

It’s a mindset that most children who watched the show adopted. Yes, he could be a bit bland and a goody two shoes, but his general pleasantness helped to convey the attitude that going on a Pokémon adventure was supposed to be fun. But looking back on it, I think the decision to make Ash more of an everyman character is probably what helped allow the anime to go on for as long as it did.Īsh was chipper and happy-go-lucky, and in the early days of the show he learned the importance of respecting his Pokémon and treating them like friends. I often found myself preferring the kids of Digimon over Ash, as those kids felt like actual characters with unique positive and negative traits. I always found him a bit too bland of a character when I was watching the series on Saturday mornings. If I’m being perfectly honest, as a kid, I didn’t like Ash. So if you’ll permit me, let’s all take a load off and reflect on the immortal 10-year-old and his importance in defining the Pokémon franchise. Despite not having seen the show since the mid-2000s, I, along with plenty of other fans of the franchise, am looking back fondly at the experiences I’ve had with Ash as a character. You may play as a new protagonist with every game, but Ash was always there, going on adventures with his Pikachu and whatever new partners he was able to meet along his journeys.
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To many fans who grew up in the ‘90s, Ash Ketchum is the face of Pokémon. It’s a pretty huge shift for a franchise that values consistency over all else and drags its heels repeatedly at the prospect of changing anything. And in just one week, Ash will no longer be the main character of the series as a new set of protagonists take over and the show enters a new era. An event that was built up for 25 years, the main protagonist of one of the longest-running anime series of all time finally accomplished his goal. Late last year, many mainstream media outlets, even outside of the usual anime and gaming circuits, all reported a seismic event in the world’s largest media franchise: Ash Ketchum became the Pokémon World Champion.
