Why doesn’t Ash Ketchum sound like he used to? (Pokémon)

[@Aninok]

It's quite fitting that the newest Voice Actor almost forgot about the recording day, just like Ash did for the day of receiving his first pokémon. She was meant to be this character xD

[@PseudoShork]

True

[@brianodonnell4496]

Veronica only did at the 1990s.

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@PseudoShork Even Veronica Taylor should be way better for Ash(Kanto to Hoenn).

[@komaedakat1583]

thats what i thought too

[@galixypawerpack]

Yes

[@shippuuuden2009]

I feel so bad for Sarah Natochenny. I can't imagine dealing with all that hatred at the age of 19. I'm glad that she's doing much better now and I love her voice of Ash as much as Veronica Taylor's.

[@IamCanadian3333]

Yeah same. This is coming from someone who grew up with the anime. It was shameful of the fandom to act like that. Rivals the SW fandom nearly driving Jar Jar's actor to suicide.

[@avalanchemkii7506]

I'd honestly really like to hear her in more roles where she's not playing a young boy. The few times the Pokemon anime let's her voice characters in her natural register, she sounds quite good.

[@castform7]

I watched a video that featured a Sarah interview and she said she got death threats near the beginning of her taking the role. I felt so bad since I never had a problem with Sarah (mostly cause I sarted with DP) and even if I did, no one deserves that especially for something as simple as a character's voice change.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@castform7 Maybe if 4kids didn't do a terrible job with Dubs, Veronica would not have been fired. Sara is just another victim of circumstance.

[@Khanstant]

She definitely didn't deserve any hate or death threats. Still, some bad moves by Nintendo here. The new Ashes will always sound wrong to me, but whatever, it's for kids and they're exposed to much worse on the regs lol.

[@milestinker2178]

You left out the fact that Veronica Taylor actually changed her Ash voice about halfway through the Indigo League episodes. For the first half, her Ash voice was really deep and smooth-sounding, while in the second half, she changed her Ash voice to sound higher pitched and way more raspy. She continued to use this changed voice all way the up to the end of her time as Ash, using it in the Orange Islands, Johto, and Hoenn seasons. And it wasn't a gradual change over time, either. One episode Ash's voice is still deep and clear, the next it's pitched higher and raspy. I don't remember in which episode the second voice debuted, but it'd be pretty easy to go through each middle-season Kanto episode and find out (I'd be willing to do so if anyone is curious). *EDIT:* Alrighty, enough people asked, so I went and checked out Veronica Taylor's Ash voice in at least 30 of the midseason Kanto episodes and... it turns out that the change in her voice was a lot more gradual than I thought. While her Ash voice is definitely not the same at the start of the series from how it ended up sounding many episodes later, it seems that she did develop it over time after all, instead of instantly shifting it from sounding one way to another. Her early Ash voice remains mostly unchanged as late as "Primeape Goes Bananas", but has developed more of a rasp that wasn't there at the start of the series, and gradually gets more and more raspy as the series continues. If pressed into absolutely having to pick a single episode in which her voice first shows signs of sounding more like her later Ash voice than her early Ash voice, I'd probably have to pick "The March of the Exeggutor Squad" as the episode where Ash's voice begins its shift away from deep to sounding higher pitched. But the change really is more subtle than I remembered it being. By the time of "Beach Blanket Blastoise", however, her Ash voice has pretty much reached its final stages of development, essentially sounding the way it would sound for the remainder of Veronica Taylor's tenure of voicing Ash in the rest of Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, and part of the Battle Frontier.

[@cubah1]

I notice that in a lot of early episodes of shows. The voices always sound a tad different until the VA finds their groove. Such as Season 1 homer, season 1 bender, even Season 1 tommy Pickles sounds different. For some reason tommy sounded different again on later seasons of rugrats despite being the same VA.

[@SquishyBomb69]

Finally someone mentions this

[@purgeblue]

Also compared to early pokemon days recording studios and setups have massivly improved with better quality mics and all that stuff

[@rachaelgreen1812]

A bit like bluey season 1

[@skootergirl22]

Veronica got replaced with Sarah because apparently her voice sounded similar to the original Japanese one

[@KayMayCosplay]

It's amazing herring Veronica's voice still to this day. I've been with the series both games and anime since the start. I just met Veronica Taylor in November and I cried meeting her seeing I was waiting 20 years for that moment. I told her that she made my childhood in a world where it's OK to fail and to get up and keep trying. She told me life is like a Pokémon battle, making the right move and trying to achieve your own personal victory. She truly is my hero. It's gonna be a moment I will never forget and I will never forget how much she was hugging onto me when I told her that I waited 20 years for that moment.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Even she was way better as Ash and May.

[@Fun_Pokemon_Fan]

Even through all of those voice conflicts, Gary still has managed to keep the same English voice actor from the first ever Pokémon episode all the way to his recent appearance in the Journeys series!

[@Fun_Pokemon_Fan]

I even made a comparison that showcases the 25-year gap of that very same voice! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jH_VkqOYna2WjZo

[@lukeschanneliguess1940]

Wow cool!!

[@Nakia11798]

Of all the characters to keep their voice... It's the one we rarely see.

[@fergusmurray1828]

Gary’s VA took over the voices of James and Meowth and those of various Pokémon when it switched to TPCI.

[@Conorator]

@@fergusmurray1828 He also voices modern Professor Oak.

[@AnthonyWrightFilms]

I think the blame falls on "The Pokemon Company". To can all the original voice actors for no good reason while hiring someone with very little voice acting (Sarah did nothing wrong, she just needed more experience) experience to play one of the most iconic characters in pop culture is just crazy!

[@maganhassan2627]

It's a mystery what was REALLY going on because there are different answers according to different people of why TCPI changed the voice actors lol

[@Orphen_]

i think the blame falls on "4Kids" doing an absolute horrible job at transferring the Anime to English. Getting the dub away from 4Kids is probably the best decision they could've made, the voicing cast was just collateral damage... And it's a shame, but they had contracts with 4Kids and I think the Pokémon Company just didn't want to have to deal with that garbage company anymore. (And yes 4kids is a garbage company who don't know how to translate shows into English AT ALL.)

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

Yeah, that was a huge controversy at the time, especially since it was mid-season. Sarah did not deserve the hate she got at all; but I can understand the outrage. Fans should have known where to direct their frustrations at; the company that did the replacing, and not the new actor.

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

Is it really much of a mystery? Veronica and I think Eric Stuart said TCPI wanted to cut the costs with sound-alikes. It's simply capitalism.

