Ritchie
| Ritchie ヒロシHiroshi | |
 Ritchie | |
| Age | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Hair color | Auburn(Animated series) Blond(Electric Tale of Pikachu) |
| Hometown | Frodomar City (Dub only) |
| Region | Kanto |
| Animated series | Pokémon the Series |
| Debut | A Friend in Deed |
| English voice actor | Tara Jayne |
| Japanese voice actor | Minami Takayama |
| Generation | I |
| Games | Puzzle League,Zany Cards |
| Manga series | The Electric Tale of Pikachu |
| Debut | Welcome To The Big Leagues |
Ritchie (Japanese:ヒロシHiroshi), occasionally spelledRichie, is a recurring character inPokémon the Series. He is aPokémon Trainer fromFrodomar City and arival ofAsh. He first appeared inA Friend In Deed.
In animation
Pokémon the Series
Pokémon the Series: The Beginning
Ritchie first appeared inA Friend In Deed and quickly befriended his fellowIndigo Plateau Conference competitor,Ash Ketchum, in an elevator. When the elevator went out, he plugged in a device toAsh's Pikachu and got the elevator running again. Ritchie met up with Ash again outside. WhileTeam Rocket hadTrainers put in theirPoké Balls in a sack, Ritchie discovered their scheme and he and Ash went after them. The two were unable to catch up to Team Rocket and camped out until the next day. Ritchie saw tire tracks and led them to Team Rocket's van. When he went inside, he was spotted by Team Rocket and the trio trapped him and Ash in the van. They were able to escape with the Poké Balls retrieved from Team Rocket.
Their friendship led to problems inFriend or Foe Alike, since the two were pitted against each other in the next round. Ritchie waited for Ash on the battlefield even though Ash was unable to get there right away due to Team Rocket's meddling. Their match began when Ash was able to finally arrive. Ritchie won the match, since at the very endAsh's Charizard refused to fightSparky and took a nap on the battlefield instead. Even though he lost in the next match toAssunta, Ritchie made it to the Top 8 position in the League.
Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver
Sometime after the League and when Ash andhis friends went toJohto, Ritchie became fascinated with a mysteriousPokémon that can be foundWhirl Islands, which turned out to be aLugia.
Ritchie met up with Ash and friends again onOgi Isle, starting inThe Mystery is History. After spotting ababy Lugia named Silver withOliver,Butch andCassidy attacked with their Pokémon and Ritchie and Ash defended Silver with their Pokémon. Their actions caused Butch and Cassidy to retreat until later when a submarine was dispatched to capture Silver.
InA Parent Trapped!, Ritchie told the parent Lugia about what happened to Silver which caused it to briefly attack them. Ritchie and the group later found Silver in a cage on a base. Ritchie and Ash battled Butch and Cassidy in an attempt to stall them. They were badly beaten and the parent Lugia was captured.
InA Promise is a Promise, Ritchie and the group was freed from a cage by Oliver. Ritchie and Ash took on Butch, Cassidy, and someTeam Rocket Grunts with their Pokémon and easily swept through them. They went to the room where Silver was being held, but were stopped byDr. Namba. Ritchie and Ash battled him with their Pikachu. Ritchie was also able to destroy the controller of the rage machine that was powering Dr. Namba'sElectabuzz, defeat the Team Rocket scientist and take Silver away from him. With both Lugia reunited, Ritchie remained on the island with Oliver, to continue exploring the Whirl Islands, while Ash and his friends departed toOlivine City.
Pokémon Chronicles
Ritchie visitedProfessor Oak's Laboratory inOaknapped!. He andTracey found out thatProfessor Oak had disappeared from theSeafoam Island TV station where he was supposed to have his live TV appearance. They later found him in an abandoned warehouse with the help of Ritchie'sTaillow, Rose. They battled Butch and Cassidy and whenTracey's Scyther was beaten by Butch'sMightyena, Ritchie took care of the two Team Rocket agents and won. Professor Oak was grateful and even asked Ritchie to come back toPallet Town to help install a security system in his lab.
InCelebi and Joy!, Ritchie was passing throughMarion Town when he saw someconstruction workers demolishing an oldPokémon Center. He sent outZippo andSparky to prevent them from damaging the Pokémon Center any further, and the residentNurse Joys were grateful. They invited Ritchie inside, revealing the Center's history, including the passing of the elder Nurse Joy's childhood friendNick. The Center also had an association withCelebi, who later appeared before Ritchie andtook him back in time. Ritchie arrived in a forest where he saved a young Nurse Joy from falling off a cliff. He and Nurse Joy then arrived in the Marion Town of the past. Ritchie discovered the same Celebi from before. He also met Nick andhis father.
