Who is the Japanese voice actor for Ash Ketchum in the Pokémon anime?

Rica Matsumoto is the Japanese voice actor for Ash Ketchum in the Pokémon anime. In the original Japanese version, the character is named Satoshi, and Matsumoto has voiced him from the anime's beginning, making her performance one of the franchise's defining elements.

Matsumoto is a Japanese actress, voice actress, and singer from Yokohama. She began her professional career before Pokémon and became widely recognized for combining Ash's energetic battle cries, youthful enthusiasm, and occasional emotional vulnerability. Her work helped establish the character's original personality before the series was adapted for international audiences.

She is also closely associated with Pokémon's music. Matsumoto performed several Japanese opening themes, including “Mezase Pokémon Master,” the signature song of the original era. This makes her contribution broader than voice acting alone: she helped shape the sound and identity of the Japanese series.

The distractors represent other important Pokémon voices. Megumi Hayashibara voices Jessie, Ikue Ōtani voices Pikachu, and Sarah Natochenny is a later English voice of Ash. Veronica Taylor and Natochenny are therefore not alternatives to Matsumoto for the original Japanese performance.