Sarah Natochenny

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. 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. She likened getting the role to "being struck by Pikachu's Thunderbolt" and called it "the most exciting moment of [her] life". 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." 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.

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. 2023–present Pokémon Horizons: The Series Various characters and Pokémon Seasons 26–present 2025 Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Simus Al Bakharov 2025 Witch Watch Riro Takumi 2026 Chainsmoker Cat Lani Animation Year Title Role Notes Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood Marian 2015YokoVic World of Winx Venomiya, Silke Netflix series Peter Pan: The Quest for the Never Book Tinker Bell English dub –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 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 Pokémon Masters Ash Ketchum Fortnite Battle Royale Ringmaster Scarr Date Everything! Lucinda

Accolades Year Award Category Result 2025 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards Best VA Performance (English)