SPOILERS! General Pokémon Anime Discussion

[Perriechu]

After hearing more and more about the SV story I do wonder how they would twist Ash into it without it being too.. "we are journeying through Paldea"

I'll spoiler this due to SV story spoilers

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I can't see the anime continuing with their usual formula, obviously Journeys shook that up, but it was due to the World Tournament, so it kinda made sense. However Ash's new status us world monarch does mean some of the storylines wouldn't be massively applicable to him.

From an SV POV I can see Ash being involved with the Paradox/Arven storyline the most, although part of me thinks they could maybe retcon it into Ash's dad (I don't think they will but it is a possibility) given that Ash has achieved another huge milestone, and more than likely his last big milestone, I can see them maybe completely bringing closure to his story by introducing his Dad. This way Sada/Turo probably wouldn't be in the game and the AI post-game storyline would be his Dad. Absolute reach but it would kinda finish off his story by answering all of the questions, we know his Dad is probably not going to appear, as the writers only want him in to boost Ash's story, not to just add to it.

I just think the Paradox storyline, as a whole, would be really cool and doesn't require Ash to "progress" towards it, going from region reset to "battle ready", he can have his monarch status and still fight/discover/research them.

We know that Ash is also really keen to learn and develop his abilities and knowledge, regardless of his status, so I could also see him enrolling into the school as well (although potentially as like a hybrid student x tutor) with Nemona as a solid rival, given her in-game personality it makes sense, but then again, I can't really see Ash battling and losing to her. The only thing I can think of for power scaling is that Paldea chose not to take place in the PWC so it had no reps, but the champion rank is full of trainers who are just as strong as.. let's say the Masters 8 (5-8 maybe)

And then there's Team Star, I'm not actually what the climax to this is, I have seen brief parts, but it would just be Ash steamrolling in and beating them all, without much challenge. It could be a small arc to break-up the seriousness of the Paradox storylines I guess.

Overall there are some storylines that Ash can have applied to him in Paldea, but it's dependant on where he goes. We know that Ash wants to be a Pokémon Master and he has not achieved that yet, but whether they choose to do another Journey's situation (for what reason though?) or choose to be solely in Paldea it does create possibilities for him. It's hard to see them getting rid of Ash/Pikachu, because Pikachu is the franchise mascot, Pikachu needs to be in the anime, but I don't think viewers would welcome another Pikachu.

We'll found out in a couple of weeks regardless, so I'm just spit balling and inhaling copium.

 

[precita]

Having seen all the Paldea pokemon, honestly a lot of these pokemon don't really suit Ash or feel like captures the writers would give him. I wonder if he'll have a hybrid team again like this series with new and old pokemon, after all Sirfetch'd and Dracovish were the only Galar pokemon he had all series.

I'm honestly having trouble imaging Ash with a lot of these new pokemon, the starter evo's don't really suit Ash much and everything else feels like a mixed bag. I guess we'll find out what they plan to do with Ash in general, because even him doing the Paldea Gym quest after this series will feel underwhelming.

 

[Magcargo]

Having seen all the Paldea pokemon, honestly a lot of these pokemon don't really suit Ash or feel like captures the writers would give him. I wonder if he'll have a hybrid team again like this series with new and old pokemon, after all Sirfetch'd and Dracovish were the only Galar pokemon he had all series.

I'm honestly having trouble imaging Ash with a lot of these new pokemon, the starter evo's don't really suit Ash much and everything else feels like a mixed bag. I guess we'll find out what they plan to do with Ash in general, because even him doing the Paldea Gym quest after this series will feel underwhelming.

Some have theorize that Ash would become a teacher in Paldea, which could be the way they go forward for the SV anime. Ash probably wouldn't even need to catch any Pokemon. He could just use Pikachu the entire time, while his students could do all the catching. I have a feeling Goh will go with Ash to Paldea too. Elements of Scarlet / Violet's story, like the Titans, seem like they'd suit Goh more than Ash given his role in Project Mew.

