Did you like SM's version of Ash?

[Razor Claw]

Just watched SM for the first time (SM024 and SM028). I was impressed, and Ash was very entertaining.

Sure, his character doesn’t mesh with his previous incarnations in several ways, but considering his character hasn’t been consistent at all after DP, I can look past it and appreciate what they’re going for.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

He's at the bottom of my Favorite Version of Ash List (XY, DP, AG, BW, OS, SM)

But he's had some good moments, usually once every fifteen/twenty episodes or so

 

[johno1995]

Ash is actually entertaining and dynamic as a character to watch in S/M, which he had a few moments of in previous series but he overall has been a very stale character since D/P. For the first time in a while, I'm interested in his character's progression more than I am his companions. Each series I was drawn to "who will join Ash?" more than I was "how will Ash's journey progress?", until S/M.

I hope Sword and Shield's portrayal of the character keeps a lot of the personality and goofy quirks Ash has had in the S/M series.

 

[Razor Claw]

I mean, wasn’t Ash in AG very similar to his DP self? To say he became stale in DP is a weird starting point, unless you just became tired of his character.

 

[johno1995]

I mean, wasn’t Ash in AG very similar to his DP self? To say he became stale in DP is a weird starting point, unless you just became tired of his character.

I'd say that's the case for me. He felt very stale at that point, but then again, that is just my opinion.

 

[Epicocity]

Ash is actually entertaining and dynamic as a character to watch in S/M, which he had a few moments of in previous series but he overall has been a very stale character since D/P. For the first time in a while, I'm interested in his character's progression more than I am his companions. Each series I was drawn to "who will join Ash?" more than I was "how will Ash's journey progress?", until S/M.

I hope Sword and Shield's portrayal of the character keeps a lot of the personality and goofy quirks Ash has had in the S/M series.

How can you be interested in his character's progression when he hasn't progressed in this series at all? And the one moment that seemed like he would was just an arc that made no sense?

 

[Redstar45]

Ash is actually entertaining and dynamic as a character to watch in S/M, which he had a few moments of in previous series but he overall has been a very stale character since D/P. For the first time in a while, I'm interested in his character's progression more than I am his companions. Each series I was drawn to "who will join Ash?" more than I was "how will Ash's journey progress?", until S/M.

I hope Sword and Shield's portrayal of the character keeps a lot of the personality and goofy quirks Ash has had in the S/M series.

Sorry but he is not going to be grown as character as writers show that they don't care about his character.

 

[DatsRight]

Early on, at the very least, he also seemed quite a bit more selfish than usual, doing things for his classmates because he could get something out of it, or being dragged along to do it. Which, sure, is like OS Ash, but I don't view that as a good thing.

Can you give examples of this? The only really uncharacteristically selfish moment I remember from SM Ash is Rotomdex's leaving fake out episode. Otherwise the standstill format if anything leaves me convinced he's actually going out of his way to help his buddies or learn more about who they are more often this series. The travelling format pretty much enforced this closeness since they were usually physically strapped to each other's sides more or less, and even then Ash's bonds with human companions was becoming more lethargic and half hearted as time passed. Sure giving Serena that ribbon was cute but it was more or less going "Look I don't want this, you can have it". Here in Alola, Ash actually has the choice of just going home or wandering where ever he pleases, or going to check out on his comrades, hence their intro episodes or cases like Ash getting Sophocles Charjabug or checking up on Lillie during the AF arc. He feels more proactive as a friend.

 

[Ignition]

I honestly don’t see how AG/DP Ash is stale. Sure he wasn’t a rookie anymore but he still had a lot of growth in terms of maturity.

Now that his new female companions in May & Dawn had actual goals that required pit stops, he slowly had to learn how to be mindful of others and their endeavors. He was also at a debatable peak in terms of cockiness and he got to a point where he got a hold of himself. He had actually started incorporating strategies into his battling more often and went out of his way to help his Pokèmon train and learn new moves (Pikachu’s Iron Tail, Swellow’s Aerial Ace, Torterra’s Energy Ball, & Gible’s Draco Meteor to name a few.) He started depending on his older Pokèmon less (at least for the majority of the aforementioned series). In DP he finally got someone who constantly pushed him and made think more than he did.

 

[Kintaro]

I mean, wasn’t Ash in AG very similar to his DP self? To say he became stale in DP is a weird starting point, unless you just became tired of his character.

Big difference is AG Ash still had some aspect of his OS personality there, he was still impatient, short tempered, and made a fool out of himself at times. He wasn't used to his companion having a goal yet which is why Ash and May used to argue which town to travel to next if the next Gym/Contest was in a different direction. With Dawn and then Serena he never did that. DP Ash is when he really started to mature so outside the eps where Paul was in or eps he interacted with Dawn, he was mostly stoic in most episodes kinda similar to how he was in XY but a little less.

