Throughout my entire viewership of the series I have noticed that Ash's character has vastly varied through many iterations in the series and I feel his overall character is stuck in an inconsistent limbo. From his initial personality in the Original Series (Johto - Kanto) where he is slightly more brash and hot-headed all the way to his current personality in Sun & Moon being almost an entirely different character.
When it came to the original 4 series of the anime (Kanto, Johto, Hoen and Sinnoh) there was an actual logical growth in Ash's character for the most part, turning from an inexperienced bratty novice, to a well versed, seasoned, and mature trainer. There was an actual hidden character arc for Ash during that era, as each of those series actually linked and melded with one another. However as soon as we reached the Black & White/Best Wishes series Ash's previous growth got completely thrown out the window with no actual reason behind it, "resetting" him to a seemingly novice and slightly more immature trainer. What also is an issue with Ash's character is the depiction of ageing, which is a major issues with his character because it shows a lack of the passage of time, with the BW series only exemplifying it stating he is 10 years of age even though he has travelled 4 regions in a span you would only assume is 4 years+.
Ash seemingly came back to form during the XY series being a more confident and experienced trainer similar to his DP counterpart, having a more charismatic and seemingly mature air about him. However similar to the manner of BW, Ash's overall character has changed yet again when the series transitioned to the Sun & Moon series, with Ash appearing more childish than ever. I feel the writers of the series are stuck in a rut with his character, causing him to have these inconsistencies since DP, as I feel that was the pinnacle of his character.
In conclusion I feel Ash's overall character arc is stuck in what I describe is "an inconsistent limbo" and I can only hope the writers can actually find a way in which they can effectively further "develop" Ash as a character and settle for a consistent "personality" instead of changing it each season. We can only hope in Sword and Shield, and I am very curious how they will handle his character for that series.
What are your thoughts?