This Pokemon Concept Art Proves Ash Almost Looked Very Different

When it comes to Pokemon, fans of the anime know Ash Ketchum like the back of their hands. The [...]

By Megan Peters

When it comes to Pokemon, fans of the anime know Ash Ketchum like the back of their hands. The series has never tried to keep anything about the hero in the shadows, and fans have gotten to know Ash over the last twenty years. In fact, fans can trace back Ash to his very first moment, but one piece of surfaced concept art shows how differently Ash could have looked.

The artwork came to light once more thanks to Twitter user Arkeus88. It was there Pokemon fans were introduced to a slew of Ash sketches, and it turns out the show's team was not set on one part of the trainer way back when. The team was wishy washy about Ash's hat, so his now-iconic cap could have looked very different.

As you can see above, the Pokemon concept art shows a ton of interesting caps that Ash tried out. The top-left shows Ash in a lightning bolt cap that resembles Harry Potter more than anything. As for the other hats, the team tried other designs from triangles to circles and more. But in the end, the team was inspired to create the hat's famous green icon before a final draft was due.

"Everybody knows Ash's treasured Pokemon League cap. However, the truth is that before its current design was selected, many others were pitched," the art's guide reads.

As you can tell, one of Ash's most iconic items was nearly turned around before Pokemon could debut. If you ask me, the artists picked the best hat design of the bunch despite being on a deadline, but we'll let you pick your preference on your own.

What do you make of this Pokemon concept art? Do you prefer any of these original designs of Ash or...? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of