Sarah Natochenny () is an American voice actress. She is best known for voicing Ash Ketchum and various other characters in the English dub of Pokémon, Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou ( Alya ) in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, as well as Alicia in the video game Bullet Witch. She has also edited documentaries for networks such as MS NOW and worked as an assistant editor on the films Life of Crime, Cold Comes the Night, Worst Friends, and Cruise.
Early life Natochenny was born in the Forest Hills neighborhood of New York City's Queens borough. She is of Russian descent and is fluent in both English and Russian. At the age of 12, she won a bronze medal in rhythmic gymnastics at the Junior Olympics. She graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 2005, and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute's Young Actors Program, as well as the Upright Citizens Brigade and Magnet Theatre in New York City.
Career At the age of 18, Natochenny replaced Veronica Taylor as the voice of Ash Ketchum on the English-language dub of Pokémon, starting with the show's ninth season in 2006, as a result of Pokémon USA bringing their English dubbing work in-house over to TAJ Productions and stepping away from 4Kids Entertainment, who have been dubbing the anime since it first premiered in the West in 1998. They would proceed to do the same thing with all of the other voice actors and their characters. She likened getting the role to "being struck by Pikachu's Thunderbolt" and called it "the most exciting moment of [her] life". She also voices various other characters on the show. She faced some fan backlash for replacing Taylor as Ash, which affected her struggles with depression: "One [bout of depression] that wasn't circumstantial but was kicked off by the reaction I got when I first started. You're doing what you love, and you finally book your first huge role on a show that you loved as a child and people are like, 'You're terrible.' That's really painful to experience." Despite this, she would continue voicing Ash and other various characters on the show, including Ash's own mother, Delia Ketchum, although there would be some criticism that it didn't improve for them and some division between fans on who the better voice actress for Ash was. Her voice for Ash would also evolve over time, having her voice be more distinct, slightly more mature, and eventually a more feminine/childlike sound to differentiate herself from Veronica Taylor's voice for Ash, leading to a more positive reception of her voice over time. This would last until 2023, when Ash Ketchum officially left the series at the end of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series after more than a quarter-century long run. Despite this, Natochenny still voices various characters and Pokémon in Pokémon Horizons: The Series, taking a step back into voicing some smaller roles in the show after more than 17 years of voicing Ash Ketchum in the anime, lasting 9 seasons longer than Veronica Taylor did in the anime under 4Kids, who finished her run after 8 years.
Natochenny voiced Alicia in the 2006 video game Bullet Witch. In 2009, she appeared in videos on the comedy website CollegeHumor. In 2019, she won the Outstanding Animation or Gaming - Demo, Best Voiceover award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences. In 2020, she co-starred in the live action pilot I Adore Dolores, which was one of No Budge's top picks of the year. She also appeared in three videos for Vanity Fair, talking about the dubbing process and improvising as never-before-seen characters.
Natochenny has appeared on multiple episodes of The George Lucas Talk Show. She is also a film editor, having worked as the primary editor on documentaries for networks such as MS NOW and an assistant editor on the films Life of Crime, Cold Comes the Night, Worst Friends, and Cruise.
Personal life Natochenny describes herself as Russian-American and discussed speaking fluent Russian in a 2020 interview with ComicsBeat. She splits her time between Los Angeles and New York City. She has been open about her past struggles with depression.
Natochenny has a cat named after Pikachu. Inspired by a Pokémon episode that dealt with death, Natochenny and fellow voice actress Lisa Ortiz co-founded Voices for Fosters, an organization dedicated to helping rescued animals find permanent homes and advising people on how to foster them. Their website states, "Our goal is to bring the joy of pet companionship to people who didn't think they had the time, end euthanasia and improve care standards for all animals."
Filmography Anime Year Title Role Notes 2006–2023 Pokémon Ash Ketchum, Delia Ketchum, Various other characters and Pokémon Seasons 9–25 –2017 Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Aura Sentia Tokyo Revengers Yuzuha Shiba Season 2 2023–presentPokémon Horizons: The SeriesVarious characters and PokémonSeasons 26–present Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Alisa "Alya" Mikhailovna Kujō 2025Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXSimus Al Bakharov2025Witch WatchRiro Takumi2026Chainsmoker CatLani
Animation Year Title Role Notes –2018 Super 4 Twinkle English dub –2018 Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood Marian 2015YokoVic World of Winx Venomiya, Silke Netflix series Otakon 2016 guests Peter Pan: The Quest for the Never Book Tinker Bell English dub Camp Camp Vera 2 episodes –2020 The Jungle Book Mowgli Season 3 –2021 44 Cats Lampo Igor Baby Pie English –2023 Natural Habitat Shorts Hot Cocoa Mug Owl Web animation Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Mila Masaryk / Unicorn
Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 Pokémon: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon Ash Ketchum DVD redub version 2007 Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea Ash Ketchum and Clamperl 2008 Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai Ash Ketchum, Ash's Staravia and Dawn's Buneary Turn Left at Pennsylvania Avenue Sketch Performer 2009 Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior Ash Ketchum, Ogin, Ash's Staravia and Dawn's Buneary Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life Ash Ketchum, Ash's Staraptor and Dawn's Buneary 2011 Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions Ash Ketchum Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram Pokémon the Movie: White—Victini and Zekrom 2012 Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice 2013 Axel: The Biggest Little Hero Young Boca Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened Ash Ketchum 2014 Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction 2015 Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages 2016 Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel Sheep and Wolves Xavi 2017 Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! Ash Ketchum, Delia Ketchum Pororo's Dinosaur Island Adventure Crong, Hamster, Tricolor (voice) 2018 Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us Ash Ketchum, Toren's Chansey 2019 Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution Ash Ketchum 2021 Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle Ash Ketchum and Delia Ketchum Ghostbusters: Afterlife Mini-Puft Girls und Panzer das Finale: Part 1 Klara Seal Team Shark 2023 Mavka: The Forest Song Kylina English dub
Video games Year Title Role Notes Bullet Witch Alicia PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure Celebi, Starly, Staravia, Staraptor, Mismagius, Buneary, Lopunny, Roselia, Roserade PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond Starly, Staravia, Misdreavus, Buneary, Lopunny, Roselia Gangstar Vegas Roni Q Grand Theft Auto V The Local Population Thor: The Dark World Sif iOS Asphalt Overdrive Getaway Girl Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Chansey Archive audio White Day Han So-young Pokémon Masters Ash Ketchum Fortnite Battle Royale Ringmaster Scarr Date Everything! Lucinda
Television + List of acting performances in television Year Title Role Notes Game Changer Herself Episode: "Pencils Down"
Accolades Year Award Category Result 2025 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards Best VA Performance (English)
References
External links
Sarah Natochenny at Crystal Acids the English Voice Actor & Production Staff Database