[@Freaky_Tarentino_Film_Student]

@@Orphen_ 4Kids WAS a company, now it's Konami Cross Media NY. 4Kids wasn't THAT bad they just had a shit CEO who mismanaged and even called his demographic "illiterate" Plus, the edits were at the behest of the FCC who still has outrageous mandates for broadcast television. But, needless to say those mandates don't apply to cable which is why "Pokemon" got better and better at edits when it went from Kids' WB to CN.

[@EliasMorals]

I think the switching of the actresses was a really jarring. I remember watching the Hoenn anime and finding it fine when Veronica Taylor did it, but when they switched to Sarah Natochenney, it was jarring, not because it sounded bad, but it just didn't hit the same notes that i imagine TPCI wanted to hit by having her mimick Veronica Taylor's voice work. Im glad Sarah is much more comfortable in Ash's role because she, along with Veronica, sounds like she was meant for the role!

[@brianodonnell4496]

Actually, Season 9 was garbage.

[@jayo1212]

It wasn't nearly as jarring as when they switched to Jamie Peacock for the broadcast version of Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon. That was quite a shock for me!

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

Yeah, that was really the nail in the coffin for a lot of long-time Pokemon viewers to get off the train. Leading up to that, they were just milking these one-off episodes and characters for so long in Johto, and then replaced Misty for May and Max. Obviously that was more of a story issue than a dubbing one; but from a viewer's perspective; these changes were just accumulating to the point of being unrecognizable. I tried coming back during Diamond and Pearl and Black and White; but it was still too uncanny. XY gave me enough distance and nostalgia to still be fresh yet familiar; and Sarah's voice felt way more natural.

[@_ohitsrenee1421]

That Hoenn change though was crazy because you literally weren’t prepared for it as a viewer. It literally took you off guard. Especially Mays voice. It was so hard to watch the first time.

[@farrelljohnson1431]

@@brianodonnell4496 it's Pokemon chill the fuck out kid

[@centeninja4694]

It would be funny if the voice of Ash also voiced Meowth because then each of the original trios’ voice actors would have also voiced a member of Team Rocket 😂

[@yanrokbowl28]

Funny enough, there's a scene where Meowth uses a voice changing megaphone to speak as Ash. Basically, Veronica Taylor had to immitate Maddie Blaustein's New York speech pattern used for Meowth.

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@yanrokbowl28 That should be Nathan Price.

[@Tipman2OOO]

😂

[@Its_Daniel-hn6gd]

In Japanese , ash sounds more confident, strong, and able to catch my ear In English, he sounded more childish (suitable for his age), but he can be savage, put many emotion in certain situations. I love both.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Veronica Taylor was way better.

[@randomkitty2555]

@@brianodonnell4496 Yup. Only 90's kids like us who followed the show from the beginning then noticing that very obvious voice change will know.

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@randomkitty2555 4Kids was also wayback in the early 1990s.

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

Most of Ash's savageness pretty much died by Hoenn sadly...

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@Anthony-fu6cl Season 9 was a disgrace.

[@jaysundj]

I was 10 years old when they changed the voice actors and I'll never forget the community outrage on all the web forums (no social media back in 2006). It really alienated a lot of fans from the anime, myself included. Over the years I've began to get in to the series again, but the voice changes were a real kick in the childhood.

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

Yep, that was the nail in the coffin after the never-ending "character of the day" arcs that went nowhere and replacing Misty. I said it in another reply that those issues were more of a writing thing that a voice issue; but the cumulative changes for the average Pokemon fan back then was just a turnoff at that point. The voice change was the tipping point. I personally didn't come back on to the anime until XY.

[@MattZRJSRoxy]

Yup and we’ll never know the true whole story because we don’t know what 4Kids were saying to Pokémon and what Pokémon was saying to them I don’t mind too much about the current voices but I really miss Stan Hart’s Professor Oak and Michael Haigney’s Psyduck

[@clpfox470]

I stopped watching completely after that point myself

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@Anthony-fu6cl Chloe, the Alolan girls, Serena, Iris, Dawn and May?

[@nawab256]

I stop watching after the hoenn region naturally just because I felt like ash was never gonna win. it was also when Pokémon was at its peak. VT and the rest of the squad may not have been the va’s for Pokémon anymore but they were definitely the voices when Pokemon was at its peak popularity wise and time wise. They’ve voiced all the best Pokémon movies and seasons, and that alone makes them immortal.

[@leftygurl]

honestly sarah showing up late to the audition and barely knowing what job she was in for is probably the most ash thing she couldve done, mad respect

[@brianodonnell4496]

Veronica Taylor was better in the 1990s.

[@Rexred09]

@@brianodonnell4496Nostalgia bias. Though you are correct

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@Rexred09 Ash had did good gym battles in Johto and Hoenn, right?

[@Rexred09]

@@brianodonnell4496 Yes

[@brianodonnell4496]

@Rexred09 Even all of the Gym Leaders in the anime had all original voices too.

[@Vantoxify]

Ash’s Japanese voice just hits different and the evolution of the voice over the past 20 years truly feels like an evolution of the character. He sounds deeper, more serious, and badass asf. Veronica Taylor went from a little more low pitch to higher pitch but the voice is way too iconic, plus the higher pitch sounds way better. There was something missing and it was the more badass feeling moments and that’s where Sarah Natochenny comes in. At first she was way too deep in the Battle Frontier but during Diamond & Pearl, Best Wishes, and XY he sounds great and definitely feels more badass. I think he’s after getting a little too high pitch but really it all comes down to preference. I like all the voices

[@brianodonnell4496]

@Redemption Games Kids' WB, CN, Disney XD and Netflix only did in the past, present and future.

[@brianodonnell4496]

@Redemption Games Kids' WB?

[@brianodonnell4496]

@Redemption Games What about seasons 1-2?

[@brianodonnell4496]

@Redemption Games You think, Season 9 was also garbage, You ever missed the 1990s about Veronica Taylor.

[@stevenkunkle3857]

Ash Ketchum has never been badass. That's quite literally the point of his character. He's a naive brat.

[@LagannDriller024]

I met Both English voice actors and Japanese voice actor They are all super nice!! Especially Veronica Taylor if you haven’t seen her at a convention yet you definitely should!

[@666blaziken]

She also has a heart of gold, everyone sometimes teases Ash as a character because he isn't the best Pokemon battler, but at a convention, someone asked Veronica what her favorite part about Ash was, and she said that she liked how Ash went out of his way to help people and take time out of his journey for all of the side characters. It made ash wholesome

[@LagannDriller024]

@@666blaziken I am a huge ash/Satoshi fan I feel the same way he takes his time to help anyone and everyone Do you have a favorite thing about ash? I

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@666blaziken The first movie?

