Tracey redirects here. For the book author, seeTracey West.

Tracey Sketchit ケンジKenji
Tracey Sketchit
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Eye color	Brown
Hair color	Black*, Olive Green*
Hometown	Unknown; currently resides inPallet Town
Region	Unknown; currently resides inKanto
Animated series	Pokémon the Series
Debut	The Lost Lapras
English voice actor	Ted Lewis(EP084-AG133,JN147) Craig Blair(AG192)
Japanese voice actor	Tomokazu Seki
Trainer class	Watcher
Generation	I
Games	Puzzle League

Tracey Sketchit (Japanese:ケンジKenji) is aPokémon Watcher and a formertraveling companion ofAsh who currently works atProfessor Oak's Laboratory as anassistant toProfessor Oak. He made his debut appearance inThe Lost Lapras.

In animation

History

Pokémon the Series

Pre-series

Tracey grew up in an unknown town but enjoyed observing and watching Pokémon. Tracey also came to idolizeProfessor Oak and saw him as his hero, hoping to meet him one day. Eventually, Tracey became aPokémon Watcher.

Original series

As Ash's traveling companion

Tracey first appeared inThe Lost Lapras when he came uponAsh getting ready tobattle three otherTrainers. He was impressed by the condition ofAsh's Pikachu and decided to take notes. He got to know Ash andMisty better after he helped them save an injuredLapras. After hearing that Ash and Misty knew Professor Oak, Tracey decided to start traveling with the group, thinking he would get to see Professor Oak in person by doing so.

Tracey displayed some of his Pokémon watching skills inIn the Pink, where he took some time to observe apinkRhyhorn. He was able to watch it and sketch it without it noticing him at all until Ash approached it.

InTracey Gets Bugged, he expressed that his favorite type of Pokémon wasBug-type Pokémon, much to Misty's dislike. During their time onMurcott Island, the group came upon anelderly and injuredScyther. Tracey ended up building a strong bond with Scyther and was able to defeat theTeam Rocket trio. In the end, Tracey decided to add Scyther to his team.

Tracey's sole major role in amovie was inThe Power of One, where he traveled toShamouti Island with Ash and Misty during their journey through theOrange Islands. There, he aided Ash in his quest as the Chosen One.

While on their way toPummelo Stadium, Tracey got to meet one of his idols,Dr. Quackenpoker, a Pokémon Watcher who specialized in researchingMagikarp. Tracey picked up a few pointers from the older watcher and got to count how many Magikarp evolved intoGyarados.

As Professor Oak's assistant

Tracey finally got to meet Professor Oak in person inA Tent Situation. He was incredibly nervous when he turned over his drawings to him, knowing that a watcher's dream was to have their drawings reviewed by Professor Oak. By thenext episode, he decides to stay inPallet Town and become Professor Oak's assistant. Later, he single-handedly saves Ash's Pikachu from being stolen by Team Rocket using Scyther andMarill, the latter of whom also defeats the trio andblasts them off.

InSpell of the Unown: Entei, he asked Professor Oak what theUnown were.

During the events ofBulbasaur... the Ambassador!, Tracey and Professor Oak borrowedAsh's Bulbasaur to solve a crisis at the Laboratory. As the day progressed, Tracey tried to help by sendingVenonat,Marill, andScyther to solve some problems. Later, Tracey helped Bulbasaur and the local Pokémon set up a fountain so the Pokémon could live in harmony.

InCelebi: The Voice of the Forest, Tracey first appeared in a scene that was removed from the dub, during Ash's first video conversation with Professor Oak. Later, during the end credits, he discoveredSam's old sketchbook in Oak's lab and views the drawing he made ofCelebi and Pikachu.

InA Claim to Flame!, Tracey watched the opening of theSilver Conference with Professor Oak in the laboratory. During the exhibition, the Professor noted the absence of Ash who was currently being kidnapped byTeam Rocket.

Tracey reappeared inGotta Catch Ya Later!, when Ash decided to meet withGary. Tracey and Professor Oak welcomed him to the Lab and talked about Gary's whereabouts. At night, Tracey was present when Ash told everyone about his decision to travel toHoenn, and supported that decision and told him a little aboutProfessor Birch and assured Ash that he would take very good care of all his Pokémon.

