Sarah Natochenny (; born 1987) is an American voice actress. She is best known for voicing

Ash Ketchum Ash Ketchum, known as in Japan, is a character in the ''Pokémon'' franchise owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. He was the protagonist of the ''Pokémon'' anime for the first 25 seasons, as well as the protagonist of several mang ...

and various other characters in the English dub of ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'', as well as Alicia in the video game '' Bullet Witch''. She has also edited documentaries for networks such as

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

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 New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

borough in 1987. She is of

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

descent and is fluent in both English and

. At the age of 12, she won a bronze medal in

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...

at the Junior Olympics. She graduated from Stephen A. Halsey JHS 157 and

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is a public specialized high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is on ...

in 2005, then studied at the

Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by the actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Str ...

's Young Actors Program, as well as the

Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, ...

and Magnet Theatre in New York City.

Career

At the age of 18, Natochenny replaced

Veronica Taylor Kathleen Charlotte McInerney, known professionally as Veronica Taylor, is an American voice actress known for her dubbing work in English-language adaptations of Japanese anime, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum and his mother Delia in the ...

as the voice of

on the English-language dub of ''

'', starting with the show's ninth season in 2006. She likened getting the role to "being struck by Pikachu's Thunderbolt" and called it "the most exciting moment of erlife". She also voices various other characters on the show. She faced some fan backlash for replacing Taylor as Ash, which affected her struggles with depression: "One out of depressionthat 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." Natochenny voiced Alicia in the 2006 video game '' Bullet Witch''. In 2009, she appeared in videos on the comedy website

CollegeHumor Dropout, incorporated as CH Media and formerly known as CollegeHumor, is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles that produces content for release on its streaming service Dropout (streaming platform), Dropout as well as YouTube. Dropou ...

. 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 ''The George Lucas Talk Show'' is an improvised talk show in New York City hosted by comedian Connor Ratliff, who appears as George Lucas, the creator of ''Star Wars'', and he interviews real guests as themselves in a panel format. He is jo ...

''. She is also a film editor, having worked as the primary editor on documentaries for networks such as

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 Russian Americans are Americans of full or partial Russian ancestry. The term can apply to recent Russian immigrants to the United States, as well as to those that settled in the 19th-century Russian possessions in what is now Alaska. Russia ...

and discussed speaking fluent Russian in a 2020 interview with

ComicsBeat Heidi MacDonald (born November 15) is an American writer and editor of comic books based in New York City. She runs the comics industry news blog '' The Beat''. Career MacDonald is a former editor for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint and ''Disney Ad ...

. She splits her time between

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

. She has been open about her struggles with depression. Natochenny has a cat named after

Pikachu Pikachu (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the franchise's mascot. First introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', it was created by Atsuko N ...

. Inspired by a ''Pokémon'' episode that dealt with death, Natochenny and fellow voice actress

Lisa Ortiz Lisa Ortiz is an American voice actress and voice director. She is best known for her roles in English anime adaptations, such as Lina Inverse in ''Slayers'' and Amy Rose in ''Sonic X''. She voiced the latter character in the mainline and spin-o ...

co-founded Voices for Fosters, a charity dedicated to helping rescued animals find permanent homes and advising people on how to foster them. Their website states, "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."

Filmography

Anime

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable", Notes ! class="unsortable", , - , {{dts, 2006–2023, , ''

'' , ,

, Delia Ketchum, Various other characters and Pokémon , , Season 9–25 , , , - , {{dts, 2015, format=y–2017 , , ''

Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V , stylized as ''Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V'', is a Japanese anime series animated by Gallop. It is the fourth spin-off anime series in the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' franchise following ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal''. The series aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from April 6, 2014 ...

'' , , Aura Sentia , , , , , - , {{dts, 2023, format=y , , ''

Tokyo Revengers is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Wakui. It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from March 2017 to November 2022, with its chapters collected in 31 volumes. The story ...

'' , , Yuzuha Shiba , ,

Season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...

, , , - , {{dts, 2024, format=y , , ''

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian is a Japanese light novel series written by SunSunSun and illustrated by Momoco. It was originally published online as two short stories on the novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on May 6 and May 27, 2020, respectively, before ...

'' , , Alisa "Alya" Mikhailovna Kujō , , , , , - , 2025 , ''

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is a Japanese anime television series jointly produced by Sunrise and Studio Khara. It is the sixteenth mainline installment of the ''Gundam'' franchise, the first full series to be set in the Universal Century calendar since ''Mobile Suit ...

