The Ash of Generations to come...

[Fire-Mane59]

So back at highschool, me and some Seniors began to talk bout Pokemon (memories...) But then the question came up "So who's the new protagonist for the new pokemon?"
My answer: "Dude... it's still Ash"
Then we started to have this effed-up conversation about Ash and the fact that it doesn't seem that he has aged... at all...
Yeah... something bout dropping balls, and woman's voice also came up (but let's not get into details...)

So i wondered, maybe the fact that Ash will forever (if the not aging thing is true) be a kid for generations to come, is because Ash is the living manifestation of the "new generations". By new generations I mean kids who have been born a lil bit after from us. You know: "Let's keep Ash a kid to have more of an appeal to younger viewers"
Ex:
I'm 18 now, but before, I used to watch the Kanto Gen anime. I was more of a "kid" back then. So I was like "WOW, POKEMONS!".
But let's say a kid (much younger than I) Wouldn't understand pokemon for being too young, but eventually, he would grow into the series by the time Johto Gen pops up, and so on and so on...

Hence the dif pokemons and the fact that most... ok... all of my friends don't like the new pokemons because they don't seem like the Kanto gen we grew up with... But yeah (man i suck at writing these things...)

So I would like to hear... read opinions of you guys (if you got what I ment) And would like to know, what do you think about the Gen thing... so yeah... blast away...

 

[CptSwaggerPants]

"So I wondered, maybe the fact that Ash will forever (if the not aging thing is true) be a kid for generations to come, is because Ash is the living manifestation of the "new generations". By new generations I mean kids who have been born a lil bit after from us. You know: "Let's keep Ash a kid to have more of an appeal to younger viewers" "


I think you answered your own question.

Or...they may do what Digimon did.

 

[ZeroX5]

Ash will stay 10, and keep starting over until the series ends ( if it ever does). The writers "reset" him so the supposed new generation of fans can relate to him better. That's why his skill level drops dramtically at the start of every brand new generation, and he hardly rotates his team outside of the League...so he can advertise new Pokemon.

Other characters in the series are free to do whatever they want since they are not a part of the main cast anymore. Hence why, other characters keep their main Pokemon for their new journey's. May did it after Hoenn, and Dawn kept all her Pokemon with her after Sinnoh.

So bascially, Ash will never become a "Pokemon Master" until the end of the show, and he will keep starting over for years to come for the sake of advertising new Pokemon.

I honestly feel sorry for him, the writers are so adamant about making him the face of Pokemon, that they refuse to write him off. The writers also probably don't expect 18+ year olds to still be watching the show, so their development with Ash usually only last one gen.

 

[Kenshin5]

Drawing from what Zero said, Ash will more then likely always be involved with the anime, same with Pikachu. Even if they minimize Team Rocket too the point that they haven't appeared in several episodes they are still there. Both Ash and Pikachu are still there for marketing, their view is probably if it is not broken then why fix it. So if they still great ratings why take them out of the picture. I got to say I am not satisfied any more than anyone else since Ash reverts to a noob and Pikachu reverted to a wimp(or at the very least not Brokenchu)". Pretty sad when Ash stays 10 even when we are a 100, if there was ever an embodiment of the song Forever Young it would be Ash.

 

[The Noob Hacker]

Funny thing is, in a later episode of Kanto, and a few after that, it made reference to the fact that it took Ash one year to get where he was at the time. (I believe it was either the Clefairy spaceship one, or the one where they go to Curulean City again. That latter episode led to the birth of one of my favorite Pokemon quotes of all time: "I like the Seel!")

Anyways according to that logic, it should on average take Ash one year or more to complete either a season or region. Either way, this would lead to suggest that Ash is either 25 if by season (I think) or 16 if by region (counting Orange Islands.)

Obviously, that isn't the case. But as it turns out, Ash isn't actually 10 anymore. He is actually at least 11, according to that one Kanto episode. Unless if Ash obtained the Fountain of Youth in an episode I never saw. My best guess, however, is that the Pokemon equivilant of the CIA started replacing Ash with clones of his 10-year-old self ever since Hoenn. That would explain how he gets from being May's teacher to another student ever since Shinnoh started, and in Ishuu. (Still refuse to call it Unova.) It would also explain why Ash would so willingly abandon his original outfit, even his trademark hat, the same hat that he called "his favorite" back in Heros. Why Ash? Why did you have to abandon the hat? The outift is tolerable, but the hat? Come on!

 

[Kirbychu]

Funny thing is, in a later episode of Kanto, and a few after that, it made reference to the fact that it took Ash one year to get where he was at the time. (I believe it was either the Clefairy spaceship one, or the one where they go to Curulean City again. That latter episode led to the birth of one of my favorite Pokemon quotes of all time: "I like the Seel!")

Anyways according to that logic, it should on average take Ash one year or more to complete either a season or region. Either way, this would lead to suggest that Ash is either 25 if by season (I think) or 16 if by region (counting Orange Islands.)

Obviously, that isn't the case. But as it turns out, Ash isn't actually 10 anymore. He is actually at least 11, according to that one Kanto episode. Unless if Ash obtained the Fountain of Youth in an episode I never saw. My best guess, however, is that the Pokemon equivilant of the CIA started replacing Ash with clones of his 10-year-old self ever since Hoenn. That would explain how he gets from being May's teacher to another student ever since Shinnoh started, and in Ishuu. (Still refuse to call it Unova.) It would also explain why Ash would so willingly abandon his original outfit, even his trademark hat, the same hat that he called "his favorite" back in Heros. Why Ash? Why did you have to abandon the hat? The outift is tolerable, but the hat? Come on!

This is not uncommon for animated TV shows. Ash has probably been traveling for the better part of 6 years, he just hasn't aged in that time.