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@LagannDriller024 Even for "Season 9: Battle Frontier", that becomes garbage, trash, disposable, etc.

[@LagannDriller024]

@@brianodonnell4496 what?

[@pyguy7]

Ok that second clip of Sarah Natochenny is WAY better. She sounds way more natural there and it just comes across as more genuine. The quality is so good and her acting is fantastic. She found her version of Ash and it shows much better. Goes to show you don't need to always sound exactly alike someone else.. finding your own style can be better in long run.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Season 9 was also garbage.

[@untrustfool]

Exactly my thoughts, she sounds so off when she’s trying to imitate Veronica Taylor, I’m glad she found her own way of voice acting Ash!

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@untrustfool 4Kids did the rights for Pokemon.

[@untrustfool]

@@brianodonnell4496 ??? i dont know what you’re saying

[@TheCartoonGamer8000]

A few things I want to point out, just for a bit of extra clarity - Eric Stuart was the original voice of Brock, but he wasn't actually the first voice of James. That was actually Ted Lewis (Giovanni from Team Rocket, Tracey, etc.), who Eric Stuart replaced about 8 episodes in. The first 5 seasons were actually recorded at a studio called TAJ Productions before 4Kids dubbed it in-house for S6-8, then with the voice change, The Pokemon Company took the dub back to TAJ for S9-10, before going with DuArt from S11-22, and Iyuno Media S23-present. In terms of the voice replacement, long story short, the majority of the cast was replaced, though there were a few actors who stayed on board, including some who hadn't been on the show in a number of years, but it's a very complicated matter. Kayzie Rogers was also various Pokemon like Cyndaquil, Totodile, Eevee, Mr. Mime and most famously Wobbuffet until her retirement after the XY series.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Eric Stuart was also way better for Brock.

[@ishmael802]

Yeah. Taj actually out bid 4Kids to TPCI for cheaper rate. After the first two season, Taj went out of business when Pokemon left

[@TheCartoonGamer8000]

@@ishmael802 Not true. I spoke with the founder of TAJ and he cleared up most of the rumors surrounding the series. There’s a video on my channel going into further details on the matter.

[@ishmael802]

@@TheCartoonGamer8000 link?

[@TheCartoonGamer8000]

@@ishmael802 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGGynJWkpMaJm6c&pp=ygUTcG9rZW1vbiBkdWIgaGlzdG9yeQ%3D%3D

[@KikiAelita]

I remember when it went from 4Kids to TPC and there were banners on fansites and signature badges on forums for 'Save the Dub!' to try and show support to get the cast used in 4Kids to be the cast for TPC. It failed, obviously.

[@samuel-wankenobi]

I don’t mind the TPC dub but some characters voices are not as good

[@KikiAelita]

@@samuel-wankenobi I really think the TPC dub's script and music are a lot flatter. I feel like 4Kids might have changed more, but their changes tended to give the show more emotional and humorous range.

[@GeteMachine]

@@KikiAelita 4Kids is also what made the show more comical because of their looser script and the adult jokes they through in. The TPC is just a bit too straight-faced to me, especially B/W.

[@samuel-wankenobi]

@@GeteMachine that’s is because they where making it closer to the Japanese version then 4kids

[@cmcgoogle1687]

@@GeteMachine On the website Change (ending in org), there's a petition to bring back the original Pokemon English Dub actors. Help Bring Back the Original Main Voice Actors and Re-Dub Pokémon from Seasons 9 & Onward!

[@friendlyotaku9525]

I have so much love and respect for Sarah Natochenny. She was subject to a lot of hate in the beginning but she didn't let it deter her and kept going and since she started as Ash she has hugely improved and has really come into her own with Ash. And her Ash is the Ash I grew up with, so she is MY Ash (as well as Ash to a WHOLE generation I imagine!) though I do have a lot of love and respect for Veronica Taylor who was also fantastic in her own right!

[@supervegito2277]

It certainly sounds like the original cast got done super dirty... but thats not the fault of the new cast, so yeah dont blame them.

[@0yourmom019]

I’m with you! I grew up with her ash as well!!

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@0yourmom019 Veronica Taylor would be way better for him.

[@indorfan]

@Brian O'Donnel shut.

[@Alex-eb6je]

@@brianodonnell4496 I agree, I strongly prefer Veronica's Ash voice but she got fired 16 years ago so there's nothing we can do. Though strangely enough James Carter Cathcart, the voice of Meowth and James, was allowed to participate in the Pokemon USA dub even though he worked at 4Kids like Veronica Taylor which is pretty weird.

[@aisadal2521]

Ooh, never thought I'd see you cover Ash and his changing VAs! 🥰

[@brianodonnell4496]

Veronica Taylor did at the 90s.

[@Exploding_Cacti]

I love Veronica’s version of Ash the most but Sara has it pretty well! Once she got comfortable being the character, that’s when she really started to sit well in the role. At least, that’s how I feel about it. :)

[@brianodonnell4496]

4Kids did the rights with Pokemon.

[@ishmael802]

I was honestly suprised how well she adapted. I remember in 2006 looking at the new voice and being shocked. Then in 2017 looking at the voice again and thinking this sound more natural must be a new VA. It was the Same VA. Kudos to her for holding it down for 17 years as Ash

[@hdfsyu]

OH MY GOD THE NOSTALGIA HIT ME HARD i love the first pokemon movie its amazing

[@brianodonnell4496]

It was way better than the remake.

[@GamingMaster43210]

@@brianodonnell4496 YES 👏

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@GamingMaster43210 Kids' WB was from the 1990s.

[@GamingMaster43210]

@@brianodonnell4496 yeah so?

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@GamingMaster43210 They had old WB shows.

[@Pitrek1113]

In Poland (which wasn't even shown in 0:59, btw.) retains for the most part the same voice actors for main characters since the beginning. One time after two-year hiatus (which happened after airing of Advanced in 2006), TPCi took the care over the Polish dub and the Diamond and Pearl's first season had a new voice cast, which was also critically received by fans, often mentioning casting a voice actor for Ash instead of retaining his first voice actress. However, with some fan output, Battle Dimension brought back almost the first cast (with exception of Jessie and Oak - they kept their voices from the second cast) and they're voicing to this day (sadly the first narrator, who his VA was voicing him for 20+ years passed away in 2020 and instead of getting the second narrator from S10 back, they took another va instead.) Despite making an uproar after changing the first cast, something good happened. Mainly with locations, moves and people names in Polish. Before then there was no naming list, which it would let keep naming scheme consistently, the lack of it created an enormous pool of names that were giving over the first six seasons (like the move Tackle had 38 (!) different names before the new va recast, which the new dub still uses one name for this move after many years.) So in Poland, despite not having games in native language, this makes the dub of anime (from S10 onward) the official source of official names.

