Pokemon Anime: 25th Anniversary Special

[ZariusTwo]

Pokemon Journeys will be celebrating the anime's 25th Anniversary with a new one-hour special! The newest iteration of the anime has been a huge celebration of the franchise's past as Ash Ketchum and new hero Goh have adventured through every region of the franchise introduced thus far, and this has put them up against some of their toughest challenges so far. At the same time, there has been a ton of room for all kinds of fun as this anime has brought back a ton of familiar fan favorite friends and foes from the past for a big return.

The special event will feature Ash heading to Lumiose City as he ends up needing to face off against a member of Kalos' Elite Four for his next battle in the World Coronation Series, and thus has to do some training before he takes on his next tough challenge. Given that Ash is closer to the Master Class' Top 8 than ever before, it only makes sense that his battle will be tougher than ever.


https://comicbook.com/anime/news/pokemon-anime-25th-anniversary-one-hour-special/

Didn't know they're now setting Ash on the path to being a full fledged Pokemon Master. I know they gave him a new sidekick that could potentially take over the franchise if he completes his story, but will they go through with that?

[CyberCubed]

This has actually been what he's been doing since 2019 when this series started after the Sun/Moon anime ended, this isn't new. This year is just the conclusion of the current arc.

[sdp]

I fell out of the anime with each season. Loved the original, loved orange islands, Johto is meh but liked Master Quest, loved Advanced, DP felt a bit long and not as unique as Advanced but still good. I watched everything until then. BW just killed it for me after resetting Ash, I meant to watch it one day completely but never did, the little I watched was not good. XY seemed a much needed improvement but I was still burnt so I didn't watch much outside of key episodes. Sun and Moon seemed fun but barely watched outside of a few episodes as well.

The new season seems like they've really been going all out with recurring characters coming back and tons of fanservice. It seems almost like the season we've all wanted for years I just haven' t been compelled to watch any of it. Probably has to do with the fact that Gamefreak has been halfassing Pokemon since Gen 4 so I got burnt out at the same time that the anime finally got its act together.


I just hope if they do retire Ash (which I doubt will happen), that he goes out to live his life with Misty, if only just to make fans Seethe and have all the casuals who only watched the first season rejoice.

[CyberCubed]

This season is going to end with Ash battling Leon from the Sword/Shield games. But with the new Scarlet/Violet games announced, who knows if we'll be back to the same routine next series with Ash in Spain with the usual new companions, etc.

[ZariusTwo]

I just hope if they do retire Ash (which I doubt will happen), that he goes out to live his life with Misty, if only just to make fans Seethe and have all the casuals who only watched the first season rejoice.

The flash forward in the original Japanese trailer for Mewtwo Strikes Back reveals Misty has always been his endgame and that they have a daughter together, so it'd make sense to harken back to that at last.

[ZariusTwo]

He's done it.

[Cowabung-Gal]

It’s about time.

I still haven’t forgiven Charizard for costing him the first victory.

[ZariusTwo]

It’s about time.

I still haven’t forgiven Charizard for costing him the first victory.

The fact it's Leon's Charizard that Pikachu defeats to secure the championship is karmic genius

[CyberCubed]

They showed all of Ash's friends watching his victory:

https://twitter.com/Pokefan6735/status/1591018294907400192

Given this is Ash beating the strongest champ in the world, it's a much bigger deal than the Alola league victory from 3 years ago.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

It's hard to avoid spoilers these days.:lol:

Lots of articles recently have been teasing that this may be the end of the anime. We'll see...

[ZariusTwo]

It's hard to avoid spoilers these days.:lol:

Lots of articles recently have been teasing that this may be the end of the anime. We'll see...

I don't think we'll lose animated Pokemon entirely, we'll probably see more like the limited specials and Youtube mini-series they've done over the years, I just think they're done making a weekly series

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I don't think we'll lose animated Pokemon entirely, we'll probably see more like the limited specials and Youtube mini-series they've done over the years, I just think they're done making a weekly series

That's true and I'm sure it's what some people wanted for a long time. But it's hard to see them move away from Ash mainly because of how long it's been going on plus with Pikachu being the mascot.

[ZariusTwo]

There will be news about the future of the Pokemon anime on Friday following transmission of the next episode in the Project Mew storyline. According to the press conference TV-Tokyo held this week, Satoshi/Ash's story is not over, but may be handled in a different way. There was also no confirmation yet that the anime will adapt Generation 9.

https://twitter.com/DogasusBackpack/status/1598215408649007104

[LeotheLateBloomer]

There will be news about the future of the Pokemon anime on Friday following transmission of the next episode in the Project Mew storyline. According to the press conference TV-Tokyo held this week, Satoshi/Ash's story is not over, but may be handled in a different way. There was also no confirmation yet that the anime will adapt Generation 9.

https://twitter.com/DogasusBackpack/status/1598215408649007104

The Sun and Moon series and Journeys went in different directions so I'm curious to see how much more different this new series will be. Personally I'd like to see an older Ash around 11 or 12 but I won't hold my breathe.:lol: Would be nice to see him train some of his Pokemon that are at Prof. Oak's.