 

[WriteThemWrong]

nothing wrong with keeping someone the same age throughout the series, they did it with countless other shows, including one of my favorites, the simpsons.

Ash isn't just the main character hes the constant of pokemon. he is pokemon. they can change how he looks or who he's with but he will always be the same person. the young kid venturing out into the world to have fun and prove himself, it's universal, it appeals to everyone. plus if they got rid of him they'd have to get rid of pikachu. i'm all for change but idk how i would deal with it if they changed ash

 

[Bravoious]

Above post= correct

and the only show where they pulled off the aging thing well was Digimon season 1-2 I grew attached to characters like Tai, and Matt and I got to see them be developed along with new (Albeit less cool) characters in Season 2

 

[Zayin]

It would still make more sense if Ash were 12 now. After 10 years of show, being 2 years older isn't too much, and he could still look like a boy at that age. To me, it's not the same as the Simpsons because Pokemon has a chronology, while the Simpsons is just random episodes.

 

[Bluerang1]

I had a dream that his secret had been revealed and that he's actually 12 in Unova :( See, this un-aging thing is getting to me mentally. Look what you've done Pokemon Anime People!!!

 

[ZebraikaKnight]

It's not that hard to rationalise, really. Maybe we can assume that humans on PokéEarth just physically age at a different rate.

By the standards in our universe, maybe Ash would be 15, 16? But on PokéEarth, the physiology is different enough to reduce the visible effects of aging and entropy.

Possibly the same genetic code or mechanism which renders them basically immune to things like fire, etc. (Explaining why Ash is never in hospital with third degree burns every time Charizard blasted him)

And, furthermore, you could assume based on this, that they'd have an alternate calendar. Has there ever been any reference in the anime to 365 days constituting a year?

 

[The Noob Hacker]

That could be true, because after all there was that old guy in G/S/C who was alive when Tin Tower was burned..... over one hundred years ago.

 

[PearlShipper4Life]

As some one said, the series still gets good ratings in Japan heck not just in Japan but is Cartoon Network's highest rated show now. So why change a good thing? Now if the ratings start to sink and they stop making money, than is the time to change.

 

[masterquestmq]

As some one said, the series still gets good ratings in Japan heck not just in Japan but is Cartoon Network's highest rated show now. So why change a good thing? Now if the ratings start to sink and they stop making money, than is the time to change.

Agreed dont fix something that aint broken

I mean how long has Batman been fighting crime?


As long as they continue new generations no complaints.

 

[The Noob Hacker]

Why fix something that isn't broken? I my opinion at least, I think things get boring increasingly quicker if you keep it exactly the same for year upon year. However, my opinion is invalid because I have been around for more than one generation. As Gamefreak (possible Nintendo as I don't know who controls this) has clearly shown that they have no interest in keeping old fans.

 

[nickstr]

As some one said, the series still gets good ratings in Japan heck not just in Japan but is Cartoon Network's highest rated show now. So why change a good thing? Now if the ratings start to sink and they stop making money, than is the time to change.

Just in Japan plus Cartoon Network is pretty much on the bottom rung in terms of ratings for cable TV networks so being the highest rated show on there is not saying much. Disney and Nickelodeon beat them out on a regular basis these days. International audiences don't seem to be as interested in the Pokemon anime series as they were when the fad was going on so it could very well be contained to Japan only in the future.

 

[ZeroX5]

It's really too bad they won't write him off. It's rather painful to see him as a very competent trainer, then devolve back into scrub-ville again. Hopefully, we can see him reach his goal of Pokemon Master before we all die.

 

[vagrantwanderer]

I wish they would treat the series with a bit more dignity. I have watched Ash since he first met Pikachu, and it is painful to watch him relapse into stupidity every season. This season has shown the most drastic relapse yet, I mean seriously- he forgot how to catch pokemon. I hope when they do retire Ash it will be with some dignity at least. Let him win a League, and then go back home and visit Misty, but they'll just milk this cash cow till theres nothing left.

 

[PearlShipper4Life]

Just in Japan plus Cartoon Network is pretty much on the bottom rung in terms of ratings for cable TV networks so being the highest rated show on there is not saying much. Disney and Nickelodeon beat them out on a regular basis these days. International audiences don't seem to be as interested in the Pokemon anime series as they were when the fad was going on so it could very well be contained to Japan only in the future.

Even if Cartoon Network is the lowest when dealing with ratings, its still the highest rated show on that Network, that should say some thing to them. Also as long as it does well in Japan that's all that really should matter, plus the DVD's sell well from what I remember hearing and that's a plus to them. Please do tell me what places don't like Pokemon? Some places like the series, others won't. Its like that with every anime.

 

[Guy]

Hopefully, we can see him reach his goal of Pokemon Master before we all die.

Not going to lie, but that gave me a chuckle when I read that.

I do agree with Fire-Mane's original logic though. Ash, in the sense, is the icon of the newer generations to come. He naturally represents what Pokémon is all about, and Pikachu is the mascot of Pokémon in itself. So, I don't see them getting rid of him any time soon, if at all.

The show has been successful all these years, and it goes to show by just how popular the franchise remains after all these years and from how long its been airing season after season. I wouldn't disrupt that after so long. Just thinking about it, a change in the main protagonist is a pretty big leap of change for the show. I'd stick with spin-offs if they really wanted to head in that direction. Only difference is I wouldn't make the spin-offs fail like before, I'd really want them to promote that part of the show even if they were to premier as specials.

I admit, I do get annoyed every time the writers reset Ash at the start of a new journey, especially in Black and White. Considering, if not by how long, but by how much he's accomplished since the start, it just isn't good enough of an excuse to always degrade him. At least keep some of that logic and competence in him. I'd rather they take a risk with the storyline and how it plays out more so than with Ash, giving how long he's represented the show.