The longer you are with a character you adore from a series/franchise, the harder it becomes to let them go when the show ends. Most times, we’re indeed prepared for a departure or an ending, but sometimes it’s just hard to let things go. For anime fans, only a few characters exist that lasted longer than a few seasons. Goku and the Z-Fighters are one example, and Ash Ketchum is another. Ash has been the protagonist of the Pokemon anime for over 25 years and has had many adventures on the big and small screen through that period. But now, in Japan, his final episode is days away from arriving.
If you recall, the Pokemon Journeys anime, completed in Japan last year, ended with Ash getting a significant victory defining his skills as a Pokemon trainer. After that victory, the people behind the anime revealed that with this victory, it was time to bring Ash’s journey to a close. Starting earlier in 2023, a special epilogue series called Pokemon: Aim to Be a Pokemon Master debuted in Japan and showed Ash as he figured out what was next for him and reconnected with many beloved people and Pokemon along the way.
The final episode of that series, and thus the last episode with Ash as the main character, will arrive in Japan on March 24th. To honor it, the first promo trailer for the episode dropped on a billboard at Tokyo’s Shinjuku station, and it features many callbacks to the original days of the show while highlighting the upcoming end:
It’ll be an emotional finale, no doubt, and fans of Ash Ketchum will all have ideas on how it should end and where Ash should go next. But no matter what, there’s little doubt that his journey was fulfilling. We got to see him from the very beginning, where he reluctantly chose Pikachu as his partner, and vice-versa, and built himself up to challenge the Pokemon League. Then, region after region, he showcased why he was one of the best and most creative trainers.
Eventually, he became the first Pokemon League Champion of Alola and used that to enter the World Coronation Series to beat the champ in Leon.
He’s done a lot, and now it’s time for him to pass the torch. Because, lest we forget, the anime isn’t ending. It’s getting new protagonists. Ones that’ll come from the Paldea region and have new adventures to take us on.
