Ash Ketchum: Doomed to failure?

[Neon-Snorlax702]

well, yeah, otherwise... he would of wasted 15+ years of his life, but, in my eyes he would win the unova leauge, and then go onto the next few regions... i would like flashbacks though =-) ! XD

POKEMON RULES! KANTO-SINNOH FOREVER :-D

 

[Mr. Marowak]

Is there going to be an end of the series? Even when he does win, he's gonna be the usual Ash, say no, and watch the Would-be level 100 Pikachu get PWND by the next gen's Pokémon.

 

[AdvancedK9]

My theory is that he will win the BW league and his time in Pokemon will finally end. Not gonna go into detail in that, but I do think he's gonna win something one of these days, and I strongly believe this generation might be it. He'll finally be a Pokemon Master or whatev and we'll follow another new random 10 year old.

Not saying I don't want to see Ash anymore, just that the time paradoxi, physical improbabilities and impossibilities, and plotholes have finally gotten on my nerves.

 

[randomspot555]

My theory is that he will win the BW league and his time in Pokemon will finally end. Not gonna go into detail in that, but I do think he's gonna win something one of these days, and I strongly believe this generation might be it. He'll finally be a Pokemon Master or whatev and we'll follow another new random 10 year old.

Not saying I don't want to see Ash anymore, just that the time paradoxi, physical improbabilities and impossibilities, and plotholes have finally gotten on my nerves.

Just because he wins a league doesn't make him a Pokemon Master.

 

[Sapphire Kirby]

Ash only exist to sell Videogames, Trading Cards, and japanese bread snacks, just like everyone else in the anime. There was even an interview with someone highup with the anime that said Ash will never be a Pokemon Master, or else the show would end. The only way Ash could accomplish his dream is for the franchise to end; with nothing to advertise, the show could end and Ash could accomplish his dreams. Of course, they never explained in detail how one becomes a Pokemon Master...

 

[AdvancedK9]

Just because he wins a league doesn't make him a Pokemon Master.

I didn't know it was already defined what a "Pokemon Master" was, and it was not logical for me to assume it can be achieved through winning a large and formal league, or at least directed towards in that manner. Please excuse me for my obviously illogical and dumb hypothesis.

 

[d4rk_tailed]

Not saying I don't want to see Ash anymore, just that the time paradoxi, physical improbabilities and impossibilities, and plotholes have finally gotten on my nerves.

Hear hear.

Just because he wins a league doesn't make him a Pokemon Master.

I think we have to get a bit of context here, not 'throw him out because he becomes a master', but 'give him a league because we need to throw him out'.

If they changed the protagonist and had Ash make a cameo like Ethan at the beginning of a 6th gen movie, with old Pokemon that do not need to be marketed or promoted.............referring to the original topic, even someone written as stupidly and poorly as Ash has to realise that the only way is nostalgia, meaning raise a team from all his oldest and best. Then, cameo him like May coming back with Venusaur. Imagine, Croconaw, Garchomp, Crawdaunt.

 

[Dattebayo]

If Pokemon begins losing the cash, they may decide to have him finally achieve his goal.

 

[randomspot555]

I didn't know it was already defined what a "Pokemon Master" was, and it was not logical for me to assume it can be achieved through winning a large and formal league, or at least directed towards in that manner. Please excuse me for my obviously illogical and dumb hypothesis.

Even though the sarcasm is dripping, you make my point. The league is a competition of amateurs, and has several blatant similarities to the Olympics. But winning an Olympic medal doesn't make someone a "master" of anything. It just means you won in a competition of the best among your amateur age group.

Now the Elite 4 are professionals. They've been battling for years and defend their titles vigorously. E4 and Champions,when challenged in the anime, wipe the floor with anyone who battles them. They are on a whole different level that even a winner of a league can't hope to compete against.

Yes, Pokemon Master isn't defined. But no one has ever called Tobias or other winners of the League Pokemon Masters just because they won a league, just like Ash isn't a Master just because he won against the Battle Frontier.

 

[parukia49]

Ok, here's what I have to say/ask:
While being a 'Pokemon Master' is quite subjective, I define it as simply being the best trainer in the world ('I wanna be the very best like no one ever was'). So going by this definition, Ash winning a league would not make him a 'Pokemon Master'.

Ash in my opinion, needs to win a league (obviously not counting the Orange League) because if he doesn't, then it wouldn't be good for young kids as it may make them believe that some things in life are just too hard to achieve no matter how hard you try so for kids aspiring to be sports stars, models, actors/actresses, doctors, lawyers, etc. it wouldn't be good for them.

Ash should also win a league simply because he is a good guy and deserves to win one and he is the main character and the main character/good guys usually win. And if he does win one and goes to a new region and loses to some random trainer/gym leader, then maybe some people will think that's stupid but you can relate that to sport in real life where a team might win a competition one year but be terrible the next year.

As for an appropriate ending, I believe perhaps a Dragon Ball Z type ending would be the best. Ash wins a league and battles an Elite Four member and wins, and then goes off on a completely new journey, perhaps helping out some developing trainers?

And finally, I want to ask, just out of interest, does anyone know of any statistics regarding the popularity of the pokemon anime? Because I know the games and the overall franchise is still going strong but I thought perhaps the anime might be experiencing a slide with Ash not winning any leagues and all.

