Should Ash Be Replaced?

There is old saying "be careful what you wish for".

At this point it would be rather reckless and bad move to get rid of Ash who has been driving force of anime for past 15 years,being underrated how popular and iconic to audience he really is with complete overhaul doing nothing but ruining positive image pokemon series established about themselves.

Given anime current limitations and writers amount of craft new protagonist wouldn't suddenly start being handled better winning leagues, going through complex growth or being deeper in characterization which many seem to expect. Leaving us with basically Ash 2.0 passing through same things all over again learning basics, trying to win league carrying Pikachu clone with himself. Which would be rather pointless.

First you need to clean mess in your own house, before taking actions elsewhere in sense of having writers confront directly problems by putting more effort in story and characters(like Ash), fix flaws did with them and create environment for more meaningful growth investing more in established plots instead of leaving things halfway undone.

Only than anime can be allowed to grow with writing first needing to be changed to have ennobled and well written show.

As such with Ash we could see already experienced trainer who has background behind himself going on bigger tasks reaching higher levels as trainer which means stable and stronger pokemon, deeper development, better battles, opportunity to dive more into someone history etc.
Additionally with him there exists requirements to take established character to new, unexpected directions having more complex growth.

Something you cannot do with rookies who are just starting out having to go through basics all over again.

Which im sure would in longer run be more fresh and exciting to see than following alternate version of Ash character going through baby steps all over again.
On side note with Ash around this opens possibility to see previous companions come back at some point(like May, Misty, Brock , Dawn etc) to get more growth, tie up loose ends and influence plot of anime when their return could help influence current story and hold some significance to it.
Invest already in job they started with previous characters doing sequel, rather than let them erased and forgotten in past constantly adding new girls and guys which will end up gone same way with unfinished stories like it happened with previous ones.

I want them to keep ash, but i also want them to make a more "grown up" version of the series featuring red

Why not just have ash become a mentor again? Yeah he doesn't have the expertise of Brock, but he's been through 5 regions; surely he has learned a considerable amount...

I don't want them to replace Ash. The biggest mistake they're making is that everytime Ash goes to a different region he acts like he is new to the Pokemon world.
I feel like his past is a bad thing and he needs to forget everything he has learned. And why they are not evolving his Pokemon? He still got a Snivy and an Oshawott for crying out loud!! They need to upgrade Ash's character not replace it. lol :)

No, that would mess up the show and cause confusion to younger kids and longtime fans. They need to do something with his character though.

I think your absolutely right Yuki's sword i feel the same as you do about ash, i hate him with every fibre of my being! He absolutely and desperately NEEDS replacing, i really can't stand his personality there is nothing at all about him to like. The other thing i can't stand about the animation itself is there is no logic in it what so ever they write as if they are writing a Looney toons cartoon. Of course just like anyone else I'm fully aware that the Pokémon world doesn't exist, but they don't even stick to their own rules. By that i mean the fact that opponents who are clearly far superior to ash in every way suddenly become deaf blind and totally thick even though all ash ever does are straight forward attacks, either that or he steals other people's battling styles dodging or defensive techniques, and i really hated it when Brock said he took it and "made it his own" (ha ha ha)that and Pikachu in one episode was able to stop itself from being sent backwards by Ursaring's Hammer arm and he could then apparently reposition itself and send itself at Ursaring and use Iron Tail on Paul's Ursaring,the reason i mention this is because how can a non flying type Pokémon re position itself in mid air not only defying the laws of gravity but suddenly moving in a way only a flying type can?

i reckon ash should be replaced. in my view digimon just did all the stories they could, and the changing protagionst had nothing to do with it. i really like when the main character of shows grows up (e.g. i dont watch ben 10, but im pretty sure the main characters all grow up in that show, which is pretty cool).

remember the end fo the advanced generation's anime series? ash was growing up (probably late teens id say) and he did hoenn and won the battle frontier. i reckon he should have said yes and taken teh job, because it would have been a perfect way to finish, and then they could have made a new protagonst based on lucas for diamond and pearl series, and gone from there. a new character would be great, and id love to see more electric type pokemon in the main group.
I also think its annoying how they so throughly reset his age for black and white, but i would never watch that series regardless because cilian is SO annoying. he just never shuts up about food.
"wow that was a good battle"
"i agree. the flavours blended into a pie of amazing taste, etc"

They shouldn't replace him rather let him journey through a region solo or bring back Brock and misty. Because Irish (needs to get out) and Cilan are basically rip offs of Brock and misty.

No way! Do I think the current Ash is a real piece o' work? Yes. Does that mean he's doomed and ought to be replaced? No! Ash like any long running tv character may have gone through many ups and downs, and he always will, but he's still our dear hero of the show! This is the story of how the world's greatest Pokemon master came to be. It doesn't matter if it takes forever, it really wouldn't be the same without Ash. If they ever decide they want a new protagonist that badly, then they should consider starting a 2nd anime alongside the original.

R.F. said:

I don't think it'd matter if they replace Ash with someone else.

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Please tell me your joking! OMG, if Ash went away I will have no reason to watch the Anime anymore. Ash is the prime star of the show and along with Pikachu, makes up and is the foundation of the Pokémon Anime.

Guys it has already been confirmed that Ash will be in at least the first season of the x and y arc look up Ash on Bulbapedia. You will see Ash in a new outfit and a caption proving this and one quick comment on his new outfit. It looks like a more mature version of his first outfit. This could be a sign that he will be a bit more mature and it might be the angles but it looks like he has lost some baby fat on his face as it looks slimmer.