'' , Simus Al Bakharov , ,

Animation

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable", Notes ! class="unsortable", {{abbr, Ref(s), Reference(s) , - , rowspan="2", {{dts, 2014, format=y , , '' Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood'' , , Marian , , , , , - , '' Super 4'' , , Twinkle , , English dub , , , - , 2015 , '' Yoko'' , Vic , , , - , {{dts, 2016, format=y , , ''

World of Winx ''World of Winx'' is an Italian animated television series and a spin-off of ''Winx Club''. The series was created by Iginio Straffi. Twenty-six episodes were produced in two seasons, the first of which was premiered as a Netflix original serie ...

'' , , Venomiya, Silke , ,

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series , , , - , rowspan="3", {{dts, 2018, format=y , , ''Peter Pan: The Quest for the Never Book'' , ,

Tinker Bell Tinker Bell is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play '' Peter Pan'' and its 1911 novelisation '' Peter and Wendy''. She has appeared in a variety of film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 ...

, , English dub , , , - , ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' is an 1894 collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...

'' , ,

Mowgli Mowgli () is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Mowgli stories featured among Rudyard Kipling's ''The Jungle Book'' stories. He is a feral boy from the Pench area in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India, who originally appeared in Kiplin ...

, , Series 3 , , , - , ''

Camp Camp ''Camp Camp'' is an American adult animated web series created by Jordan Cwierz and Miles Luna for Rooster Teeth. It revolves around the misadventures of attendants and camp counselors of Camp Campbell summer camp, in particular protagonist M ...

'' , , Vera , , 2 episodes , , , - , {{dts, 2019, format=y , , ''

44 Cats ''44 Cats'' () is an Italian animated children's television series created by Iginio Straffi. The series is mainly produced by the Rainbow studio, which was co-owned by Viacom at the time of the show's premiere. Viacom's Nickelodeon channels bro ...

'' , , Lampo
Igor
Baby Pie , , English , , , - , {{dts, 2022, format=y–
2023 , , ''Natural Habitat Shorts'' , , Hot Cocoa Mug
Owl , , Web animation , , , - , {{dts, 2025, format=y , , ''

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man ''Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'' is an American animated television series created by Jeff Trammell for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Spider-Man. It is the 12th television series in the ...

'' , , Mila Masaryk / Unicorn , , , ,

Film

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable", Notes ! class="unsortable", {{abbr, Ref(s), Reference(s) , - , 2006 , , '' Pokémon: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon'' , ,

, , DVD redub version , , , - , 2007 , , ''

Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea ''Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea'' is a 2006 Japanese animated fantasy film, the ninth in the ''Pokémon'' film series, and the fourth and final film to be set in the ''Advanced Generation'' series. Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and wr ...

'' , , Ash Ketchum and Clamperl , , , , , - , rowspan="2", 2008 , , '' Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai'' , , Ash Ketchum, Ash's Staravia and Dawn's Buneary , , , , , - , ''Turn Left at Pennsylvania Avenue'' , , Sketch Performer , , , , , - , rowspan="2", 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 , , , , , - , rowspan="3", 2011 , , '' Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions'' , , rowspan="4", 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'' , , , , , - , rowspan="2", 2013 , , '' Axel: The Biggest Little Hero'' , , Young Boca , , , , , - , '' Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened'' , , rowspan="4", Ash Ketchum , , , , , - , 2014 , , '' Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction'' , , , , , - , 2015 , , '' Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages'' , , , , , - , rowspan="2", 2016 , , '' Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel'' , , , , , - , ''

Sheep and Wolves ''Sheep and Wolves'' () is a 2016 Russian animated fantasy comedy film, directed by Andrey Galat and Maxim Volkov. The original story, Wizart Animation's first, contains elements of the fairy tale '' The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats'' and the ...

