Pokémon is a franchise that, over more than two decades, has been characterized by having Pikachu as the main character and Ash as the main trainer. For years, the anime had been centered around these two main characters, and the brand had always been based on them when representing the franchise.
However, in the past year, all of this has changed. Ash and Pikachu have set aside their story after becoming champions, and their replacements have been Liko and Rod, two young trainers from the Paldea region who have arrived to tell their own story. But is this the end of the story for the two main characters? It seems, not… or not entirely.
Will we see Ash and Pikachu again?
In an interview with the Japanese magazine Otomedia, the executive director of the Pokémon anime, Kunihiko Yuyuama, has made it clear that it’s only a “matter of time” before Ash and Pikachu make a return to Pokémon after their departure. Therefore, at some point, we will find out what happens with their story… although it doesn’t seem like this will happen anytime soon.
However, don’t expect to see him as an adult to follow or a teenager on his journey to continue growing in the Pokémon world. Yuyuama has emphasized that he sees Ash as “forever 10 years old,” which means that, instead of letting him grow, if we see him in the future, he will return to the state in which we left him.
Unfortunately, this dismisses many fan theories that imagined we would see a more mature Ash in a different role once he returned. But whenever it happens, the protagonist’s comeback will occur at some point, even if it’s in simple cameos.