AG Ash was basically Ash going through the transition from his idiotic/rookie Kanto/Johto self and then into what he'd eventually become in DP and later XY, but not quite there yet. It was like Ash in middle school if you need an analogy, lol

 

[johno1995]

How can you be interested in his character's progression when he hasn't progressed in this series at all? And the one moment that seemed like he would was just an arc that made no sense?

I'm not saying he's progressed in this series at all. There have been flaws in S/M, and I would agree with you that he's made no progression.

I think as a character he's entertaining to watch and one I would root for in S/M, and I'm interested to see any potential progression. I just find the light-hearted tone and focus on personality, both from the S/M cast and their Pokemon, more entertaining to watch than previous series. That's all.

 

[Razor Claw]

Big difference is AG Ash still had some aspect of his OS personality there, he was still impatient, short tempered, and made a fool out of himself at times. He wasn't used to his companion having a goal yet which is why Ash and May used to argue which town to travel to next if the next Gym/Contest was in a different direction. With Dawn and then Serena he never did that. DP Ash is when he really started to mature so outside the eps where Paul was in or eps he interacted with Dawn, he was mostly stoic in most episodes kinda similar to how he was in XY but a little less.

AG Ash was basically Ash going through the transition from his idiotic/rookie Kanto/Johto self and then into what he'd eventually become in DP and later XY, but not quite there yet. It was like Ash in middle school if you need an analogy, lol

Gotta disagree, to be honest, I think he started maturing late Johto. By early Hoenn, he was mature for the most part, with his Dewford Island meltdown being seen as completely out of character by his friends.

Of course, he still maintained aspects of his immaturity, as you stated, but there were definitely other moments of that in DP as well. For starters, remember the Pokemon Summer School arc with Angie? He wasn’t just a stoic, perfect hero in DP either.

 

[Zoruagible]

Why no poll?

I don't mind Ash having a personality but SM gave him too much of it, and he acts way too immature. He cheats for one, which the real Ash wouldn't do. Remember what happened with Watson back in AG? And the twerking.... oh god the twerking!

 

[PokemonBattleFanatic-]

Character Standpoint
1.AG Ash (Hoenn)
2.OS Ash (Kanto/Orange Islands)
3.OS Ash (Johto)
GAP
4.AG Ash (Battle Frontier)
5.DP Ash/XY Ash
GAP
6.BW Ash/SM Ash


Trainer Standpoint
1.DP Ash
2.XY Ash
GAP
3.AG Ash (Hoenn/Battle Frontier)
4.BW Ash/SM Ash
5.OS Ash (Johto)
6.OS Ash (Orange Islands)
7.OS Ash (Kanto)

 

[Sham]

Do I like Ash acting like a legitimate 10 year old with clear visible flaws that humans usually have? Of course.

 

[Zach8920]

I find it to be the worst iteration of Ash yet, especially when he's constantly breaking character in order to advance the narrative of the show.

 

[SH65]

No I don't He feels like a worst OS Ash as a Character. And as a trainer the overuse of Z-moves I feel like made him worst overall.

 

[PorcelainVulpix]

I like him. He’s in third place for my favorite iterations of Ash.

OS Ash (snarky Ash, my fav) > AG Ash > SM Ash > DP Ash > BW Ash > XY Ash

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Spoiler: My expression with my answer:

Make DP Ash return.

 

[janejane6178]

SM Ash is easily the worst interpretation of Ash for me at least. The entirety of SM is so pointless in the grand scheme of things I wonder if people really even care about Ash ever becoming a Pokemon Master. Ash has no central character. His personality depends entirely on the episode he is in, he lacks complete consistency, and doesn't even seem to care about his goals.

The show lacks a central plot and the characters can no way make up for that. SM makes itself out to be a character-driven show, yet how can it be considere good if it essentially has terrible characters?

Ash's gimicks and personality traits in SM by no means makes him a better character. He has no development in SM, he does not grow in anyway shape or form compared to his predecessor. Furthermore, his so called " flaws " are abrupt, useless bursts of stupidity which involve him either:

A. Getting crapped on
B. Out of character
C. Completly unnecessary

Call it due to hype-bait or whatever, but there's a clear cut reason why 2016 was the peak of forum discussion and the further broader anime community. Do you think SM can ever pull of 20k views on a pirated twitch streaming site?

Thanks for posting this. I agree with EVERY word.
I dont like this version either