[Coola Yagami]

Personally I want to see someone else take the lead and let it end with the big reveal that the final challenger at the big event will be an older more experienced Ash.

[ZariusTwo]

And it's official, Ash and Pikachu are both being retired and the anime will continue with new leads

There will be an eleven episode 'wrap up' for all of our familiar characters starting in January.

7_VMGv2kKEI

[LeotheLateBloomer]

And it's official, Ash and Pikachu are both being retired and the anime will continue with new leads

There will be an eleven episode 'wrap up' for all of our familiar characters starting in January.

7_VMGv2kKEI

Well the rumors were true, they're finally moving away from Ash and giving us a new anime with different protagonists. I kinda wish Ash could've evolved some of his Pokemon (like Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Quilava, etc.) and I know his Bulbasaur didn't want to evolve but it would've been nice if it had...oh well.

I think this new series will be worth checking out.

[Allio]

It’s about time we got a new cast of characters. I might actually pick up Pokémon again

[ZariusTwo]

Now, to the most important question

https://twitter.com/daitomodachi6/status/1603743589816737793

:D

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Now, to the most important question

https://twitter.com/daitomodachi6/status/1603743589816737793

:D

I don't think Dawn would ever have a chance with Ash.:lol:

I think another important question is who is Ash's father? Plot twist...an adult Red.

[MikeandRaph87]

I don't think Dawn would ever have a chance with Ash.:lol:

I think another important question is who is Ash's father? Plot twist...an adult Red.

Or Giovanni and then Professor Oak became his stepfather!

The GS Ball plot was cleared up, but he never went back for Pidgeot.Padgett.


I always thought that the flashforward from Mewtwo Strikes Back had Ash with Misty. If Power Rangers is foolish enough to stick with Tommy and Kat why not give 90s' kids this.:trazz:

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Or Giovanni and then Professor Oak became his stepfather!

The GS Ball plot was cleared up, but he never went back for Pidgeot.Padgett.


I always thought that the flashforward from Mewtwo Strikes Back had Ash with Misty. If Power Rangers is foolish enough to stick with Tommy and Kat why not give 90s' kids this.:trazz:

The Giovanni theory has been teased around for so long that it's just too ridiculous at this point. Plus I believe there was one episode in Black and White where Ash briefly encountered him for the first time.

As for Oak, isn't he too old for Ash's mom?:teek: I don't think Ash would be too thrilled with that especially if it meant being related to his rival Gary.

[MikeandRaph87]

The Giovanni theory has been teased around for so long that it's just too ridiculous at this point. Plus I believe there was one episode in Black and White where Ash briefly encountered him for the first time.

As for Oak, isn't he too old for Ash's mom?:teek: I don't think Ash would be too thrilled with that especially if it meant being related to his rival Gary.

Yeah, blame Pokémon Live!. It seems every franchise has to have it's Empire Strikes Back twist. This one is interesting to me personally.


I am just thinking back to when I watched the first seven seasons which depicted Cordelia and Oak as particularly close.

[CyberCubed]

The new girl protagonist will likely have no relation to Ash at all, shippers who are wasting their time coming up with conspiracy theories of this being some sort of timeskip are fooling themselves. The anime writers are likely mandated by Nintendo not to age the characters, because then they would have to age the various Gym leaders or Prof. Oak or whoever, and it would conflict with game canon. This is the same reason Ash stayed 10 all these years to begin with.

[Coola Yagami]

The new girl protagonist will likely have no relation to Ash at all, shippers who are wasting their time coming up with conspiracy theories of this being some sort of timeskip are fooling themselves. The anime writers are likely mandated by Nintendo not to age the characters, because then they would have to age the various Gym leaders or Prof. Oak or whoever, and it would conflict with game canon. This is the same reason Ash stayed 10 all these years to begin with.

Who is still in the games though? Aren't Ash and Misty and whoever else just a memory by now in the games? It seems every new game gets a new professor too. When's the last time Oaks has even been in a game not based on the original Red and Blue? Hell, when's the last time Team Rocket has been in a game?

Pokemon moved on long ago from the original cast. It would be like a long running Donkey Kong cartoon that would add new characters like Diddy and such but they were still stuck with the plot of Mario trying to rescue Pauline from DK even though that hasn't been revisited in years.

[MikeandRaph87]

https://www.tumblr.com/yamujiburo/704394356465025024/pain

Team Rocket say goodbye to Ash and Pikachu, 4th wall joke and all courtesy of one of the long running storyboard artist.

