Goh: Difference between revisions

Gou redirects here. For the Pokémon Conquest character, see List of Pokémon Conquest characters → Gō.

This article is about a character featured in the Pokémon anime who has not yet debuted in the English language dub. As such, their information may contain romanized Japanese names, rather than dub names.

Goh (Japanese: ゴウ Go) is a protagonist of the new series of the Pokémon anime, and one of Ash's traveling companions. His goal is to catch Mew, while his dream is to catch every Pokémon.

In the anime

History

Pre-series

Goh at the age of six

As seen in SS001, when he was six, Goh was invited by his childhood friend Koharu to go to Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp with her. During their visit in Pallet Town, Goh and Koharu encountered the Mythical Pokémon Mew. The two chased after the unknown Pokémon, but it eventually got away in the aftermath of a baby Kangaskhan rescue. Professor Oak later told them the Pokémon they saw was most likely the Mythical Pokémon Mew. Motivated, Goh swore that he would become a Pokémon Trainer when he turned ten, and one day catch Mew.

As revealed in SS015, Goh was always very alone during his childhood because his parents were often very busy at work. Because of that, he always ended up staying at home alone waiting for them. During that time, he was always distracted by his constant online researching sessions. Despite this, he was always proud of what his family did.

New series

In SS002, Goh witnessed a Lugia appear in the skies above Vermilion City. He chased Lugia down and managed to latch onto its tail, where he met another Trainer named Ash. Lugia allowed the boys to ride on its back as it soared through the skies and dived down into the ocean. Having bonded over the sights and the Pokémon they saw during the ride, Goh decided to accept Ash as his friend. After parting ways with Lugia, Goh and Ash returned to the Cerise Laboratory, where they informed everyone about their encounter. Impressed by the information on Lugia that they brought back, Professor Cerise offered them a position as research fellows, which they accepted. Cerise later allowed Goh to pick from a set of Kanto starter Pokémon for his debut as a Trainer, but Goh rejected all of them, stating he wanted his first Pokémon to be Mew.

In SS003, Goh and Ash received their first task as research fellows: to investigate a sudden outbreak of Ivysaur and Bulbasaur in the city. To aid their mission, Cerise had two Rotom enter Goh and Ash's smartphones, upgrading each into a Rotom Phone. After following the Seed Pokémon to a Gym under construction, Goh and Ash were attacked by Team Rocket, who planned to steal the Ivysaur and Bulbasaur. Despite the powerful Pokémon they received from the Rocket Gachat, Team Rocket was defeated by Ash's Pikachu and sent blasting off. Goh and Ash then discovered that the Ivysaur had gone to the Gym to find a high place for them to absorb the sunlight needed to evolve into Venusaur. They watched as the evolution process released pollen into the air, making flowers around the city bloom.

In SS004, Goh and Ash traveled to the Galar region to research the Dynamax phenomenon. While they waited for the train to the Wild Area to arrive, Goh and Ash decided to eat some scones at a store in Wyndon, only to have their food stolen by a wild Scorbunny and its Nickit friends. After Ash battled and defeated Scorbunny, Goh bonded with it, even choosing to lie to the store owner by saying Scorbunny belonged to him when the Nickit stole more of his food. After hearing Scorbunny's backstory from the store owner, Goh gave it words of encouragement before he and Ash left. Goh and Ash eventually made it to their train, completely unaware that Scorbunny had taken a liking to Goh and started to follow him.

In SS005, Goh and Ash made it to the Wild Area, where they encountered a large Snorlax. Mistakenly assuming its size was due to Dynamax, Goh and Ash tried studying the Sleeping Pokémon, only for Scorbunny to appear and interrupt them. Scorbunny wished to join Goh's team, but it was turned down as Goh still wanted his first Pokémon to be Mew. Snorlax then activated Gigantamax, making its body so large that it covered a nearby train track, putting it at risk of being hit by an incoming train. By teaming up with Scorbunny, Goh managed to get Snorlax to move by luring it with a Sitrus Berry. Praising its skill, Goh changed his mind about Mew and instead caught Scorbunny as his first Pokémon. After returning to the Cerise Laboratory, Goh introduced Scorbunny as his first-ever Pokémon to Professor Cerise.