Nurse Joy went missing during a storm, and Ritchie went with Nick to find her. Ritchie soon found Nurse Joy by the Celebi shrine lying down unconscious. Just as a lightning bolt was about to strike, Celebi appeared and protected Ritchie, Nick, and Nurse Joy. The next day, Ritchie went after Nick and his father on Nurse Joy'sPonyta which was the day that a rock slide would have killed them. However, as Ritchie convinced the two to come back to Marion Town to be there for a party held by Nurse Joy, the rock slide that occurred passed right behind Ritchie.
With that done, Ritchie was sent back to the present with the timeline altered. He saw the same construction crew from before, who were now restoring the Pokémon Center instead of demolishing it. Nick was also alive and now the mayor of Marion Town.
Ritchie's final speaking appearance was inThe Search for the Legend, where he was aboard theS.S. Anne when he metSilver and a pair of mysterious doctors who were actually Butch and Cassidy. During a pit stop atOne Island, he learned more of the trio's plan to see aMoltres, and climbed to the summit ofMt. Magma with them. When Moltres revealed itself the following day, the doctors revealed their true identities, and attempted to nab Moltres. Ritchie and Silver battled together and defeated the duo. After Silver battled with Moltres, Mt. Magma erupted and when he had Silver'sSalamence fly him and Ritchie out of there, Moltres flew off. Silver was willing to wait a little longer until Moltres came back. Ritchie parted ways with Silver on a boat while Silver stayed behind on One Island.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
InPride of a Champion!, Ritchie appeared in a brief cameo, along with Sparky, watching theMasters Eight Tournament match betweenLance andDiantha on TV.
Character
Ritchie is a kindhearted and sincere boy. His courageous actions helped him to develop bonds and gain respect from other characters, includingProfessor Oak andMarion Town'sNurse Joy. He values his friendships, even waiting forAsh despite his delayed arrival for theirIndigo Plateau Conference match inFriend or Foe Alike.
Ritchie balanced out Ash's more reckless approach with his cautious manner inA Friend In Deed. He thinks ahead, as seen when he packs extra supplies, and his problem-solving skills lend themselves well to his traveling lifestyle. After his Indigo League loss toAssunta, Ritchie noted that defeats were invaluable and this helped Ash to overcome his own sadness after his loss.
He is passionate aboutPokémon, and like Ash, he dreams of becoming aPokémon Master. Ritchie and Ash are often compared to each other, and inOaknapped!, Ritchie joked that he and Ash tend to catch many of the same Pokémon. Ritchie's battling strategy focuses on his Pokémon's stamina, and he uses attacks likeZippo'sFlamethrower andCruise'sSandstorm to repel his opponent's Pokémon away before attacking. His appearance nearOgi Isle inThe Mystery is History also revealed Ritchie's interest in Pokémon research and folklore.
Pokémon
Ritchie's Pokémon coincidentally tend to be similar toAsh's first captures, either inKanto orHoenn. Despite this, Ritchie is also seen battling with a few different Pokémon, such asPupitar and others shown during hisFull Battle withAssunta. Also, Ritchie's Pokémon tend to be more obedient to their Trainer, largely due to Ritchie being a little more experienced than Ash at that time.Zippo, for example, was shown to be more obedient to Ritchie than otherCharmeleon shown in theanimated series, such asAsh's andTrevor's.
Ritchie puts stickers on hisPoké Balls to differentiate his Pokémon between others and is one of Ash's onlyrivals to givenicknames to his Pokémon.
After meeting Ash, Ritchie is often seen accompanied bySparky at his side, in a way similar to the relationship between Ash and hisPikachu.
 | This article is missing information on this character's English voice actor and Japanese voice actor. Please feel free to edit this article to add this information. |
On hand
This listing is of Ritchie's knownPokémon inPokémon the Series:
| Debut | A Friend in Deed |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Yūji Ueda |
| English | Eric Stuart |
- Main article:Zippo
Zippo (Japanese:ジッポZippo) is Ritchie'sCharmeleon. It first appeared as aCharmander, andevolved by the timeAsh and Ritchie met in theWhirl Islands.
| Debut | A Friend in Deed |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Rikako Aikawa |
| English | Rikako Aikawa |
Happy (Japanese:パピーPapi) is Ritchie'sButterfree. After Ritchie andAsh foiledTeam Rocket's plan to steal the Pokémon of everyone competing in thePokémon League, the van they were driving in was about to go over a cliff. Ash and Ritchie decided to use their Pokémon to help them land safely. Ash used hisPidgeotto, while Ritchie sent out Happy. Thanks to their Pokémon, the two Trainers were able to land safely.
