ASH
Name: Ash Ketchum
Age: 10
Hometown: Pallet Town
Aspirations: To be the world's greatest Pokemon Master. Need I say more?
Debut Episode: Episode 1, "Pokemon, I Choose You!"
Information: Ash is an average boy on the night before his tenth birthday. When a person turns ten, he or she is able to start on a journey to begin collecting Pokemon and obtaining gym leader badges. Unfortunately, Ash oversleeps on the morning of his tenth birthday and arrives late to Professor Oak's lab. He finds that his rival, Gary, Professor Oak's grandson, already has his starting Pokemon and is about to commence his journey. Because of his tardiness, Ash is forced to take the last Pokemon left, the difficult-to-handle Pikachu. At first the relationship between Ash and Pikachu gets off on a bumpy start, but soon they become very close friends. Ash is the fourth person to leave Pallet Town on that day, proceeded by Gary and two unknown trainers.
Ash doesn't really know what he's doing at the beginning of his journey, but he soon gets the hang of things. Accompanied by the gym leaders Misty and Brock, and later by fellow trainers Todd and Tracey, Ash has plenty of help along the way. Many join out of friendship, some out of debts (Ash accidently destroys Misty's bicycle), but all impact Ash in some way. Ash eventually receives all eight gym badges in the Kanto Region, all four in the Orange Islands, and is currently collecting badges in the Johto Region. After receiving the Kanto badges, Ash enters the Indigo League and places in the top sixteen after his defeat by his friend Richie. If only Charizard could listen to him...
Ash is very hard-headed. He doesn't accept defeat, even when beaten many times. He's not all that bright, but he has a good heart. Many times he has saved his friends through selfless sacrifice, never giving in to his enemies.
He is currently journeying through the Johto League with Misty and Brock.
Pikachu is the little yellow mouse that is given to Ash in "Pokemon, I Choose You!" Stubborn, it will not go into its Poke Ball. Therefore, it walks around with Satoshi and is in every episode. Probably the biggest reason Pikachu is so popular is because it's so cute! People who know nothing about Pokemon like Pikachu because it's cute! Pikachu's more than just cute as it can electrocute people with its Thundershock. It refuses to evolve into a Raichu because it wants to stay just the way it is. Pikachu is very close to Ash, so close that it can communicate with Ash (i.e. "Pikapi" means "Ash," "Pipipi" means "Togepi," etc.). Pikachu can be stubborn, but most of the time it's happy to zap its foes.
Age: 12
Hometown: Cerulean City
Aspiration: To be the world's best at everything.
Debut Episode: Episode 1, "Pokemon, I Choose You!"
Information: Misty is first seen in the TV show fishing for water-type Pokemon. Ash, running from a gang of Spearow, steals her bike to get away. When the bicycle gets trashed Misty becomes very angry and joins Ash on his journey in order to get her bike replaced. She soon befriends Ash and Brock and forgets about her bike.
Misty is first seen as a young girl who just wants a bike from Ash, but she is soon revealed to be the Cerulean City Gym Leader. She is easily beaten by Ash's Pikachu and gives him the Cascade Badge. While in Cerulean City for the gym battle, Ash learns about Misty's three sisters. They constantly tease her, laughing at the fact that she returns with nothing when just a short while before she had boasted that she wouldn't return until she's a Pokemon Master. Her sisters are a constant source of torment, especially during her childhood. When she was little, she always got the hand-me-down Hinamarri dolls, never getting a set just for her. When she enters her own Hinamarri competition many years later in Episode 52, "Princess vs. Princess," she is determined to win her very own doll set. Her success in overcoming this childhood difficulty fills Misty with a sense of accomplishment.
Misty is a Water-Pokemon specialist. She adores any type of water Pokemon, finding beauty in Pokemon others usually do not. However, she detests bug Pokemon and whenever she's confronted with one she freaks out. Togepi proves that Misty can like Pokemon who aren't water-type because she loves it just as much as her other Pokemon. Misty is the first person Togepi sees, so it identifies her as its mother. She forms a tight bond with it, protecting it as its mother would. Togepi is to Misty what Pikachu is to Ash.
Despite her Pokemon preferences, Misty is a loudmouth, plain and simple. She is always the butt of Ash's jokes, so she promplty responds to his childish antics by yelling and/or hitting. When she's not pulling Brock out of a daydream or scolding Ash for being stupid, she's a kind and warm person who speaks her mind. Misty is the worrier of the group--she spends all her time worrying about Ash, one of his Pokemon, or somebody or something else. She's very kindhearted, she just has a short temper to match.
Misty is currently journeying through the Johto League with Ash and Brock.