Goh with all the Bug Pokémon he caught in SS006

In SS006, Goh became inspired to fill up his Pokédex by catching lots of Pokémon as part of his quest to obtain Mew. Together with Ash, Goh traveled to a nearby forest, where he caught one of each Bug-type native to Kanto. The next day, Professor Cerise introduced Goh to the Sakuragi Park, allowing Goh to store any Pokémon he caught on his journey.

In SS007, Ash told Goh to come with him to the Hoenn Battle Frontier, where he entered them into the Battle Frontier Flute Cup tournament. Despite having the type advantage, Goh was defeated in the first battle by Houji without managing to land a single hit on his opponent. Frustrated by his loss, Goh decided that catching Pokémon was better than battling and ran off to continue filling up his Pokédex. He later returned in time to watch the final match between Ash and Houji, which ended in Ash's victory. As they returned home, Goh apologized to Ash for his earlier outburst, having come to see battling in a new light through his observation of the final match.

In SS012, Goh and Ash watched the Pokémon World Championships at Wyndon Stadium. They watched as Leon defeated Lance in the finals and subsequently earned the title of World Champion. Shortly afterwards, a Gigantamax Drednaw attacked the stadium. In the next episode, Goh and Ash battled Drednaw, but they were unable to harm it until Pikachu was accidentally exposed to Dynamax energy, causing to Gigantamax as well. With guidance from Leon, Ash and Pikachu defeated Drednaw, reverting it back to its normal state. The next day, Goh watched as Ash had an unofficial battle with Leon that ended in the latter's victory. As they returned home, Ash revealed that he planned to enter the Pokémon World Championships and hopefully battle Leon again in the finals.

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Role in SS017 and SS022

Character

Goh looking at his smart phone

Goh is a stylish city boy who prefers to stay calm and collected, in contrast to the more instinctive and adventurous Ash. His overconfidence has left him mostly isolated, with the exception of his friends Koharu and Ash. According to Koharu, Goh has been known to skip school to wander around town, much to her chagrin. Despite his calm personality, he can also become hot-blooded when his opinion is challenged, and he will not hesitate to defend others when he sees them being mistreated, which helped him bond with a wild Scorbunny in SS004. Goh likes to throw his Poké Balls with a curve, but his aim tends to be off. Though he seems athletic, Goh lacks good climbing skills despite his efforts to get better at it. He is also highly knowledgeable about Pokémon, being fairly adept at information-gathering and analyzing, both of which were useful in gathering clues. Despite his deep knowledge of Pokémon, Goh is still a rookie Trainer and lacks experience, best evidenced by his tendency to throw Poké Balls at any Pokémon he encounters, rather than weaken them through battle as is the usual practice. This usually backfires on Goh in the long run. For example, in SS010, he recklessly wasted all of the Poké Balls he was given to catch a single Dewgong, which resulted in him being unable to catch the Dratini evolutionary line when he and Ash encountered them. His lack of expertise is also evidenced in his battles, where he shows a tactical, by-the-book approach of exploiting type advantages, but is unable to properly respond against more seasoned adversaries, which leads to a crushing defeat. Goh tends to yell "Go!" when sending out his Pokémon or throwing Poké Balls.

Goh's goal

Goh's encounter Mew when he was six inspired him to become a Trainer, and he initially wanted Mew to be his starter Pokémon, even going as far as rejecting Professor Cerise's starter Pokémon in favor of the Mythical Pokémon. However, during his visit to Galar, a wild Scorbunny took a liking to Goh as it followed him and Ash to the Wild Area. While Goh initially politely rejected Scorbunny, he soon changed his mind after working together with Scorbunny to solve a crisis involving a Gigantamax Snorlax and decided to make the Rabbit Pokémon as his first Pokémon partner instead. Goh and Scorbunny are also best friends as they both dislike losing their other friends, especially one another. Also, Goh and Scorbunny would high five each other whenever something good happens.

Goh shares a very close friendship with Koharu due to him knowing her since they were little. At times, Goh brushes off Koharu's concerns for him but knows that she is just looking out for him. When he was little, Goh only wanted Koharu as his friend and nobody else. However, after meeting and getting to know Ash, Goh realized he needed to have other friends besides Koharu and accepted him as one. Goh's friendship with Ash is very strong, though they sometimes get competitive and annoyed with each other and even butt heads. Ever since the events in SS003, Goh seems to strongly admire Ash for his determination, passion, and compassion for Pokémon, especially the extraordinary bond he shares with his Pikachu.

