The end of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon journey has been announced and the character's long-running voice actor has shared a statement acknowledging the news. While it will be months yet before the latest Pokemon anime episodes are localized in English, the show's protagonist recently won his first Pokemon World Championship. The event had led many to speculate Ash's story would soon be concluding, and it's now been confirmed. It's a shocking revelation, one voice actor Sarah Natochenny couldn't let pass in silence.The Pokemon Company officially confirmed that Ash Ketchum's televised Pokemon journey will be ending in 2023. There will be one further Ash-focused season of just 11 episodes named Pokemon: Aim to be a Pokemon Master, which will begin airing in Japan in January. Once those 11 episodes finish airing, Ash will be replaced by two new Pokemon protagonists named Riko and Roy. The series name hasn't been revealed, but the pair will start with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's starter Pokemon, Fuecoco, Quaxly, and Sprigatito.In response to the news, Ash's voice actor Sarah Natochenny shared a heartfelt message with her fans on Twitter. She says that, "It's been an extraordinary privilege to have been the English voice of Ash Ketchum for what will be 17 years. No matter what lies beyond his final chapter, he'll live forever in the hearts of many generations to come. I'll keep him present for all of us in every way I can." The message is meant to celebrate the time that anime fans have spent with Ash and Natochenny through the Pokemon trainer, and how much the experience has meant to the voice actor.
Natochenny's comment is also an acknowledgment that while Ash's time as the protagonist of the Pokemon anime may be ending for now, there's no telling what the plan is for the character in the future. The Pokemon anime is continuing, and that means there will be opportunities for Ash to return in one capacity or another. As Pokemon anime watchers know very well, friends may disappear from our lives at times but they often can return later.
Natochenny hasn't been the voice actor for Ash for the entire duration of the anime, of course. Ash's first voice actor was Veronica Taylor. Taylor also offered a comment on Twitter, saying she thought Ash's journey would never end and that she's filled with emotion. Like for most Pokemon fans, Taylor says that the news is going to take some time to process.
It's undeniably emotional to consider that a character that's been a part of people's lives since 1998 is stepping back, that their adventure is reaching its sunset. For Natochenny and Taylor, it's certainly going to be difficult to say goodbye, but it's also such a rare and special privilege to have had a connection to a character like Ash. Their performances helped create a Pokemon icon.