Should Ash be replaced? Well of course not :( Why would people want him to be replaced?
We have all grown up with Ash as the main trainer of the anime(even people who didn't grow up with it, they still recognise Ash as the main character) we have all seen how his behaviour changes when he has new companions(like in real life how if your around someone your behaviour changes depending on the person)
Ash even though he is still 10(It's an Anime people! I've seen many cartoons in which the characters have never grown up and I still enjoy watching them) has matured over the many years, he acted like a complete kid in the first season even trying to blame someone else for his own wrongs but he realised it was himself that was the problem not the other person thus teaching him a lesson for life. I really really enjoyed watching Ash grow up all the way through Kanto, Johto and Hoenn.
The dissapointment for me was when Diamond and Pearl came along. Ash started acting like a complete idiot and very very childlike, it disappointed me in more words than I can say here(I could go on for ages on D&P) I watched through all of D&P hoping for it to end so I didn't have to watch it again(It was my goal at the time to watch every episode of the anime weather I liked it or not)
finally I came to Black and White, before I started watching the season me and my siblings would die looking at ash's new face and the pokemon of Unova, but as soon as I started watching the anime I fell instantly in love with Ash again. Sure ash starts out as a complete noob but slowly he starts maturing and he has much more of a character in B&W than in any other season. I don't mind how his eyes were changed so you can see his brown eyes better(Yes everyone he has always had brown eyes, watch the first episode when ash is overlooking viridian city and pikachu licks his cheek, you can clearly see brown eyes) and his new outfit looked utterly amazing(I'll always love his old vest better though)
I see ash more mature now in B&W than at the end of Hoenn, and I'm always hanging on for the next episode.
If they make ash turn 11 in X&Y sure that would be epic and I'd love that. But fans always find something to hate on like how he should be 12 not 11 and she should have aged ages ago and why now and stuff like that, so if he remains 10 that would be great too.
When you think 'pokemon' what pops into your head? with me it's the logo followed by ash and pikachu. I would never want that image to be changed

I would greatly love a new main character, but of another series. I want ash to keep going strong but if they ever made side series(I can't beleive how they have started a few did the 1st episode and never continued. just..why?) I would definitely watch a side series but if Ash just got straight out replaced I would probably end up rage quitting on watching the anime.

Haters gonna hate~
I probably haven't changed anyones opinions but don't hate on me either this is my opinion which I am entitled to and you have your own opinion which you are entitled to. and what ever anyone says I'll still love the first anime character I ever saw, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.

I can't stand Ash, but I don't think he should be replaced. Along with ol' Pikachu, he's the face of the franchise. I just wish he got a personality change.

As much as I don't want Ash to be replaced, I really think he should be. It seems like he's been getting dumber and dumber as the series itself has progressed, and for as long as he's been around Pokémon, I'm just appalled that he doesn't act like he knows Pokémon. In fact, I thought it was embarrassing enough when Paul and Trip were able to outsmart him, and they were "first-time" trainers upon his first meeting with both of them.

And I don't wish for Ash to be replaced because he has been a part of the series for so long, and because it'd remind me of when Cilan replaced Brock, after so many seasons.

Very unlikely idea
I really love ash and pikachu both of them is the reason why im still watching the anime
If they replace ash theres no reason of watching it.. :(

YES ASH PLEASE GTFO.

Well, if they decided to make Ash a bit more competent then I'd be fine with him staying. Though I would prefer it if they switched the protagonist every saga to match the games as it would make things more interesting. They should have done it in Johto but nooo.

It's essentially like if Buffy was replaced on Buffy. Sure the vampires and demons always change each season, and so do some of the protagonists, but pikachu and ash ARE the show.

The protagonists help us start out each season new, especially since Ash cannot really ever be a novice trainer. Dawn, May, and Iris, were all beginners, that started out just as Ash did in Pallet Town. The change in supporting characters is definitely needed to rejuvenate the series without losing complete touch by supplementing Ash/Pikachu with a new hero. Unfortunately, Brock had to go, he was getting stale, but not as stale as Cilan who has been crafting the same recipe over and over again by referring to everything as it relates to being a pokemon connoisseur. Ugh, I can't take him anymore!

It would be nice to see a male equivalent of Dawn/May/Iris as the novice and a female version of Brock/Cilan as the resident expert.

Well, if Misty and Brock could be replaced, why not Ash? It's not like he's the best character ever who can't ever be replaced. The example of Buffy is bad because, in that show, Buffy is a title character, so of course she can't be replaced, or else the show wouldn't be called Buffy anymore. I believe the reason he wasn't given the boot yet was Pikachu. By making Pikachu so prevalent, the writers wrote themselves into a dead end so they can't replace Ash anymore.

They should create a new series independent of Ash's series, and run them side-by-side. Depending on how the viewership goes, they can either cancel one or the other. It's more important to see what the actual people who watch the show think (mostly younger audiences), rather than teenagers/adults who used to watch the show yet could hardly be bothered to watch more than the first couple episodes of a new series.

I agree with you ash should be replace. He should have only travel trough Kanto and orange islands and win the Indigo league because,seriously, in each season he lose the pokemon league to travel in another region where he will lose the pokemon league! There should have
replace him as a protagonist in Johto and a new trainer in each new season. He just need to retire like in the pokemon manga red only appear in Kanto and Johto series and he never appear again(I guess cuz i never read all the manga)