Pokemon Debuts New Opening for Ash's Final Episodes: Watch

By Nick Valdez

Pokemon has officially kicked off its special series saying goodbye to Ash Ketchum after adventuring through 25 years of the anime, and it has debuted a new opening theme for Pokemon: Aim to Be a Pokemon Master to help kick things off in style! Following the end of Pokemon Journeys that saw Ash Ketchum officially winning the World Coronation Series to become the World Champion, the anime will be moving onto its next series without him. But to celebrate everything he's done, Ash is getting an 11 episode series that will help fans to say goodbye to the trainer after such a long time with him. 

Pokemon: Aim to Be a Pokemon Master is technically counted as Pokemon Journeys' final episodes beginning with Episode 137 airing in Japan this past weekend, but it's officially a new series focusing on Ash as he has one more nostalgic run through the regions. This is cemented in place even further with its new opening that actually is a remake of the very first opening theme titled, "Aim to Be a Pokemon Master" (with the new version adding "-with my friends-" to the title) sung by Ash voice actress Rica Matsumoto. Check it out below as spotted by @AnipokeFandom on Twitter: 

How to Watch Ash's Final Pokemon Episodes

Unfortunately, the final Ash Ketchum series is currently exclusively to Japan so fans will have to enjoy it from afar for a while. The international release of Pokemon Journeys is currently up to Episode 102, so it's likely going to be much later in 2023 at the earliest before fans can check out the official English release of Pokemon: Aim to Be a Pokemon Master. But given how this opening reflects on everything Ash has done to this point, it still hits quite hard. 

READ MORE: Pokemon: Aim to Be a Pokemon Master Premiere Shares First Look | Pokemon: Misty and Brock Return in New Preview | Pokemon: When Will Ash's Final Episode Air?

It includes a recreation of the original Japanese opening of the series from 25 years ago (which is further emphasized by the remade theme song from that opening too), but notably also includes a rundown of some of the anime's most memorable moments and battles. It's a tearjerking way to kick off this goodbye, but how do you feel about this serving as Ash's final anime opening in the Pokemon franchise? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

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