Pokémon

Because one of his goals is to catch every Pokémon and complete his Pokédex, Goh catches a lot of Pokémon species, including multiple of the same evolutionary family. Currently, Goh is known to own 39 Pokémon, with 39 unique Pokémon species registered in his Pokédex.

During his research, Goh has access to several of his Pokémon, rotating between them. The only fixed member on his team is Raboot.

On hand

Scorbunny → Raboot

Traveling with

Rotom Phone

Kept at Sakuragi Park

The following is a listing of Pokémon Goh is known to have caught but doesn't keep in his party permanently.

		Caterpie and Metapod
		Caterpie and Metapod were encountered at Vermilion Forest. Goh caught Caterpie after finding it eating a leaf while Metapod was caught shortly after Goh and Ash knocked it out of a tree. None of their moves are known.
Debut	SS006
Voice actors
Japanese	Rikako Aikawa (Caterpie)

		Venomoth and Venonat
		Venomoth and Venonat were encountered at Vermilion Forest. Goh caught Venomoth after spotting it flying through the air. Venonat was found sleeping in a tree, but Goh's attempt to catch it failed when Venonat broke out of his Poké Ball. With Scorbunny's help, Goh battled Venonat and managed to catch it. None of Venomoth's moves are known. Venonat's only known move is Poison Powder.
Debut	SS006

		Paras and Parasect
		Paras and Parasect were encountered at Vermilion Forest. They were found trying to climb a pair of trees and were easily caught by Goh at the same time. None of their moves are known.
Debut	SS006
Voice actors
Japanese	Shinichiro Miki (Parasect)

		Butterfree ♂
		Butterfree was encountered at Vermilion Forest. He was found resting on a large tree, which Goh climbed with Ash's help. When Goh accidentally dropped his Poké Ball, Butterfree attempted to flee, but was caught when Scorbunny kicked the Poké Ball at him. In SS015, Butterfree was among the Pokémon that Goh used to help find a Cubone's bone. Once they found the Mankey that stole it, Butterfree helped attack it. Butterfree's only known move is Stun Spore.
Debut	SS006
Voice actors
Japanese	Rikako Aikawa

		Pinsir
		Pinsir was encountered at Vermilion Forest. It attacked Ash and Pikachu, trapping them in a ring of large stones. It then went after Go, who threw random objects in an attempt to defend himself, eventually accidentally throwing a Poké Ball and catching it. Pinsir's only known move is Rock Tomb.
Debut	SS006

		Weedle and Kakuna
		Weedle and Kakuna were encountered at Vermilion Forest. Weedle was found sitting on a tree while Kakuna was found dangling from a tree along with other members of its species. None of their moves are known.
Debut	SS006

		Beedrill
		Beedrill was encountered at Vermilion Forest. It was part of a swarm of Beedrill that attacked Goh when he caught Kakuna. When the others were trapped by Pikachu's Electroweb, Goh caught the lone Beedrill that wasn't hit, assuming it was the strongest. In SS014, Goh used Beedrill to cross the Desert Resort to reach the Ruins of the Titan. It was later used in a Raid Battle against a giant Golurk, but it was knocked out by a single attack. In SS015, Beedrill was among the Pokémon that Goh used to help find a Cubone's bone. Beedrill's only known move is Twineedle.
Debut	SS006
Voice actors
Japanese	Risa Shimizu

		Scyther
		Main article: Goh's Scyther Scyther was encountered at Vermilion Forest. It easily repelled Goh's Poké Ball and sent him and Scorbunny flying. Goh later encountered Scyther again, this time using Scorbunny to battle it first. Together, Goh and Scorbunny weakened Scyther enough for Goh to successfully capture it.
Debut	SS006
Voice actors
Japanese	Shinichiro Miki

		Taillow
		Taillow was caught during Goh's visit to the Hoenn Battle Frontier. As its species preyed on Wurmple, Goh used Taillow to find wild Wurmple for him to catch. In SS015, Taillow was among the Pokémon that Goh used to help find a Cubone's bone. None of Taillow's moves are known.
Debut	SS007
Voice actors
Japanese	Rika Adachi

		Wurmple → Cascoon (×3)
		Goh caught three Wurmple at the Hoenn Battle Frontier with Taillow's help. He caught multiples in hopes that he would get both a Silcoon and a Cascoon out of them. In SS011, all three evolved while defending themselves from Taillow. However, to Goh's dismay, they each evolved into a Cascoon. Two of the Cascoon's only known move is String Shot. None of the third Cascoon's moves are known.
Debut	SS007