Its hard to say since we know so little about the SV anime. Hopefully we get more info soon.

 

[Ishiftyounot]

I stand by my thinking that Ash will have a true Paldean journey in the new series whilst continuing on as the World Champion in the PWC. Given that Leon didn't have to climb back into the Master's 8 beforehand it seems the World Champion just takes challenges from Master's 8 members until the PWC occurs which we could get with Ash - small "filler" episodes away from Paldea where he fights the likes of Diantha, Alain and/or Lance before we get a new Master's 8 later on in the series (with some new Paldean trainers Ash inspired along the way?) It's also an opportunity for Ash to use all of his old Pokemon, not just the Journeys team!

Meanwhile Ash could explore the region of Paldea and take on its gym challenge with a new rookie team, which would then justify any losses occurred (alongside Ash's unfamiliarity with the Terestal phenomenon). Maybe his Champion status excludes him from the actual school aspect, but he stays on as a part-time teacher whilst conducting research / visiting the region. Could have his rookie team interact with his older Pokemon during PWC "arcs" to assist with training / develop them into stronger Pokemon that are actually usable in the PWC.

For a team, it's tough because Paldean Pokemon don't suit Ash much as the commenters above have said. Best I can come up with is this:

Scarlet / Violet leaks:

• Pikachu - duh? It's his starter! I reckon it'll have the Flying-type Terastal to match the event one we're getting, might learn Fly, Floaty Fall or Tera Blast to actually make use of that.
• Quaquaval - base-stage wise, all the starters fit Ash but when they evolve? Not really. Could see Quaquaval working out though with a personality similar to Ash's Galarian Farfetch'd before it evolved (arrogant, proud of its power mixed in with being a bit of a show-off).
• Kilowattrel - Ash always has something that can fly and this is honestly the most fitting option for Ash (besides maybe Squawkabilly) - it has Taillow vibes and would be his first Electric type that isn't Pikachu!
• Armarouge - Would give Ash his first proper Psychic type and has a more noble design that I think suits Ash better than Ceruledge. Either works I suppose?
• Garganacl - It looks like it came from Minecraft, but it has gentle giant vibes and I think it could be a nice addition to Ash's team. Super strong but prefers sprinkling salt on people or something, idk.
• Dudunsparce / Scream Tail - for the memes! Ash has tried to capture a Dunsparce twice (once in BW, and once in Johto I think?) but it's never worked out - give him one in the region it can evolve! Scream Tail is a Paradox Pokemon but they're a fairly common one I think and could be fine to include on his team. Works as a reminder of the recurring Jigglypuff, and gives Ash a Psychic / Fairy type that he actually uses more than once (unlike Mr. Mime). Would mean he has two Psychic types but then maybe he gets Ceruledge if Scream Tail is caught, or not

 

[R_N]

Ash casts a wide enough net that he can make anything work.
He's had cool guys, dumb guys, bulky guys, weird guys, vanilla guys.... Guys a plenty!

 

[Pikachu315111]

In addition, being the Hisuin Pokemon never appeared as actual Pokemon, and they're going to be transferable into SV, I would say all of them are on the table to be options.

 

[Karxrida]

I think the anime is probably done, or at least the version with Ash as the main character by this studio. Not only have there been rumors of troubled production with the staff shortage and animation outsourcing, but there hasn't been an announcement for another season despite the new games coming out this week. There's also the fact that everything about this finale feels... final. You have a shitton of cameos from old characters up to and including seemingly-forgotten ones like Primeape and Pidgeot, Ash has won a world championship against an all-star cast with basically nowhere else to go, and the last listed episode is a bookends title referencing the very first episode iirc.

