Pokemon: It's Time For Ash To Leave The Anime

Since the Pokemon anime started decades ago in 1997, Ash Ketchum has been the only protagonist that the main series has ever known. Though the series has been running for years, Ash himself has never quite aged despite episodes hitting over one thousand at this point in time, but Pokemon Journeys creates the perfect opportunity to finally put Ketchum to pasture and give fans a new protagonist to helm the series. While the video games in the franchise have often given fans silent protagonists to jump into the shoes of, there are plenty of characters that could take Ash's role moving forward.

Journeys has been setting the stage for Goh to become the protagonist for some time, with the newest trainer to the series following along Ash on his journey while also adding a caveat wherein he has been seeking to capture the ancient Pokemon known as Mew, adding an interesting wrinkle to the potential protagonist's character. With Goh sharing similar goals to Ash in attempting to become one of the biggest trainers in the world, it's that added personality aspect that elevates the Journeys co-star to helm the series. Ketchum has already won his first Pokemon Tournament, and imagine how much more interesting Ash would be as an obstacle for Goh rather than the continued hero of the story.

While the video game series rarely features Ash as the leading man in their entries on Nintendo consoles, we also have had the opportunity to see anime spin-offs of Pokemon dive into adventures that didn't have Ketchum at front and center. Pokemon: Twilight Wings and Pokemon Evolutions gave us the opportunity to explore new worlds with new characters leading the charge, showing that Ash isn't necessarily needed in order to properly examine the world of Pocket Monsters. Even the first Pokemon movie, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, decided to create its own original character and not linger within the journey of Ash Ketchum. 

Ash Ketchum has been the torchbearer of the Pokemon anime series for decades now, and a shift in protagonists wouldn't just give the anime series a shot in the arm, it might also be able to create more interesting stories for Ketchum to boot.

Do you think Ash should be kicked out of the driver's seat in the world of Pokemon? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Pokemon.