rant sat down with Sarah Natochenny to talk to her about the end of an era. source, what she’ll look like in the most affectionate Pokémon Return anime, what’s next for her, and backing the dubbing industry in the wake of AI.
Screen Rant: Well, I guess my first question is, are you surprised to hear that Ash’s Pokémon era is coming to an end after all these years? That certainly surprised a lot of fans.
Sarah Natochenny:
It certainly surprised me. During Pokémon Journey, a three-season arc, has a few hints. He was definitely traveling around and seeing old friends, but I found ways for him to move on, and when they announced they weren’t going, I was definitely surprised.
Screen Rant: I definitely enjoyed Journeys. It’s fun to return to Pokémon after a while away from the anime and return to Journeys. I think that series in particular had a lot of character development for Ash. And I wonder how you feel about your performance as Ash over these years, because Journeys is a very different show from Sun and Moon, and Sun and Moon in turn from XY.
Sarah Natochenny:
Yes, I feel so lucky as an actor to be able to play the same character for 17 years and explore all the different sides of them. So that was really a gift from Pokémon to me as an actor.
Screen Rant: And I guess that brings me to the question, what does it mean to you to play a beloved character for so long? As you know, Ash has had a great impact on many people.
Sarah Natochenny:
Yes, it’s such an honor, now I get to attend Comic Con conventions, meet so many fans and hear their stories. To see them shed tears when they see me, to know how our program has affected them and helped them get through military service, or illness, or, you know, just those times. difficult times in general. It was truly amazing to witness. And yes, I’m very, very lucky to be a part of something that brings so much comfort to so many people.
Screen Rant: And looking back on things now, is there a particular era of the film that you find resonates with you the most?
Sarah Natochenny:
Yes, I love it XY And XYZ, as we see a very mature side of Ash. And I love it too Trip, because we get to see Ash and all these situations, even situations where I don’t get to play him. And yes, it’s great to be able to see Ash through all the different moments in his life.
Screen Rant: I know one thing a lot of fans have been talking about a lot is whether Ash might show up again one day. And if that’s the case, are you interested, whether in the new anime or in another movie, would you like to reprise your role again?
Sarah Natochenny:
One hundred percent, I can’t imagine it any other way. It will truly be an honor to continue playing him as long as they have me.
Screen Rant: And as for the new anime, do you have any advice for the next generation of Pokémon voice actors who are getting into their roles for the first time?
Sarah Natochenny:
Yeah, I talked to them and I’m very, very happy for them, very proud of them and happy for them. I just advise them to be the best like no one else has ever been.
Screen Rant: Definitely sound advice for Pokémon.
Sarah Natochenny:
Yes. They will be wonderful. They are wonderful.
Screen Rant: Yes. And as this big Pokémon journey comes to a close, what’s your next big project? What do you plan to focus your energy on?
Sarah Natochenny:
So I’m focusing on making a feature film based on my experiences over the past 20 years of my life. And I was auditioning, I was doing a show called Avengers in Tokyo. Let’s see, what else… there are things I can’t talk about, unfortunately, they’re really interesting, but I can’t talk about them. Therefore. Yes. Yes, that’s all I can say. But yeah, I’m also in favor, I just spoke at the Voice of AI conference in Washington, DC. So, you know, I’m trying to do the right thing in terms of voice acting, AI and compositing etc.
Screen Rant: Yeah, it’s definitely a complicated issue. Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share on this AI issue?
Sarah Natochenny:
I think acting, writing, anything related to art is a form of human expression. It is a uniquely human form of expression. It is not empirical. So, giving this to machines would be a big mistake for society and humanity.
Screen Rant: I completely agree. As a writer myself, I have many of the same concerns.
Sarah Natochenny:
This [Art] comes from people, not from machines.
Introducing Sarah Natochenny and Pokémon: Become a Pokémon Master
Sarah Natochenny is a voice actress with nearly 20 years of experience, most of which was spent voicing Ash Ketchum, as well as many other characters in the Pokémon animated series. Natochenny is also known as Mowgli in the 2010 animated series The Jungle Book, among many other roles in both anime and Western animation. Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master is a thirteen-episode miniseries following the adventures of Ash Ketchum, in which he helps a legendary Pokémon and reflects on what it means to become a Pokémon Master when now he is world champion.
Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master is now available to stream on Netflix.
