Anime's perpetual pre-teen has dedicated the best part of the last two decades to exploring distinct regions, capturing wildlife, and failing to secure a Pokémon League. With the exception of his trusty Pikachu, Ash routinely abandons his companions, in favor of shiny new toys worthy of resting on his belt. If the trainer resisted the urge to annually reset, Ash would undoubtedly have won a couple of competitions. Unfortunately, the boy takes after his father.
Even though the anime has aired more episodes than One Piece or The Simpsons, Pokémon has revealed very little regarding Ash's family or childhood. Once in a while, the trainer's mother shows up for a brief cameo, but parental supervision is not a priority for anyone living in Kanto. Periodically, a spin-off touches upon the Ketchum family's legacy, although Ash's ancestors have remained shrouded in mystery. Who is Ash's father? Why was Delia Ketchum perfectly fine with sending an 11-year-old boy on a perilous adventure with only a rat for a guardian? This article attempts to answer these questions and many more!
Subject to fan speculation and very occasionally investigated in probably non-canon side-stories, Ash's family is seldom permitted to shine. Over the years, Pokémon has drip-fed fans enough information to maintain the flames of discourse, with hopes of eventually expanding upon Ash's backstory. Here are 25 crazy secrets about Ash’s family!
25 Ash's Mother Dated Team Rocket's Giovanni
Inaugurated in 2000, Pokémon Live! was an American musical based on the anime. Shockingly, a theatre show viewed by only a select group of people is not considered canon with the original show. However, the story contains so many surprising revelations, we wish that was not the case!
Ash's Team Rocket Roots...
Prior to giving birth to her son, Delia ran with a dangerous crowd of hooligans, including a younger Giovanni. Ultimately, this group formed the first incarnation of Team Rocket, although Delia left the organization before this turn of events. While the show opted against specifically establishing Delia and Giovanni as former lovers, Pokémon Live! strongly suggested that to be the case.
24 Papa Giovanni?
Whenever a story revolves around the main character searching for their parent, more often than not, the villain tends to be a popular candidate. This phenomenon is known as the Star Wars syndrome. Barely anything is known about Ash's dad, but the available data does not eliminate Team Rocket's leader as an option. Pokémon Live! connected Delia to Giovanni, but the musical's filler status precludes any knowledge from warranting serious consideration.
Luckily, the anime has done a fantastic job of supplementing weight to this theory! As the leader of a powerful crime syndicate and the temporary owner of Mewtwo, Giovanni has near unlimited resources at his disposal. Why task James and Jessie with capturing Ash's Pikachu? Perhaps, Giovanni is more interested in Ash than Pikachu...
23 The Apple Does Not Fall Far From The Tree
Spawning more than a thousand episodes, one could easily forget that Ash started out his journey with the hope of meeting his father, who left Pallet Town to become a Pokémon Master. Now, in all fairness, the cartoon seldom revisits this particular motive, preferring to focus on the protagonist's drive to win a Pokémon League.
Regardless of its importance, Ash has certainly followed in his father's footsteps, and the parent was hardly the first Ketchum to dedicate his life to battling creatures across the nation. Ash's grandfather heeded the call of the wild, therefore, Ash is merely sticking to the family's fixed routine. Hopefully, the son avoids repeating the sins of the father.
22 The Ketchum Line Produces Terrible Trainers
Assuming Ash Senior is not the leader of a crime syndicate, one has to wonder why the trainer opted against returning to Pallet Town. The obvious answer is that Papa Ketchum married Delia out of panic and immediately regretted the decision. A firm believer in denial, the (pathetic) man selfishly abandoned his wife and baby, preferring to act like nothing ever happened.
Apparently, immaturity runs in the family, with Delia's father also ditching his responsibilities. Papa Ketchum and Grandpapa Ketchum aspired to become Pokémon Masters, a title allocated only to elite trainers. Consequently, Ash's male role models presumably failed to achieve their goals and faded away into obscurity. For all anyone knows, Ash battled his father on Route 33 and never even realized!
21 Yet, Delia Encouraged Ash To Become A Trainer
The call for adventure has claimed the pride of two members of the Ketchum line, with Delia enduring the consequences of both departures. With such negative experiences associated with Pokémon, it would hardly come across as unreasonable if Delia refuted Ash's wish to repeat the same mistakes.
Third time's the charm...
Shockingly, Delia supports and pushes Ash to pursue his dream! While Mama Ketchum demonstrates some grief concerning her son's departure, she never discourages or asks Ash to rethink his mission. As a child, Delia seems like the perfect parent; as an adult, she is irresponsible and neglectful! Just to grant her the benefit of the doubt, Delia's style of parenting appears to be the norm in Kanto.
