After 25 years of watching Ash travel, battle, and train, it’s safe to say he’s acquired a lot of experience. And it’s fun to think about where that experience could take him professionally now that his journey to become a Pokémon Master is taking place off-screen. Based on his well-known history of carrying insanely heavy Pokémon, he could become a bodybuilder. Of course, he also really seemed to enjoy Rhyhorn racing, so perhaps we could see him tearing up the track. Watch Ketchum Catches a Career on Pokémon TV—at watch.pokemon.com or via the Pokémon TV mobile app—to see if any of these careers could be the right fit for our hero.
Without further ado, here are some of the jobs Ash could try out if he were to ever stop pursuing his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master:
9
Bodybuilder
Ash might look like your average 10-year-old Pokémon Trainer, but over the years he’s demonstrated above-average strength. There were those times he appeared to comfortably hold Larvitar without difficulty (like in “Entei at Your Own Risk”). While that might not sound like a big deal, the fact that Larvitar weighs 158.7 pounds makes this quite an impressive physical feat! That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though, as Ash is later seen casually carrying the 2,204.4-pound Cosmoem (“Family Determination!”) like it’s a teeny-tiny Cutiefly. We know Ash and his Pokémon take on a lot of special training throughout the series—apparently, it’s paying off!
8
Rapper
There’s no denying that there have been some exceedingly strange moments over the course of Ash’s journeys with Pikachu and their friends. But Ash ending up with a Slowking’s Shellder on his head, resulting in a rap battle with Goh not once (“Slowking’s Crowning!”) but twice (“An Evolution in Taste!”), has to be one of the weirdest. Whether Ash actually has a career in the music industry is doubtful, especially when he spits rhymes like: “High and low! Taking it slow! The Galar crew we met is nice as you can get! I wanna help their palates grow! Yo, yo, yo!” But this is Pokémon the Series, and therefore anything is possible as long as you’re willing to work hard enough.
7
Rhyhorn Racer
Rhyhorn racing requires courage, athleticism, a love of Pokémon, and a degree of recklessness, making it the perfect profession for Ash. While there’s not much the young Pokémon Trainer won’t try, his enthusiasm before his first competition—just one day after seeing his first race—suggests that the sport is an excellent fit (“Giving Chase at the Rhyhorn Race!”). And, given that Serena’s mom is a professional Rhyhorn racer who wants her daughter to follow in her footsteps, there’s a case to be made for turning Ash’s love of the sport into a career. Given the pastime’s popularity in the Kalos region, there surely must be sponsorships and other financial opportunities available to successful racers.
6
Farmer
We get to see how Ash handles the immense workload of a farmer when he visits Kiawe’s family farm on Akala Island (“Young Kiawe Had a Farm!”). After delivering Moomoo Milk to the farm’s customers, washing a herd of Mudbray, and baling hay, Ash is understandably exhausted at the end of the day. While he’s slightly less enthusiastic about these activities than charging down a Rhyhorn racetrack, the thing about Ash is that he can find fun in just about anything. For example, as Ash, Kiawe, Charizard, and Pelipper soar through the dawn skies on a Moomoo Milk delivery run, the view of the island is unparalleled. Ultimately, this career track might be a nice change of pace after years of battling, and it’s always something to fall back on, especially considering that it seems to come with unlimited Moomoo Milk ice cream.
5
Race Car Pit Crew
Ash participates in any number of competitions, races, and tournaments—he’s always eager for a new challenge, especially if it involves Pokémon. So, when Sophocles asks Ash and Kiawe to team up with him for a Charjabug race, it’s no surprise that Ash is excited for the opportunity (“Mounting an Electrifying Charge!”). While Sophocles assumes the role of team leader, and Kiawe becomes the mechanic, Ash agrees to be the support runner. Being part of a race crew would be the perfect profession for Ash in so many ways. He loves competing, solving new challenges, and working with Pokémon. And given that he always seems to be running, climbing, and jumping over the course of his journey, he’s a fan of athletic feats. Plus, he seems to enjoy working with a team, as he’s always encouraging his friends and Pokémon to do their best and keep battling until the end.
4
Nurse
When it comes down to it, Nurse Joy’s job is to care for Pokémon, and that makes the profession an excellent fit for Ash. When Ash and his friends from the Pokémon School spend the day at a Pokémon Center to gain work experience, they end up getting more than they anticipated when Nurse Joy falls ill “Real Life … Inquire Within!”). Despite the fact that Ash has had plenty of interaction with Nurse Joys and Pokémon Centers over the course of his travels, the experience opens his eyes to just how much Nurse Joy helps Pokémon and their Trainers. From offering medical care and providing a restful place to cleaning up Pokémon and running errands, Nurse Joy does it all. And although Ash and his friends outnumber this Nurse Joy six to one, they have their hands full trying to run the facility in her absence. Still, Ash doesn’t seem to mind. After all, time with Pokémon is never wasted.
3
Paranormal Investigator
After Ash forfeits to Psychic-type Gym Leader Sabrina, he searches for a Ghost-type Pokémon in Lavender Town’s Pokémon Tower (“The Tower of Terror”). Everyone seems to think the tower is haunted, but could it be that the resident Ghost-type Pokémon just have a penchant for playing pranks? Ash reveals several key personality traits here. First, when Pikachu and Charmander are too afraid to enter, he tells them: “Listen, if you’re ever going to beat Psychic Pokémon, you gotta to learn to overcome your fear.” He has the necessary courage to face scary things—and many consider Ghost-type Pokémon to be scary. Later, Ash manages to make friends with Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar because they share a similar sense of playfulness and humor. Haunter even decides to help Ash with his battle against Sabrina, proving that ghouls just wanna have fun.
2
Firefighter
Ash has never encountered a competition, battle, or tournament he wouldn’t enter, and the Fire and Rescue Grand Prix in Johto is no exception (“The Fire-ing Squad!”). It doesn’t matter that Ash doesn’t have very many Water-type Pokémon—he’ll just borrow Misty’s! Ash’s Squirtle, former leader of the Squirtle Squad, plays a starring role on the team. But when they encounter the rest of the Squirtle Squad under Officer Jenny’s leadership, the stakes are hotter than ever. Putting out fires is serious work, and Ash and his team’s inexperience certainly makes it more challenging. But the Squirtle Squad’s lack of leadership proves far more dire. Fortunately, Ash’s Squirtle is happy to assume its former role…but it does require a sad goodbye between Ash and Squirtle.
1
Matchmaker
While Ash is usually all about battling with his Pokémon, on multiple occasions he’s proven willing to help them in matters of the heart. Of course, the most memorable of these occurred when Ash’s Butterfree fell in love with a pink Butterfree, only to be rejected (“Bye Bye Butterfree”). Ash seems to take the rejection and Butterfree’s heartache personally. While Brock provides a scarf to help Butterfree look its best, Ash offers encouragement, reminding Butterfree of how powerful its attacks are. And when Misty notes that Ash is taking this seriously, he replies: “I raised that Butterfree myself, and I’ll show them all how good it is.”
And that’s not the only time Ash plays Pokémon matchmaker. When Ash and his friends find a Cottonee all by itself, they learn that it was rejected by another Cottonee (“Cottonee in Love!”). As battling is Ash’s solution to most problems, he helps Cottonee develop its skills to builds its confidence. This eventually allows Cottonee to approach its romantic interest, fend off the rivals for its attention, and float happily away with it on the Diamond Breeze. Everyone’s happily ever after might look a little different, but Ash once again proves his commitment to the happiness and well-being of Pokémon, whether they’re his own, someone else’s, or Pokémon in the wild.
Which of these career paths do you think would suit Ash best?