[@madnessarcade7447]

Most people knew they changed VAs when I was a kid I thought ash hit puberty I realized it was a different VA by mid Gen 4

[@yanrokbowl28]

People still like to use the "puberty" joke.

[@nateoscar2950]

Yeah that's what I assumed too. I wish they would use Veronica for dubbing flashbacks.

[@Whocares158]

Puberty. That's a good way to see it.

[@madnessarcade7447]

@@yanrokbowl28 wasn’t making a joke I just didn’t know about the VA change

[@madnessarcade7447]

@@nateoscar2950 that would feel inconsistent

[@holzman00]

I still remember that first episode with the new voices back in 2006. I didn’t believe the voice was coming from Ash until the camera showed him talking. Such a jarring, abrupt change. But I’ve come to appreciate the new voices too.

[@brianodonnell4496]

I wanted to say, Season 9 was pure garbage.

[@jayo1212]

The broadcast of Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon, I remember that, and had the same thoughts!

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

Yeah, it was a complete turnoff to the series. I couldn't come back fully until XY.

[@jayo1212]

@@Anthony-fu6cl I wanted to do the same, but the blood oath I had sworn to the series 3 years before forbade me from doing so. Fortunately, season 9 was tolerable.

[@jayo1212]

@@Anthony-fu6cl actually, it was not as much of a complete turnoff for me as the Sun and Moon series was. I wanted to leave then, but once again, the blood oath prevented me.

[@GeteMachine]

13:36 her impression there didn't sound too bad when it was softer and lower there where as her current voice sounds more like a deeper version of dawn.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Who missed Veronica Taylor voicing Ash in 1998 and May in 2003?

[@GamingMaster43210]

100% yes

[@OHKOKyle]

As much as I love the old dub, it’s no comparison to the any of the Japanese Sub! Rica Matsumoto just fits, such a great singer/actress

[@marcopikachujibanyan]

It’s Interesting how He still Remains 10 years old to this day somehow🙂

[@Orel-]

He didn't even seem like a 10 year old originally LMAO

[@Dracovenatrix]

He’s immortal

[@yq_7865]

At this point they should raise his age, the show has been going downhill for some time now and they might as well raise their audience level to get their viewership back up, nobody’s gonna be watching a 10 year old forever

[@madnessarcade7447]

Because it’s fiction

[@7thsaga662]

Maggie can explain how.

[@omnipresentnoob4776]

Sarah's Ash is the one I grew up (literary the first season she started to voice Ash, Battle Frontier) so much respect to for continuing to this day

[@brianodonnell4496]

Season 9 could be more trash.

[@masturch33f87]

In the Swedish version. After all these years we still have the same voice actor for Ash and I love him for it!

[@skiploom.]

Same sad jerounyes dosnt have a swe dub

[@oppoexpunged]

:(

[@supersentaii5590]

Same here in Hindi dub, although the series has been dubbed more than 2 times in two different channels but in 1 the voice actor is still the same

[@SweaterPuppys]

As a big fan of Veronica Taylor imagine how excited I was to see her voice one of my favorite Fire Emblem characters after voicing a character from my favorite anime

[@brianodonnell4496]

Even she was better for Ash.

[@jwanie366]

6:41 that's not entirely true. Along with Kayzie Rogers who you mention later in the video, one other voice actor remained with the series after the dub change: James Carter Cathcart. Like Kayzie, Carter also voiced many minor/recurring characters (with Gary Oak being his most prominent one); he took over as the voice of James, Meowth and Professor Oak in the TPCi era. Like many others, I was definitely disappointed when TPCi made the decision to recast Ash (and almost everyone else). As time went on though, I grew to really like Sarah’s portrayal of the character. I think she really improved once she stopped trying to imitate Veronica Taylor. Of course I’ll always appreciate Veronica for bringing Ash to life in the beginning

[@brianodonnell4496]

Nathan Price was the original voice of Meowth at the wayback.

[@jayo1212]

To be honest, I found Sarah to at least be tolerable compared to Jaime Peacock's voice...

[@HMMadsen]

I see people in the comments who talk about the voice actor for Ash of their country, so I guess I can do that too In Denmark, we've had Mathias Klenske as the sole voice of Ash ever since the first episode, and I still watch the Danish dub to this day because I really love his take on Ash (even if he made Ash's voice gradually higher pitched because his own normal voice became deeper as he grew older)

[@Zaya512]

My sister and I have been watching the current anime run on netflix and recently went back to watch a gen 4 episode because it was her favorite and found Ash's voice then verses now jarring even though that was also Natochenneny. I also watch a lot of pokemon related videos that often have clips of Taylor's Ash and feel Sarah Natochenneny sounds more like Taylor now then she did when she was trying too. I find the differince between Natochenneny's current Ash voice and Taylor's Ash voice less jarring than Natochenny early on verses now.

[@brianodonnell4496]

4Kids did the rights.

[@jayo1212]

@@brianodonnell4496 until season 9. As jarring as the voice change was, I'm glad to be rid of 4Kids.

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@jayo1212 That cannot be true?

[@jayo1212]

@@brianodonnell4496 but it is!

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@jayo1212 Season 9 was also trash to the Advanced Generation.

[@OshawottLuke]

Grew with latinamerican dub, learned like 2 years ago about the big backlash regarding the change of the voice actors in the English dub, starting with that honestly painful to listen to Mirage Island special. I like Sarah as Ash but not so much in the last seasons where the pitch has just gone too high. In the latinamerican dub, Ash had his voice changed from the first guy to the current one in season 13, and both voices are great. I love both, the recent one is excellent and the old one too. Of course some people on the internet don't like the recent one but that's not a generalized thing, there wasn't a backlash or anything because of the change. Just something that happened and everyone just accepted it I guess. The rocket trio has always had the same voice (except for a few episodes when actors become sick or whatever, and less than 5 movies because of distribution and dub rights), though Jessie's voice actress, Diana Pérez, sadly died last year, cause of death not revealed yet. And she did an amazing work, the role of a lifetime, it can be either an episode from 1999, 2012 or from 2019 and you'll hear her voice in it.

