Characters
Ash Ketchum (サトシ, Satoshi)
Voiced by: Rica Matsumoto, Hana Takeda (young, JN001) (Japanese); Veronica Taylor (4Kids); Sarah Natochenny (TPCI) (English)
Ash Ketchum is the main protagonist of the series for the first twenty-five seasons. A 10-year-old Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region, he travels with many traveling companions throughout the series. Ash's dream is to become a "Pokémon Master", and as a result often attempts to win the Pokémon League, a competition of the strongest Pokémon Trainers in whatever region he is in. Though his attempts are typically unsuccessful, he eventually succeeded in becoming the first Alola Regional Champion and later defeated Leon in the World Coronation Series Masters Eight Tournament to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world and new World Champion, referred as "Monarch".
Jessie, James, and Meowth (ムサシ, コジロウ and ニャース, Musashi, Kojirō, and Nyāsu)
Jessie: Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (4Kids), Michele Knotz (TPCI) (English)
James: Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki (Japanese); Ted Lewis (up to and including episode 8; 4Kids), Eric Stuart (4Kids), James Carter Cathcart (TPCI, seasons 9–25) (English)
Meowth: Voiced by: Inuko Inuyama (Japanese); Matthew Sussman, Maddie Blaustein, James Carter Cathcart (TPCI, season 9–25) (English)
Jessie, James, and Meowth are a group of Team Rocket members. They act as one of the three primary antagonists of the anime series for the first twenty-five seasons, often coming into conflict with Ash Ketchum in an attempt to capture his Pikachu. They primarily act as comic relief, though they have also acted as serious antagonists on several occasions. Jessie owns a Wobbuffet, who is the source of a running gag where he pops out of his Poké Ball at the strangest times. James is a member of Team Rocket, who was part of a noble, rich family, but it was a life he desperately wanted to escape. Meowth is capable of communicating with human speech. His pursuit for Meowzie in particular chained off his ambitions to learn to speak and act human-like and ultimately his employment within Team Rocket, after failing to woo Meowzie. Meowth acts as a translator for Team Rocket and sometimes Ash and his friends, translating what another Pokémon is saying.
Misty (カスミ, Kasumi)
Voiced by: Mayumi Iizuka (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (4Kids), Michele Knotz (TPCI) (English)
Misty is a 10-year-old Water-type Pokémon Trainer and one of Ash's traveling companions who first appeared in Pokémon: Indigo League. She was one of the four Cerulean City Gym Leaders along with her three older sisters, and after the end of Pokémon: Master Quest, became the sole Cerulean City Gym Leader.
Brock (タケシ, Takeshi)
Voiced by: Yūji Ueda (Japanese); Eric Stuart (4Kids), Bill Rogers (TPCI) (English)
Brock is the 15-year-old former Pewter City Gym Leader and a ladies' man. In his earliest appearances, Brock has dreams of being the world's best Pokémon Breeder, though in later series he instead aspires to be a Pokémon Doctor. There is a running gag in the series where Brock falls in love with every girl he meets and is either pulled away by the ear by Misty or Max or is hit with his Croagunk's Poison Jab. Brock was a mainstay on the series for several seasons, eventually leaving at the end of the Diamond and Pearl series.
Tracey Sketchit (ケンジ, Kenji)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Ted Lewis (4Kids, TPCI (current)), Craig Blair (TPCI, season 9) (English)
One of Ash's traveling companions in Orange Islands, Tracey Sketchit is a Pokémon Watcher, someone who studies Pokémon in the field similarly to bird watchers. He later accomplished his dream to become an assistant to Professor Oak after the end of Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands.
May and Max (ハルカ and マサト, Haruka and Masato)
May: Voiced by: Kaori Suzuki (Japanese); Veronica Taylor (4Kids), Michele Knotz (TPCI) (English)
Max: Voiced by: Fushigi Yamada (Japanese); Amy Birnbaum (4Kids), Kayzie Rogers (TPCI) (English)
May is the daughter of the Petalburg City Gym Leader, Norman and the older sister of Max. She takes interest in Pokémon Contests, competitions focusing on a Pokémon's appearance or appeal. May later reappears in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl and Pokémon Journeys: The Series. Max is May's younger brother, who acts as one of the group's travelling companions in the Hoenn-associated series.