[ZariusTwo]

Episode descriptions for parts two and three of the Ash farewell series are out

Episode Two

Ash and Misty have a fishing battle to determine who catches a clauncher


Episode Three

Ash and Misty meet up with Brock and Cilan. Brock is depressed, having recently been dumped, and his unhappiness attracts a hatterene

Ash's final chapter begins next week

[CyberCubed]

Well Cilan from the BW anime is confirmed to be in episode 3:

https://twitter.com/Akilvers/status/1611328554041769984

So this proves Misty/Brock won't be the only old companions in this, and the following eps will probably bring back the other old characters too for 1 ep each. I kind of figured as much, the anime ran for 25 years so they want to celebrate it as a whole and not just with the original two companions.

Hopefully Giovanni/Team Rocket get a conclusion near one of the last eps too, that's the only real thing I need to see resolved by the end.

[ssjup81]

I might check this out if older characters are back. I had to look up who Cilan was, though, since I haven’t bothered with dubs since the Orange Islands or the American games since Gen 2 as Pokémon is one of the easiest games to play in Japanese.

So they run into Dento. I liked him in Pokémon Best Wish before I grew bored of that series. I don’t even know how it ended. I know N showed up for it and I wasn’t watching it by them. Sucks that a whole storyline was being set up and then dropped because of the 3/11 stuff (Tohoku quake/tsunami). I also liked the Rockets more and seemed to be going for how they were probably initially supposed to have been. They were implied to be a threat in the beginning of the series as well as competent. I also liked how they weren’t always after Pikachu. They had a scheme and the “twerps” get involved in some way or come across it…Pikachu being around to catch was coincidental. The earlier eps were like this too. Also funny how Sakaki/Giovanni, unless it’s changed, has never ordered them to go after Pikachu. They decided that on their owns after witnessing the attack Pikachu used and figured he wouldn’t mind having it.

Hope Kenji pops up. I know a lot didn’t care for him, but I liked that he was an artist/researcher type character.

The whole Satoshi/Ash x Kasumi/Misty thing would be an interesting thing to make canon, or hint at possibly becoming canon, if aging them up or something. It’s obvious from her side anyway from that special years back when she ran into that baseball otaku girl whose name escapes me and boys were trying to pursue her at her gym for it iirc, which had her rejecting them and the baseball girl caught on, putting Kasumi on the spot. Satoshi is trickier given how his character was changed a bit (making him more oblivious to romance) given that the show went on longer than originally intended and was initially supposed to have ended after that first movie if I’m not mistaken. I guess the strongest hint for him is the summer festival episode where Takeshi/Brock was ignored by the pair for the majority of it since they were enjoying the festival. When Kasumi appeared in her yukata, we see her from Satoshi’s perspective and it had that typical bubbly, sparkly, I think the girl is cute/attractive anime background trope thing going on. I don’t know if that’s been done with other female companions since Kanto and the Orange Islands are the only series I’ve seen all the way through.

[ZariusTwo]

I don’t know if that’s been done with other female companions since Kanto and the Orange Islands are the only series I’ve seen all the way through.

You're not aware of Serena then? Count yourself fortunate.

[ssjup81]

You're not aware of Serena then? Count yourself fortunate.i was referring to Satoshi, not the female companions. Have they ever shown a girl from his perspective in the way it was done for the example I brought up with Kasumi in the yukata? It’s a common trope that with that type of background, the character looking finds said character cute or attractive or whatever.

I mentioned that the first two series are the only ones I’ve seen in their entirety, not that I haven’t seen any of the other series preceding them. The only series I have never seen any of are the ones after X/Y. The anime just doesn’t hold my interest. I still like Kanto best out of what I have seen since the show wasn’t being catered to an international audience yet. I miss the Japanese references, whether it was something music-related (SMAP comes to mind) or a play on words (mushi/ushi) or a tv one (exeggute ep) or current trends going on at the time (Vulpix/Rokon ep with the breeder and how the fashion trend in the ep was one going on at the time; Satoshi also called Kasumi cute that ep in kind of a “Yeah, yeah, you’re cute” kind of way…not sure if he did for the dub…or maybe it was the Erika ep…one of them. lol). I love stuff like that.

I know about Serena and I hated her reason as to why she decided to become a trainer and how everything up to a point revolved around Satoshi. Any goal she had, it was because of her crush on him. At least Kasumi’s goals didn’t revolve around him. I also saw the kiss thing, but Satoshi didn’t really react to it in my opinion.

[ZariusTwo]

My apologies, I misread your post

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I've never seen anyone dislike Serena except for shippers.

[CyberCubed]

I doubt there will be any type of shipping ending. It'll just show Misty have the usual teasing comments with Ash, and if Serena actually appears in one of the last episodes, it'll probably be the same.

