Warning: Spoilers for Pokémon: to Be a Pokémon Master, episode 11

Summary

• The final episode of the Pokémon anime doesn't feel like a series finale, emphasizing that Ash's adventures will continue.
• Ash contemplates what it means to be a Pokémon Master, and decides it's about befriending and appreciating Pokémon, not just catching them.
• The new series, Pokémon Horizons, may have some connections to the original continuity, but it will likely take time before Ash makes an appearance.

The Pokémon anime starring Ash Ketchum officially ended after almost 25 years on the air, but just because the series ended doesn't mean that Ash's adventures have to--even if some fans might have preferred that they did.

The final episode of the miniseries Pokémon: to Be a Pokémon Master certainly didn't feel like a series finale while watching it. There were no long and sappy goodbyes with Misty and Brock; the two just split off from Ash to head to their own hometowns, because they know they'll see him again before long.

While Team Rocket reconciled with each other before Pokémon's finale, they didn't really get any kind of more personal connection with Ash. Ultimately, the final shots of the episode are very similar to those from the end of previous seasons: Ash setting off again on a new adventure, even ending with the words "Next Time: A New Beginning!" exactly like it always has when one era ends and another begins.

Pokémon Ends Ash's Story With a New Adventure

Leaving His Return to Pokémon a Definite Possibility

The episode took an approach that's more in line with Ash's perspective than the viewers. Ash's last Pokémon episode is not the end for him; it's just another day in the Pokémon world. No flash-forwards, no montage of great moments. Ash has merely taken a pause to return home and rest before he sets out once again.

At one point Gary congratulates his former rival on Ash's win in the Pokémon World Coronation Series, but asks him if achieving that brought him any closer to becoming a "Pokémon Master." Ash doesn't have an answer for that and spends much of the episode contemplating the idea. As he sits under a tree with Pikachu in a rainstorm, Ash decides that what it means to be a master is to be a friend to all the Pokémon of the world. Contrary to the series' image, it's not about catching them; simply knowing them and appreciating them is enough.

Ash decides that what it means to be a master is to be a friend to all the Pokémon of the world--a quest that can never really end.

It's a surprisingly thoughtful ending to a character arc that ran a quarter of a century, and it once again shows how much Ash has matured. The episode's inclusion of Pidgeot helps to emphasize that contrast, as the Ash that Pidgeot knew was very different. This may not have been the ending that fans wanted, as much of the speculation focused on things like seeing Ash as an adult, perhaps with children of his own, or a connection to the new series.

By taking the usual approach to a season finale for the series finale, it emphasizes the fact that Ash's adventures with Pikachu will continue, even if fans aren't watching them anymore. Pokémon's producers have said that they see Ash as forever young, with no desire to age Ash up, and this ending is the ultimate example of that. It's okay to disagree with their perspective, of course, but in terms of what they were aiming for, it seems like to Be a Pokémon Master's final episode is exactly what they intended.

Ash's Future in the Pokémon Anime

While Ash's Return is Likely, Fans May Have to Wait For it

The new series that's carrying the torch for the Pokémon anime, Pokémon Horizons, has already established itself as different from Ash's era. There are some indications that the series is still set in the same continuity, though, so a cameo isn't out of the question. Nurse Joy, for example, still operates all the Pokémon Centers. The odds of seeing Ash any time soon are low, as the new series needs to establish its own identity first. It wouldn't be out of line, though, to allude to Ash's existence, especially now that he's the world champion and presumably a household name.

Will Pokemon's Ash Be Different When Fans See Him Again?

How Could Ash's Return Show His Character Development

While it is more than possible that Ash will make his return to the Pokémon anime, it would be a mistake to show him exactly as To Be a Master left him. Ash potentially being a household name would completely change how other characters see him. If Ash were to meet Horizons' new protagonists Liko and Roy for instance, there's little chance the newer trainers would see Ash as a peer.

Though Pokémon's producers are dead set on keeping Ash as a kid, that doesn't mean the Ash that Liko and Roy meet can't be a more mature and down-to-earth trainer than the Ash fans met a quarter of a century ago. Ash's maturity and experience could also lend some legitimacy to the Horizons cast, as there could be a moment to pass the torch to the next generation of trainers. Even a small appearance in just one episodes could do wonders to show how far Ash has come and how far the Horizons cast still has to go.

Ash's ending is the embodiment of what he has been all along: an unending adventure filtered through the wonder of a child

Ash's ending is the embodiment of what he has been all along: an unending adventure filtered through the wonder of a child. To try to change that now at the end would be to deny what Pokémon is and has always been. Whether fans see Ash again someday or not, he and Pikachu are still out there seeing new sights and learning new things, and that's the idea that should live on in the minds of Pokémon fans everywhere.

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