Ash Ketchum is the hero of the Pokemon television series and movies. He is 10 years old (though the show has been on the air over 10 years now), and his best friend is his first Pokemon, Pikachu. He hopes to become a Pokemon master by travelling all throughout the world, through the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions and defeating the other trainers. He is a talented trainer, however he sometimes does not think things through, resulting in losses. He relies on the help of his friends from time to time, whether that be Misty, the Cerulean City Gym leader, Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader, Tracy, a Pokemon sketch artist, May and Max, a young brother and sister combination, or Dawn, a young trainer from Sinnoh. He also is a constant foil in the plans of Team Rocket, stopping them in almost every episode of the TV show and in most of the movies as well. The typical Rockets that he faces of with are the inept Jessie and James, who are followed around by the Rocket mascot, Meowth, and James' baby Pokemon Mime Jr. His archnemeses include Gary and Paul, both of whom try to constantly dampen his spirits. Ash is a good kid who is always fighting for the greater good, and always wishes for the happiness of Pokemon over his own. He has released several of his Pokemon, particularly Charizard, Butterfree, and Pidgeot, so they could be happier. He was even prepared to let Pikachu go, but Pikachu decided to stay with Ash in the end, solidifying their friendship.In the show and movies, Ash has been played by 2 actresses, even though he is a boy. Sarah Natochenny and Veronica Taylor are the voices of Ash.