In less than 24 hours, the Pokemon franchise is making one of its biggest changes yet. It has been more than 20 years since Ash Ketchum made his way to television, and the trainer has become a role model to millions if not billions of fans. Pikachu and Ash have gone on to experience all sorts of adventures with friends at their side, but now their time to say goodbye has come. Pokemon will air the pair's final episode tomorrow, and the duo is already trending ahead of the event.
If you have not been keeping up with the whole situation, Pokemon did confirm Ash's exit from the anime earlier this year. The Pokemon Company announced its next anime will not star Ash or Pikachu as the Paldea region comes to television. As you can imagine, the decision left the fandom stunned, and Pokemon has been running a farewell season of sorts to part with Ash. Now, its final episode is slated to drop tomorrow in Japan, and emotions are already running high online.
As you can see in the slides below, fans of the Pokemon anime are bracing for all the feels while sending love to Ash and his partner. After all, Ash made his debut on television in 1997, and he's been a mainstay in the anime world ever since. It goes without saying the character is a mascot for the industry, and he helped turn the Pokemon franchise into the powerhouse we know it as today. For plenty of fans worldwide, their first introduction to Pokemon was through the anime as a child, and they grew up with Ash on their mind in some way or another.
Now, the time has come for Ash to leave the anime, and he will be doing so on a high. The trainer is now known as the strongest out there following his win against Leon at the World Championships. Since their victory, Ash and Pikachu have been revisiting old haunts and friends. In their final outing, the pair will return to Pallet Town and discover whether or not they've earned the title of Pokemon Master after all these years. So when tomorrow comes in, Pokemon fans better be armed with tissues!
Are you ready to part with Ash? What do you want to see the Pokemon anime do next? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.