The world of Pokémon is filled with mysteries, big and small — but one of the most enduring is the identity of Ash Ketchum's dad. The puzzle has spawned some fascinating fan theories, from the logical to the strange. But who is the most likely candidate to be Ash's dad? All the ideas of Ash's father are about for debate, yet it never grows into an old debate. On one hand, it's somewhat humorous at this point that fans will probably never know. On the other hand, it's still a frustrating, mysterious piece of Ash's lore.
Ash's father is only mentioned a few times. It has been said that he is actually a Pokémon trainer who started his journey around the time Ash was born. The closest we've gotten to an official confirmation of the canon status of Ash's dad is in Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle movie, in which Ash says his father believed in and supported his dreams. There is also another mention of Ash's father in the special, The Distant, Blue Sky. At the end of the day, Ash's father doesn't change who he is, but it's still a fun secret fans are eager to unlock.
Updated on July 20, 2024, by Robbie Robinson: Will fans ever truly know the answer to this question? It's hard to say. That being said, guessing who Ash's father is has been a fun mystery for a long time. This article has been updated to include more theories as well as to get this article up to current CBR formatting standards.
What Fans Do Know About Ash's Father
It Still Isn't Much, But It's All There Is To Work With
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Aside from knowing that Ash's father is a trainer, there's not much more information than that. What is known, however, is that Ash's father wasn't a very good trainer and, therefore, went on a long journey to better himself and face off against Gym Leaders. That would certainly check out and explain why he's been so absent in his son's life. Granted, Ash is 10 years old and has been able to become a Master within his many years of being 10, so maybe it's time his father just finally comes home and learns a thing or two from his kid.
In The Distant, Blue Sky, Ash's mother calls him and tells him that she's going to be meeting his father in Kanto. Considering how secretive Ash's father has been to the series, many fans weren't exactly expecting to meet him, but there was finally a chance. Of course, Ash gets swept into a different plot and by the time he makes it to Tonari Town, his father is gone. What a surprise. But hey, at least Ash's mysterious father figure left Ash a brand-new hat that looks exactly like his other hat.
Who Are the Likely Candidates For Ash's Father?
Some Make More Sense Than Others
The most common candidate for Ash Ketchum's dad is Professor Oak. That makes a lot of sense, as the local Pokémon professor assumes the father-figure role in the series, offering Ash support and encouragement during his journey. That would also explain why Oak seemed so close to Ash's mother, and why he was willing to give Ash a unique Pokémon, rather than punishing him for being late to his meeting. While this is the most sensible and logical option, the big issue with this theory is if Oak really is Ash's dad, why didn't he come clean? If he and Delia Ketchum had to hide their relationship for some reason, they likely wouldn't be together so often. It's clear Ash respects Professor Oak, so he wouldn't react badly to the news, so it seems a strange secret to keep.
Another common fan suggestion is Bruno, the Fighting-type Elite Four member. This theory seems to be based on the episode "To Master the Onixpected!" After seeing Bruno on TV, Ash said he wanted to apprentice with the expert trainer. Out of nowhere, Delia said she knew that Bruno's secret training spot was on Mt. Hideaway. While it's easy to argue that knowing Bruno's location suggests Delia knows him, it should be kept in mind that Bruno is famous enough to be on TV. Delia could have simply heard a rumor about a visiting celebrity. Also, the episode revealed that Bruno is a bit of a fraud, so it would be weird for Delia to send Ash to see him without warning him that Bruno isn't all he first seems.
Other fans point to Silver from Pokémon Chronicles. Users of the TVTropes Wild Mass Guessing page point to several pieces of evidence that support this theory. When Ritchie mentions Ash, Silver seems to react as if he knows about him despite never meeting Ash on screen. On top of this, Silver is actually similar to Ash in many ways. Both trainers saw a legendary firebird early in their journey, as Ash saw Ho-Oh and Silver saw Moltres. Also, both trainers have a Pokémon companion who lives outside of its ball and a friendly flying dragon. With Ash, this is Pikachu and Charizard. Silver has Chikorita and Salamence. However, while this theory is interesting, it has little supporting evidence, aside from one slightly unusual line delivery.
One more fan theory is that Red is Ash's father. (Well, it's less of a theory and more of wishful thinking.) Red is the very first playable protagonist from the first generation Pokémon games. Fans know that Ash's father started his journey in Pallet Town, which is where Red is from. Now, there isn't necessarily any other information to back this up other than that it would be a really awesome reveal. The connection would be incredible. Since fans got to play as Red, knowing that they were actually setting out on the journey of Ash's father would be amazing. That being said, Red goes on to be a powerful trainer. That would contradict the idea that Ash's father wasn't a very talented trainer. However, it would still be a lot of fun for fans.
Mr. Mime Might Be Ash's Real Dad
The Fan Favorite Theory
A popular and memefied fan theory is that Mr. Mime is Ash's Dad. It is easy to see why this theory caught the fandom's imagination, as it is the right combination of silly and creepy. At the end of the first season, Delia befriended and adopted a Mr. Mime. This Pokémon lives with Delia, acting as a maid and a companion. It even goes on vacation with her in later episodes. Of course, it couldn't be Ash's father, as we know Mr. Mime didn't meet Delia until well after Ash was born, and while the pair are close, it is common for people to befriend their Pokémon in-universe. Nothing Delia does with Mr. Mime is different from what Ash does with Pikachu. Still, it's easy to see why the theory caught on, since people love fan theories that put a strange or dark twist on their childhood favorites.
In a hypothetical world, if Mr. Mime is Ash's actual father, that would open up a brand-new discussion surrounding the ethics behind humans and Pokémon being romantically involved or intimate with one another. Some Pokémon are certainly very intelligent and human-like. Some seem closer to the level of a pet or just a normal animal. It's clear that Pokémon do have sentience and the ability to love others, but it still sounds very odd. Mr. Mime basically looks like a person in clown make-up, but it's still a Pokémon. Also, considering that trainers and people in the universe most often use Pokémon as workers or fighters, there's also the issue of power imbalances. On top of that, a relationship between a human and a Pokémon feels a little too close to beasti*al*ty for comfort.
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We will likely never learn the true identity of Ash's dad. In fact, the writers themselves might not even know who he is. His absence is likely because the story being told doesn't need Ash to have a visible father. So the writers felt it was better to give Delia more screen time (and thus character development) rather than splitting that time across two blander characters.
Ash has made it this far without knowing the identity of his father, and he seems to be doing just fine. In fact, Ash doesn't even really seem to think about him that much. Ash has plenty of support from his friends and his mother. While he would love to meet his dad, it hasn't been a major roadblock in Ash's adventures. However, the fan theories about Ash's father are fun and will keep going viral for years to come.
Pokémon
TV-Y7
Anime
Action
Adventure
Ash Ketchum, his yellow pet Pikachu, and his human friends explore a world of powerful creatures.
- Release Date
- September 8, 1998
- Cast
- Veronica Taylor , Eric Stuart , Rachael Lillis , Sarah Natochenny , Bill Rogers , Rica Matsumoto , Ikue Ootani
- Main Genre
- Anime
- Seasons
- 25
- Studio
- OLM Inc.
- Creator
- Junichi Masuda, Ken Sugimori, Satoshi Tajiri
