Today is a very somber day in the Pokemon community, as the anime’s final episode starring Ash Ketchum and Pikachu has ended. Of course, there were many questions about how the show would end, and we won’t spoil many of them for you. However, the biggest question and the question that the “epilogue series” sought to answer was whether Ash was indeed a “Pokemon Master.” That was his goal from when we met him 25 years ago, and he maintained it throughout his journey. So the question for the series finale was whether Ash met that goal.
Well, it depends on how you look at it, which was another goal for the epilogue episodes. In the final episode, Ash talks about what he really wants from his journey, and he defines what his true goal is by tying it to the title he’s desired all along:
“Becoming the champion wasn’t my goal. I’m still just a challenger, I think. The world still has lots of Pokemon that I haven’t even seen. I want to meet them and befriend them all. That’s what it would mean to become a Pokemon Master!”
To some, that might seem like a “cop-out” answer, but if you look at the arc that Ash has gone on throughout his journey, it actually shows true growth. When Ash started his journey, he was an impatient young trainer who wanted to do things his way and didn’t exactly care for others at points. Just look at his early relationship with Pikachu as proof of that.
But, over time, and across many regions, Ash morphed into someone who was selfless and desired to have a pure bond with Pokemon. Ash has risked his life many times to save Pokemon and people he’s come across and become an inspiration for trainers like Serena, May, Dawn, Max, and more.
Yes, he has always battled hard and entered every Pokemon League he could, and eventually, the World Coronation Series, where he became the world champ. But those were milestones on his journey, not its goal.
What that also does is allow for the anime to bring back Ash Ketchum should they desire. After all, he’s not finished his journey. Instead, he’s just finished a certain chapter within it.
With more information coming out about the new anime called Pokemon Horizons, one has to wonder how fans will react to a show without Ash and Pikachu. We’ll have to wait and see how it goes.
