Ash Ketchum, the main character of the pokemon anime adaptation since the beginning, and even currently still the protagonist, was named after the head creator of the Pokémon games: Satoshi Tajiri, translated from Satoshi to Ash in America. The story center around him on his journey to be a Pokémon Master. He lives alone with his single mother in the rural town of Pallet. He starts out with little to no friends, but along the way meets Brock and Misty. He starts out as a pretty pathetic trainer, but over the course of the show, slowly matures, and even accepts his loss by the end of the Indigo Plateau chapters. His best pal is Pikachu, whose bond grows after the rough encounter with a flock of angry Spearow. Ash's friendship with Misty was based off of Tajiri's childhood sweetheart, and they were initially meant to end up together, but instead, as the show continued, their relationship became more platonic as Ash went from denial about love to unaware about it. Ash's rival, Gary Oak, grandson of the well renowned Professor Oak, constantly teases Ash. Gary himself has no present parents, as they were implied to have died in a car crash, causing Gary to live with his grandfather and push the people he cares about away, such as his childhood friend Ash. It is rumored that Takeshi Sudō wanted Ash's character to grow throughout the series, and by the end, become an adult with a child, teaching them about pokémon and his childhood.
The Pokémon franchise belongs to Game Freak and the Pokémon Company. You may watch the original series on Netflix