The original Pokémon anime’s ending was cut in favor of a more open-ended conclusion, and it inadvertently has caused problems with Ash Ketchum's story ever since. The plan had been for the journeys of Ash Ketchum, Misty, and Brock to end in 1998 with Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back. However, a surprise turn of events and the rapid growth of the franchise averted this course of action and has, despite several moments of fan worry about Ash being written out of the anime, secured him as the main character for the next two decades.
Interestingly, the dark tone of the first film, written by Takeshi Shudo, was something of a departure for the franchise. Indeed, it may have only come about because The Pokémon Company was distracted from its oversight of Shudo's writing process. This was because of the fallout from the airing of first season episode “Electric Soldier Porygon,” which famously caused photosensitive epileptic seizures in a substantial number of Japanese viewers. In any case, the success of the film and its dark, often profoundly philosophical tone, helped grow and maintain the franchise.
The unexpected box office success of what many fans still consider to be the best Pokémon movie has helped spawn over 20 subsequent films (including a remake of the first film) and 24 seasons of the anime. It has also made Ash Ketchum an intergenerational mainstay. The success of the first movie, and the continuing sales of merchandise, games, and trading cards, meant that Ash was required to stay and Shudo’s vision never came to fruition. His idea, which featured an aged Ash looking back warmly on his Pokémon adventures, followed by an ambiguous dream or reincarnation sequence where he wakes up as a young boy again, would have explored themes of coexistence and nostalgia and, given the tone of the film, would have been a fitting farewell. Shudo later considered an ending where Pikachu would lead a Pokémon uprising against the humans who enslaved them but this abandoned Pokémon ending was too dark to work and was also scrapped. While it would have made for a great twist, it may have permanently broken the fundamental premise of interspecies harmony on which the universe rests.
Will Ash Ketchum Get the Ending He Deserves?
Following Mewtwo Strikes Back, starting with a three-year-long rut in the Orange Islands waiting for Pokémon Gold and Silver to launch, Ash entered a permanent limbo. Of course, his long shift in the anime has served it well and the character is well-liked by fans. His sometimes stunningly naive approach to Pokémon training has helped kids of all ages believe that if Ash, with his boundless enthusiasm and little skill, can train Pokémon then they can, too. Unfortunately, as the ever-present trainer to the franchise's most enduring and recognizable Pokémon, Ash has been unable to grow or achieve a meaningful long-term narrative arc. The franchise's close cousin Digimon has avoided this trap by frequently cycling its cast of characters.
This is similar to what has happened to The Simpsons, who have been in a state of ageless diminishing returns for an egregious amount of time. While less extreme, this purgatory has lessened Ash as a central character. Unlike The Simpsons, the Pokémon anime would undoubtedly thrive without its original central characters. As Ash Ketchum has recently achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a Pokémon champion, and with the release of the new Scarlet and Violet games fast approaching, the time is right for his character to be given the finale he has long deserved.
The first Pokémon movie would have been a fitting send-off for Ash and would have saved him from a 20-year ageless stasis. Perhaps honoring Takeshi Shudo’s visions for Ash, and his desire for him to finally grow up could be a way forward. After this, a new lead character should take the helm and steer the ship of the anime into the future.