[ssjup81]

My apologies, I misread your postNo worries. It happens sometimes. ^_^I've never seen anyone dislike Serena except for shippers.Who dislikes her? I didn't see anyone in the thread say that they disliked her. I know for myself I disliked her reason for getting into training and stuff, not that I disliked her in particular.I doubt there will be any type of shipping ending. It'll just show Misty have the usual teasing comments with Ash, and if Serena actually appears in one of the last episodes, it'll probably be the same.Yeah, you're probably right. I doubt they'd do anything "shipping" wise, unless they aged up the characters or something. Besides, seems that canonically, the only two actual characters that could possibly end up with Satoshi are Kasumi/Misty or Serena since they've actually been romantically linked to him within the show itself.

[Powder]

Have the new episodes been subbed yet? I haven't been following the Pokemon anime in a while & I'm not sure where I could watch 'em. Kissanime has a lot but I'm not sure if it's current.

[CyberCubed]

Have the new episodes been subbed yet? I haven't been following the Pokemon anime in a while & I'm not sure where I could watch 'em. Kissanime has a lot but I'm not sure if it's current.

All of the current series has been subbed

[Powder]

All of the current series has been subbed

What's the like, name of the current season?

[CyberCubed]

What's the like, name of the current season?

It's either Pokemon Journey's or Pokemon 2019, that's the 136 episode series that just finished. These new episodes don't start till this Thursday.

[ZariusTwo]

Misty returned today.

The two had their usual sweet and sour moments. Misty was very proud of Ash becoming the champion, but lost it when she realized he'd replaced the fishing lure she gave him. The two fought over the right to catch a Pokemon, Misty got her win back from Sun and Moon, but Ash got her in the end as she surprised him in the forest and told him she'd like to travel with him.

It's a shame they never have too many episodes where it's just the two of them, their chemistry is as off the charts as it's always been. And the look of pure joy on Misty's face as it sunk in they were travelling together again...sqqueeeee.

[CyberCubed]

Interesting to see Ash use Corphish, a Hoenn pokemon, be the one Misty beat with her Politoed. This ep was also a throwback to the Totodile ep in Johto, where Ash and Misty battling over who captured it (and Totodile was in this ep too).

The current animation style really works well for eps like these. I know a lot of people prefer the "classic" look of the anime, but when you see how well the animation flows when the characters move, their expressions, or the battles between the pokemon, I think it works well.

Next week both Brock and Cilan return.

[ZariusTwo]

New era of the anime begins April 14th


https://nintendosoup.com/new-season-of-pokemon-anime-starts-april-14th-2023-in-japan/

[ZariusTwo]

Looks like Ash will make guest appearances in the new series down the line, and they're never going to age him up

https://comicbook.com/anime/news/pokemon-ash-ketchum-will-return-executive-confirms/

[ZariusTwo]

New Professor for the new series, and he will have a Pikachu

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fpuo1e9aEAAe06a?format=jpg&name=large

[ssjup81]

Has the show ended yet? I still haven't checked it out yet, but I do have a way to do so. I am curious how this will end and how the torch will be passed along and what other characters pop up. Hey, I kind of doubt it, but does Hiroshi show up again? I don't remember what his dub name was, but he was in the Kanto series and he had a Pikachu too.

[CyberCubed]

Nobody cares about Hiroshi, he got a 1 second cameo watching the Lance/Diantha battle. Most of the focus has been on Ash using his old Pokemon, and reuniting with ones like Squirtle and Lapras.

The director confirming Ash will be forever 10 basically killed all the theories of the new female lead having any relation to Ash, so she's going to be her own separate character with no connection to Ash's character at all. It'll basically be its own thing.

Most likely Ash will get a return cameo or a special or movie sometime in the future, so this probably isn't the end of Ash entirely, just as a main character. Surely they'll use Ash again for something, like the 30th anniversary in 2025 or whatever.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

New Professor for the new series, and he will have a Pikachu

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fpuo1e9aEAAe06a?format=jpg&name=large

Well that's one way to keep Pikachu in the anime world. Though I have a feeling this Pikachu will be more loved than Ash's.

[ZariusTwo]

Poster for the new series

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FqSeWiIXwAUugcL?format=jpg&name=900x900

[LeotheLateBloomer]

And a new trailer finally showing the animation.

bAav4UAT7zk

[CyberCubed]

It really is so surreal after 25 years Ash is finally leaving as a main character. It's something we all constantly speculated about since we were kids/teenagers in the early 2000's and we just assumed like The Simpsons it would just continually go on forever. The fact that this is actually happening hasn't really felt real yet.

I'm sure Ash will be seen again in a special, movie or cameo eventually so he'll show up from time to time over the years, but this is it as a main series about him.

It's stuff like this that makes you realize even The Simpsons might actually end...someday.

[Cowabung-Gal]

It's stuff like this that makes you realize even The Simpsons might actually end...someday.

End it now. Please. I’m begging you.

[ZariusTwo]

And that's it, Ash's story is done...sort of...kinda....

...nah, not really

He simply parts ways with Misty and Brock, he may be world champion, but he's not a Pokemon Master, there's some stuff about coming to learn what the definition of that means. After a reunion with Pidgeot and Tracey Sketchum, he sets off on a new mission.