Plus you have to consider some other external factors. The games are now global releases while the anime is not, so it lags behind by months and is thus unable to actually function as a proper advertisement. The use of the anime as an advertisement is also questionable nowadays in the internet and streaming era and with older fans having their own kids to do their job for the anime. At some point the anime as-is is a needless expense, especially when the games are clearly successful without its influence. The last thing to consider is that the anime has done two channel hops for showing new episodes in North America within the last 6 years (Cartoon Network to Disney XD in 2016 and then to Netflix in 2020), which I don't think would have happened if the show was pulling in high viewership.

I know it's hard to believe because the anime has been something of a constant monolith for over two decades, but it might actually be over. A new anime or more online features are possible, but Ash's journey might actually finish before the year is out.

 

[R_N]

At the very least I do think they have an anime, even if they do the seemingly impossible and end Ash's run.
Pokemon's all about multi-marketing, and while they've dipped their toes into web anime shorts, there's a difference between that and an actively running series. They probably like having that outreach regardless of how many it reaches.


That said I really feel, like. Yeah they haven't announced a new anime but if the anime is going to just straight up end in 2.5 weeks, maybe like. You need to announce that too? It's kind of a big deal, right? And that goes double if there's going to be an unrelated anime to follow, for that matter.

 

[Karxrida]

At the very least I do think they have an anime, even if they do the seemingly impossible and end Ash's run.
Pokemon's all about multi-marketing, and while they've dipped their toes into web anime shorts, there's a difference between that and an actively running series. They probably like having that outreach regardless of how many it reaches.

An actively running series is a constant investment and more probably rigid on multi-marketing planning than occasionally dropping a few shorts on YouTube that proceed to get upward of over 20 million views. I doubt a single episode of the anime blips nearly close to that high outside of stuff like Ash vs. Alain fight during XY, and a lot of people probably pirate that lol.

Anecdotal evidence, but the anime barely gets discussion on a couple other websites I go to. Most of the talk is dominated by shit like MHA or whatever is popular for that season. It only ever blipped during the end of XY (which people hated), the end of SM (which people fought over the legitimacy of), and the most recent arc.

That said I really feel, like. Yeah they haven't announced a new anime but if the anime is going to just straight up end in 2.5 weeks, maybe like. You need to announce that too? It's kind of a big deal, right? And that goes double if there's going to be an unrelated anime to follow, for that matter.

The lack of announcement might be tied to the production troubles the studio is having.

Also if TPC is funding another anime with a different studio (possible), they might be switching to a seasonal format for all we know and/or be waiting on the inevitable DLC to market that.

 

[Ishiftyounot]

We've had a lot of interesting miniseries' for the games and franchise as a whole, and I think some amalgamation of Pokemon Origins + Pokemon Evolutions could work if they wanted the anime to end but still showcase the Pokemon and story of the games. Origins was the showing of the Red/Blue games as an anime (with Mega Evolution at the end) which I thought was done really well, whilst Pokemon Evolutions were great for showcasing the mindsets of certain characters that we couldn't really see within the games (such as Leon after battling Eternatus, or Zinnia's perspective around the Delta Episode from ORAS). An 8 part miniseries showing Florian / Juliana exploring Paldea and completing the four paths with spin-off episodes showcasing the perspectives of key characters like Arven, Nemona, Penny and others? Would be dope. Wouldn't have to be weekly like the anime which gives studios time to actually handle things, and I think if it looked good and adapted the story of the games in a new format people would be happy enough.

 

[I'm Tapu Bulu]

Ash is gonna stay. It's really hard to replace Pikachu.

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Rumours indicate that there will be two more episodes in December past JN135, so it looks like Journeys still isn't ending.

I would not be surprised if they make a Journeys season 2, tbh. Though I'm really curious as to how they will write Ash, now that he is world champion. And what would Goh do... I feel like he honestly is gonna stay. I don't believe the writers will return to the old formula at this point, or if they do, it's gonna be Goh who starts challenging gyms.

