Pokemon Shades Ash's Dad in Special New Episode

Pokemon is gearing up to say goodbye to Ash Ketchum once and for all after 25 years of watching him working his way through the regions, and the newest episode really made sure to highlight a missing piece of the puzzle by taking a shot at Ash's dad in a new anime special! Although Ash has been traveling through the Pokemon world across many different kinds of series in the past 25 years, there are some big aspects of his life that don't really change. Ash never ages, he travels with Pikachu, and his father's always been absent. 

Even when Pokemon started exploring an Ash from the very beginning in an alternate take on the anime's world, much like the new Pokemon: The Distant Blue Sky anime special recently airing overseas, these things are still very much in place. In fact, the special ends up trolling fans over Ash potentially getting to see his dad for the first time in a long time but it's a total fake out. When Ash tries to meet up with his dad, his dad ends up leaving before he got there.

Ash was really supposed to meet his dad in today's special, but by the time he arrives at the Pokémon Center, he's already left. However, his dad left him a gift – a hat from the Original Series.#anipoke #アニポケ #Pokemon pic.twitter.com/NwXJ5ky0e6

— 🧢🏆 Annet 🏆🧢 (@Akilvers) December 23, 2022

Where is Ash Ketchum's Dad? 

Pokemon: The Distant Blue Sky sees Ash returning to Pallet Town to start a new adventure, and his mom calls him to meet with her at the Pokemon Center. She mentions that Ash's dad is in town to meet him too, and it was an exciting prospect for both fans (and Ash) to see his dad. But when making it to the Pokemon Center towards the end of the special, Ash's mother reveals that his dad had to leave shortly before he got there. There's no real reason given either outside of that he needed to leave. 

READ MORE: Pokemon Brings Back Ash's Classic Look in New Special | Pokemon: What Happens to Team Rocket Now? | Pokemon Anime Brings Back Late Narrator in New Special

It's definitely a shot at Ash's dad as he couldn't really wait a few minutes to meet his son face to face, but at the same time, it's a fun poke at a long running gag in the franchise. And his dad's not all bad as he was able to give Ash a new (but classic) hat that fans definitely recognize from the very beginning of the series overall. 

How do you feel about the way Pokemon's new special approached Ash's dad? 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!