How To Dress Up Like Ash Ketchum For Halloween

It's never too early to start planning your next Halloween costume. Take it from someone who has scrambled at the last second every single year, settling for whatever I had in my closet and having to explaining the "concept" to everyone who came across me that night. I would have killed for some Ash Ketchum from Pokemon Halloween costume ideas to jazz things up. So learn from my mistakes people and start planning it early.

Since this year has basically been entirely about reliving the late '90s and early 2000s, the iconic Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum is the perfect costume idea. His outfit is very recognizable, super easy to scavenge around for, and will yield the most 'hell yeahs' from strangers. Obviously you will need your "Pokemon Go" game as an accessory, legitimizing and tying the whole look together. If you happen to have caught all of the Pokemon virtually, you are even entitled to a special pin.

The two Ash Ketchum looks I will be focusing on are the original one we grew up with, as well as the more updated look that is around these days. Why? Because being a Pokemon master for Halloween is all about you and who you want to be. Maybe you are going for a more nostalgic feel? Maybe you just want the most people to recognize you? Who cares! You are in charge of this holiday season, and the more options you have the better.

The Original Ash Ketchum

Even as a ten-year-old being sent out into the world to catch strange monsters, Ash had some serious style. The layered look is very in right now, and his color pallet was always on point.

What You Need: You will need to get a little creative in order to save some money. If you have a pair of old green gloves you don't care about ($7.95, Amazon), just cut the tips off. You can also just get a cheap red trucker hat ($15.99, Amazon) and draw the green symbol on the front. For the letterman jacket ($22, Etsy), a simple patch can go on top of a letterman jacket to conceal any lettering. The backpack ($45.90, JanSport) is so functional you will love carrying it around with you — added storage for candy! The shoes are just a nice pair of blue Converses ($50, Converse). Finally, you don't need to carry a Pikachu toy around ($15.60, HotTopic), you can always just use your "Pokemon Go" app for that.

Image: Polyvore

New Ash Ketchum

Ash Ketchum's clothes have gotten many updates since the original animated series. His most recent wardrobe is sleeker and more modern than the one we are used to. His pants are tighter, his hat is different, and his jacket is more form-fitting. What can we say? The guy grew up!

What You Need: You will need to purchase a bleach pen for this look. Since Ash's shirt (19.35, New Chic) has a white Pokeball-like design on the front, you will have to bleach the shirt in that same pattern. Luckily for you, the hat is easily found online ($5.05, Amazon). Ash's hat looks like it have a Wi-Fi signal drawn on it, and the rim has a white tip, which you can technically draw on an old hat with the bleach pen. The cargo pants ($20.99, ThredUp) and black t-shirt ($11.99, Shein) are fairly simple, and you can get a pair of gloves ($7.60, Hot Topic) online. Throw on a pair of Converse ($34.99, 6AM) and you are all good to go.

Image: Polyvore

Don't forget to enlist your BFFs to be your Misty, Pikachu, and Brock! Happy catching!

Images: Giphy (2), WB