The Pokémon anime has been thriving for almost thirty years. For many, the series was the gateway to the world of anime, just as the games served as many young gamers' first experience with the medium. A lot went right Pokémon to become the global force it is today, and while the games played a big part in making the franchise as big as it is, you can't overlook the impact the anime had on reaching new fans and building the franchise to what we know it to be.
A big part of why the anime was so successful was its protagonists. Over the years, Ash and Pikachu have become one of the most iconic couples in anime. The series did a great job of pairing these two with memorable companions, but Ash and Pikachu's bond served as Pokémon The biggest attraction of the anime, their adventures throughout Kanto and other regions in Pokémon the world to watch such an explosion. But nothing lasts forever, and after almost a quarter of a century, Ash and Pikachu's journey has come to an end. The Pokémon the anime continues, with a new set of characters and stories for a new generation of fans. But the Pallet Town duo have left some big shoes to fill.
Every Pokemon movie of the 2000s, ranked from worst to best
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What made Ash & Pikachu's Journey so special
Ash was conceived as a parallel to Red, the protagonist from the Gen I games. Although both trainers were from Pallet Town and had a similar design, the similarities ended there. Ash is a much more expressive character who wins over anime fans with his positive outlook and sometimes goofy attitude. Another thing that separated Ashe from his in-game counterpart was his unusual choice of starter Pokemon. In the games, players can choose between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle as they set out to explore the Kanto region. But it turned out differently for Ash.
Ash was forced to take Pikachu as his starter after falling asleep and losing the usual three options. While this is an in-universe explanation, the real-world logic behind this decision was that Pikachu could serve as a neutral starter that wouldn't show any bias towards a single starter in games. It ended up working out great, as Pikachu's popularity in the anime led to him becoming the mascot of the franchise for decades. Although they both had a rough start, their bond eventually grew into something that served as their backbone Pokémon franchise for over two decades.
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Fans have seen Ash and Pikachu develop a true friendship over the years, and while Ash has proven to be a kind and caring trainer to all of his Pokémon, the connection he and Pikachu share has inspired fans from different generations to go out and be the best trainers they can be in the games.
Ash went through a lot of growing pains as a trainer
Ash was always presented as a caring and ambitious young trainer, but that didn't always translate to success in the anime. It took Ash a while to start racking up some serious wins, often falling short of the major achievements, whether it was winning championships or catching the kind of rare legendary Pokemon that fans crave in the games. The series focused more on the journey and the joy of sharing with friends rather than putting too much emphasis on individual achievements and awards.
That's not to say that Ash hasn't accomplished anything in the more than two decades he's been an anime protagonist. Ash and Pikachu have done a lot of great things along the way, from constantly thwarting Team Rocket, to winning various Pokémon competitions and becoming the Orange League champion.
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Indigo Plateau Conference — Top 16
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Silver Conference — Top 8
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Ever Grande Conference — Top 8
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Lily of the valley conference — Top 4
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Vertress Conference — Top 8
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Lumiose Conference — 2nd place
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Manalo Conference — Winner
Ash's biggest victory came in the form of winning the World Coronation Series Championship over Leon. It was a huge moment for fans when years of work finally paid off for Ash and Pikachu. After some tough losses over the years to trainers like Cameron, Paul, Sawyer, and others, this was a well deserved victory that showed Ash had made great strides in doing what he set out to do when he left Pallet Town in hopes of becoming a Pokemon Master.
After his monumental victory, Ash embarked on a new journey where he once again met familiar faces. To be a Pokemon Master was the last arc Pokemon journeysand the last series with Ash and Pikachu. It was a sad but well-executed farewell tour that gave fans one last look at Ash and Pikachu's adventures before handing over the reins to a new cast of characters.
So what's up with Pokemon now?
Just because Ash and Pikachu said goodbye doesn't mean the Pokemon anime is over. Instead, the series started fresh, with a new cast of characters and new stories for a new generation of fans as well as older fans.
Pokemon Horizons focuses on the protagonists Liko and Roy, who, alongside a group of trainers called the Rising Volt Tacklers, set out to find a group of Pokemon called the Six Heroes while trying to learn more about the mysterious Terapagos. The group travels alongside Professor Friede and his Pikachu, Captain Pikachu, on an airship called Brave Olivine.
The new cast of characters is great in itself, giving the series a chance to explore new things and offering fresh new stories that are really different from what the Ash and Pikachu led series was. he said that Horizons it is still relatively new compared to its predecessors. There have been some real highlights so far, and Liko and Roy are both different enough from Ash that you can appreciate their journeys and individual character growth. The future looks bright for Pokémon anime despite taking such a big swing and leaving two of the franchise's most iconic and beloved characters. Fans can still expect the same fun from the new series as the previous entries, but on days like this it's fun to look back at what made Ash's journey so special.
Pokemon
- Release date
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1997–2023
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- directors
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Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Na Egami, Makoto Keni, Heoki Ken Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
- Writers
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Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku
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Rica Matsumoto
satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)
