For literal decades now, the Pokémon anime has run alongside the game releases, constantly exposing new children to the world of Pokémon. Throughout that whole time, Ash has been the protagonist, aiming to be the best but never quite measuring up when put to the test. Now that he's managed to achieve his dream, what exactly changed?
Though fan opinions on Ash have varied a lot over the years, there's no arguing that Ash Ketchum isn't an iconic character at this point. As the hero of one of the longest-running anime ever, he's made his mark on the medium, placing Ash alongside characters like Goku and Sailor Moon. Unlike Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball, however, the Pokémon anime was created to market and support something from another medium altogether: the RPGs that it's based on.
From the beginning, this fact has tied the hands of the Pokémon series' writers. If Ash achieves his goal, then the show no longer has a driving motivation behind it, so whenever he'd get close to winning, something had to happen to dash those hopes and keep that goal unattained. They still wanted to show progress, of course, lest fans get bored assuming it will never happen, so Ash's performance has almost always improved, from Top 16 in Kanto, to Top 8 in Johto, to Top 4 in Sinnoh, and 2nd place in Kalos. The first inkling of an actual change to the status quo was Alola, as Ash had some powerful Pokémon, like the Mythical Pokémon Melmetal. Shocking everyone, Ash was actually allowed to win, and people began to wonder if Alola was meant to be Ash's last stop. That's when the series diverged from formula, and instead of packing up for the next region, Ash was invited to the World Coronation Series, a tournament made up of the most skilled trainers from around the planet.
Pokémon Journeys Broke the Mold
The most recent era of the Pokémon anime, Pokémon Journeys, has been unlike any other from its debut. It started out by showing Ash's trophies at home, confirming that yes, everything that's ever happened is all still in continuity. Ash was given a special assignment with a new professor, and sent on globe-trotting missions that took him to every region he's visited before and meeting up with old friends. He also made his way to Galar, of course, but the series spent less time there than one might expect, reducing the Sword and Shield plotline to just a few episodes. Ash's battles with other trainers were reflected in hard numerical rankings, so he made clear progress towards the championship even without the use of badges. Ash also put together a surprisingly competent team this time around, including powerful choices like Dragonite, Dracovish, Lucario, Gengar and Sirfetch'd. While previous tournaments had been smaller scale and limited to their home regions, the anime's World Coronation Series was just as worldwide as it sounds. It was clear that this was Ash's first real shot at achieving his true goal of being the very best, like no one ever was.
The build-up to Ash's big victory here has been years in the making, and the Pokémon anime made sure it was as tense and uncertain as possible. With his goal finally accomplished, it may be time for the series to say goodbye to Ash, but as they say, legends never die, and Ash Ketchum has solidified his spot in the pantheon of anime heroes.