Over 25 years after the Pokémon anime series' debut in Japan, Ash Ketchum has achieved the goal he set out to do: he's been recognized as a Pokémon Master following his victory in the World Coronation Series. But now that Ash's long-time dream has come true, what's left for the anime to be about?
The Pokémon anime has been through dozens of iterations at this point, with stories set in every region from the games and even a few original areas, like Pokémon's Orange Islands. To stay relevant over such a long period, the series had to reinvent itself, and the first big change was ditching Misty in the lead-up to Hoenn. Ash's new companions there were subsequently replaced before Sinnoh, thus setting the precedent that the status quo would radically alter whenever a new game came out. Black and White represented a soft reboot, losing Brock as well in favor of a completely new cast, aside from Ash and Team Rocket, although even Jessie and James were quite different at the season's start. Pokémon XY retooled the series into shonen action, while Sun and Moon turned it into more of a comedy with a wildly different art style. Finally, Journeys broke the pattern again, opting not to be based exclusively in Sword and Shield's Galar region, but instead to be a globe-trotting adventure, even taking inspiration from Pokémon Go.
All of that is to say that despite impressions, the Pokémon anime has been reinventing itself all along in an attempt to stay fresh. Over the years, it's had dozens of main characters, several lead writers, varied from highly serialized to completely stand-alone and even tried multiple genres. While people predict the end of Ash's time on the series each time there's a retool, Journeys really is the ultimate time to end his quest. Journeys has traveled to every region of the Pokémon world, visiting every major character at least once over its 130+ episodes. The series' focus on a worldwide tournament, which Ash was eligible for after winning in Alola, put more emphasis on continuity, ensuring that the build-up to the final episodes would have the full weight of every preceding episode behind it. Ash's victory even referenced every Pokémon he's ever caught. Everything signals that Pokémon Journeys was always meant to be Ash's last season.
The Pokémon Anime Will Continue to Adapt
Ash's time as the series hero may finally be at an end, but that doesn't mean there won't be a Pokémon anime. The series is a powerful marketing tool, after all. It could continue on by following Goh, Ash's most recent companion, although Goh has been a controversial figure with some fans. More likely, the series will start completely fresh, with a new protagonist, new cast, and a fresh look at the Pokémon world, possibly starting in Scarlet and Violet's Paldea region. Ash may continue to appear in the films, particularly since I Choose You!, The Power of Us, and Secrets of the Jungle already take place in a rebooted continuity separate from the series.
While it's not known yet what the Pokémon anime will do, there are only 3 episodes of Journeys left after Ash's victory, so an announcement is surely imminent. Whatever new era may lie ahead, the anime will navigate it as it always has--with or without Ash.