Team Rocket in the meantime, reunite and will continue to pursue Ash and Pikachu

[CyberCubed]

They left things open so they can use Ash in future movies or specials down the line. They did define what a Pokemon Master is and it's about Ash meeting and befriending every Pokemon he meets, which goes back to the core themes of the series. So with Ash a Champion this also makes sense.

I still hope we get a movie wrapping up Giovanni/Team Rocket as that feels like the last big loose end left.

[ZariusTwo]

They left things open so they can use Ash in future movies or specials down the line. They did define what a Pokemon Master is and it's about Ash meeting and befriending every Pokemon he meets, which goes back to the core themes of the series. So with Ash a Champion this also makes sense.

I still hope we get a movie wrapping up Giovanni/Team Rocket as that feels like the last big loose end left.

I've seen some fans suggest the Pokemon Live stage show retroactively serves as the grand finale, but that hasn't been performed for decades

[ZariusTwo]

Jason Paige, who sang the original 4Kids Pokemon theme song, has recorded a new song for Ash's finale. I wonder if they'll use it for the last dub?


ck9Qm0k6oks

[ZariusTwo]

First minute or so of the new era

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1644299674982178817

[ZariusTwo]

They played a cover of the original theme song for the english dub of Ash's world championship
win

https://twitter.com/AnipokeFandom/status/1644740886449000448

[TheBlueTurtle1]

It really is so surreal after 25 years Ash is finally leaving as a main character. It's something we all constantly speculated about since we were kids/teenagers in the early 2000's and we just assumed like The Simpsons it would just continually go on forever. The fact that this is actually happening hasn't really felt real yet.

I'm sure Ash will be seen again in a special, movie or cameo eventually so he'll show up from time to time over the years, but this is it as a main series about him.

It's stuff like this that makes you realize even The Simpsons might actually end...someday.

Fingers crossed about the simpsons ending, but the damage has been done, so I kinda don't care anymore:ohwell:

[ZariusTwo]

Fingers crossed about the simpsons ending, but the damage has been done, so I kinda don't care anymore:ohwell:

Depending on your view, consensus is the series golden age ends with season eight, and it's real finales are the episodes "Behind the Laughter" and "Holidays of Future Passed" the latter of which was supposed to be the actual ending before the cast agreed to new pay conditions.

[Cowabung-Gal]

4BcwtXcXFY0

A generation that won’t forget
The power that’s inside

That one got me…

https://media.tenor.com/PLX-tGVl7CQAAAAC/crying-cry.gif

[sdp]

The new series has been a failure and are now soft rebooting it with a time skip to see if people are interested in it this way.

[ZariusTwo]

They're aging the characters up....the show has truly digivolved:lol:

[ZariusTwo]

Actual screen grabs from a Pokemon anniversary OVA I'm working on. I'm 30% done with it. Nintendo are going to kill me.

https://media.spoutible.com/upload/images/2026/02/2wsIKPWQNVCqZlN8nRo1_01_101ec734289bd3678e1ee8d21e c049c4_image_original.png


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:k4d543yk6u56a6i35cmct6hq/bafkreifi7m6d46foyrzcafkh7vhh3fdkrdbprh3vzug7gginm 4nvf6pkoe@jpeg

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:k4d543yk6u56a6i35cmct6hq/bafkreigmh5kjiqxlcl5x5ggp45bu7fsp6sgco5r4ohgelcr3w 3dbiwrkvq@jpeg

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:k4d543yk6u56a6i35cmct6hq/bafkreicu32uxfrmkhqnba22lkbfm4lv676tzc7wnj5t4ktk24 ow2uvaseq@jpeg

https://media.spoutible.com/upload/images/2026/02/PwHDeR7EQdYdbRhICz5d_02_ffec22b8faa01f121f2ca740b9 668e78_image_original.png

[CyberCubed]

A.I. will destroy us all. :lol:

I used to see images like this on deviantart back in the early 2000's, but at least there people were drawing it and were real artists.

[sdp]

The pokemon anime is basically dead now, getting rid of Ash proved to be a terrible decision. AI slop will ironically be better than whatever the writers were doing.

[CyberCubed]

Pokeshippers will finally get their wet dream come true through the power of A.I.

[ZariusTwo]

Pokeshippers will finally get their wet dream come true through the power of A.I.

My OVA totally ends with this, I cannot tell a lie:D

[ToTheNines]

My OVA totally ends with this, I cannot tell a lie:D

Will this be canon to the “A Day Inside May” universe?

[ZariusTwo]

Will this be canon to the “A Day Inside May” universe?

My mind's never quite reached those places:D

But yeah, the Pokeshipping finale is done in the best possible taste, no kissing or anything, just a big emotional scene and a hug.

[MikeandRaph87]

Perhaps instead of being any and all Pok'emon's best friend Ash challenges his father who's duties as as commissioner of Poke'mon League International kept him away form home and he wins with the core four? Misty finally admits she wants Ash and we see them together as adults with all of Ash's traveling buddies surrounding them at their wedding.