Ash has already went to school in Alola so I don't see him or Goh going back there in Paldea. Maybe Chloe will go there if she stays, idk. I'd like to see Ash's former travelling companions (especially Brock) make more cameos, just like they did in Journeys.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Ash has already went to school in Alola so I don't see him or Goh going back there in Paldea.

TBF, the Trainer School in Alola was a school, the Paldea Academy is more like a College/University.

Here's a scenario they can use if they want to keep Ash:

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So, Ash has defeated Leon and, in the eyes of many, is now considered the strongest trainer in the world; at age 10... So where does he go from here? And, while he has had a long journey to this point slowly climbing the ladder through multiple Leagues, now that he has gotten to his goal how does he truly feel? WAIT! HAS he gotten to his goal? Ash's goal wasn't to be "best in the world", it's to be a Pokemon Master. And, as good as a trainer Ash is, he still has plenty to learn about Pokemon.

To stop beating about the bush, here's the major connecting question: Has Ash found HIS "Treasure"? That thing which means most to him?

Paldea has a lot to it, mysterious legends and people from all walks of life; Ash . And, in risk of "raising the power level": Leon you could say was self-taught to be a powerful trainer as does seem most of the Galar League, in Paldea they train elite trainers that the "Champion" title is held by many. Ash was in a global tournament where he was part of the final 8 were Champions from regions all over, a big spectacle... but in Paldea, that's just a normal class room of senior students. I can totally see Ash going against a school instructor and then be totally "schooled" cause in Paldea might doesn't necessarily make right. And from there we go into Ash attending the Academy and then the Treasure Hunt (something like that, the anime could go several directions if they just want to jump into the "Treasure Hunt". (Also, as a final thought, being the Team Star bosses are from the Academy, that could also mean we have a villain team whose bosses are all as strong as Champions).

 

[R_N]

Ash will go to Paldea for fun and meet Nemona and they'll be like "omg let's make a new team from scratch and get you registered!!!!!!!!" and then they do

 

[Fusion Flare]

>world champion going to SCHOOL
>AGAIN
holy kek

 

[Champion Leon]

What if Ash is invited to be an instructor, like when he beat the frontier brains?

He was likely broadcast in Paldea since it was the World Championships, and that means he comes hot off his win and can be a bit of a celebrity.

He arrives, finds out people are aware of him, but have their own Champion, so Ash wants to prove he can beat them too, while finding out along the way why their local Champion didn’t make it to the World Championships themselves (insert plot armor to avoid a plot hole).

Their battle would commence, only for it to get interrupted by Team Rocket, and then Ash doesn’t get to prove themselves… and a new trainer being attacked by TR needs Ash’s help, so he goes to save them, and then become his companion.

That is how I see Ash, a mentor, not a student.

The student invites them and introduces them to their Academy, Ash being a little too high rank to be a student, is offered a role of a mentor and gradually becomes integrated into their lessons.

TR and Team Regional evil team get in the way, and TR is now able to try Terraforming to Ground-types to handle Pikachu’s Electric moves, and Ash has to prove he can handle their Terraforming.

Although, Wobbafett with Mirror Coat was there the whole time, but that seems to be forgotten whenever TR is facing Ash.

Giovanni asks TR to catch regional local Pokémon, supplies them with strong Pokémon, and now they can face Regional Team, and Ash is able to try and counter them both with his new companion proving they have a role Bc while Ash is the champion, the student is more familiar with their regional Pokémon and the idea of Terraforming.

 

[Volt-Ikazuchi]

Ash will go to Paldea for fun and meet Nemona and they'll be like "omg let's make a new team from scratch and get you registered!!!!!!!!" and then they do

Pretty much.

We all know it's perfectly in character for Ash to just hop on a plane to a new region and start fresh because that's who he is.

The only question to be asked is: "Is TPCI really willing to part with their most marketable duo EVER?"

As much as the Masters 8 was a true finale with all the pomp and circumstance possible, let's be real, they're not turning off that money printer.