Pokémon Chronicles

InShowdown at the Oak Corral, Tracey helped to protect the laboratory fromButch andCassidy.

InOaknapped!, Tracey was assisted byRitchie to help locate Professor Oak after he was kidnapped by Butch and Cassidy.

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

Tracey is seen watching Ash's battle againstKatie at theEver Grande Conference inShocks and Bonds.

Prior toThe Scheme Team,Tracey's Marill produced anEgg. Tracey gave the Egg to Misty, which later hatched into anAzurill. InThe Right Place and The Right Mime, he got to meetMay andMax and later tagged teamed withMisty using the parent and child Pokémon to fire a doubleWater Gun attack at Team Rocket.

InThe Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing!, Professor Oak handed Ash a poster made by Tracey andAsh's Pokémon wishing him good luck in his battle withBrandon.

InHome is Where the Start Is!, Tracey greeted Ash after his victory in theBattle Frontier and soon after watched Ash andPikachu battling Gary and his newly caughtElectivire. The next day, Tracey was present at the farewell as Ash was leaving for theSinnoh region.

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

Tracey made a brief cameo inFollowing A Maiden's Voyage!. Tracey was present at Professor Oak's side while Ash called to let him know he had arrived in Sinnoh.

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

Tracey was mentioned by Professor Oak inCrisis from the Underground Up! when Ash called the lab fromNimbasa City. During the call, Professor Oak said that Tracey had a suggestion for Ash during his next Gym challenge. However, the connection is cut before Ash can speak to him.

He had a longer cameo inThe Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!, where he appeared with Professor Oak in a video presentation showingKanto'sfirst partner Pokémon during theKanto Fair.

Tracey was mentioned by Professor Oak and Ash, and he also appeared in a fantasy, inThe Dream Continues!. Professor Oak revealed that Tracey was at theCerulean Gym withMisty at that time.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

InAdvice to Goh!, Professor Oak mentioned that Tracey had helped him look forAsh's Infernape, which had been missing for some time.

FromBattling as Hard as Stone! toPartners in Time!, Tracey watched Ash'sMasters Eight Tournament matches againstSteven,Cynthia, andLeon alongside Professor Oak, Delia, and Ash's Pokémon.

InThe Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!, Tracey greeted Ash during his visit back to Pallet Town. During the meeting, Tracey talked to Ash and asked him to take charge of the Lab for a few days. Days later when Tracey returned, Ash discovered that Tracey'sVenonat had evolved.

I Choose You!

Tracey made a cameo appearance in the ending credits ofI Choose You!.

Character

In general, Tracey is a gentle person, and has a hard time saying no to anyone, especially to girls. InA Date With Delcatty, he took care of Misty's chores and helpedDaisy with various tasks around theCerulean Gym. Tracey does various chores around the lab, such as feeding the Pokémon and cleaning. He has befriended many of the Pokémon that reside at the lab, in particularAsh's Bulbasaur. He helps take care of thePokémon that Ash leaves at the lab and sometimes has them help him with chores.

Tracey is a lot likeBrock in many aspects. He has a broad knowledge about Pokémon and this has helped him and his friends in theirjourney many times along the way. Also, similarly to Brock, he seems to have a soft spot for pretty girls, but to a much less extreme degree. He seems to have some standards as he tends to be more drawn towards women who exhibit strength and courage rather than just any pretty girl he sees. Also, he is more self-conscious and doesn't go overboard about them as Brock does, expressing his interest by simply drawing them.

There have been rare incidents where Tracey was seen losing his temper. InThe Lost Lapras, Misty comments that she doesn't know how famous Professor Oak is and Tracey barks back at her, saying that Professor Oak is the most respected researcher on the entireplanet. Another time this happened was inJourney to the Starting Line!, when a boy namedGilbert said that he wouldn't want to have the annoyance of raising a Pokémon himself. Angered, Tracey yelled at him saying that training Pokémon was the most important part of being aPokémon Trainer. He also lost his temper inA Tent Situation, desperate to go see Professor Oak, where he yelled at Ash, Misty, and Brock for babbling, and again inShowdown at the Oak Corral, when theMagikarp salesman tried to sell him a Magikarp.

