Rica Matsumoto brings more than talent to her voice acting roles. She also has a never-give-up attitude that leads to her success. "Since I get to be the messenger to a lot of people, I feel a lot of responsibility," Matsumoto said about her best-known role, Satoshi (a.k.a. Ash Ketchum) in Pokemon. Born into an acting family and saddened by the death of her brother, Matsumoto was told she shouldn't act on the stage - but she might want to try acting for animation. She turned the opportunity into a success, with roles in Outlaw Star, You're Under Arrest, Dirty Pair Flash, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Beverly Hills 90210. If Matsumoto's fans are cheered up by her character performances, the actor gets an equal boost when she's feeling blue. Matsumoto tells the story ab out how she once was feeling sad about her acting career and thought about quitting the business...until she passed a poster from the Ninku series that featured the Fuuske character she played. "He spoke to me and gave me the encouragement to keep going," Matsumoto said. Yes, he is the correct word - Matsumoto has played several boys' roles, and Satoshi was just the beginning of the "minor godhood" she needed to achieve to handle those characters.