Pokémon Evolutions is the latest series in the franchise, focusing on protagonists beyond Ash Ketchum and proving exactly why the franchise should conclude his arc for good. Largely considered to be a sequel to Pokémon Generations, which was released in 2016, Pokémon Evolutions has focused on bringing the stories told in the Pokémon games to a larger audience. However, in doing so, the miniseries has also shown the exact reasons why it may be time to finally set a conclusion to Ash’s journey in the Pokémon world.
As many Pokémon players and audiences may already know, Ash has been the leading protagonist in the Pokémon anime for over 24 seasons, appearing in more than a thousand episodes with the exception of a recent episode featuring Goh. Throughout this journey, his goal has always remained the same: to become a Pokémon master. Each season brings about new Pokémon, new battles, and new characters for the young trainer to encounter; however, a common complaint that often crops up is that Ash never learns from any of these experiences. It's a flaw that can be particularly seen during the Pokémon: Black and White season, Ash Ketchum has accomplished many feats and overcomes twice as many challenges but never seems to show any permanent character growth over the course of his journey.
However, Pokémon: Evolutions highlights this exact detail that the main Pokémon series is missing: growth. Its latest episode, "The Rival," features the hyperactive trainer from Twinleaf Town, Barry. This time, however, audiences are shown a more sober depiction of the character as the episode touches on his ultimate goal to prove himself to his father. The episode highlights Barry's growth, from the changes in his strategy when fighting Team Galactic to the strength of his Pokémon as he challenges the gyms of Sinnoh. Barry's story is one that sets him apart from other characters, and the emotion behind his arc is something that's simply missing in the main Pokémon series. Barry's arc shows why it's time to leave Ash Ketchum in the past: there’s only so much character growth possible when a protagonist keeps retreading the same storyline with each season.
Pokémon Evolutions also excels at telling stories from the perspectives of a variety of different characters who would normally get sidelined to cameos in the main series. Out of the five episodes that have been released so far, the stories have also revolved around characters like Leon, Lillie, Lysandre, Ghetsis, and N, who all have different motives and entirely different moralities. It serves as a sharp contrast to Ash’s static character being main protagonist of every Pokémon movie and season, and offers an insight into how the main series could be if it expanded to focus more prominently on different characters within the Pokémon universe. It serves as an opportunity to explore the different regions without having to look at them through the eyes of a Pokémon trainer and put the spotlight on other characters and archetypes, rather than sidelining them as supporting characters.
Pokémon Evolutions is simply another entry in a long line of examples that show that Pokémon is at its best when it tries to accommodate and cater to more than simply younger audiences. The most prominent of these is Detective Pikachu, which ended up earning 4x as much as any of the Pokémon movies featuring Ash. Granted, part of that is due to its live-action nature, but still, it’s a sign of what the anime could grow into if it tried expanding the scope with which it explores its world.
There are already signs that the Pokémon franchise may start to move away from Ash already. The latest season of the anime introduced another main protagonist, Goh, who also featured in Pokémon Evolutions’ first ever episode that didn’t include Ash. It serves as an opportunity for the franchise to give Ash Ketchum and his Pokémon the character development that they deserve, hence concluding his arc in a fulfilling way that befits the 22-year-long journey he has undertaken.