Tracey Sketchit

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Tracey Sketchit (Japanese: ケンジ Kenji) is a Pokémon Watcher and a former of who currently works at Professor Oak's Laboratory as an assistant to . He made his debut appearance in The 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 idolize as he sees him as his hero and hoped to meet him one day. Eventually, Tracey became a Pokémon Watcher.
=====Original series=====
======As Ash's traveling companion======
Tracey first appeared in The Lost Lapras when he came upon getting ready to three other s. He was impressed by the condition of Ash's Pikachu and decided to take notes. He got to know Ash and better after he helped them save an injured . 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 in In the Pink, where he took some time to observe a pink . He was able to watch it and sketch it without it noticing him at all until Ash approached it.
In Tracey Gets Bugged, he expressed that his favorite type of Pokémon was Pokémon, much to Misty's dislike. During their time on Murcott Island, the group came upon an and injured . Tracey ended up building a strong bond with Scyther and was able to defeat . In the end, Tracey decided to add Scyther to his team.
Tracey's sole major role in a was in The Power of One, where he traveled to Shamouti Island with Ash and Misty during their journey through the Orange Islands. There, he aided Ash in his quest as the Chosen One.
While on their way to Pummelo Stadium, Tracey got to meet one of his idols, Dr. Quackenpoker, a Pokémon Watcher who specialized in researching . Tracey picked up a few pointers from the older watcher and got to count how many Magikarp evolved into .
======As Professor Oak's assistant======
Tracey finally got to meet Professor Oak in person in A 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 the next episode, he decides to stay in Pallet Town and become Professor Oak's assistant. Later, he single-handedly saves Ash's Pikachu from being stolen by Team Rocket using Scyther and Marill, the latter of whom also defeats the trio and blasts them off.
In Spell of the Unown: Entei, he asked Professor Oak what the were.
During the events of Bulbasaur... the Ambassador!, Tracey and Professor Oak borrowed Ash's Bulbasaur to solve a crisis at the Laboratory. As the day progressed, Tracey tried to help by sending , , and to solve some problems. Later, Tracey helped Bulbasaur and the local Pokémon set up a fountain so the Pokémon could live in harmony.
In Celebi: 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 discovered Sam's old sketchbook in Oak's lab and views the drawing he made of and Pikachu.
In A Claim to Flame!, Tracey watched the opening of the Silver Conference with Professor Oak in the laboratory. During the exhibition, the Professor noted the absence of Ash who was currently being kidnapped by .
Tracey reappeared in Gotta Catch Ya Later!, when Ash decided to meet with . 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 to Hoenn, and supported that decision and told him a little about Professor Birch and assured Ash that he would take very good care of all his Pokémon.
=====Pokémon Chronicles=====
In Showdown at the Oak Corral, Tracey helped to protect the laboratory from Butch and Cassidy.
In Oaknapped!, Tracey was assisted by Ritchie 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 against at the Ever Grande Conference in Shocks and Bonds.
Prior to The Scheme Team, Tracey's Marill produced an . Tracey gave the Egg to Misty, which later hatched into an . In The Right Place and The Right Mime, he got to meet and Max and later tagged teamed with using the parent and child Pokémon to fire a double attack at Team Rocket.
In The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing!, Professor Oak handed Ash a poster made by Tracey and wishing him good luck in his battle with .
In Home is Where the Start Is!, Tracey greeted Ash after his victory in the and soon after watched Ash and battling Gary and his newly caught . The next day, Tracey was present at the farewell as Ash was leaving for the Sinnoh region.
=====Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl=====
Tracey made a brief cameo in Following 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 in Crisis from the Underground Up! when Ash called the lab from Nimbasa 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 in The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!, where he appeared with Professor Oak in a video presentation showing Kanto's first partner Pokémon during the Kanto Fair.
Tracey was mentioned by Professor Oak and Ash, and he also appeared in a fantasy, in The Dream Continues!. Professor Oak revealed that Tracey was at the Cerulean Gym with at that time.
=====Pokémon Journeys: The Series=====
In Advice to Goh!, Professor Oak mentioned that Tracey had helped him look for Ash's Infernape, which had been missing for some time.
From Battling as Hard as Stone! to Partners in Time!, Tracey watched Ash's Masters Eight Tournament matches against , , and alongside Professor Oak, Delia, and Ash's Pokémon.
In The 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's had evolved.
====I Choose You!====
Tracey made a cameo appearance in the ending credits of I Choose You!.
===Character===
In general, Tracey is a gentle person, and has a hard time saying no to anyone, especially to girls. In A Date With Delcatty, he took care of Misty's chores and helped with various tasks around the Cerulean 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 particular Ash's Bulbasaur. He helps take care of the that Ash leaves at the lab and sometimes has them help him with chores.
Tracey is a lot like in many aspects. He has a broad knowledge about Pokémon and this has helped him and his friends in their 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. In The 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 entire . Another time this happened was in Journey to the Starting Line!, when a boy named 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 a Pokémon Trainer. He also lost his temper in A Tent Situation, desperate to go see Professor Oak, where he yelled at Ash, Misty, and Brock for babbling, and again in Showdown at the Oak Corral, when the Magikarp 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 in The Joy of Pokémon, where he was able to tell that the person paddling past them at a high speed was Nurse 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 what move a Pokémon is going to use just by the way it moves about. This was seen when he knew James's was going to use while battling with his Scyther in Tracey 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 to his for , however, they are still important in his fieldwork. At times when he has trouble in finding a certain Pokémon, he calls on the help of . 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 known in :
====On hand====
		