 

[randomspot555]

And finally, I want to ask, just out of interest, does anyone know of any statistics regarding the popularity of the pokemon anime? Because I know the games and the overall franchise is still going strong but I thought perhaps the anime might be experiencing a slide with Ash not winning any leagues and all.

The anime's popularity has nothing to do with Ash and how well he does in the leagues. The leagues never last more than 7 or 8 episodes and sagas tend to be anywhere from 60-ish to 100+ episodes.

Last I checked (which was a year or two ago), the anime was still placing in the top 10 animes in Japan, and had blockbuster smash success in the movies (still shown in theaters). The anime has gotten a new time slot recently on Cartoon Network and the ratings were something like a 1.2 on the Neilsen chart, which is great for a 10+ year old show. Most shows that were airing alongside Pokemon have long since faded away.

 

[DarkWobbuffet]

I didn't know it was already defined what a "Pokemon Master" was, and it was not logical for me to assume it can be achieved through winning a large and formal league, or at least directed towards in that manner. Please excuse me for my obviously illogical and dumb hypothesis.

I can understand why it's confusing. The first season made it sound like the rank of master would go to the one who catches every Pokemon in existence, of course later episodes and seasons showed us a task like that is far from possible.

From what I believe, it would be someone who defeats the Champion of each region.

To do that, you'd have to beat the Elite Four of that region, and to do that, you'd have to beat the league of that region.

As for the original question, at this point I have no idea. Call me when the anime says he becomes 11 years old and we'll see how he's doing.

 

[Cotaman]

He was doomed since the very beginning

 

[RWB]

Even though the sarcasm is dripping, you make my point. The league is a competition of amateurs, and has several blatant similarities to the Olympics. But winning an Olympic medal doesn't make someone a "master" of anything. It just means you won in a competition of the best among your amateur age group.

...You are kidding, right? Right?

Winning an olympic medal is a big deal, and most definitely qualifies you for a "master" title. Winning the olympics is the highest achievement possible in SEVERAL sports.

I have a friend that is arguably the best rifleman in the country(Won several the Junior Nationals twice, has equaled the top score ever made by a swede- came fourth in the nationals despite firing at the completely wrong target, losing a full 10 points in a sport where 0.1 points can mean a lot...), and among the best 10 in Europe(came in fourth at the European Championship). An olympic medal? Heck, even QUALIFYING for the actual final? His current dream.


The pokemon champion is a LOCAL champion, a master over one region. Not even a national champion. Heck, it's closer to the equivalent of championships in one small part of Sweden, such as Scania or Blekinge.

Becoming an olympic champion, even in Pokemon, would require Steven, Lance and Cynthia to compete against eachother, and several other trainers from other countries. They're just district champions/the best trainers in their district. Nothing anywhere close to a olympic medalist.

Heck, it's arguable if these regional champions are even up to the level needed for international competition. We don't really have anything such to compare to.

I will agree that the league is for amateurs though, but again, it's simply a regional championship.

 

[firepokemontrainer]

The main reason why Ash never seems to win anything is because the show is designed so that the writers can introduce a new group of youngsters with someone who they can relate to as they struggle to become one of the best in the world. The show is there to remind us from time to time how certain mechanics work, such as type advantage.

What would be good later on in the series is if they brought back things that Ash has learned from previous series and applied them to the Unova saga. That would show that Ash is still using old tactics while learning to use new moves.

 

[TurtwigFan1]

Ash is doomed to fail because if he does become a so-called 'Pokémon Master' then he'll have no reason to travel around again. But I'd love to see the finale of the animé (that better not ever come - sob sob) with Ash becoming a Pokémon Master.

 

[Angry Ancestor]

No, he'll never become a PKMN master. He will eventually win the PKMN league, but he'll never catch 'em all.

 

[blaze kick]

well he must be a master unless you want see ash go to Pokemon league and lose and then he go to new region and keep doing this

personally i think he beat the Pokemon league in yonova region but the elite 4 ... man they will crush him

 

[randomspot555]

...You are kidding, right? Right?

Winning an olympic medal is a big deal, and most definitely qualifies you for a "master" title. Winning the olympics is the highest achievement possible in SEVERAL sports.

I have a friend that is arguably the best rifleman in the country(Won several the Junior Nationals twice, has equaled the top score ever made by a swede- came fourth in the nationals despite firing at the completely wrong target, losing a full 10 points in a sport where 0.1 points can mean a lot...), and among the best 10 in Europe(came in fourth at the European Championship). An olympic medal? Heck, even QUALIFYING for the actual final? His current dream.


The pokemon champion is a LOCAL champion, a master over one region. Not even a national champion. Heck, it's closer to the equivalent of championships in one small part of Sweden, such as Scania or Blekinge.

Becoming an olympic champion, even in Pokemon, would require Steven, Lance and Cynthia to compete against eachother, and several other trainers from other countries. They're just district champions/the best trainers in their district. Nothing anywhere close to a olympic medalist.

Heck, it's arguable if these regional champions are even up to the level needed for international competition. We don't really have anything such to compare to.

I am not a sports person, so I don't have a ton of knowledge, but we can at least agree that we aren't going to get Gym Leaders/E4 in a league.

No, he'll never become a PKMN master. He will eventually win the PKMN league, but he'll never catch 'em all.

Quality over quantity.

 

[Rennon]

GahhhhH! Probably not. Don't ask what that GaahhhH means.