As Ash Ketchum takes a bow in his final Pokémon episode, his English voice actress touchingly celebrates her Japanese counterpart

For 26 years, Pokémon‘s Ash Ketchum has been on a quest to become the very best, like no one ever was. He’s now achieved his lifelong goal of becoming a Pokémon Master and, with that, is taking his final bow and departing the long-running anime series. Ash’s final episode — ‘The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master’ — has just aired in Japan, and will be available on Netflix in mid-May.

Ash’s English language voice actor Sarah Natochenny has been a fixture of the show since 2006 when she replaced Veronica Taylor and has taken the time to praise her “incredible” Japanese counterpart Rica Matsumoto for inspiring her own performance:

Recording her final lines as Ash sounds like it’ll be an emotional experience for Natochenny, who said being cast in the show was like “being struck by Pikachu’s Thunderbolt” and that playing him is “the most exciting moment of her life.”

She’s also been inspired by Pokémon to make our world a better place. After recording an episode that dealt with death, she and fellow voice actor Lisa Ortiz (best known for voicing Amy Rose in the Sonic the Hedgehog games) founded Voices for Fosters, a charity that encourages people to foster rescued animals and provides guidance on how best to treat them, saying:

“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.”

We won’t spoil Ash’s farewell, but let’s just say his swansong is a tear-jerking nostalgia trip for fans that have been there since the beginning as he contemplated his future after achieving his ultimate ambition. So let’s raise a glass to Ash (and the women who voiced him) and hope that somewhere out there he’s still developing his Pokémon skills.