[@chocov1233]

May Diana Pérez rest in peace. Thank you for sharing friend.

[@kasamikona]

"They reached out to some experts - 4kids entertainment" this caught me off guard

[@dwainsimmons3447]

4kids dubs of Pokémon and Yugioh are way better than the crappy DIC/Cloverway dub of Sailor Moon.

[@FalconsEye58094]

I remember being one of the many who was very confused and unhappy when the voice actors all changed, by this point those people have been playing the voice longer than the originals

[@galixypawerpack]

Dear Natochnny… I grew up watching Pokémon Sun and Moon so you were my childhood I really love your voice for Ash keep on doing what you love I’ll be here waiting your every move ((in a good way I’m not trying to sound like a weirdo)) Again I love your voice thank you for all you’ve done -signed dearly Galixy…

[@galixypawerpack]

I just feel like seeing this again soo… Ya I grew up watching Pokémon sun and moon so I’m just really grateful that she got the role I feel so bad that she had so much whiplash from all the fans she’s really a great voice actor I actually felt bad for her when she got whiplash from the fans keep on doing what you love you go girl!

[@adrian_orozco]

I really enjoy all the different voices. As a 30-something, obviously Veronica Taylor is the voice of my childhood but it makes sense canonically that Ash's voice would change, I just wish that the direction would have been to make it slightly deeper as Ash "aged".

[@_jaz13_]

I honestly think that Sarah natochenny’s voice fits the animation style of the newer episodes

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

Because she's been the voice of him for over a decade lol

[@VeggiePopper]

@@Anthony-fu6cl Nah. It's because since Sun & Moon Ash's redesign looks much younger and more cartoony, and Sarah's take in the character makes hum sound younger than Veronica's.

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

@@VeggiePopper but she started voicing him in battle frontier and in XYZ he looked the oldest he's ever been

[@VeggiePopper]

@@Anthony-fu6cl I agree, late Hoenn and Sinnoh was were Ash looked the oldest, followed by late Kalos (XYZ). That being said, though, the original comment says "Sara Natochenny's voice FITS (...) the NEWER episodes". So they're talking especifically about the modern series (Sun & Moon, Journeys), not when Sarah started playing the role.

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@VeggiePopper The older episodes were way better with Veronica Taylor.

[@bridgetgemini8942]

I remember the time when the voice actors were replaced so clearly, there was such a big outrage from the community. Like I remember going to a convention in like, 2007 and someone handing me a flyer for SOVA and being like :o i can't believe they'd do this to the the VAs. I probs still have the flyer somewhere actually, I kept a lot of that old con stuff because they're cool relics to the ye olde times of anime. But anyway, it's dumb in hindsight. It wasn't the VAs fault and no one deserves hate or death threats over it. Sarah Natochenny actually plays Ash really well!

[@D0VEGUM]

In Sweden the same guy has been voicing ash since the start, he’s 61 years old and is still doing the voice Edit: considering I have no one else to share this with, here are some more fun facts about the Swedish dubbed Pokémon anime if anyone is interested: - Misty is tied with nurse joy for most amount of voice actors, both with five. I think the one in second is meowth - Iirc Swedish Brock is voiced by the same guy that does Batman in Swedish - Misty’s first voice was Anna Book, who is a pretty well known Swedish signer - James va has also been around since the start and apparently he originally didn’t want to audition but was pressured to and deliberately made a stupid voice not to get picked, turns out he got picked for the voice anyway and James voice has stayed the same since - in os and johto moves names where translated and the Pokémon names where pronounced like they would be in Swedish (for example: Squirtle was pronounced Skveertel) - the only Pokémon name that is still being pronounced with the os and johto pronouncation is Pikachu, and that’s just how most Swedes say that Pokémons name nowadays (the way we say it is similar to how pikachu says it itself)

[@callmeaprilroseorisha404]

What’s your country

[@marvj13]

would be interested in knowing which country this might be... this sounds awesome

[@D0VEGUM]

The answer is Sweden!

[@nanoyakob]

I can tell

[@blahblahblahgames2986]

@@callmeaprilroseorisha404 thats the dumbest question i've ever heard

[@theishyldgaardhansen2202]

In Denmark. We always had the same voice actor for Ash Ketchum since the beginning, but he had changed his voice for Ash during the Best Wishes saga (Black and White anime) and has used that voice ever since

[@mak_707]

I like Sarah's Ash. She made him sound more confident and mature in the advanced, DP, BW and XY series. Ash's voice was redirected to sound more childish in SM and Journeys but it's still fine.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Veronica's Ash is way better.

[@mak_707]

@@brianodonnell4496 That's cool.

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@mak_707 Kids' WB had all anime shows including all eight of the anime.

[@zambee1219]

@@brianodonnell4496 so what???

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@zambee1219 Kids' WB had all of the old shows(including Pokemon).

[@alexbryda]

i agree it still sounds dang near close tho, i grew up on pokemon ❤ im 28 and haven't kept up with the franchise over the past 10 years when i tuned in i had to google is this still the same voice actress that voiced him when i was kid🙏🤘Also the timeline, did they ever reboot him or has this been an actual continuation from the OG anime when i was a kid? I watched it a lot in the early 2000s, i plan on going back and fully re experiencing the whole series as an adult, and i just recently saw one of the newer movies "i choose you" and the scene with Ash and Pikachu made this grown man cry😂 😔 it was like seeing my whole childhood flash before my eyes😢 tue series still hits, hits even harder all grown up🙏

[@Chubby_Bub]

Fun fact: Cartoon Network's MAD did a sketch called "Pokémonsters Inc." where Ash Ketchum tried to catch the monsters from the Pixar film. In the Spanish dub, they used the actual Spanish voice actor for Ash, making it even funnier.

[@brianodonnell4496]

The nowadays were also trash.

[@electronspark6740]

I'm actually watch Japanese version first, and I love both English actor's voice. But to be honest, the second Ash in English sounds far more like the original Japanese Satoshi than the first one.

[@Goblin_Hands]

Japan seems to treat their Voice Actors better. Changing Snake's Voice Actor for MGS5 is still jarring, it almost feels more natural to have the entire franchise die like with the case of Silent Hill. At least Konami kept Voice Actors like Eric Stuart as Seto Kaiba. THANK GOD.