It took until the penultimate episode for Pidgeot to return after he promised to return for him so why not the above? :P

[CyberCubed]

I really do not understand why people care about Ash's non-existent father. It was one throwaway line from episode 2 from the beginning of the series before they planned out the series trajectory, it was never supposed to be something revealed or shown.

For example Misty's parents were never shown or alluded to (how are there 4 teenage sisters but no parents?), and most of the following female companions also have a missing parent. No one cares.

[Prowler]

I really do not understand why people care about Ash's non-existent father. It was one throwaway line from episode 2 from the beginning of the series before they planned out the series trajectory, it was never supposed to be something revealed or shown.

For example Misty's parents were never shown or alluded to (how are there 4 teenage sisters but no parents?), and most of the following female companions also have a missing parent. No one cares.

Because, deep down, we all hope Ash's father turns out to be Geovanni.

Anyway, TONS of fictional characters are either orphans or only have one parent. And we don't always get an explanation for that.

It's just often a lot easier and more practical plot-wise to not give main characters parents or just give them one parent.

[sdp]

The whole Oak being his real father meme kinda works. That's my head canon.

[CyberCubed]

Anyway, the left Ash's story rather open ended for a reason. Giovanni/Team Rocket didn't really get an ending, so I do think we'll eventually get some movie/special or something down the the road with Ash returning. You can make Giovanni/TR the main villain of a story and just result it in with them being disbanded similar to the games and/or Giovanni arrested.

I think the writers did it because they knew Ash leaving after 25+ years was a risk, they had to wait and see if Horizons was succesful before given the Ash era a definitive conclusion. I do think Gen 10 will have an all new cast again, they're clearly going the Digimon or Yu-gi-oh route now with all new protagonists every new gen.

But it's obvious Ash will get shown again eventually, along with the original iconic Pikachu, in some follow-up special or movie.

[ZariusTwo]

Giovanni/Team Rocket didn't really get an ending, so I do think we'll eventually get some movie/special or something down the the road with Ash returning.

I think the reason why that's the case is due to Team Rocket only disbanding in the original game and they want to be canon compliant.

Mind you, Pokemon Yellow retells the original game with Ash as the protaganist.

[Prowler]

The whole Oak being his real father meme kinda works. That's my head canon.

That only works for me due to the jokes that Oak is banging his mum while Ash is away from Pallet Town.

Wasn't there also a fan theory that Ho-oh was Ash's father?

Anyway, the problem is that Pokémon anime is ridiculously huge and most people aren't gonna watch 1000 episodes. It took Ash 20+ years to become a Pokémon Master. Most people quit by Johto. I was never a big fan of the Pokémon anime. Too repetitive, stale and vanilla. Every episode was pretty much the same thing. That gets old fast.

The best thing about Pokémon are the games... and even those haven't been up to par in a long time, sadly. Did Nintendo never increase Gamefreak's budget after they transitioned to 3D or something? You can't just make an open world game like Scarlet/Violet with a tiny budget. Result: Glitchy mess and largely uncooked. Comparing Pokémon Scarlet/Violet with actual good open world games is a joke.

[sdp]

They left Ash's story open ended so they could come back to him in case of emergency. Also he's a merchandise juggernaut, they're for sure going to bring back Ash for a special for the 30th anniversary this year, whether it's a movie, an OVA or just an appearane in the cartoon, he'll show up. They're not going to likely overexpose him to make his returns "mean" something but they'll use him.

Team Rocket was never disbanded because of The Rocket Trio Jessie, James & Meowth. They couldn't get rid of them since they used to be a huge part of the show and well they were Team Rocket for all intents and purposes.


That only works for me due to the jokes that Oak is banging his mum while Ash is away from Pallet Town.

Wasn't there also a fan theory that Ho-oh was Ash's father?
Yeah I remember the Ho-Oh theory as well. I think the Giovanni theory was actually part of the live tour show which helped making it popular, not a big fan of it.

The Oak meme of him being a father was funny at first but the since the anime kept putting Ash's Mother and Professor Oak in scenes together even in flashbacks that unintentionally it just lines up too perfectly.

Anyway, the problem is that Pokémon anime is ridiculously huge and most people aren't gonna watch 1000 episodes. It took Ash 20+ years to become a Pokémon Master. Most people quit by Johto.

Pokemon anime wasn't some big epic saga like say One Piece or Naruto that you neede to follow. You can easily "start" from any generation and be fine. That's how it's gathered so many new fans over the years. Yeah most people quit during Johto, it's when the pokemon fad died and the anime at its worst/most repetitive.

Pokemon Original Series: Orange Island is an ending of sorts, it has Ash winning. You can stop there. If you continue to Johto then yeah well it becomes a lot longer, since that saga is too long and doesn't improve until the last 'season'. Starting in Johto is also mostly fine since it's an episodic show, you don't really need to know "the past" of how Ash got his other Pokemon. But that also serves as an "ending", Ash defeats Gary and the trio separate to continue their adventures.

