Pokémon retired Ash and Pikachu at the perfect moment

These past weeks have been quite hectic for Ash Ketchum. First, he became a World Champion, an impressive feat that was soon rendered an appetizer for the entree announcement: that the Pokémon anime would be wrapping up his main storyline altogether. In a series that’s often been marked by fans for its relative lack of narrative or emotional urgency, it’s seemed like a downright overhaul while also culminating the goals Ash set out to accomplish when he was just the loudest kid in his hometown. And considering how much Ash has come to represent Pokémon itself and the 25-plus-year aims of the franchise, its importance has only increased.

Ash has been the central figure of the Pokémon anime since there’s been a Pokémon anime. He was born as Satoshi, named after the creator of Pokémon, Satoshi Tajiri, in April 1997. When the series was localized for American audiences and released in the U.S. in the fall of 1998, Ash Ketchum was born, his name now an obvious pun on the series’ former tagline, “Gotta catch ’em all!” Since then, he’s been a globe-trotting, immutable 10-year-old, receiving a soft reboot whenever a new anime arc loosely based on the latest video game installment is set to begin.

This can either make Ash a comfort food anime character or a frustrating hero. “Shouldn’t his Pikachu be at, like, level 1,000,000 by now?” became a familiar criticism. From a franchising perspective, though, it makes sense: Every few years, a new “generation” of games is released, serving as a Pikachu-filled outreach program for a new generation of fans. By keeping Ash eternally young and eternally struggling, he relates to every new round of Pokémon trainers in, um, training.

Things changed in 2019 however. His first championship that was canon friendly came about after a well-publicized victory in Alola league. (He’d previously entered the Orange League Hall of Fame thanks to a win in the Orange Islands, a mostly anime-specific location from a storyline built to buy time for video game development.) It was the culmination of the Sun & Moon portion of the anime, a particularly good arc, and the media reaction to it was akin to discovering that a friend from your childhood had actually made good on their dreams. Sure, you hadn’t talked to him in years, but look at him go!

Image: OLM/The Pokémon Company

Fast forward to now, and he’s a World Champion, finally becoming “the very best, like no one ever was.” In retrospect, a win like this seemed all but assured. This is the latest anime series. Pokémon JourneysThis is not a region-specific trip, but a nostalgic-filled tour around the world. Ash’s collection of monsters was no longer devoted to introducing excited kids to cute potential pals (that duty would primarily be shifted to his new travel buddy Goh, a synergetic reference to the mega popular Pokémon Go mobile game). Instead, his team will be comprised of heavy-hitters such as Dragonite Gengar! Lucario!) and new blood (Dracovish and Sirfetch’d). Ash had a great team and an inspiring storyline about visiting many familiar locations.

It seemed almost against Ash’s nature to win such a significant award. He’d spent so long as an anime avatar for new fans of the franchise, a reliable newbie whose insatiable passion for Pokémon and penchant for learning lessons about its world and growing up in general could be reflected in every rising crop of Pokémon devotees. The lesson of gaining so many victories and only narrowly losing out on the big win was just one more. It is relatable to everything: going to new schools, experiencing defeat in a sports, etc. Ash would get up, dust himself off, drop his old team at Professor Oak’s, and hike to the next location with his best friend Pikachu, his love for Pokémon remaining unspoiled.

Winning provided the culmination of an arc in a franchise that isn’t typically known for those, especially when it comes to Ash and the anime. You are often relegated to your childhood room after winning the regional championship. Your quest for more postgame content will continue indefinitely. When the quest is both eternal and cyclical the age becomes a meaningless qualification. Perhaps this is why the older generation has been so attached to the franchise, even though it strives to keep its audiences growing. Ash never gets too old for Pokémon, so why should you?

That said, to have Ash actually become the top trainer in the known world of Pokémon invited questions that many weren’t sure the load-bearing comfort zone of the anime would be able to answer. Is Ash going to go back to the same nascent ineptitude he was a few years ago? What would happen to Pikachu’s godlike status? Would he be forced to fight against new dangers again? After being signified as the ultimate conqueror of the Pokémon species, that would be a little embarrassing, right?

Image: OLM/The Pokémon Company

Image: Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo

As the co-leads, Ash and Pikachu are given a curtain to close out the show. It’s a surprise that comes along with the enormous popularity of Scarlet Violet, the latest pair of Pokémon games. Their launch saw them become the most popular console-exclusive game ever. If there’s going to be any time to embrace the new and allow the old guard to walk into the sunset, it’s now.

Unknown how difficult this final stage has been to prepare for is also unknown. And while each previous ranking in the requisite season-ending anime tournaments inched Ash closer and closer to first place, it’s a jarring occasion. Ash, for a long time, was built as a character who specifically didn’t win. He was the antagonist of many definitions of storytelling, as he had to be a part of the franchise’s constant need for new games and merchandise. In a different story, Ash’s aims would likely be a little more defined, his inevitable endgame tied into his own personality. These goals would be slowly chipped away at, and at the end of each region, he’d find a definitive bit of advancement toward these rather than serving at the mercy of the franchise’s longevity. In that regard, his championship victory becomes a little cynical, too — evolution by forced means of companies seeking a branding revamp rather than the conclusion of a satisfying and coherent emotional arc.

In the end, though, this dueling process is the backbone of Pokémon itself. It’s a franchise with themes built on beautiful idealism, a world where humankind and nature are able to connect in ultimate harmony and its army of wide-eyed fourth grade protagonists are ready to deliver any and all messages about growing up and gaining courage. However, as a top-grossing entertainment giant, it’s also about the perpetual pitch — the new games, the new anime, the new cards, the new toys. It’s always selling, each pillar advertising another in a structure that many companies can only dream of.

Ash Ketchum was a salesman, best friend and motivational speaker. While he might be moving on, Ash Ketchum’s spirit will not be forgotten. There are new monsters and new locations to discover, new lessons and fans to learn and new series and products to purchase. Ash Ketchum’s adventure continues forever.