Ash Ketchum’s Journey Ends After 25 Years, Fulfilling Conditions of Pokemon Anime Director from 2008

Omi said:
When I was a kid, Ash Ketchum was my hero. I would pretend I was him all the time, and he was an awesome role model. During the covid pandemic I would watch the pokemon show to remind me of better times. I will miss ash greatly.

"I guess this is it."
-Ash Ketchum
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Same. I remember when i first discovered pokemon. Cartoons had just come on tv and my dad said “hey come check out this cool show” I remember seeing episode 2 the first time it aired. Super important part of my identity is ash, pikachu and pokemon in general.
 
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dineinunes said:
I think weirder than not having Ash is not having Pikachu anymore. Pikachu is the face of the franchise and not having it as a constant on the anime is just crazy to imagine.
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They could have another Pikachu pop up, just not Ash's. Kinda like they did with Agumon in Digimon, there are more than just the one.
 
The real question we should probably all be asking is how will this change impact the Pokémon IP moving forward? Will the new main protagonists in the Scarlet and Violet series be able to fill the shoes that Ash Ketchum (Satoshi Tajiri) and Pikachu had worn? Compare to other series like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Digimon where they periodically changed their main protagonists over time while Ash Ketchum (Satoshi Tajiri) and Pikachu remained a constant through out most of the Intellectual Property's lifespan. Did the change affect the sales of those franchises in a negative way? Not necessarily. Pokémon Company International is taking a real gamble on this in regards to how the Anime series had for some time had been one of the primary advertising streams for Pokémon as an Intellectual Property (IP).

A part of me was kind of hoping that one of Ash's old companions would take over as the new main protagonist instead of a brand new character like Chloe with her Eevee for example. It seemed as though the Anime was just starting to build her character up at first but then decided to give Ash his last horah! before officially retiring. Now If we could just get Son Goku to retire as the main protagonist of Dragon Ball then this might be the start of an ongoing trend. The reason why I brought up Eevee earlier is because it's as much of a mascot to the Pokémon franchise as Pikachu yet they decided to settle for Sprigatito for Liko and Fuecoco for Roy because we want to settle for novelty over nostalgia for once. Who knows? Perhaps that might actually be a good thing for Pokémon since it's relied heavily on nostalgia for so long.

I also think that they could've been a bit more creative with the new main protagonists like their names being a pun off of something similar to Ash Ketchum and other Anime / Manga characters yet this change kind of feels bland. I mean Liko and Roy already have BIG shoes to fill If they ever want to live up to what made Ash Ketchum the character he became but this time at least age the characters so that they're not stuck being 10 years old for the rest of the series until they retire. I would've been content with an actual timeskip for the Pokémon anime where we finally see some real character progression instead of regression despite affecting the age of the adult characters in the series. The new main protagonist could've been the son or daughter of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu where they could journey together with a Pichu or something.
 
Card Slinger J said:
The real question we should probably all be asking is how will this change impact the Pokémon IP moving forward? Will the new main protagonists in the Scarlet and Violet series be able to fill the shoes that Ash Ketchum (Satoshi Tajiri) and Pikachu had worn? Compare to other series like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Digimon where they periodically changed their main protagonists over time while Ash Ketchum (Satoshi Tajiri) and Pikachu remained a constant through out most of the Intellectual Property's lifespan. Did the change affect the sales of those franchises in a negative way? Not necessarily. Pokémon Company International is taking a real gamble on this in regards to how the Anime series had for some time had been one of the primary advertising streams for Pokémon as an Intellectual Property (IP).

A part of me was kind of hoping that one of Ash's old companions would take over as the new main protagonist instead of a brand new character like Chloe with her Eevee for example. It seemed as though the Anime was just starting to build her character up at first but then decided to give Ash his last horah! before officially retiring. Now If we could just get Son Goku to retire as the main protagonist of Dragon Ball then this might be the start of an ongoing trend. The reason why I brought up Eevee earlier is because it's as much of a mascot to the Pokémon franchise as Pikachu yet they decided to settle for Sprigatito for Liko and Fuecoco for Roy because we want to settle for novelty over nostalgia for once. Who knows? Perhaps that might actually be a good thing for Pokémon since it's relied heavily on nostalgia for so long.

