In the west, there are few, if any, anime characters more widely known than Ash Ketchum, the protagonist of the Pokémon series for 25 seasons across 26 years.

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For many, at least for anyone my age and older, the voice of Ash Ketchum is inherently tied to one singular person – voice acting veteran Veronica Taylor, who I had the pleasure of speaking to as part of this year's London Card Show.

And for a role that has come to define Veronica's career in voice acting, it's one that she almost fell into by accident.

"I suppose it was a lot of luck, kind of being in the right place at the right time," she recalls in the interview (which you can also watch in video form if you're that way inclined).

In the mid-1990s, Veronica had been working on an anime called Slayers. "The people who cast that were also casting Pokémon," she explains. "So, I got called in and we had multiple auditions, callbacks, and then we started recording."

The way Veronica talks about the role may appears surprisingly blasé, but the fact is that she was not entirely aware of the scope of '90s Pokémania, nor, of course, the phenomenon the show would become.

"I didn't know much about it at all. This was 1998, so I didn't even own a computer," she laughs.

"The way I heard about Pokémon was probably through the New York Times, and at that point, the only thing that I, in America, knew about it was that some kids got seizures watching an episode," she says, in reference to the infamous banned Electric Soldier Porygon episode that aired in Japan a year prior.

Ash Ketchum talking to Misty in a forest while holding Pikachu in his arms.
Episode 1 of the Pokémon anime has over 12 million views on YouTube. The Pokémon Company

Yet, despite having little to no knowledge of Pokémon, either as a game or anime series, she was immediately taken by it.

"I loved it from the minute I saw it. That animation, the simple animation, simple colours," she explains. "There was just something just so wondrous about it that I really had fingers and toes crossed that I would be cast."

It wasn't just the show itself that Veronica was drawn to – Ash as a character had a similarly immediate impact.

"His confidence – or lack of confidence – and his determination, his courage. That's something that I really identified with. I just think the way that he, especially in that first episode, put himself on the line for Pikachu to save him, that really gave me a lot of insight into who this kid could be."

Initially, while the show saw success with its first season, the scale of its popularity didn't truly become apparent until the release of The First Movie in 1998: "There was a huge sign in Times Square in New York, and I felt like, 'Man, we have hit it big.'"

Even then, however, the true scale of the show's impact didn't entirely become clear to Veronica until many years later, when the show's original fans had grown up.

"I've been able to go to comic cons around the world, and the fact that so many people identify with Pokémon from however they've gotten involved with it – the show, the card games, Pokémon Go, any of these things – there's something about it that really speaks to them.

"And I've had the honour of meeting some kids when they were 10 and seeing them again now with their own kids. And so that's when you realise this is bigger than all of us, you know. Pokémon is about the community, and the fact that this community is so rich and wonderful and generous and kind, that's when you realise this thing is a just a phenomenon because the people are phenomenal."

Despite Veronica and her colleagues' obvious passion for the show and its characters, as the show's 10th anniversary approached, it was taken over by Pokémon USA and many cast members were unceremoniously replaced.

"They just said, 'We don’t need you anymore. We found a soundalike.' So, that was the end. None of us took it very well. There was really no clear reason for being replaced," Veronica explained.

"In life, you have to just kind of move on, but it's hard when you still talk about Pokémon all the time, and people ask me about it all the time," she continued. "Every one of us who worked on the show really loved it and would have stayed 'til the bitter end if we had the chance."

Veronica and the others were buoyed by fan support in the immediate aftermath, with a petition calling for their reinstatement picking up steam. "I thought it was so incredible, and that's the kind of dedication and determination that people have around this show, and I find that quite humbling."

That fan response meant that, while her time as Ash in the show had come to an end, her role as a figure in the wider Pokémon community was only just beginning.

"I feel like I try to live up to the responsibility of being Ash Ketchum, of being someone who was there in your living room when you were little. It's a huge responsibility for me.

"Without the – I would say 'fans' in quotes, because we're all in one big community – but without that support, without being able to talk to people in all different countries, to really reach out and keep connecting, it would be incredibly sad. But this journey that we were all on for eight years continues now into the future, so I feel quite lucky about that and incredibly thankful."

Nowadays, Veronica and her daughter Rena, who was born at the end of the first season, run The Trainer's Guide podcast, in which they rewatch the first season of Pokémon, recounting their memories of the series alongside listeners.

Of course, Veronica has gone on to have a storied career in voice acting outside of Pokémon, with roles in the likes of Sailor Moon, One Piece, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and even video game series like Tekken and Fire Emblem.

Interestingly, she is listed on various websites as having voiced Cynthia Graham in LA Noire. Not only is this not true, but she doesn't understand where it came from, and has been unable to get it changed.

"I didn't do that, but you know, on my IMDb and Wikipedia I'm not able to change it. I go in and change things and it doesn't allow me to do that, so I have some things listed that are not true," she explains.

"That is definitely not me – although it is a wonderful voice!" So, for any Wikipedia editors reading, here is your reference to finally fix Veronica's page.

Despite one role that isn't hers, Veronica is deeply grateful for all the opportunities she has had.

"I decided I wanted to be an actor when I was five, and I'm so lucky that I have a chance to keep pursuing that. I wish the same for everyone. I think it's really important to follow your dreams, your intuition, and do what you do best, what you love.

"Doing it makes you a more joyful person and it helps others to pursue what they love. I just feel incredibly lucky to be a part of the Pokémon community, the anime community, the comic con community."

Fancy yourself a Pokémon master? Try out quiz below!

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Authors

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer
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