Pokemon has been around for more than 20 years now, and it has amassed a ton of lore. From the origin of pocket monsters to Ash’s companions, the anime has parsed through plenty of history. Of course, there are some things the anime cannot squeeze in, and Japanese novels have tried to fill in those gaps overseas. And now, well – it seems fans around the country are just now learning one of the worst things about Ash’s absent father.
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The whole thing came to light thanks to a tweet highlighting Pocket Monsters: The Animation. The two-volume series was penned by Takeshi Shudo starting in 1997. While never released in English, translations of the book have hit the Internet in recent years, and it is there fans can find tons of obscure trivia about Ash’s past.
And what is it about Ash’s family that has fans upset? Well, it turns out the trainer wasn’t the only kid in Pallet Town abandoned by their father. It turns out Delia, who we know best as Ash’s mom, was also abandoned as a young girl by his father.
According to Shudo’s history of Pallet Town, Delia’s father was also a Pokemon trainer. He had his daughter during a brief hiatus from training, but his newfound family did not get in the way of his quest. When Delia was young, her dad left home and never came back. By the time Ash left on his own journey, he had never met his grandfather, and Delia was still living as a single mom.
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Now, she did have her own father figure just like Ash. The boy latched on to Professor Kukui in the Alola region, and Delia did the same years ago to Professor Oak. So as you can see, history repeated itself in the worst way with this mother-son duo.
Of course, Pokemon has yet to introduce Ash’s dad to the world, and there is no telling if the character will ever come around. Delia has been without her dad for decades, so it is hard to imagine Ash’s path being much different. But as he gets closer to being the world’s best Pokemon trainer, there is always a chance Ash’s dad might show up.
Would you like these old Pokemon novels to get an official release stateside? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
