ATLANTA — It's the end of an era for Pokémon fans, and Ash Ketchum will be marking it in Atlanta -- sort of.
Sarah Natochenny, the English voice behind the beloved Japanese animated series' protagonist, will be at Atlanta's Comic Con this weekend. Natochenny will be greeting fans Friday, the same day Ash Ketchum's final episode in Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series will be available in the U.S. on Netflix.
For those who are unfamiliar, Ash Ketchum and his pal Pikachu "aimed to be the very best, like no one ever was," and have starred in 25 seasons of the animated show and 27 movies going on adventures in an effort to become the ultimate Pokémon master.
For 17 years, Natochenny voiced the 10-year-old and saw him complete his ultimate quest. She says she's proud of his journey.
"We have 25 years of a show with a protagonist who is so tenacious, who's not very good in the beginning, and he gets really good by the end and he finally wins," Natochenny said. "It's 25 years of shows and movies that we have. So what a gift to the world Pokémon has given us. Can we all just revel in that for a second?"
Natochenny never envisioned this journey for herself either. An actress and film editor from New York City, she wasn't expecting to land a voice acting job that would span nearly two decades. She would be the English voice dub of Ash and other characters like his mother, as well as voice nearly 30 Pokémon.
"So I was a fan of Pokémon when it first started. I was like 11 years old and then I turned 18 and I happened to book the main character on the show," she said. "So Pokémon has been with me my entire life in some capacity. So it's going to be really -- I can't transition fully out of this."
Though Natochenny may not be working on episodes every week anymore, she says she's still very committed to Pokémon's dedicated fan base. She grew up on Pokémon -- and so did many of its fans. She enjoys seeing the show's multigenerational reach, especially at conventions.
"So when I go to these Comic Cons, I meet parents with their little kids and they, like, look at me kind of sheepishly, though, like, 'Yeah, I'm the fan,'" she joked. "Not a big deal at all, but a lot of parents kind of come up to me. So that's my favorite part. And I love meeting all the little kids who love my work."
She says her favorite part of the conventions is when she meets people one-on-one.
"It's very simple and it's really, it's really beautiful. It's so it's unlike anything I've ever experienced before, meeting people who just, like, love what you do," Natochenny said. "It's like it's hard to put into words just how heartwarming and touching that is."
For Natochenny, her fanbase is really special. She has a binder where she keeps drawings from kids and fan art, keeps mementos given to her at meet-and-greets and tries to remember repeat fans that manage to make it to annual conventions. When it comes to autographs, she's signed toddlers and cosplayers alike.
"I love signing a little Pikachu," she said.
Though there may not be too many new memories with Ash in the future of the franchise, Natochenny is hopeful that his legacy will live on -- whether it's in the series, the generation that grew up watching him, or the next generation who may be introduced to him later on.
"I will always have this. I will always have been the voice of Ash Ketchum I don't know for certain that Ash won't be back. I don't know for sure whether he is. I don't know anything," she said. "If I'm in the show going forward, I have no idea. I have no idea. But I do hope to be as involved as possible and, of course, be there for the fans and continue to fulfill my position as whatever inspiring source of inspiration I can be for young people. That's a really fun position to be in."
Visiting Atlanta
Natochenny has only been in Atlanta once as a young girl. Comic Con will give her a chance to explore, and after polling her social media followers, she's made of list of hot spots to visit.
She's hoping to check out Atlanta's BeltLine, Ponce City Market and grab some good eats.
"I'm so excited for that," she said.
As a New Yorker, she said she's eager to try Plant Based Pizzeria and grab a meal at Fred's Meat & Bread. If she has enough time, she said she's going to try to stop by Sublime Donuts as well.
Atlanta Comic Con Details
When: Friday, Feb. 24 - Sunday, Feb. 26
Where: The Georgia World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW
Atlanta, GA 30313
Ticket information: Gold passes are sold out, but people can still purchase VIP, multi-day, and single-day passes. Ticket information can be found here.
Meet-and-greets and autographs may cost extra. For a full list of guests and availabilities, check out the convention's guest list.