Happy reappeared inFriend and Foe Alike during Ash and Ritchie's battle atIndigo Plateau. It was up againstSquirtle. It easily defeated theWater type by usingSleep Powder, which caused Squirtle to become disqualified. Happy was then defeated byPikachu using hisThunder Shock.
Happy was last seen inFriends to the End during Ritchie's battle withAssunta.
Happy's known moves areSleep Powder andWhirlwind.
| Debut | The Mystery is History |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | |
| English | Eric Stuart |
Cruise (Japanese:クルーズCruise) is Ritchie'sPupitar. It first appeared whenButch andCassidy were attempting to steala baby Lugia, butAsh and Ritchie refused to let that happen. It was very strong in battle, and it caused the twoTeam Rocket members to retreat.
Ritchie later used Cruise inA Promise is a Promise. Butch and Cassidy were once again trying to prevent the Trainers from rescuing Silver and itsmother, so Ritchie called upon it to take care of them and the otherTeam Rocket Grunts in the area. After it defeated them, Cruise helped Ash andMisty free Silver from its cage by tackling the bars afterAsh's Cyndaquil,Totodile, andPoliwhirl had weakened them.
Cruise's known moves areHeadbutt (incorrectly referred to as Take Down in the dub) andSandstorm.
| Debut | Oaknapped! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Chinami Nishimura |
| English | Kayzie Rogers |
Rose (Japanese:ローズRose) is Ritchie'sTaillow. When Ritchie,Tracey, andOfficer Jenny were looking for the missingProfessor Oak, Ritchie sent out Rose for help. Tracey commented thatAsh also has aTaillow, and Ritchie replied that he and Ash tend to catch a lot of the same Pokémon (referring to theirPikachu,Charmeleon, andButterfree).
InCelebi and Joy!, Ritchie used Rose alongsideZippo andSparky to defeat the Pokémon of ademolition crew who threatened twoNurses Joy.
Rose's known moves areGust (Taillow cannot legally learn Gust in the games) andDouble Team.
Status unknown
| Debut | Friends to the End |
|---|
Ritchie had at least three other Pokémon during theIndigo Plateau Conference as he participated in aFull Battle. It is uncertain which ones belonged to him. However, the beginning scene inFriends to the End narrowed the situation a bit, revealing that he owns eitherSpearow orTentacool.
None of Spearow's moves are known.
Tentacool's only known move isBubble (Tentacool could not legally learn Bubble at the time).
Borrowed
| Debut | Celebi and Joy! |
|---|
Ritchie rodeNurse Joy'sPonyta fromMarion Town, successfully changing the past by preventingNick's death.
None of Ponyta's moves are known.
Dub only
| Debut | Oaknapped! |
|---|
Ritchie mentioned having anEevee in the dub when he consultedProfessor Oak for advice on evolving it inOaknapped!. It was not mentioned in the Japanese version.
None of Eevee's moves are known.
Achievements
Pokémon League
Ritchie has competed in the followingPokémon League Conferences:
- Indigo Plateau Conference - Top 8 (Friends to the End)
Voice actors
| Language | Voice actor | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 高山みなみMinami Takayama | |
| English | Tara Jayne | |
| Arabic | فدوى سليمانFadwa Souleimane | |
| Danish | Mikkel Følsgaard | |
| Dutch | Niki Romijn | |
| Finnish | Elise Langenoja | |
| European French | Véronique Fyon | |
| German | Stephanie Kellner (EP078-EP080) Ditte Schupp (EP220-EP222) | |
| Hungarian | Csongor Szalay | |
| Italian | Patrizia Mottola (EP078-EP222) Felice Invernici (HS08-HS18) | |
| Polish | Artur Krajewski (EP078-EP080) Unknown voice actress (EP220-EP222) | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Rafael Barioni (EP078-EP080) Francisco Freitas (EP220-EP222) Thiago Longo (HS08-HS18) | |
| Russian | Татьяна ЗиновенкоTatiana Zinovenko | |
| Spanish | Latin America | Ana Lobo (EP078-EP222) Manuel Díaz (HS08-HS18) |
| Spain | Chelo Vivares | |
A Ripple in Time
A counterpart of Ritchie based on his counterpart in theanimated series appears in a cameo inA Ripple in Time watchingAsh battleArsham.