20 Delia's Dashed Dream
In a society that places such heavy importance on Pokémon trainers, eventually, every person questions whether they should hit the open road. The anime has repeatedly confirmed that Delia knows a thing or two about battles, with the restaurant owner even retaining a Mr. Mime as an assistant. Ash's love for the sport was inherited from both parents.
In a pre-Ash world, Delia aimed to become a Pokémon Trainer, although the family business proved to be an unavoidable roadblock. Nevertheless, Delia continued to pursue her dream right up to the point when Ash entered the picture. Raising a child trounces raising a Charmander.
19 Mother & Son; One Voice
Closer to a neat factoid rather than a dark secret capable of shattering the illusion surrounding Ash's upbringing, the anime's English dub tends to employ the same voice actress to portray the mother and son. Originally, Veronica Taylor supplied the voices for Ash and Delia, with Sarah Natochenny assuming the responsibility in 2006.
The Japanese version picked different voice actresses for the separate roles, but the localization determined there was no need to hire somebody else for Delia. All things considered, Ash's mother is only a supporting player, with a handful of appearances to her name. Sticking with an actress already on the payroll makes sense.
18 A Natural Beauty
If the internet's seedier domains are anything to go by, Delia Ketchum is quite a looker. Just shy of 30 years old, the restaurant owner ranks among anime's prettier mothers, and that is saying something! The industry is hardly known for its ugly characters...
Typically glimpsed in Brock's hands, Pokémon Friend is a magazine that highlights noteworthy trainers and their companions. Unknown to Ash, Delia once graced the book's cover, although this was during her teenage years. Evidently, Delia's beauty has been noted by a far wider audience than Deviant Art. In fact, the anime references Delia's attractiveness on multiple occasions.
17 An (Almost) Marketable Beauty
Assuming a photographer was not strolling through Pallet Town when they suddenly came across a 17-year-old Delia, it seems likely that the teenager pursued modeling as a potential career. One does not simply score Pokémon Friend's cover page. No, such a privilege must be earned!
Ash's arrival threw Delia's plans out of whack. At the time, she was a young adult with the world at her feet, but the woman suddenly found herself straddled with a baby. That's not to say Ash ruined Delia's life, but the pregnancy unquestionably shifted its trajectory. In another timeline, Delia is a former professional model turned Pokémon Master.
16 A Wild Ash Appears!
The last couple of entries should have illustrated as much, but there is no doubt that Ash was a happy surprise rather than a planned birth. Delia is 29 years old at the start of the anime, with Ash approaching his 11th birthday. Basic math reveals Delia fell pregnant when she was approximately 19 years old. Crucially, the baby's parents were not married at the time, with the wedding primarily occurring as a response to Ash's impending arrival.
Assuming Papa Ketchum was around the same age as Delia, the couple were nothing more than two teenagers enjoying a short fling. Ash was the end result.
15 Nobody Compares To You
Considering Papa Ketchum left the scene shortly after Ash's birth, Delia had more than a decade to find another suitor. Now, in all fairness, raising a child and managing a restaurant are full-time jobs; nonetheless, the single parent's status as a beauty queen must have inspired a couple of casanovas to present their case.
Pallet Town is not THAT small...
While she holds some justified resentment towards Ash's father, Delia appears to still be waiting for the guy's unlikely return. Who is this dude to warrant such commitment? Or, could it be that Delia has already moved on? Perhaps, the answer has been starring fans in the face since the start!
14 Papa Oak?
Delia and Professor Oak spend an incredible amount of time together. Growing up in the same town as the famous scientist, Delia admires and respects Gary's grandfather, with Ash's safety even being entrusted to the professor. Conversely, Oak appears to be flying solo.
Considering these two always seem to be together, they may have been tempted to take their relationship to the next level. Perhaps, this decision led to Delia's unexpected pregnancy! In order to avoid a scandal, the couple elected to pretend the father was some outsider. Has anyone seen this mysterious Papa Ketchum?!?
13 Closer Than Neighbors
In hindsight, revealing Professor Oak to be the protagonist's father raises more questions than answers. Why was this information kept hidden for so long? Rumors spread quickly in small villages, someone must have known about the couple's relationship. Is the Oak name feared enough to silence witnesses? Oak sent his grandson to a prestigious school in a neighboring town, but then refused to extend the same courtesy to his own son?
Papa Oak implies Ash is Gary's uncle. Never mind, this theory needs to be true!