		Tentacool
		Tentacool was caught at Vermilion Harbor. When a group of Tentacool appeared at the harbor, Goh attempted to catch one of them, but it dodged the Poké Ball, causing this one to get caught instead. None of Tentacool's moves are known.
Debut	SS008

		Mantyke
		Mantyke was caught during Goh's visit to Snowpoint City. He later entered Mantyke in the Pokémon Drift Ice Race, where it helped Pikachu by having him ride on its back. It also assisted in dealing with Team Rocket when they interrupted the race. Mantyke's only known move is Agility.
Debut	SS008
Voice actors
Japanese	Kei Shindō

		Sentret
		Sentret was encountered during Goh's visit to Ecruteak City. As Goh and Ash searched for Ho-Oh, Sentret leapt out of a bush and was caught by Goh immediately afterwards. None of Sentret's moves are known.
Debut	SS009
Voice actors
Japanese	Kei Shindō

		Misdreavus
		Misdreavus was encountered during Goh's visit to Ecruteak City. It and a Stantler attacked Goh, Ash, Kurio, and Jiei at the Bell Tower, trapping them in a series of illusions. After Jiei's Hoothoot dispelled the illusions with Foresight, Goh proceeded to catch Misdreavus. None of Misdreavus's moves are known.
Debut	SS009
Voice actors
Japanese	Risa Shimizu

		Stantler
		Stantler was encountered during Goh's visit to Ecruteak City. It and a Misdreavus attacked Goh, Ash, Kurio, and Jiei at the Bell Tower, trapping them in a series of illusions. After Jiei's Hoothoot dispelled the illusions with Foresight, Goh proceeded to catch Stantler. None of Stantler's moves are known.
Debut	SS009

		Dewgong
		Dewgong was caught by Goh to carry him and Ash across the sea while trying to find the Dragonite Island. However, along the way, it saw another Dewgong and fell in love with it, inadvertently chasing it into a storm, where Ash and Goh fell off of its back. It later reunited with them at the island, having failed to find the other Dewgong. In SS015, Dewgong was used by Goh to explore a pond in order to find a bone belonging to Cubone. After a while, it was able to retrieve the bone and return it to Cubone. None of Dewgong's moves are known.
Debut	SS010
Voice actors
Japanese	Yūji Ueda

		Skwovet
		Skwovet was caught during Goh's second trip to Wyndon. It was lured in by some scones Ash was eating and took one for itself. While Skwovet was busy eating, Goh took the opportunity to catch it. None of Skwovet's moves are known.
Debut	SS013
Voice actors
Japanese	Noriaki Kanze

		Darmanitan
		Darmanitan was encountered during Goh's visit to the Desert Resort. It was one of the Pokémon guarding the Ruins of the Titan, but was swiftly caught by Goh just as it sprung to life and attacked. It was later used in a Raid Battle against a giant Golurk. Darmanitan's only known move is Overheat and its Ability is Zen Mode.
Debut	SS014
Voice actors
Japanese	Yasuhiro Mamiya

		Sandile
		Sandile was encountered at the Ruins of the Titan. It was angered when Scorbunny accidentally stepped on its tail, but was quickly defeated by a Double Kick, allowing Goh to catch it. None of Sandile's moves are known.
Debut	SS014

		Golurk
		This giant Golurk was the guardian of the Ruins of the Titan. It was fought in a Raid Battle by Goh, Ash, Keira, the group leader, and Karabari. After being defeated by a combination attack from Goh's Darmanitan and Ash's Dragonite, Goh caught Golurk to prevent it from falling down a hole. None of Golurk's moves are known.
Debut	SS014

		Cubone
		Cubone was encountered at a park in Vermilion City. After witnessing Cubone have its bone stolen by a trio of Mankey, Goh agreed to help retrieve its lost item. With the help of his Pokémon and Ash, Goh was able to reunite Cubone with its bone. Afterwards, Cubone decided to join Goh's team and allowed itself to be caught by him. None of Cubone's moves are known.
Debut	SS015

		Spearow
		Goh first spotted Spearow while traveling to the Vermilion Gym with Ash. He and Raboot chased after it, and once they reunited with Ash at the Gym, Goh revealed that he succeeded in catching Spearow. None of Spearow's moves are known.
Debut	SS018