[@yachatta5997]

I loooove Rica Matsumoto ❤️ Her Satoshi and Bakura are spectacular

[@LeczoLubie_010]

fun fact:in Polish dubbing it is dubbed for all these years by one person (actually it was from what I remember that someone else started dubbing it but the one who dubbed it came back)

[@quonit37]

I remember the first voice actor switch. I would watch the pokemon anime as these reuploads on youtube- Generally much, much lower quality than the original show. And the episode where they switched the actors was just a random mid season episode, and ALL of the comments were people talking about how weird their voices were. Nobody even knew the plot of the episode because we were all just so distracted by the change. I don't even remember the plot to this day!

[@CwapPlatinum]

I love these videos where we get to learn about the differences and evolution of the voices!

[@CwapPlatinum]

@mr nobody Thanks I never asked!

[@ViktorErikFade]

I may have had a small crush as a very young kid on vetonnica Taylor's version of ash Ketchum when I saw him sitting around a campfire having a serious talk about Pokemon and friendship...... But I feel Sara Natochenny's voice is the improved version of Veronica's ! Honestly ! It sounds almost the exact same but without the slight weird and crisp audio sound the 90's and 3000's ash had to his voice Almost like the - not raspy ness, but it sounds clearer than the original. It was such a weird culture shock the first time when I was older and realized I could tell a difference in his voice and how I never noticed it as a kid haha tbh probably because I never had anything to compare it to, Both hold a special place in my heart now

[@brianodonnell4496]

If Veronica Taylor was way better for Ash or May, yes.

[@princesspeachtoadstool3953]

Veronica will always be my favorite Ash voice. Indigo League was my childhood so I have a soft spot for Kanto/Johto Ash.

[@brianodonnell4496]

How about Hoenn Ash and the original May in the anime?

[@princesspeachtoadstool3953]

@@brianodonnell4496 I didn’t get to watch that season as a kid.

[@jeerassik]

To me they sound very similar and I feel the new voice actor does an amazing job at capturing the character

[@brianodonnell4496]

Sinnoh was way trashy.

[@m1nd_fl4y3r_m80]

Sarah's version of Ash is amazing and I'm super glad she never let that hate get to her.

[@RedDotInABlueState91]

Me too..She is amazing.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Veronica's version is better.

[@mattstonge7112]

Sadly, that just made certain people think she's stuck up or arrogant.

[@Haquize]

Would love to see Thomas do one do these for the Sonic series or even just Sonic himself, especially with the news Ryan gave in a 2019 interview that Sega basically told 4Kids to not consider using their original game cast for Sonic X in 2003.

[@connorbeith3232]

Dude literally did that 5 months ago lol

[@MGLpr0]

Original cast from Sonic Adventure series wasn't very good tbh, and Sega later hired VA's from Sonic X to dub their games, starting from Shadow the Hedgehog, and ending with Sonic and the Black Knight. Then they changed the cast completely in Colors(haven't really looked into it why though)

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@MGLpr0 What about the Fox Box?

[@lordkiza8838]

Wow ash can do a great Bart Simpson impressions

[@TheGamersState]

Honestly; Sarah's depiction of Ash is really good! I don't have any issue with it.

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

Tell me you weren't a kid in the 90s without telling me...

[@wattsonsplug]

@@Anthony-fu6cltell me your biased without telling me your bias

[@GamingMaster43210]

@@wattsonsplug Tell me you don’t care about Pokémon without telling me you don’t care about Pokémon

[@wattsonsplug]

@@GamingMaster43210 bruh Sarah is the goat, voice wasn’t too high nor too low, she made is perfect

[@GamingMaster43210]

@@wattsonsplug I will send you to the perfect man. 🥊

[@Lps_fruityyy]

I love the “new” Ash Sara fits him sm it’s great!!

[@madnessarcade7447]

I think ash’s different voices suit where he stood as a trainer Veronica as ash fit the more short tempered immaturity and that he didn’t know what he was doing While his new voice has occasional immaturity it’s more fitting to his more laid back style and maturity when it comes to training Pokémon Why does there have to be a war over who’s better Can’t we appreciate both interpretations And what they bring It’s been 20 years people get over it Chances are more kids probably grew up with Sarah as ash since she was around longer People just need to come around to Sarah already she does her best and her take on his voice is unique Better than when she originally tried to impersonate Veronica

[@unknownmxn7683]

I mean yeah you are right, to me I still prefer Tayler over natochenny since I grew hearing her voice ash, there are thing that are hard to let go

[@Supermariorpg6]

Nah

[@fishnewt1331]

@@Supermariorpg6: You do you, but stay respectful. I personally am fine with Sarah’s Ash and think it’s ridiculous the hate she got when it isn’t even her decision. She can’t bring Veronica Taylor back and shouldn’t be the one faced with the idiots not understanding how decisions are made regarding production.

[@IamCanadian3333]

@@unknownmxn7683 I used to prefer Taylor's, though honestly, Natochenny's has grown on me. Coming form someone who grew up with the anime. I guess nostalgia isn't as strong with me.

[@unknownmxn7683]

@@IamCanadian3333 its sad ain't it, knowing your favorite will no longer voice a fan favorite character

[@cdscissor]

12:23 Yeahhh I think she embodies Ash pretty well.

[@Jscsonic]

Dude I love these videos so much, keep up the great work!

[@basma5cureibrahim2352]

Veronica Taylor's Ash: Iconic! Knows how to roast! Sarah Natochenny's Ash: Less Raspy Ash! Rica Matsumoto's Satoshi (Ash): Japaneseish fits him very welll Jamie Peacock/Kayzie Rogers: Heck No, I'm so sorry right now this voice isn't right for him and his personality and Her Voice is a bit better for Max

[@shawnsmallwood3099]

Your content is pretty good dude

[@MinecraftPony155]

He still sounds very similiar in the English dub. Some othe dubs have had it much worse because the voice actors died or refused to continue due to disagreements with the dubbing company.

[@shayne537]

I noticed his voice changed in Pokémon Battle Frontier.

[@matchdubone4875]

Amazing job with the different voices of Ash Ketchum.

[@brianodonnell4496]

1998: Yes. 2022: No.

[@ItsKurry]

It was a bumpy start in the beginning but ever loved her and how she is doing the voice acting of ash today is amazing and how it became her own ash as she did it And Thomas did a great job this something he should be celebrating because I hope he gets a lot of likes and subscribers

[@thefirstguyjaek255]

I’ve gotten really used to Sarah Natochenny now. I love Veronica Taylor but Sarah does a great job

[@brianodonnell4496]

4Kids did the rights to Pokemon.