====Given away====
			
====Status unknown====
===Voice actors===
===Artwork===
 	
Official artwork from I Choose You!	Artwork from "After the story" https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1591672205040943105
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Puzzle League===
In Pokémon Puzzle League, Tracey appears as the host of the Mimic Mansion, and one of the characters available in the 2P Stadium mode.
====Pokémon====
		
==In the manga==
===Movie adaptations===
Tracey appears in , where he fulfilled the same role as he did in the movie of the same name.
==Trivia==
* A Pokémon Trainer with a stiking resemblance by the name of Tad appeared in Charizard Chills.
* Another Pokémon Trainer with a striking resemblance appeared in Tricks of the Trade.
** Also, a Pokémon breeder with a striking resemblance appeared in Beauty and the Breeder.
* Tracey has spent the least amount of episodes traveling with Ash out of all his , 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 friend with an officially revealed last name.
* Tracey is the first protagonist to be completely original to the Pokémon 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 a 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 the dub, Tracey speaks in a and adds "" at the end of a lot of sentences in his first few episodes. This fades out over time.
* In the dub, Tracey is given the last name West, likely after the book author, rather than Sketchit.
* Tracey is the only main character from the original series:
** To not own a Pokémon introduced after Generation II.
** To never have a full party of six Pokémon on hand at any point.
** To not own a Pokémon kept in a Poké 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 using Mega Evolution.
* Counting only the episodes of , Tracey has the fewest onscreen s (however long or brief) of any main character, battling a total of only four times (once in Stage Fight!, twice in Tracey Gets Bugged, and once in The Rivalry Revival).
** Additionally, all of his Trainer battles in both the main series and side story episodes have been against members of Team Rocket.
*** Although he was once challenged to a battle by someone 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 during Pokémon the Series, with a gap of 736 episodes between Following A Maiden's Voyage! and Battling as Hard as Stone!.
* Tracey is the only one of Ash's friends who was shown watching all of his Masters Eight Tournament battles onscreen.
* Tracey is the last of Ash's friends to reunite with him in Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
** Tracey is also the only one of Ash's friends to not meet any of Ash's other friends during Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
* Tracey is the only main character, as well as the fourth character overall, to regain his original English voice actor following the voice actor switch, after , Raoul Contesta, and Nurse 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 an interview with former Pokémon animation director and storyboard artist Masamitsu 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 realized Pokémon 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==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese 	ケンジ Kenji 	Can be taken from ケン ken, to see. May also be derived from Ken Sugimori. Kenji can also mean "prosecutor".
English, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Italian,Spanish, Swedish	Tracey Sketchit 	From trace. Sketchit derives from "sketch it".
French 	Jacky Léon 	
Korean 	관철 Gwancheol 	Derived from 관찰 (觀察) gwanchal, watcher.
Chinese () 	小建 Xiǎo Jiàn 	May be derived from 杉森建, Ken Sugimori. In addition, 建 (to build/establish) is a to 見 jiàn, to see.
Chinese () 	小建 Síu Gin 	Same as Mandarin name.
Russian 	Трейси Скечит Treysi Skechit	Transcription of English name
Thai 	เคนจิ Kenji 	Same as his Japanese name.
==References==
==Related articles==
* 
* Images on the Bulbagarden Archives
Category:Animation characters
Category:Ash's friends
Category:Pokémon Watchers
Category:Laboratory assistants
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