In the games
In thespin-off games
Pokémon Puzzle League
Ritchie appears as a character inPokémon Puzzle League, where he is the first member of theElite Four. He also appears inPuzzle University.
Pokémon
 Pikachu |  Charmander |  Butterfree |
Pokémon Zany Cards
Ritchie appears inPokémon Zany Cards for thePokémon mini, in which his name is misspelt "Ricky".
In the manga
The Electric Tale of Pikachu
Ritchie is a character inThe Electric Tale of Pikachu.Ash first met Ritchie inWelcome To The Big Leagues at a diner while noticing that hisPikachu was with Ritchie's Pikachu. Ritchie was also a competitor in the Pokémon League and even though he saw Ash win his match withKingler, Ash missed out on his. The next day, Ritchie has moved on from the third round. During the fourth round, he was paired with Ash's rival,Gary. After Ash defeatedJeanette Fisher, he ran to see if Ritchie won or not, and was surprised to find out that he had actually beaten Gary.
Ritchie was then paired with Ash in the fifth round. They battled withButterfree andSquirtle first, which resulted in a tie. The two sent out their Pikachu and tied again. When Ritchie sent outCharley againstAsh's Charizard, but his Pokémon was badly hurt by Ash's. Unable to stop his Charizard's violent behavior, Ash was forced to recall it and surrender the match, making Ritchie the winner. Ritchie apologized to Ash for challenging him. Even though Ash felt bad for allowing his Charizard to be uncontrollable, he supported Ritchie on his further matches.
Ritchie's briefly reappeared inPikachu's Plan after Ash won his match withDrake.
Character
Ritchie's personality is very similar to that of hisanimated series counterpart. However, he expresses more personal insecurities and is shown to be more ruthless in battle. He also has blond hair instead of auburn.
Pokémon
This listing is of Ritchie's known Pokémon in the manga:
- Main article:Sparky
Chuchino is Ritchie's first known Pokémon. It fought againstAsh's Pikachu in the Indigo League.
| Debut | The Indigo Finals |
|---|
- Main article:Zippo
Charley was used againstAsh's Charizard in the Indigo League. It was severely wounded due to Ash's Charizard's violet behavior, causing Ash to forfeit the match.
| Debut | The Indigo Finals |
|---|
Happy was used againstAsh's Squirtle in the Indigo League, where it was able to tie with Squirtle after a long fight.
Happy's only known move isSleep Powder.
Achievements
Pokémon League ranking
Ritchie has competed in the followingPokémon League Conferences:
Trivia
- Despite changes in thePokédex's design, Ritchie continues to use the oldest model as ofThe Search for the Legend.
- Ritchie's outfit features the colorsgreen andyellow, while Ash's clothes are predominantlyred andblue.
- All of Ritchie’s confirmed Pokémon he owns were owned by Ash at one point or the evolved form of one.
Names
Two versions of his name can be seen in official materials,Richie andRitchie.Pokémon Puzzle League, as well asPokémon Chronicles subtitles, spell his nameRitchie, whilePokémon.com episode descriptions,The Electric Tale of Pikachu,Extreme Pokémon: The Guide for the Ultimate Fan, andCharizard, Go! spell his nameRichie. Additionally, inPokémon Zany Cards, he is referred to asRicky.
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ヒロシHiroshi | Means "far and wide" (広). |
| English | Ritchie | A diminutive for Richard, which is generally agreed to mean "brave power" in Germanic (from the elementsric "power, rule, ruler" andhard "brave, hardy"). |
| French, German, Italian, Spanish | Richie | Similar to English name. |
| Korean | 훈Hun | |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 阿弘Ā Hóng | From the name 弘Hiroshi. Means "great" or "broad". |
| Russian | РичиRichi | Transcription of his English name |
Related articles
| Ritchie'sPokémon | ||||||
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| On hand: | ||||||
| Status unknown: | ||||||
| Borrowed: | ||||||
| Trainers inLeague Conferences | ||||||||||||||
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 | This article is part ofProject Anime, aBulbapedia project that covers all aspects ofPokémon animation. |