[@Goblin_Hands]

Veronica Taylor voiced Ash for 8 years, so up to Season 8 of Advanced Battle. I did enjoy certain things PUSA did do, like introducing the new rival Paul, but sadly even when they finally brought Gary back, it never felt the same. Pokemon probably should have concluded for Ash after the Silver Conference (like it did for Red after Gold/Silver), but it didn't and them continuing after losing the entire voice actor team is basically nails in the coffin. They finally let Ash retire, but this whole time after they left it felt like a zombified corpse of Ash continuing his role of never aging. The new art style was like Crimson Head Ash.

[@the_legend_of_xd]

In the German version there were also three different voices: First Caroline Combrinck had the role. Since she moved to the USA in 2001, Veronika Neugebauer got the role. Even though unpopular at first, fans got used to her voice. She voiced the role until her untimely death in 2009. From then on, Caroline Combrinck took over again. With season 19, the dubbing studio changed for cost reasons, and almost all Pokémon got new voices (before, each Pokemon had its own voice actor, now a few took over all Pokemon). Due to disagreements between Caroline Combrinck and the dubbing studio, Felix Mayer took over the role from movie 19/season 20. As I understand it, he is not very popular. Team Rocket, Misty and Brock have kept their voices, though.

[@TheDarkRenegade491]

It’s cool to learn about different language dubs

[@MisterYeko]

i remember how ash sounded like in the Pokemon i choose you movie from 2017. and it does not very used to for ash german voice, he sounded an adult rather than having a young pitch.

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@MisterYeko The remake was kinda trash.

[@MisterYeko]

@@brianodonnell4496 and?

[@brianodonnell4496]

@@MisterYeko They don't have Brock and Misty without their original voices.

[@iidaemii]

Late to this video, but I have to say that I love what you discussed! Of course it makes sense to change voice actors from time to time, but the responses the original cast got as to why they were replaced... I feel so bad for them. I myself grew up with the later seasons, the Black and White seasons to be more exact, and so I grew up with hearing Sarah Natochenny. I always thought that she sounded good! But I will agree that it is weird that they got Natochenny when she hadn't done many roles before... cuz like, for me personally I had never heard of her before. I also wanna mention that in the dubbing of Pokémon from my country, in the Norwegian dub, Ash has had the same voice actor since the first Pokémon season (they actually had a guy play Ash, which is different from the English and Japanese version), and that is Nils-Martin Crawfurd!

[@brianodonnell4496]

Cartoon Network, Disney XD and Netflix were garbage.

[@gladio8204]

I genuinely thought that the anime changed voices to show that the characters had aged lmao. I knew about all this before the video, but after hearing Ash in Sinnoh I was just like “oh he’s finally older”. Shame that there was so much misinformation. I don’t dislike either cast, I think they both feel good for the time period they voiced their characters in.

[@brianodonnell4496]

They like Ash in Kanto to Hoenn better with Veronica Taylor.

[@sakada3291]

oh dang i just realized u really like phantom troupe theme song (requiem aranea) such man of culture

[@JQAlchemist]

This has got to be my favorite video from you, so far. Veronica Taylor has always been my favorite version of Ash, but I do respect Sarah Natochenny for pushing on with her current Ash role. I had my criticism of the new voice in the past, though it's not as harsh as the Twitter quote you showed. But I back peddled on it and I have new found appreciation for Sarah's version of Ash, especially now since I watch the new episodes with my niece.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Veronica Taylor did the works for 4Kids.

[@plantdaddy7738]

can confirm meet Veronica Taylor. i was a huge fan of the show and growing with it early 2000's didn't know she was going to be around. so happy I had that convo beautiful lady in every aspect

[@Newportal1]

Yeah, I grew up in the old days of Ash being voiced by Veronica Taylor. By the time Sarah came on to the scene in 2006, I was already 3 years off pokemon due to it not being cool in High School. So While I was sad that Veronica Taylor was no longer voicing Ash, I really didn't get angry at all. I'm glad the new group stuck with it and made it their own. For many children, Sarah Natocheny is their Ash Ketchum, and I do not want to ruin that just for my own nostalgia. Besides, isn't pokemon all about change and evolution?

[@brianodonnell4496]

Who can remember Kids' WB?

[@adiorxby]

1997 - 2006 was Veronica Taylor, and 2006 - 2023 was Sarah Natochenny, thats why his voice sounds different.

[@abbiechungac]

Even tho I still don't like the new voice for Ash, I don't think she deserves any of the death threats or hate since all of this is out of her control. If anyone is going to complain, they should've taken it straight to the Pokemon USA company

[@CheeseGodfrfr]

I Gotta Say, I fall in Love with The New voice For ash! It's So Good and unique! Sarah Is Doing an AMAIZING job! And Thank You for Making this Video, I Learnd Alot :)

[@randytyson]

Had ash simply been allowed to finish his story & age. The actors voices would be more fitting with time

[@RedDotInABlueState91]

When I turned on that Battle Frontier episode with the new voices, I kept watching episodes hoping the usual voices would return, they never did (not aware of contract stuff). I was sad but I got used to it because I loved Pokemon and didn't care too much, then I grew to love Sarah Natochenny's Ash by mid Diamond and Pearl. Diamond and Pearl is my favorite series of the show. I've been watching every season since 1998. I did love the original Ash.

[@brianodonnell4496]

And then, 4Kids did better with Veronica Taylor's Ash in OS and AG.

[@thomashost272]

Personally, my favorite seasons are X&Y, X&Y: Kalos Quest, and XYZ. I love the more competent writing they gave Ash, and the voice goes perfectly.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Even missed about Serena and her old look with long hair and Clemont and Bonnie.

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

He was competent all the way through until Diamond and Pearl. They just decided to make him an absolute buffoon in Black and White!

[@thomashost272]

@@Anthony-fu6cl You call using Thunderbolt on his own Flying Type, Sending a Caterpie to fight a Pidgeot when he had an Electric Type, using an unreliable pokemon in the Indigo League, and refusing to catch Legendaries for several in-universe years is competent? He only started getting truly competent late into DPPl, trashed his competence in BW, and gained it all back in XYZ, then Ash regressed back to Indigo League Ash for the first half of Alola, and progressed enough to get about to late DPPl levels of competence around the middle point of SM, and he's still around that level of competence currently as far as I'm aware.

[@Krongle]

Congratulations on 500,000

[@nidatantan8000]

Not yet

[@Kirkpad]

I will admit that I'm not a huge fan of Sarah's new Ash. I liked the first example when she was trying to be more deep like Veronica. Personally I find the new voice to be too high pitched, or not boyish enough? I know it sounds bad to say it's too feminine. I've not watched much of the show after the 4Kids days so my opinion also means nothing.