Tracey's Pokémon watching usually involves him observing a Pokémon and sketching it. He uses special binoculars that allow him to take measurements of a Pokémon that is far away. Tracey also has unnaturally good eyesight, as seen inThe Joy of Pokémon, where he was able to tell that the person paddling past them at a high speed wasNurse Joy. He was also able to tell that her arms were wider than other Nurse Joys after seeing her for only a split second.

Tracey has some tricks of the trade when it comes to Pokémon watching. To avoid being detected by the Pokémon he is observing, he always makes sure that he approaches it from downwind to avoid his scent being picked up by his subject. He also changes his breathing rhythm to match the Pokémon's so that he will not be heard.

He also has the unique ability to know whatmove a Pokémon is going to use just by the way it moves about. This was seen when he knewJames'sVictreebel was going to useRazor Leaf while battling with his Scyther inTracey Gets Bugged.

Like Tracey admires Professor Oak,Max seems to have an admiration for him. He complimented Tracey on his artwork and told him how lucky he was to be working with Professor Oak, and even wished that he could draw Pokémon one day.

Pokémon

Tracey does not appear totrain hisPokémon forcompetitions, however, they are still important in his fieldwork. At times when he has trouble in finding a certain Pokémon, he calls on the help ofhis own Pokémon. His Venomoth has radar-like eyes that can track a Pokémon from the farthest of distances and even locate hidden Pokémon. In times where a Pokémon can't be seen, he uses his Marill who has excellent hearing and is able to detect faint sounds. His Scyther is his only Pokémon used solely for battling.

This listing is of Tracey's knownPokémon inPokémon the Series:

On hand

Venonat → Venomoth

Marill

Scyther

Given away

Egg

Status unknown

Dodrio

Debut	The Lost Lapras

Tracey was seen riding aDodrio in a flashback while Pokémon watching. However, it is unknown whether Dodrio belonged to him or if it was simply borrowed.

None of Dodrio's moves are known.

Temporary

Bulbasaur

Debut	Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village
Voice actors
Japanese	Megumi Hayashibara
English	Tara Jayne (EP010-AG133) Michele Knotz (AG189-present)

Main article:Ash's Bulbasaur

InShowdown at the Oak Corral, Tracey commanded Bulbasaur to useVine Whip to remove the sheet coveringButch andCassidy's helicopter.

Main outfit

Tracey has only had one main outfit throughout the entire series. It consists of a loose greenT-shirt, reddish-brown shorts, blue and yellow sneakers, an orange backpack, and his most notable accessory, a salmon-colored headband that he uses to keep his hair out of his face.Tracey is the only main character from the original series whose outfit was not changed at the start of any of the newer series.

Other outfits

Costumes

• InLuvdisc is a Many Splendored Thing!,Daisy fantasized Tracey playing the prince in her water ballet alongside Misty. This outfit consisted of a blue shirt with long sleeves and gold trimming, teal pants, a red cape, and a silver crown. This would be the second time he is seen without his headband.

Outdoor gear

Swimwear

• His first swimsuit was a pair of navy-blue swim trunks with two red lines on either side, as seen inThe Joy of Pokémon.
• The second was seen inPokémon Double Trouble. It is still a pair of navy blue swim trunks but with a sunflower print. He also removed his headband while in this outfit.
• The third was seen inThe Blue Badge of Courage. It is another pair of blue swim trunks but with an orange stripe painted on the legs.

Images

• 
  Tracey's first swimsuit
• 
  Tracey in flower-patterned trunks
• 
  Tracey's trunks inThe Blue Badge of Courage
• 
  Tracey's prince outfit

Voice actors

Artwork

Official artwork fromI Choose You!	Artwork from "After the story"[1]

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Puzzle League

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Missing quotes

InPokémon Puzzle League, Tracey appears as the host of the Mimic Mansion, and one of the characters available in the 2P Stadium mode.

Pokémon

Marill

Venonat

Scyther

In the manga

Movie adaptations

Tracey appears inMirage Pokémon Lugia's Explosive Birth, where he fulfilled the same role as he did in themovie of the same name.