Ash is likely pulling a Naruto and passing the reins to a younger generation while also being prominent and marketable enough to be there.

Expect whoever is his successor to have a female Pikachu too.

 

[Yung Dramps]

Ash is likely pulling a Naruto and passing the reins to a younger generation while also being prominent and marketable enough to be there.

With all due respect, even this is giving them far too much credit.

C'mon guys, you all know deep down what is going to happen. He's gonna be put into the Orange/Grape Academy uniform, he's gonna take that plane to Paldea and he's gonna be takin school lessons and getting up to wacky hijinx with Nemona and Arven and so on.

Would this be a complete narrative disaster after how perfect of a bookend the Leon battle was? Yes. Would it be Best Wishes but 1000x worse? Yes. Will it happen? Yes.

If you think I'm wrong, you can bet your avatar on it if you so desire...

 

[QuentinQuonce]

With all due respect, even this is giving them far too much credit.

C'mon guys, you all know deep down what is going to happen. He's gonna be put into the Orange/Grape Academy uniform, he's gonna take that plane to Paldea and he's gonna be takin school lessons and getting up to wacky hijinx with Nemona and Arven and so on.

Would this be a complete narrative disaster after how perfect of a bookend the Leon battle was? Yes. Would it be Best Wishes but 1000x worse? Yes. Will it happen? Yes.

If you think I'm wrong, you can bet your avatar on it if you so desire...

I never thought they could top Pikachu KOing Tobias' Latios and then pathetically losing to a new trainer's Snivy a mere couple of episodes later but I'm fully prepared to have my expectations thoroughly trashed

 

[KaenSoul]

So they skipped the Regigigas raid (like it was never teased in the first despite it being in the opening as some kind of parallel to the Championship) and now Go and friends are facing Kyogre/Groudon (game accurate size lol) and will be battling Mew next episode, Go may even achieve his dream of catching Mew, does anyone care?, no? Me neither, but still.
And that kid no one remembers got a Virizion off-screen, and everyone is like "huh, good for you, I guess".

 

[XaCez]

Go catches Suicune while his convenient childhood friend now has a Virizion. I wonder if there's a Paldean connection.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

And that kid no one remembers got a Virizion off-screen, and everyone is like "huh, good for you, I guess".

Remember when legendaries were presented as deeply complex creatures shrouded in mystery, beyond the bounds of common knowledge and essentially unknowable? Man 1998 sure feels like a long time ago

 

[Karxrida]

Remember when legendaries were presented as deeply complex creatures shrouded in mystery, beyond the bounds of common knowledge and essentially unknowable? Man 1998 sure feels like a long time ago

It was. 24 years ago, in fact.

Your point is still valid, but I'm not even 30 and it still makes me feel old.

 

[CMBZ]

I think X/Y was probably the best after the Original Series but I also haven’t watched Journeys all the way through.

 

[precita]

Legendaries have been downplayed in the anime besides the most powerful ones (like Dialga/Palkia, Mewtwo, Arceus, etc), so I don't mind characters catching some of the low-tier ones.

Also you have to remember, when legendaries first debut in the movies we usually see the most powerful versions of them, and then ones that appear in episodes later are not as strong. In the second movie for example, the Zapdos/Articuno/Moltres in that movie are portrayed as powerful Gods, then when see the bird in episodes they're a lot weaker. In XY Ash's Talonflame and Noivern battled a Zapdos and Moltres for example. Same for some of the ones we see now, although in Journey's the Moltres and Articuno we saw KO'd all of Gary and Ash's Pokemon too. It's obvious not all the legends are as strong as each other.

We saw a baby Lugia in late Johto for example, so some legends are probably younger ones too.

 

[R_N]

I think the anime typically handles legends fine but it is funny how this guy caught Virizion off screen and it's just a foot note on the way to Mew.

e: Bring back random background trainer from Sinnoh's pokemon league sign ups with a Heatran