UPDATE:
Fans are asking for Poke-memories from one another and are posting what Ash and Pikachu meant to them. Don’t be afraid to follow the trend!
ORIGINAL STORY
Whether you live in Japan or are an international fan, this week has been very stressful if you love the Pokemon franchise. The reason is that the Pokemon Anime is about to drop the final episode featuring Ash Ketchum. The boy from Pallet Town started his journey nearly 26 years ago, and he dreamed of becoming a “Pokemon Master.” The journey was meant to be a one-off but quickly became one of the most successful anime ever. We followed Ash through eight main regions, numerous side regions, and multiple movie adventures. But now, it’s time for him to part ways with fans.
As one would expect, The Pokemon Company has been dropping numerous teases about Ash’s final episode, including a special tweet below with four stills from the upcoming episode. In the stills and tweet, we see that Ash returns to his home of Pallet Town, where he meets his forever rival and friend in Gary. There, Gary poses the question of whether Ash is “closer to his goal” of being a Pokemon Master. No doubt the intent is to set up Ash’s final reflection on his “life and journey” before he heads off into the anime sunset.
While we can’t say who or what else will be waiting for us in the final episode, fans are very eager to see Ash’s conclusion. Not the least is because they want Ash to get a somewhat satisfying conclusion. That may sound obvious, but numerous franchises in anime, animation, and live-action have had long runs but terrible endings.
Ash even got an epilogue series, of which this last episode is a part of to highlight his anime journey and answer the question of what it means to be a Pokemon Master. So it’d be a hard pill to swallow if they butchered it.
But let’s ask the question, “What is a good ending for Ash?” Well, some wonder if he’ll admit that he’s not at his goal yet, but he won’t stop trying to reach it. Others wonder if he’ll start his “next phase” somewhere like Alola, where he’s found a second home. Finally, some hope for a more “romantic” ending and showing Ash reconnecting with Serena, given they haven’t canonically addressed the ending of XYZ.
There are many ways the Pokemon Anime could end, and you can bet that spoilers will flood social media when the time comes for the episode to air. So if you don’t want spoilers, you better set some safety barriers.