		Rattata
		Goh caught Rattata while he and Ash were on their way to a movie studio in Vermilion City. None of Rattata's moves are known.
Debut	SS019

		Pidgey
		Goh caught Pidgey while he was participating in a Pokémon Orienteering competition. None of Pidgey's moves are known.
Debut	SS020

		Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂
		Goh caught Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ while he was participating in a Pokémon Orienteering competition. None of the Nidoran's moves are known.
Debut	SS020

		Oddish
		Goh caught Oddish while he was participating in a Pokémon Orienteering competition. None of Oddish's moves are known.
Debut	SS020

		Poliwag
		Goh caught Poliwag while he was participating in a Pokémon Orienteering competition. None of Poliwag's moves are known.
Debut	SS020

		Grimer
		Goh caught Grimer while he was participating in a Pokémon Orienteering competition. None of Grimer's moves are known.
Debut	SS020

		Ekans
		Goh caught Ekans while he was participating in a Pokémon Orienteering competition. None of Ekans' moves are known.
Debut	SS020

		Farfetch'd
		Goh caught Farfetch'd while he was participating in a Pokémon Orienteering competition. During the first two attempts to catch it, Farfetch'd deflected the thrown Poké Balls with its leek. Then, Goh faked it out during the third attempt and caught it while its guard was down. None of Farfetch'd's moves are known.
Debut	SS020

		Exeggcute
		Goh encountered Exeggcute while he and Ash were searching for a Pokémon Egg. They initially thought Exeggcute was one, but when they realized their mistake, Goh caught it anyway. None of Exeggcute's moves are known.
Debut	SS021

Achievements

Goh has competed in the following competitions:

• Battle Frontier Flute Cup - Top 8 (SS007)
• Pokémon Drift Ice Race - N/A (SS008)

Voice actors

Artwork

	File:Pocket Monsters new series key visual.png
Concept art by Ken Sugimori	Key visual from the New series	Artwork for White Day by Shūhei Yasuda
File:SS005 illustration.png	File:SS006 illustration.png	File:SS009 illustration.png
Official artwork from SS005	Official artwork from SS006	Official artwork from SS009

In the manga

In the Pocket Monsters manga

Goh appears as a main character in Pocket Monsters, playing the same role as he does in the anime.

Pokémon

On hand

Goh was revealed to have caught a large number of Pokémon in SSM02, just like his anime counterpart. However, none of them have been seen outside of their Poké Balls.

In the games

Pokémon Ga-Olé

Goh appears as a playable character in Pokémon Ga-Olé.

Pokémon

Scorbunny

Scyther

Golurk

Trivia

• As of SS006, Goh owns the most Pokémon out of all of Ash's friends. Consequently, he owns the second-greatest number of Pokémon out of all the main characters of the anime, with only Ash himself having more.
• Goh is Ash's first traveling companion to not be based on any game character since Tracey.
  • Goh is also Ash's first traveling companion to catch a starter Pokémon outside of a flashback (as opposed to obtaining it from the regional Pokémon Professor) since May, who caught her Bulbasaur in Grass Hysteria!, 743 episodes earlier.
  • Goh is also Ash's first traveling companion to be officially classified as a protagonist instead of simply a traveling companion.
• Goh is left-handed.
• Goh's catching style is mainly based on the gameplay mechanics of Pokémon GO and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, all of which feature catching wild Pokémon without battling.
• Goh is the first main character to catch a giant Pokémon.
  • He's also the first main character known to own a Pokémon with its Hidden Ability.

Names

Goh's Pokémon
On hand:	Cinderace	Inteleon	Grookey
Traveling with:	Rotom Phone
With Professor Cerise:	Caterpie	Venomoth	Butterfree	Pinsir	Beedrill	Scizor
	Taillow	Mantyke	Misdreavus	Dewgong	Greedent	Darmanitan
	Golurk	Cubone	Grimer	Farfetch'd	Magikarp (giant)	Heracross
	Raichu	Trapinch	Flygon	Pyukumuku	Aerodactyl	Boldore
	Absol	Panpour	Frogadier
Roaming the world:	Suicune
Released:	Floette	Ninetales	Cyndaquil
Traded away:	Second Pinsir
Given away:	Eternatus	Dugtrio
Status unknown:	Kingdra
Temporary:	Pikachu	Sunflora
For a detailed list of Pokémon currently owned by Goh, see here

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.