The latest season of the Pokémon anime has gone in a new direction, with Ash traveling the globe as part of the Pokémon World Championships. Unlike in previous seasons, Ash is not starting a new journey in the Galar region as many fans expected. Instead, it feels as if he's going on a victory lap in preparation for his last days as the protagonist of the Pokémon anime.
The reason why fans believe that Ash's story is wrapping up is that he is assembling a dream team of Pokémon from different generations of the series, rather than just catching new Pokémon from the Galar region. The fans are wondering if Ash's powerful team is leading up to something big?
Assembling A Dream Team
As of the time of writing, Ash Ketchum's team of on-hand Pokémon include Pikachu, Dragonite, Gengar, and Riolu. It was recently revealed that Ash's Pikachu has access to its Gigantamax form. The Riolu will almost certainly evolve into a Lucario, which is one of the most powerful and popular Pokémon in the series. Mimey the Mr. Mime is also part of Ash's team, though fans believe he is just a temporary addition during his travels.
This leaves two more spots on Ash's team and fans already have a few ideas regarding who could take them. Going off sheer popularity and battle power, the two choices would seemingly fall to Charizard and Greninja, both of which would lead to Ash having a well-balanced team. There are also choices like Snorlax or Lycanroc to act as substitute picks for his team.
If Ash is preparing an all-star team, then the time might be right to add a Legendary Pokémon to the line-up. This wouldn't be unheard of, as Ash was defeated in Sinnoh by a trainer with a team that used multiple Legendary Pokémon. If Ash could snag a Zacian/Zamazenta then it would make his team a force to be reckoned with. It's also possible that he could accomplish something that fans have waited to see for years and add Mewtwo to his team. Go (Ash's new companion) is searching the world for Mew, so his storyline could be the one that leads Ash to Mewtwo.
Taking On The World
The latest season of the Pokémon anime has introduced the concept of the Pokémon World Championships, where high-ranking Pokémon Trainers compete with each other to become the best in the world. The level of trainers in the Pokémon World Championships include characters like Lance and Leon.
Ash Ketchum is taking part in the Pokémon World Championships as part of his bid to defeat Leon. Ash is currently traveling to different regions across the world and battling the best Pokémon Trainers, in order to raise his ranking and enter the top eight competitors, all of whom go on to face each other in a tournament.
Ash's Final Adventure?
When Ash was the victor in the Manalo Conference in Alola, many fans assumed that he would no longer be the protagonist of the Pokémon anime. It seems increasingly likely that the new series will act as Ash Ketchum's swansong, with him taking on the best in the world and becoming a Pokémon Master. If Ash takes on Leon and wins the finals of the Pokémon World Championships, then there aren't many other places to take his Pokémon journey. If Ash loses, then it will be a major step down for him to start a fresh journey in a new region.
It really feels as if the current season of the Pokémon anime is wrapping up Ash's storyline. The question that fans are now asking themselves is whether any long-standing Pokémon mysteries will be answered in the process. Has the time come to finally reveal the identity of Ash's father? If Ash's story is coming to an end, then the window for telling that tale is growing shorter.
If The Pokémon Company is retiring Ash as the protagonist of the Pokémon anime, then what happens next? It's possible that Go is being prepared for the position of protagonist and that the story will follow him when Ash retires, possibly with Pikachu tagging along. It's also possible that a new character will become the protagonist of the Pokémon anime and that we have a true Galar region journey. It's hard to determine the future direction of the Pokémon franchise, but it really feels as if Ash is assembling a powerful team that will let him go out with a bang.