Is Ash Ketchum leaving the anime after 25 years of Pokémon?

When Ash Ketchum finally became a World Champion, Pokemon anime fans had plenty to celebrate. But after the long-awaited moment finally happened, Pokemon fans realized that this may mean Ash Ketchum’s journey is finally over after following him for 25 years.

The very first episode of Pokemon aired back in 1997, showing Ash getting his Pikachu and starting out his adventure from Pallet Town. Then on November 11, 2022, Ash achieved his lifelong dream of being a World Champion in Pokemon Ultimate Journeys: The Series.

“What an absolute honor to be voicing Ash Ketchum as he becomes a world champion,” tweeted an emotional Sarah Natochenny.

Pokemon fans that have followed Ash since day one had been waiting over two decades for that moment. It seemed like Ash was always struggling to make his dreams happen, losing tournaments and failing to capture powerful Pokemon. It started to become a meme of sorts. But Pokemon fans accepted Ash’s shortcomings because it was the only way to keep the show going. It was his main mission after all, his drive and his dream.

So now what?

Is the Pokemon anime ending after Ash becomes champion?

Now that Ash Ketchum has reached his dream, will his adventures continue? It’s not out of this world for Ash to switch to a different goal, like catching every Pokemon or helping with research. But so far, it’s unclear if the Pokemon anime is continuing and if Ash will be a part of the upcoming seasons.

Pokemon Journeys is wrapping up now, with the final episodes appearing in early December. The last episode has a pretty ominous name, “Pokemon! I’m Glad I Got to Meet You!” It feels like a reference to the first-ever episode and fans are thinking it will be a dramatic and sad finale. It feels like Pokemon is attempting to wrap up the anime with a full-circle episode.

Another reason that the anime may be coming to an end has to do with some behind-the-scenes issues. Some leaked quotes from the animation studio have revealed that the Pokemon team is understaffed and facing trouble. It’s no secret that there have been some problems, with Journeys being short and full of recaps. On top of that, nothing has been announced for Gen 9.

It’s looking like the traditional weekly series’ time is up. This doesn’t mean there won’t be television specials or movies, but fans think that the constant anime they’ve grown up watching every week may become a thing of the past.

Will Ash attempt to become a Pokemon master and collect all 1,000+ Pokemon? Will he retire from travel and let another protagonist take the lead? Or will the anime just end altogether? Find out next week on WIN.gg.