Ladies and gentlemen, Pokemon fans around the world, the impossible has happened. After decades of traveling the world and catching as many Pokemon as he could, Ash Ketchum has defeated the World Champion Leon in the Masters 8 Tournament, making him the newest world champion. With Pokemon Journeys focusing on Ash’s world tour as he attempted to make good on his status as the Alola Tournament’s victor, there are few anime fans that could imagine that Ketchum would go the distance, but the time has come and the future of Pokemon’s anime is anyone’s guess.
Ash’s battle against Leon was a grueling one, with the young trainer giving everything he had to make sure that he could take the crown, but now that he has, it leaves open the question of whether or not Ketchum will continue to be the anime’s protagonist or if a new trainer will take the reins. With Goh joining up with Project Mew, it is possible that Ash’s “right-hand man” might be the new lead, though it really is anyone’s guess at this point. Should Ash continue as the main figure in the anime series while also being the world champion, it would certainly be interesting to see what challenges he would face and whether he would now see a steady stream of opponents gunning for his title.
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Ash Ketchum first appeared in the premiere episode of Pokemon’s anime on April 1st, 1997 and while he hasn’t aged much since he first hit the road with Pikachu, he’s grown significantly when it comes to his talents as a Pokemon trainer. For quite some time, the idea that Ash becoming world champion seemed like it would never happen, with many fans perhaps believing that Ketchum taking the crown would end the Pokemon anime. As it stands, it doesn’t seem as though the series will come to an end with Pokemon Journeys, perhaps giving fans a very different scenario in episodes to come.
What do you think of Ash’s major achievement? Do you think that now that he’s the World Champion, he might give the reins of the anime to another trainer? 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.