Dawn (ヒカリ, Hikari)
Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese); Emily Bauer (English)
Dawn is a 10-year-old Pokémon Coordinator from Twinleaf Town who travels with Ash and Brock in the Sinnoh Region. Following in her mother's footsteps as a Pokémon Coordinator—a Trainer who partakes in Pokémon Contests—she chooses Piplup and sets out with the goal of becoming Top Coordinator.
Iris (アイリス, Airisu; Iris)
Voiced by: Aoi Yūki (Japanese); Eileen Stevens (first voice), Anairis Quiñones (second voice) (English)
One of Ash's companions in Black and White series. Iris hails from a village where Dragon-type Pokémon are a major focus. She notably travels with an Axew, which evolves into a Haxorus. She reappears in Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series, where she is revealed to have become the new Unova Regional Champion. She battles Cynthia in the World Coronation Series Masters Eight Tournament but loses.
Cilan (デント, Dento; Dent)
Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese); Jason Griffith (English)
Cilan is a Pokémon Connoisseur who has the ability to determine the compatibility between Pokémon and their trainers. He travels with Ash in Black and White series. He is one of the Gym Leaders of the Unova Region, a position he shares with his brothers Chili and Cress, but he leaves his post to join Ash and Iris on their journey. He has numerous interests seen throughout the series such as fishing, cinema and subway trains. He has the Grass-type Pokémon Pansage as his partner. He also acts as a mentor figure to Ash and Iris.
Serena (セレナ, Serena)
Voiced by: Mayuki Makiguchi (Japanese); Haven Burton-Paschall (English)
Serena is a Pokémon Performer from Vaniville Town in the Kalos Region, who acts as one of Ash's travelling companions in Pokémon the Series: XY. She met Ash back when the two attended Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp program, where Ash helped her back on her feet after hurting her leg. After seeing him on TV three years later, she decides to join him on his journey, as she has a big crush on him. She partakes in Pokémon Showcases (beauty pageant-like contests) in an attempt to become the "Kalos Queen", an honorary title for the best Pokémon Performer. At the end of the series, she prepares to compete in the Pokémon Contests that occur in Hoenn. Before parting, she gives Ash a kiss on the lips.
Clemont and Bonnie (シトロン and ユリーカ, Shitoron and Yurīka; Citron and Eureka)
Clemont: Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (Japanese); Michael Liscio Jr. (English)
Bonnie: Voiced by: Mariya Ise (ep. 803–887, 903–942), Mika Kanai (ep. 888–902) (Japanese); Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (English)
Clemont is an Electric-type Gym Leader from Lumiose City. He is a young inventor and always has a large backpack that contains numerous strange gadgets, most of which explode. He travels with Ash during the XY series to become a better Gym Leader. This culminates when Ash challenges and successfully defeats Clemont at the Lumiose Gym, acquiring his fifth badge in Kalos.
Bonnie is Clemont's younger sister. Bonnie, due to her youth, cannot have a Pokémon yet, and thus has Clemont catch a Dedenne for her, which acts as her partner throughout the series. She later befriended one of Zygarde's cores, which she affectionately nicknamed "Squishy" and developed a close friendship with. A running gag involves her attempt to get other women to marry her brother, though Clemont often drags Bonnie away before it gets anywhere.
Lillie (リーリエ, Rīrie; Lillie)
Voiced by: Kei Shindō (Japanese); Laurie Hymes (English)
Lillie is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in the Sun & Moon series. Hailing from a wealthy family, she loves to study and usually helps the other students with their research, but has an inherent fear of touching any kind of Pokémon due to an incident involving a Nihilego in her youth. She eventually overcomes her fears by the end of the series, and eventually travels the world to try and find her missing father, Mohn.