Pokemon Advanced: Starts with a new cast basically, sure Ash is now a better trainer but you don't really need to know anything about the previous shows, the only returning Pokemon is Pikachu. Even the post Pokemon League arc of going back to Kanto doesn't really have any real callbacks which was a huge missed opportunity.

Pokemon DP: Same as Hoenn, it started with basically a new cast of everything so you're good.

Pokemon BW: Same thing, this one even makes Ash a rookie trainer again basically. So in a way following the series was a punishment since now it made no sense why Ash and Pikachu were so bad at battling.

Pokemon XY: Ash is a good trainer again but again mostly starting from scratch and the few references to the past are told through a flashback with new animation so no need to rewatch anything.

Pokemon S&M: Again don't need to know anything, also the style of the show changed since it wasn't about badges. Only important parts is Ash finally wins a Pokemon League, and I guess Brock/Misty return.

Pokemon Journeys: This one actually has a bunch of cameos and references to the past. But it can be enjoyed without prior knowledge since the concept of pokemon is very simple so the appearances just won't have the same effect if you didn't follow their journeys, but they're just a "character of the day" so it doesn't matter. But yeah Ash wins the "real" League of Leagues Pokemon League in this one since well no one watched Sun and Moon to care when he won his first league and retires.

I don't think most fans of the anime have watched everything either. Most people just watched the generation they grew up with + the original series. To be honest Black and White broke me, I barely watched the anime after that one, the hard reboot Ash got was too much for me to bare. :lol: Only watched ac ouple of episodes of the other animes which to their defense were a huge upgrade to BW.

The new anime came after this one but the fandom seems to have died rather quickly. It's almost like the second half of Johto were only true fans of the anime stuck around.


Mind you, Pokemon Yellow retells the original game with Ash as the protaganist.

While true, it's not an actual adaptation of the anime, it's just the original game with some small edits to have references to the anime. When the game came out the anime was still airing, that's why you see less references later on in the game. Not that the game would've been modified too much, you wouldn't have Ash battling a tournament league or losing. Although I would've loved an orange islands post game but whatever.

[Prowler]

I find it odd how the Pokémon anime series just changes the main girl every single generation. It started out by replacing Misty with May. Then May got replaced with Dawn. Brock sticking around for ages made zero sense. He was a gym leader like Misty, so he should have just left after Johto as well.

As yes, I know Pokémon is not an epic sage or anything but plenty of fans of the anime series online have watched it all the way through since 1998 or so. I could never get invested like that. The anime is basically an advertisement for the video games, and the way battling and raising Pokémon is done in the anime is nothing like in the games.

What live tour show? I thought the Geovanni theory was simply the inner Star Wars nerd in some fans coming out.

Calling Pokémon a fad is absurd. Even if it was at its hottest in the first 2 gens, the property remained VERY popular and making tons of money after 2002 or so. And it became more popular again with Pokémon Go and the Switch era with the Scarlet and Violet games selling 20M+ copies worldwide.

[sdp]

The pokemon fad peaked with the release of the first movie, it was still massively popular but by mid Gen 2 in 2002 or so it was completely dead. You could find anything pokemon related for cheap. Only hardcore fans stuck with it. It slowly began to get fans again, but even Gen3 was still mostly a "recovery" phase. Sure the games sold plenty but even merch was so so. Pokemon didn't become "cool" again until Pokemon Go came out and teh original kids who grew up with Gen 1 were now old and nostalgic and the TCG became an investment.

For years all those "rare" cards sold for pennies on ebay. I know because I bought tons. Sadly I sold most of my stuff right before pokemon became a profitable nostalgic product.

[Prowler]

I have spoken to people who grew up with Diamond and Pearl. They said Pokémon was pretty big in school like it was in our generation. We took our Game Boys to school to battle and trade. They took their Nintendo DS. And they possibly watched the anime as well.

[sdp]

I didn't say Pokemon wasn't popular, the games still sold millions. Other Pokemon content was only relatively profitable, ratings were not the best for the anime but "good enough", same with toy sales and TCG sales. The Pokemon fad died, it was no longer crazy popular and just kind of survived. It depends on which era you talk about, second half of Gen 2 was mostly dead, Gen 3 started to build momentum, which Gen 4 (Diamond and Pearl) grew even more but at the same time Gen 5 kind of killed momentum again. Gen 6 is when Pokemon could now be seen as nostalgic so PKMN became much bigger again, and well once Pokemon Go came out it was wildly popular again. The Pokemon Go fad also died but Pokemon was now seen as a nostalgic profitable brand which it still is, which is not what happened when the original fad died, it was just uncool to like Pokemon, everything was discounted. The fourth Pokemon movie couldn't even get a theatrical release.