I also think that they could've been a bit more creative with the new main protagonists like their names being a pun off of something similar to Ash Ketchum and other Anime / Manga characters yet this change kind of feels bland. I mean Liko and Roy already have BIG shoes to fill If they ever want to live up to what made Ash Ketchum the character he became but this time at least age the characters so that they're not stuck being 10 years old for the rest of the series until they retire. I would've been content with an actual timeskip for the Pokémon anime where we finally see some real character progression instead of regression despite affecting the age of the adult characters in the series. The new main protagonist could've been the son or daughter of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu where they could journey together with a Pichu or something.
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I mean Toriyama tried passing the torch onto Gohan in the DBZ saga, except fans weren’t having it, hence why grandpa Goku is still the main protagonist into Super (for better or worse).
 
PMJ said:
Now we'll get weed cat/gay duck/song croc with plot armor.
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I'd rather have that than one Pokemon hogging ALL the plot armor. Especially when said Pokemon was never the cutest OR strongest Pokemon in its evolutionary line (except during Gen 1, I guess).

Regardless, I'm beyond excited for this change, and I highly doubt they can mess up a character as badly as they've messed up Ash throughout the years. Hasta la vistar Ash, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
 
EmmaTheBest said:
I'd rather have that than one Pokemon hogging ALL the plot armor. Especially when said Pokemon was never the cutest OR strongest Pokemon in its evolutionary line (except during Gen 1, I guess).

Regardless, I'm beyond excited for this change, and I highly doubt they can mess up a character as badly as they've messed up Ash throughout the years. Hasta la vistar Ash, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
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Haunter vs Kadabra
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Honestly I'm soooooo mad why after 25 years switch to a new character. I would have understood if they did it after season 2-5 but Ash is now POKEMON HOW CAN U DO THIS. 1 thing that caught me off guard was my 8 year old when I read him the article his first response was "WHY???(TEARS Falling from his eyes now) IM NOT WATCHING POKEMON ANYMORE I WANT ASH!" I didn't expect that but he read my mind I won't be watching the new season Pokemon is not Pokemon without Ash
 
Cotyg505 said:
Honestly I'm soooooo mad why after 25 years switch to a new character. I would have understood if they did it after season 2-5 but Ash is now POKEMON HOW CAN U DO THIS. 1 thing that caught me off guard was my 8 year old when I read him the article his first response was "WHY???(TEARS Falling from his eyes now) IM NOT WATCHING POKEMON ANYMORE I WANT ASH!" I didn't expect that but he read my mind I won't be watching the new season Pokemon is not Pokemon without Ash
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Same thing with me I said I wouldn't watch it anymore I ash want in it, and my good friend was like: ??
 
I first watched in 1995 when Pokémon first came out. As far as I'm concerned Pokémon IS Ash and Pikachu. If they're no longer gonna be in it, neither and I. I'm out. L8r Pokémon!!
 
The next protagonist has to be completely different from Ash's personality. Ash was a very comical protagonist, I would guess the next protagonist wouldn't be as comical. This is a serious gamble.
 
It should have a, I don't know, gotta catch them all ark. Its litterally been the slogan for the entire series. How can it end without at least a side series about it.
 
Well as they always say: Nothing Last Forever. It's been a Fun Journey to Ash keep on going to become a Pokemon Master. Thanks for Everything Ash.

May your Heart be your guiding Key.


Keep catching them all for the of Pokemon, Ash. So you around... Pokemon Master.
 
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"The final chapter in Ash and Pikachu's Story: 11 episodes to air starting Friday, January 13, 2023, in Japan". 11 episodes and it is over :/
 
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