'' , , Xavi , , , , , - , rowspan="2", 2017 , , '' Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!'' , , Ash Ketchum, Delia Ketchum , , , , , - , ''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 , , , , , - , rowspan="4", 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 , , , , {{Cite web , last=Mateo , first=Alex , date=September 16, 2021 , title=Sentai Filmworks Reveals English Dub Cast for 1st ''Girls und Panzer das Finale'' Anime Film , url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-09-15/sentai-filmworks-reveals-english-dub-cast-for-1st-girls-und-panzer-das-finale-anime-film/.177411 , url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107020805/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-09-15/sentai-filmworks-reveals-english-dub-cast-for-1st-girls-und-panzer-das-finale-anime-film/.177411 , archive-date=January 7, 2022 , access-date=June 15, 2022 , website=

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

, - , '' Seal Team'' , , Shark , , , , , - , 2023 , , '' Mavka: The Forest Song'' , , Kylina , , English dub , ,

Video games

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable", Notes ! class="unsortable", {{abbr, Ref(s), Reference(s) , - , {{dts, 2006, format=y , , '' Bullet Witch'' , , Alicia , , , , {{cite web , url=http://www.crystalacids.com/news/2007/03/04/482/ , title=Bullet Witch localization , publisher=CrystalAcids.com , date=March 4, 2007 , access-date=November 17, 2010 , archive-date=March 11, 2012 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311165524/http://www.crystalacids.com/news/2007/03/04/482/ , url-status=live , - , rowspan="2", {{dts, 2009, format=y , , '' PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure'' , , Celebi, Starly, Staravia, Staraptor, Mismagius, Buneary, Lopunny, Roselia, Roserade , , , , , - , '' PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond'' , , Starly, Staravia, Misdreavus, Buneary, Lopunny, Roselia , , , , , - , rowspan="3", {{dts, 2013, format=y , , '' Gangstar Vegas'' , , Roni Q , , , , , - , ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

'' , , The Local Population , , , , , - , '' Thor: The Dark World'' , , Sif , , iOS , , , - , {{dts, 2014, format=y , , ''

Asphalt Overdrive Asphalt Overdrive was a 2014 endless running racing video game published by Gameloft and developed by their Madrid studio. The eleventh major game of ''Asphalt'' series. After a showcase in June 2014 at the E3 event, it was released in Septembe ...

'' , , Getaway Girl , , , , , - , rowspan="2", {{dts, 2018, format=y , , ''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...

'' , , Chansey , , Archive audio , , , - , ''

White Day White Day is celebrated annually on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day, when men give reciprocal gifts to women who gave them gifts on Valentine's Day. It began in Japan in 1978; its observance has spread to several other East Asian reg ...

'' , , Han So-young , , , , , - , {{dts, 2022, format=y , , ''

Pokémon Masters is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'' , , Ash Ketchum , , , , , - , {{dts, 2024, format=y , , ''

Fortnite Battle Royale ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' is a 2017 Battle royale game, battle royale video game produced by Epic Games. It was originally developed as a companion game part of the early access version of ''Fortnite: Save the World'', a cooperative survival ...

'' , , Ringmaster Scarr , , , , , - , {{dts, 2025, format=y , , ''Date Everything!'' , , Lucinda , , , ,

Television

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , + List of acting performances in television ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable", Notes ! class="unsortable", {{abbr, Ref(s), Reference(s) , - , {{dts, 2024, format=y , , '' Game Changer'' , , Herself , , Episode: "Pencils Down" , ,

Accolades

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! scope="col", Year ! scope="col", Award ! scope="col", Category ! scope="col", Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable", {{Abbr, Ref., References , - , align="center", 2025 , align="center",

9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards The 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards was held on May 25, 2025 at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa in Tokyo, Japan. This edition featured 32 categories honoring anime released from September 2023 to December 2024. The ceremony was streamed live by Cru ...

, Best VA Performance (English)
{{small, as Alisa "Alya" Mikhailovna Kujō (

) , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", {{cite web, last=Cayanan, first=Joanna, title=All the Winners of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025, url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2025-05-25/all-the-winners-of-the-crunchyroll-anime-awards-2025/.224777, website=

, date=May 25, 2025, access-date=May 25, 2025, archive-date=May 25, 2025, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250525114635/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2025-05-25/all-the-winners-of-the-crunchyroll-anime-awards-2025/.224777, url-status=live

References

{{reflist

External links

* {{Official website, http://sarahnatochenny.com/ * {{anime News Network, people, id=59901, name=Sarah Natochenny * {{IMDb name, id=2516299, name=Sarah Natochenny
Sarah Natochenny
at Crystal Acids the English Voice Actor & Production Staff Database {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Natochenny, Sarah 1987 births Living people Actresses from Queens, New York American film editors American people of Russian descent American video game actresses American voice actresses CollegeHumor people Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Actresses from New York City Pokémon 21st-century American actresses