The final miniseries for Ash, known as Pokémon: Aim to Be a (Pokémon) Master, is about half-way through its run at this point, and the episodes seen so far have some fans asking: will this miniseries actually give Ash the ending he deserves?
After winning the World Coronation Series and becoming a Pokémon champion, it was announced that Ash would be leaving the series at long last, having achieved his dream. New characters will be taking over as leads for the Generation 9 Pokémon anime, and it's not clear how much connection, if any, the new series will have to previous continuity. At that time, it was also announced that Ash would be receiving a 2023 miniseries of 11 episodes, intended to put a bow on his journey. Five of these episodes have aired, however, and with a few noteworthy exceptions, they've been run-of-the-mill episodes, picking up Misty and Brock again alongside revisiting familiar Pokémon faces. While coated in a heavy dose of nostalgia, plot-wise, these episodes... really haven't been all that special.
Pokémon is Missing its Chance to Give Ash a Perfect Sendoff
Despite there only being six episodes left, the ending of Ash's story feels about as far away as ever. It's hard to imagine what a fitting final arc for Ash might be; it would certainly involve a lot of the things that Aim to Be a Master has done, like a return for Ash's old Pokémon and reuniting with Brock and Misty. It should also call back to the show's very beginnings and highlight how much things have changed--for Ash, for Pikachu, and for the world. Ideally, these last 11 episodes would form a solid arc that draws Ash towards his final ending, whatever that may turn out to be. Right now, the show should be building towards that ending, but it doesn't feel like it.
The Key to Ash's Pokémon Ending is Latias
The most noteworthy thing to have happened so far was the first episode, in which Ash discovered an injured Latias and helped it out. That Latias has been invisibly following him ever since, as confirmed at the end of each episode. It's clear that Latias will have some role to play in Ash's ending, but rather than building a relationship between Ash and Latias, he doesn't even know it's there. Having a Legendary Pokémon involved in Ash's finale feels appropriate, and Ash did have a strong relationship with a Latias in the fifth movie, although it's not clear if this is supposed to be the same one. For the purposes of tying the show back to its origins, though, it seems it might've been better to choose Ho-Oh, which Ash famously saw in the first episode. Ash has had the opportunity to develop a relationship with Legendary and Mythical Pokémon in the anime many times before--look at Melmetal, or Meloetta, or Zygarde, all of which traveled with him at some point. So why, here at the end, is the series being so coy with Latias?
After four episodes of cameos, it seems like it's time for Latias to make its move, whatever that might be, and start the final plot of the series. While Pokémon mostly specializes in one-off episodes, the show is no stranger to long-term arcs, and an iconic character like Ash desperately needs one last storyline here at the end. With just six episodes left, it's time for Aim to Be a Master to get serious and wrap things up for Pokémon's Ash in as satisfying a manner as possible.