Togepi, the second Gold and Silver Pokemon to appear in the TV show (the Ho-oh flying over the rainbow in Episode 1, "Pokemon, I Choose You!" was the first), hatches from an egg Ash picked up in "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokemon." When it hatches, everyone wants the rare Pokemon. There is a tournament between Ash, Misty, Brock, and Meowth to win Togepi, and Ash wins with Pikachu. But since Misty was the first person Togepi saw, it identifies Misty as its parent and chooses her to be its master. Togepi is a baby who gets into a lot of trouble, but it is useful because it has some very powerful attacks such as Metronome.
Age: Unknown
Hometown: Pewter City
Aspiration: To be the world's greatest Pokemon breeder... and to pick up a girl along the way.
Debut Episode: Episode 5, "Showdown in Pewter City." He leaves in Episode 83, "Pokeball Peril," and returns in Episode 115, "A Tent Situation."
Information: Brock had a hard life growing up. When he was little, his mother died. Then later on, his father left him and his eleven siblings to pursue his dream of being a Pokemon Master, leaving Brock to take care of his entire family. He later became the Pewter City Gym Leader and came into contact with Ash, joining him to pursue his dream of being the world's best Pokemon Breeder. He left his siblings with his father, who had returned to help Ash beat Brock after failing to become a Pokemon Master.
Brock knows a lot about Pokemon, mainly because of his experience with breeding them. While Brock himself rarely battles, he is always there to offer his advice to his companions. He is often the brains behind the strategies Ash uses to win, such as using Pikachu's Agility against Lt. Surge's Raichu rather than simply overpowering it. (That was in Episode 14, "Electric Shock Showdown.")
Brock is also good at making food for Pokemon. When he visits Suzie in Episode 28, "Pokemon Fashion Flash," her Vulpix readily eats the food he makes. This is significant because her Vulpix is particularly picky, and its acceptance of his food is a testament to his skill. His food preparing skills also impress Professor Ivy, a scientist on the same level as Professor Oak. The professor is unable to figure out why the Pokemon won't eat her food, but Brock is quickly able to figure out that they don't like the food's taste. He quickly prepares a tastier alternative and the Pokemon love it.
And while on the subject of women in his life, Brock has a lot ot them. He falls for almost any woman he sees, but never gets anywhere with them. He loves all the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys he encounters on his journey and is able to tell the differences in each of their appearances that other people can't see.
Toward the beginning of Ash's journey through the Orange Islands League, Brock left Ash and Misty to assist Professor Ivy with her research. He was soon replaced by Tracey, but came back at the end of the Orange League to Ash's house. However, the mere mention of Professor Ivy's name brings up bad memories. To this day, he hasn't told anyone what happened between the two of them.
He is currently journeying through the Johto League with Ash and Misty.
Age: about 12
Hometown: Unknown--it is assumed to be somewhere in the Orange Islands.
Debut Episode: Episode 84, "The Lost Lapras". He leaves in Episode 116, "The Rivalry Revival".
Aspiration: To have his work reviewed by Professor Oak.
Information: Tracey first met Ash and Misty on Tangelo Island helping a Lapras from being beaten by a group of punks. Tracey nursed the Lapras back to health, and later to agreed to join Ash and Misty on their journey.
Tracey is essentially Brock's replacement during the Orange League episodes. Tracey is a Pokemon Watcher, which means that he observes varous Pokemon in order to study them. He's constanty drawing Pokemon as a means of observation, so he is able to tell small differences in similar-looking Pokemon. Every now and then he's caught observing things other than Pokemon, but most people think that's just the writers trying to make him more like Brock.
Tracey only has three Pokemon, Venonat, Marill, and Scyther, two of which (Venonat and Marill) he already has when he meets Ash and Misty. He obtains Scyther later on, but he never catches more than three Pokemon.
Tracey's dream is to have his work reviewed by Professor Oak. He is surprised when Ash and Misty reveal that they know him and is even more surprised of their ignorance of Professor Oak's popularity. When Ash, Misty, and Tracey return to Pallet Town, Kenji's dream finally comes true and Professor Oak is even impressed with his work. Tracey is so happy and devoted to him that he decides to stay helping Professor Oak during the Johto League.
Tracey is currently in Pallet Town with Professor Oak.
Ages: 17
Aspiration: To capture really rare Pokemon, especially Ash's Pikachu
Debut Episode: Episode 2, "Pokemon Emergency!"
Meowth is always fighting for a special place in Giovanni's heart, as his favorite Pokemon is a Persian (the evolved form of Meowth). Meowth is sometimes smarter than Jessie and James. When they are about to reveal Team Rocket secrets or spoil their plans, he is always there to scratch them in the face. (OUCH!) Meowth dresses up and participates in all of Jessie's and James's crazy schemes.
