Ash’s voice actor delivers a stellar version of the Pokemon theme
Rika Matsumoto, singer and Ash Ketchum’s Japanese voice actor, gave a resounding rendition of the Pokemon theme to send the hero off at the end of his two-decade-long adventure (thanks, Polygon). Matsumoto’s performance was part of YouTube’s The First Take series, where artists come in and perform a song that’s new to them in – you guessed it – just one take.
Matsumoto starts with a shout-out in her Ash voice before launching into “Mezase Pokémon Master -with my friends,” and you certainly wouldn’t guess it’s the first take. Matsumoto delivers a rousing, passionate rendition of the theme, capturing the spirit of fun at the core of Pokemon, and that’s just on her own. An electric violin and chorus accompany her, along with a few well-timed “Pika” shouts from the iconic electric mouse.
The Pokemon Company is gearing up for Ash’s final episode, and while he, his friends, and even Team Rocket are heading off into the sunset, Pikachu is sticking around – at least, a Pikachu will. Captain Pikachu will take center stage in the next Pokemon anime series with an older protagonist at his side.
The new Pokemon series doesn’t have a release date yet, but The Pokemon Company promised more information in the coming weeks, perhaps coinciding with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC news. The first expansion for those games is set to launch sometime in fall 2023.