Trivia

• A Pokémon Trainer with astriking resemblance by the name ofTad appeared inCharizard Chills.
• Another Pokémon Trainer with a striking resemblance appeared inTricks of the Trade.
  • Also, a Pokémon breeder with a striking resemblance appeared inBeauty and the Breeder.
• Tracey has spent the least amount of episodes traveling with Ash out of all histraveling companions, accompanying him for only 33 episodes, which comprised the entire Orange Islands arc (EP084-EP116).
  • Despite this, Tracey has appeared in more Japanese opening sequences after his retirement from the main cast than any of Ash's other friends with a total of 11. He is featured in 12 overall, which places him just behind Brock, who is featured in 14.
• Tracey is Ash's only traveling companion with an officially revealed last name.
• Tracey is the first protagonist to be completely original to thePokémon animated series and not be based on any character from the games.
• Tracey is the only main character:
  • Whose Pokémon has produced an Egg.
  • With multiple Pokémon to have none of their genders confirmed.
  • With no known hometown or region of origin.
• In the original Japanese version, Tracey's sketchbook has aPoké Ball symbol on the bottom right-hand corner and some writing in the top left-hand corner. This is painted out in the dub for unclear reasons.
• Tracey is the only male main character who has no known relatives.
• In theSwedish dub, Tracey speaks in aStockholm accent and adds "seru" at the end of a lot of sentences in his first few episodes. This fades out over time.
• In theDutch dub, Tracey is given the last name West, likely afterthe book author, rather than Sketchit.
• Tracey is the only main character from theoriginal series:
  • To not own a Pokémon introduced afterGeneration II.
  • To never have a fullparty of six Pokémon on hand at any point.
  • To not own a Pokémon kept in aPoké Ball variant.
• Tracey is the last main character from the original series to have one of his Pokémon evolve under his ownership.
• Tracey is the only protagonist from the original series who has not been shown usingMega Evolution.
• Counting only the episodes ofPokémon the Series, Tracey has the fewest onscreenbattles (however long or brief) of any main character, battling a total of only four times (once inStage Fight!, twice inTracey Gets Bugged, and once inThe Rivalry Revival).
  • Additionally, all of his Trainer battles in both the main series and side story episodes have been against members ofTeam Rocket.
    • Although hewas once challenged to a battle bysomeone outside of Team Rocket, Ash ended up being challenged instead for trying to defend him.
• Tracey has the longest gap between physical appearances out of any of Ash's friends duringPokémon the Series, with a gap of 736 episodes betweenFollowing A Maiden's Voyage! andBattling as Hard as Stone!.
• Tracey is the only one of Ash's friends who was shown watching all of hisMasters Eight Tournament battles onscreen.
• Tracey is the last of Ash's friends to reunite with him inPokémon Journeys: The Series.
  • Tracey is also the only one of Ash's friends to not meet any of Ash's other friends duringPokémon Journeys: The Series.
• Tracey is the only main character, as well as the fourth character overall, to regain his original English voice actor followingthe voice actor switch, afterGiovanni,Raoul Contesta, andNurse Joy.

Interview with Hidaka about Tracey's creation

There had been some debate between members of the fanbase in regards to why Tracey was created, as well as why he replaced Brock, and vice versa. In aninterview with former Pokémon animation director and storyboard artistMasamitsu Hidaka, he stated his own reason why Tracey was created and why he replaced Brock. He (or rather, his translator) revealed that the true reason they replaced Brock is because, once they realizedPokémon was going to go global, there was a chance that Americans, if not anyone else outside of Japan, would view Brock as a racist stereotype because of his eyes (even though there wasn't an actual complaint yet). So they created a "tall, white, Anglo-looking character to replace him, just to be on the safe side". They later replaced him with Brock again once they realized that no one really cared as to what Brock looks like, and actually enjoyed his character.

However, this was only stated by Hidaka and not by any other staff member.

Names

References

Related articles

• Episodes focusing on Tracey
• Images on the Bulbagarden Archives

Tracey'sPokémon
On hand:	Venomoth	Marill	Scyther
Given away:	Egg
Status unknown:	Dodrio
Temporary:	Bulbasaur

This article is part ofProject Anime, aBulbapedia project that covers all aspects ofPokémon animation.

• Characters
• Male characters
• Animation characters
• Articles needing more information
• Ash's friends
• Pokémon Watchers
• Laboratory assistants