[Prowler]

I didn't say Pokemon wasn't popular, the games still sold millions. Other Pokemon content was only relatively profitable, ratings were not the best for the anime but "good enough", same with toy sales and TCG sales. The Pokemon fad died, it was no longer crazy popular and just kind of survived. It depends on which era you talk about, second half of Gen 2 was mostly dead, Gen 3 started to build momentum, which Gen 4 (Diamond and Pearl) grew even more but at the same time Gen 5 kind of killed momentum again. Gen 6 is when Pokemon could now be seen as nostalgic so PKMN became much bigger again, and well once Pokemon Go came out it was wildly popular again. The Pokemon Go fad also died but Pokemon was now seen as a nostalgic profitable brand which it still is, which is not what happened when the original fad died, it was just uncool to like Pokemon, everything was discounted. The fourth Pokemon movie couldn't even get a theatrical release.

Calling Pokémon a fad is a big stretch. We're not talking about something that hit its heights in its first few years and then massively dropped in popularity to the point of losing mainstream status like TMNT or He-man. It cooled down a bit during the transition from gen 2 to gen 3 due to kids of my generation outgrowing it, but at the same time, a new generation of 1st-4th graders was getting to Pokémon with Ruby/Sapphire and the Advance anime. The property sorta rebooted at the time. Also, even if the sales lowered for gen 3 games on the GBA, they came back strong in the Nintendo DS era with Diamond/Pearl. the NDS was the 2nd highest selling system of all time and possibly still is.

If something remains very popular and selling millions of copies in both video game and merchandise format, then you can't call it a fad, even if it used to be more popular in the past.

A fad is something like Nu Metal, pogs, Tamagotchi, wallet chains, etc.

[CyberCubed]

This thread needs to be locked. Nobody here knows anything about Pokemon besides me.

[Prowler]

This thread needs to be locked. Nobody here knows anything about Pokemon besides me.

A Day Inside May will never be canon, bro.

[ToTheNines]

This thread needs to be locked. Nobody here knows anything about Pokemon besides me.

Do you play Pokemon Go?

[sdp]

A fad is a spike in popularity that rises sudden and dies just as quickly. That's exactly what happened to Pokemon, just like it did with TMNT, Power Rangers, Tickle Me Elmo and whatnot. Yes you can still buy a Tamagotchi today and it sells well, that doesn't mean there wasn't a fad in the 90s about tamagotchi.

Do you play Pokemon Go?

https://media.tenor.com/W2ZUeywvAwgAAAAe/pokemon-go-to-the-polls.png

[ZariusTwo]

Do you play Pokemon Go?

xFU2HL-PQNo

[Prowler]

xFU2HL-PQNo

Crazy to think this is from a Simpsons episode from... the late 90s? Or maybe 2000-2001 at latest? It really reminds you how long Pokémon has been around already. It originally came out in Japan when The Simpsons was still in its golden age. By the time Pokémon was exported internationally, The Simpsons golden age was coming to an end, but it was still watchable.

[CyberCubed]

Crazy to think this is from a Simpsons episode from... the late 90s? Or maybe 2000-2001 at latest? It really reminds you how long Pokémon has been around already. It originally came out in Japan when The Simpsons was still in its golden age. By the time Pokémon was exported internationally, The Simpsons golden age was coming to an end, but it was still watchable.

Pokemon didn't come to the west till 1998, so that has to be from a 2000's era Simpsons episode at the earliest.

[Prowler]

Pokemon didn't come to the west till 1998, so that has to be from a 2000's era Simpsons episode at the earliest.

Regardless, it is kinda impressive how long it's been around already. The kids who grow up with Pokémon in 1996-1999 are now around my age (35).

As for Pokémon Go... its novelty wears off rather fast. I don't think I'm part of its target demographic, though. Seems more like a game for people who haven't played Pokémon since they were little kids and want a nostalgia fix without needing/wanting to buy a Nintendo console or a full-price modern Pokémon game.

[ZariusTwo]

hT4bCChNf9o

[sdp]

This thread needs to be locked. Nobody here knows anything about Pokemon besides me.

Share your anipoke knowledge CC. Especially BW and later.

[Prowler]

The problem with the Pokémon anime is that you see one episode and you've basically seen them all. It's even more formulaic than Fred Wolf TMNT was, but at least FW TMNT had a lot of episodes without Shredder and Krang and it only had 194 or so episodes. Pokémon has what, 1000+?

And even if the anime changed its formula around XY or Sun/Moon, that's still about what, 700 episodes with 95% of them having Team Rocket trying to capture Pikachu and then blasting off again at the end? That gets old, fast. I dunno why so many dedicated fans of it online have been watching it on a regular basis since the late 90s.

Even if the Pokémon anime ever ends one day... imagine future generations trying to watch it all the way through. It will be impossible.

[ZariusTwo]

fjfQGBbnjwo

[ZariusTwo]

NHq1Mm26kys