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Sarah Natochenny (born September 20, 1987, in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City) is an American voice actress and film editor of Russian descent,1 best known for her seventeen-year run as the English voice of Ash Ketchum in the Pokémon anime series.1 She has a voice credit in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), providing one of the voices of the Mini Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men.23
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Natochenny grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, the daughter of Russian immigrant parents; she is fluent in both English and Russian.1 She demonstrated athletic talent from a young age, winning a bronze medal in rhythmic gymnastics at the Junior Olympics at age 12.1 She attended Brooklyn Technical High School, graduating in 2005.1 She subsequently trained as an actor at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute's Young Actors Program, and also studied improv and comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade and Magnet Theatre in New York City.1
At 18 years old, Natochenny auditioned for and won the lead role of Ash Ketchum in Pokémon when dubbing production moved from 4Kids Entertainment to TAJ Productions ahead of the show's ninth season in 2006.1 She replaced Veronica Taylor, who had originated the role in the English dub; Natochenny has spoken publicly about her respect for Taylor and acknowledged the difficulty of following a beloved performance.4 She ultimately voiced Ash across 17 seasons, significantly outlasting Taylor's eight-year tenure, bringing Ash to his conclusion when the character's story ended in 2023.1 In addition to Ash, she voiced his mother Delia Ketchum and more than 30 other characters across the franchise's television series and films.1
Her first major video game role was Alicia, the lead character in the Xbox 360 action title Bullet Witch (2006).1 In 2024 she voiced Alya in the anime adaptation Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian.1
Alongside her voice work, Natochenny has worked as a film editor. Her editing credits include Life of Crime, Cold Comes the Night, Worst Friends, and Cruise.5
In 2019 she received a Voice Arts Award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences in the Outstanding Animation or Gaming category.1 In 2025 she received a Crunchyroll Anime Award nomination for Best English VA Performance for her role as Alya in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian.6
Natochenny provided voice work for the Mini Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the mischievous miniature versions of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man who wreak havoc inside a Walmart during the film's third act.2 The role was uncredited in the film's on-screen titles.2 Natochenny confirmed her involvement on the film's opening day, November 19, 2021, noting that fellow voice actress Shelby Young was among her "fellow marshmallows" on the project.3 She attended the New York premiere on November 15, 2021.2
Natochenny has been open about experiencing depression, including periods exacerbated by fan backlash after she replaced the popular Veronica Taylor as Ash's voice.4 She co-founded Voices for Fosters, a New York-based foster placement service for cats, with fellow voice actress and director Lisa Ortiz; the project grew out of an emotional recording session for a Pokémon episode dealing with a Pokémon's passing.1 She divides her time between New York City and Los Angeles.1 She owns a cat named after Pikachu.4
"Sarah Natochenny," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Natochenny ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14
Spook Central, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife On-Screen Cast Credits" (November 22, 2021), https://www.spookcentral.us/2021/11/22/ghostbusters-afterlife-cast-credits ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
Sarah Natochenny (@sarahnatochenny), Twitter/X (November 19, 2021), https://x.com/sarahnatochenny/status/1461754799993593865 ↩ ↩2
The Harvard Crimson, "Artist Profile: Sarah Natochenny on Her Life Changing Career Voicing Pokémon's Ash Ketchum" (April 20, 2023), https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/4/20/sarah-natochenny-profile-pokemon-anime-boston-voice-acting/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3
IMDb, "Sarah Natochenny" (nm2516299), accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2516299/ ↩
"Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best VA Performance," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crunchyroll_Anime_Award_for_Best_VA_Performance ↩
