Tracey Sketchit

Tracey Sketchit
Tracey Sketchit as seen in the anime
Japanese name	ケンジ (Kenji)
Voice actor(s) (English)	Ed Paul (seasons 2-8) Craig Blair (seasons 9-10)
Voice actor(s) (Japanese)	Tomokazu Seki
First appearances
Game	Pokémon Puzzle League
Anime episode	"The Lost Lapras"
In-Universe Information
Occupation	Roving Pokémon Watcher; later Professor Oak's Assistant.

In the fictional world of Pokémon, Tracey Sketchit (ケンジ, Kenji^?) is a Pokémon watcher and artist (his first name derives from 'trace', his last is a combination of the phrase 'sketch it'). He appears only in the anime and Pokémon Puzzle League, the latter of which was not released in Japan. Tracey is voiced in the English dubs by Ed Paul in Seasons 2 through 8 and in the Pokémon Chronicles series dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment and Craig Blair in "Home is Where the Start Is". In the original Japanese version, Kenji is voiced by Tomokazu Seki.

History

He runs into Ash and Misty in the Orange Islands after they had to say good-bye to their good friend Brock. He joins Ash and Misty during their journey in the Orange Islands because they are in contact with Prof. Oak, and later leaves the group to become his assistant, allowing Brock to rejoin Ash's team to go to Johto. Tracey appears in more episodes of Pokémon Chronicles than any other non-villain character, either as an assistant to Professor Oak, or visiting Misty in the Cerulean Gym.

Personality

When he first met Ash and Misty he could tell that a Spearow wasn't getting enough vitamins, a Beedrill's coloring was off, and a Hitmonchan wasn't getting enough exercise, just by taking a quick look at the Pokémon. Later in the anime, on Murcott Island, Tracey saves an aging Scyther and then captures it, adding to his team a 'power' Pokémon (if Marill is to be interpreted as a 'swimming' Pokémon and Venonat a 'speed' Pokémon). Tracey sees Professor Oak as his idol, a fascination that would be shared with Max in later seasons. He seems to possess an immense amount of Pokémon knowledge, similar to Brock and Max.

Pokémon-sketching

Tracey is an avid Pokémon-sketcher. He first appeared in Episode 86, "The Lost Lapras",^[1] and stopped a battle between Ash's Pikachu against a Spearow, Beedrill and a Hitmonchan to observe their condition.^[1] Even in the face of danger, Tracey still insists on sketching Pokémon,^[2] as in Episode 88, "In the Pink", in which Tracey attempts to sketch a wild Rhyhorn while lying in the grass near the edge of a cliff.^[2] Also, in that same episode, he has sketched Officer Jenny throwing a lasso. When Ash saw the sketch, Tracey calmly responded by saying that Pokémon aren't all that he sketches. His sketching of women was not first apparent in this episode. It was first apparent in the episode following "The Lost Lapras" where Ash goes to defeat the first "gym leader" in the Orange Island Club. Misty was often onto him about this.

Pokémon

• Venonat

Its main ability is to use its eyes to scan the area and locate the Pokémon that Tracey is looking for.

• Marill

Its main ability is to use its ears to scan the area and locate the Pokémon that Tracey is looking for. It is also useful for searching near water using its tail like a float. Presumably, it is a parent of Misty's Azurill.

• Scyther

When Tracey first saw Scyther, it had been beaten up very badly by his own kind. He promptly caught it. It has since become his main fighter. Though very old for a Scyther, it is still a strong fighter. Notably, when Scyther first met Ash's Charizard, there was a little feud between them, but after defeating Team Rocket together, they've gained some respect for each other.

References