Did Pokemon: Sun and Moon Already Tease Ash’s First League Win?

Ash Ketchum is a loser. The eternal 11 year old has been hopping from Pokemon to Pokemon, from league to league, never scoring a win of his own in any of the league finals. He is a champion of nothing and no one. However, Ash is looking for redemption in the upcoming Alola League where he may finally, FINALLY, be able to pull a championship for himself as he faces off against other trainers in this island paradise. One Twitter User may have unveiled a hint that points toward Ash scoring the number on spot for the first time in his training career!

Twitter User JoeMerrick discovered that a clever appearance by the Masked Royal may be foreshadowing Ash’s win in the Alola League:

As Joe states, and as followers of the anime may remember, the Alola League teased that the winner of the tournament will get an exhibition match against the Masked Royal and his deadly Incineroar, a muscle bound cat who tends toward the fiery side of things. Who is the Masked Royal, you may be wondering? Well its none other than Professor Kukui, Ash Ketchum’s mentor.

The professor, who played a heavy part as one of the final combatants in the Pokemon: Sun and Moon video game, acts as the perfect “final boss” for Ash if he manages to finally overcome the tournament. Helping Ash to become a more competent trainer, Kukui spends some times slapping on the mask of the Royal and joining the world of pro-wrestling with his Incineroar at his side. Whether or not this Japanese opening is indeed hinting toward Ash’s win is still up in the air, but our boy Ketchum could certainly use a win.

Do you think Ash Ketchum is finally going to win a Pokemon League tournament? What do you think of Professor Kukui’s wrestling persona of the Masked Royal? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Lucha Underground!

If you haven’t kept up with the current run of the anime, Pokemon the Series: Sun and Moon is described as such, “What starts as a summer vacation in the tropical Alola region turns into the next exciting chapter in Ash Ketchum‘s quest to become a Pokémon Master! There’s plenty for Ash and Pikachu to explore in this sunny new region, with exciting new Pokémon to discover and interesting people to learn from along the way—including the cool Professor Kukui and the fun-loving Samson Oak.

More new faces will help guide Ash’s Alolan adventure, in the form of a group of skilled Trainers—Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles—and a mysterious research assistant called Lillie. Frequent foes Team Rocket have also made the trip to Alola, looking to swipe some high-powered new Pokémon. But they have some heavy competition on the villainy front: the ruffians of Team Skull, who delight in causing chaos and may have more sinister intentions…”