Kiawe (カキ, Kaki)
Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa (Japanese); Marc Swint (English)
Among the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in the Sun & Moon series, Kiawe is the oldest and most experienced, being the first among them to have obtained a Z-Ring, which allows him to use "Z-Moves." He runs a dairy farm on Akala Island along with his parents. He specializes in Fire-type Pokémon, due to his being inspired by his late grandfather's words.
Lana (スイレン, Suiren)
Voiced by: Hitomi Kikuchi (Japanese); Rosie Reyes (English)
Lana is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in Sun & Moon series. She loves Water-type Pokémon and has a caring relationship with her two Pokémon partners. She finds a Sparkling Stone during a treasure hunt on Akala Island which is later made into a Z-Ring for her and a Waterium Z from a Totem Wishiwashi after she wins a battle against it.
Mallow (マオ, Mao)
Voiced by: Reina Ueda (Japanese); Rebecca Soler (Sun & Moon); Emily Cramer (Journeys) (English)
Mallow is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in the Sun & Moon series. She specializes in Grass-type Pokémon, as she has a Bounsweet, given to her by her late mother, which evolves into a Tsareena. She is also a dedicated chef who works at her family's restaurant, Aina Kitchen, and is willing to travels miles of distance to find exotic ingredients or a new recipe. After helping a longtime family friend to her father and herself and receiving a Grassium Z from the guardian deity Pokémon of Melemele Island, Tapu Koko, Mallow obtains a Z-Ring from Oranguru.
Sophocles (マーマネ, Māmane)
Voiced by: Fumiko Takekuma (Japanese); Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (English)
Sophocles is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in the Sun & Moon series. He specializes in Electric-type Pokémon and is skillful with machines. He used to have scotophobia, a fear of dark places, but overcomes it as he wants to become an astronaut. After winning a Vikavolt race, Sophocles obtains a Z-Ring from Hapu. He eventually gets his own laboratory constructed by his dad, which he uses for research.
Goh (ゴウ, Gō)
Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita; Kei Shindō (young, JN001) (Japanese); Zeno Robinson (English)
Goh is a 10-year-old Pokémon Trainer who meets Ash in Pokémon Journeys: The Series and travels with Ash throughout the world. His dream is to catch every Pokémon to work his way up to capturing the rare and Mythical Pokémon Mew. He later ends up joining Project Mew, an organization dedicated to researching and finding Mew. After Project Mew concludes, Goh parts ways with Ash to travel across Kanto alone.
Liko (リコ, Riko; Liko)
Voiced by: Minori Suzuki (Japanese); Alejandra Reynoso (English)
Liko is the female protagonist of Horizons series, who is a Pokémon Trainer from Cabo Poco in the Paldea Region. She owns a mysterious pendant which was given to her by her grandmother, Diana, who is actually the Legendary Pokémon Terapagos in a dormant state. After she is targeted by an organization known as the Explorers for her pendant, she joins the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of traveling explorers, in order to protect her pendant and travel the Pokémon world.
Roy (ロイ, Roi; Roy)
Voiced by: Yuka Terasaki (Japanese); Anjali Kunapaneni (English)
Roy is the male protagonist of Horizons series, who is a Pokémon Trainer from the Kanto Region who joins the Rising Volt Tacklers after encountering a mysterious Shiny Rayquaza. His dream is to become a great adventurer like the ones his grandfather used to tell him about when he was a child, even more when he discovers a special connection between the Shiny Rayquaza and Liko's pendant.
The series has had several major characters during its run. In addition to the above, a series of recurring characters known as Nurse Joy (ジョーイ, Joy) and Officer Jenny (ジュンサー, Junsar) appear within each town the protagonist and his friends encounter. Each are a family of identical looking sisters, with the Joy siblings treating injured Pokémon and assisting the Professor of the respective region, while the Jenny siblings acts as the local law enforcement.
