Ash Cropped

After 20 long years of adventure, battling, and being an all-round hero to kids all around the globe, Pokémon's Ash Ketchum has finally achieved his ultimate dream. We assume you have no issues with anime spoilers if you're still reading, so let's all say it together: Ash has finally won a Pokémon League competition!

To celebrate the occasion, Ash's original English-language voice actor Veronica Taylor has shared a fully-spoken message online. As you may be aware, the original cast of voice acting talent was replaced for Season 9 onwards (just over a decade ago), and while both Taylor and 'new Ash' Sarah Natochenny fit the part nicely in their own way, we'll always have a soft spot for the original.

You can hear the message below for yourself - the voice sounds a little higher than we remember, but that laugh at the end is unmistakably the Ash we grew up with. In a nice touch, Taylor presents the whole thing as if Ash's younger self is commenting on the victory.

"It's your younger - but still the same age - self". Brilliant.

Can you believe that Ash has actually claimed a Pokémon League title? What does this mean for the character going forward, we wonder?

[source twitter.com]