[@inyrui]

It is true though. When I hear Ash talk all I can think of is Sarah's voice lol. It's especially weird since his voice has just gotten higher as if puberty hit him in reverse. Imo she does not fit the character at all

[@ceciliaforsell6053]

i really enjoy these why doesn't ____ sound like they used to videos a lot i love seeing who was voiceing our favourite charathers

[@petersaysthings]

I still love Veronica Taylor the best, though if I watch a few episodes with Sarah, I can quickly get used to it. That said, Sarah's Ash still isn't as good or consistent as it could be. Also, maybe it's just how the more modern episodes are written, but Ash can be a lot more annoying than he ever was in Indigo League, and the show feels more dumbed down than it used to be. I still enjoy all the eras, but I can't sit through newer episodes as much as I could the old. They just feel...mentally exhausting lol.

[@Anthony-fu6cl]

I agree completely. It's more about the writing issues that make the show feel like Dora the Explorer than Pokemon, but the new ones just don't do it for me.

[@IcyAngels452]

Yeah, I think it's more so a script issue than the actors. Ash doesn't have the same sass that he used to and the writing isn't as sharp.

[@physicskid]

I remember Mel Blanc's role on The Flintstones as Barney Rubble. Then one day I discover Barney's voice had changed. I didn't have the hatred which Saran experienced but it made me realize, with time, folks come and go. Job positions are not secure like they are in Japan where folks work for companies from cradle to death. There are good points and there are bad points with any setup. Heck even on The Simpsons Marge's voice has changed but it's not worth having high blood pressure over. Veronica came in when I was in high school, I still adore her and Rachal Lillis' Misty, that's all which matters to me!

[@NotProbablyKam]

He sounds like he gained confidence, a lot of it.

[@hlmilky3062]

This is a detailed video covering all angles. Thank u!

[@midnight1978]

In German, Ash also had like 3 voices. Tho I'm not the biggest fan of his newest one, since it sounded so much more different than the other two used to be

[@GumikoVT]

To this day I still can't watch any pokemon anime since they changed ashes voice actor, bc I'm still so used to his original voice.

[@kennethbill6013]

It's character development. In the early episodes ash was brash and inexperienced, hence he sounds so gruff. Later, after all his adventures, he became more laid back and less judgemental, thus more soft spoken and humble

[@brianodonnell4496]

- Yes: Veronica Taylor's original Ash(1-5; Gen. 1-2). 👍 - Yes: Veronica Taylor's AG Ash(Hoenn/Battle Frontier). 👍 - No: Sarah Natochenny's Ash(Battle Frontier). 👎 - No: Sarah Natochenny's Ash(Diamond & Pearl; Sinnoh). 👎 - No: Sarah's Natochenny's Ash(Best Wishes/Black & White; Unova). 👎 - No: Sarah Natochenny's Ash(XYZ; Kalos). 👎 - No: Sarah Natochenny's Ash(Sun & Moon; Alola). 👎 - No: Sarah Natochenny's Ash(M20-22). 👎 - No: Sarah Natochenny's Ash(2019 series/M23). 👎 - Yes: Syndication, Kids' WB and 4Kids. 👍 - No: TPCi, Cartoon Network, Disney XD and Netflix. 👎

[@zdelrod829]

Fun Voice Actor Roles fact: Veronica Taylor also voices Carly Carmine from Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's (which started airing in the US about 1 month and 4 days prior to the start of Pokemon Season 9, which Taylor stopped voicing Ash). Eric Stuart (Brock and James' voice actor) played Seto Kaiba in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, and Kaiba again in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Side of Dimensions movie.

[@megapokekid1]

Another Fun Fact: After the 4Kids cast stopped voicing the characters, they dubbed Dinosaur King. The main character, Max is voiced by Veronica Taylor who uses the exact same voice as Ash.

[@jessicahvoice7545]

Much respect to Sarah Natochenny for pushing through all of that hatred. I'm glad more of the fanbase has accepted her. That said, even to this day, her voice for Ash just never grew on me. I really want to like her voice, but ever since the recast, all of the voices just sound forced to me, so its hard to sit through the current anime without cringing every other line. 😅 I'm not a huge fan of the voices for new characters either. The writing and directing could be part of it. A bad script or director can make a great voice actor sound...not so great.

[@inyrui]

Same haha. I just can't buy her as Ash. He sounds like he's aging backwards. He seemed older in the original episodes

[@angelicpretty777]

english anime dubs all sound forced to me. its just how they come off for some reason. stick with subs, people. itll save your life.

[@stevenkunkle3857]

It's just so bad!! Shallow voice acting with practically zero voice inflection. You get a better tone from a drive through worker.

[@thatsprettyfarfetchd9888]

@@stevenkunkle3857 Honestly, I prefer her take on Ash. I think it's because I started the anime with Black and White originally. But, since then I have watched all the episodes and I do like Ash's newer voice more. t's unfair to call it worse than a drive through worker...

[@cya_synchro1308]

@@inyrui He is 10 years old

[@WilbertBeltman]

love the video! one tiny thing that kinda bothered me which also doesn't matter that much, (but still like to point out) is that when you talk about Ash sounding different, you put up Diamond & Pearl Ash and Journeys Ash, but those are voiced by the same person,

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

the strange thing is, Sarah Natochenny sounds more like Veronica's Ash in the more recent stuff, than when she was trying to copy Veronica's voice.

[@brianodonnell4496]

Sarah replaced Veronica in 2006.

[@WooFooBattlefield]

It would be interesting if you get to investigate about the Latin American Spanish dub, so everyone can get to know how passionate they have been. I think Ash's former voice actor made an online petition to translate Pokémon games into actual Latin American Spanish (as we've been getting the one from Spain since the very beginning).

[@toko90s9]

Really interesting. I never knew Ash had three voice actors in the dub. I always thought who replaced Veronica was kept on since the Master Mind dub. I do think Sarah eventually grew into the role once she stopped trying to channel Veronica's Ash. Early on after the replace Ash kinda just sounded like a chain smoker, while now, even though it's different, it definitely sounds a LOT more fitting for his character.

[@brianodonnell4496]

4Kids gave rights to Pokemon, Veronica has better for Ash in the classics.

[@narutofan657]

I get to meet Veronica this weekend at Alaska comic con. I am so excited!

[@Ashtro_]

Honestly I was and still am mad that Pokemon USA decided to cut 4kids off because the original voice actors were and are my favorites.