Oak may not be Ash's dad, but that does not dismiss the possibility of Delia and the good professor sharing a close relationship. At the bare minimum, the episode Beauty and the Beach confirms they are willing to go on holidays together.
12 If Not Oak, How About Silver?
Lasting for 26 episodes, Pokémon Chronicles focuses on side-stories featuring recurring or supporting characters. Basically, the anime wished to take a break from Ash, with the protagonist barely appearing throughout the entire season. Consequently, Pokémon Chronicles sits among the franchise's better spin-offs.
Over the course of the season, Pokémon Chronicles shines the light on many popular characters, including the likes of Gary Oak and Misty. The Search for the Legend centers around Ash's Indigo Plateau opponent Ritchie, who ends up sharing a strange conversation with a man named Silver. Obsessed with Moltres due to a childhood encounter, the older trainer dreams of facing off against the legendary bird. What does this have to do with Ash? Despite appearing in only this one episode, Silver recognizes Ash's name when Ritchie mentions him.
11 If Not Ash, How About Delia?
Looks can be deceiving, but Silver's grey hair indicates the trainer is considerably older than Delia. Admittedly, relationships can survive a noticeable age-discrepancy, but this puts Silver in an especially negative light. While Papa Ketchum's actions are inexcusable, a teenager experiencing cold feet is somewhat more acceptable than a grown man leaving his family to chase after mythological birds.
Unless proven otherwise, we have to assume Delia's father has yet to give up on his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. Regardless of the generation, Silver should still be able to acknowledge Ash's name. In summary, Silver is either Delia's father or husband...
10 If Not Silver, How About Mr. Mime?
No! We refuse to humor this possibility. Mr. Mime is simply a close family friend. There is nothing more to the Pokémon's friendship with Delia...
However, one cannot help wonder whether the anime's humans have been tempted to disregard mother nature's interspecies barrier. After all, certain humanoid Pokémon could easily pass for humans.
Down the rabbit hole...
Establishing Ash as half-Pokémon explains the protagonist's inability to age beyond a certain point. Pokémon monsters are not immune to the passage of time, but these changes are not typically reflected in their physical appearances. Ash might have the body of a child, but he is actually 30 years old!
9 One Ketchum Enters, One Ketchum Leaves...
Onto a less nauseating subject, Delia's mother passed away during her daughter's pregnancy. For whatever reason, the universe appears to hold a grudge against Ash's mother. In the span of a couple of months, Delia lost her husband and parent, leaving the teenager to raise her son on her lonesome. Along with the pressure that comes with being a single parent, Delia inherited the family restaurant from her mother, which she successfully operated on her own.
How does she do it?
While Delia played life on hard mode, Ash grew up without an extended family. Professor Oak acted as a surrogate father, but the researcher was preoccupied with his own family.
8 Surrogate Family
Delia worked tirelessly to ensure Ash never felt like he was missing out, and she deserves credit for shouldering way more responsibility than should ever be demanded of any teenager. Despite her best efforts, Pokémon's protagonist yearned to experience the joy of forming part of a larger household.
Wisely dismissing the odds of Papa Ketchum staging a comeback, Ash sought to foster a familial bond with his team. Ash views his Pokémon as close personal friends, with the trainer voluntarily putting his own life on the line to preserve theirs. Like families, Pocket Monsters do not choose their trainers.
7 Mother Of The Year
Regardless of Ash's personal feelings, the protagonist could not have asked for a more dedicated parent. Even if Delia seemed weirdly accepting of Ash's decision to embrace the life of a Pokémon trainer, her actions can chiefly be attributed to the wider society regarding such a journey as a rite of passage.
Immediately after setting out on his journey, Ash demonstrated a glimpse of reluctance, but Delia did not hesitate to reinforce her son's initial resolution. Taking for granted that she does not secretly harbor some deep-seated resentment for her son, every fiber of Delia's being must have wanted Ash to come back home. Yet, she said what he needed to hear.
6 Why Should Ash Keep Delia To Himself?
Ash owes everything to his mother, but the anime treats Delia like a minor supporting character. Aside from the occasional cameo, she is a non-factor for the majority of the series. Spell of the Unown: Entei serves as an exception to the rule, with Ash's parent playing a crucial role in the story. Pokémon's third movie sees Delia brainwashed into thinking she is the mother of a young girl named Molly Hale, who coveted a family of her own.
With both parents out of the picture, Molly's grief motivates the mysterious Unowns to trick Entei into stepping in as the girl's father. In order to complete the package, Molly instructs the Unowns to capture Delia, who happened to appear on television.