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How would Ash winning a league change the anime?

Leonhart

Imagineer
More than likely, nothing would change for the better. If anything, him winning a League would only create higher expectations for him among fans, which would be shattered once he gets reset in the follow sagas.
 

04n70n10

Well-Known Member
If anything, him winning a League would only create higher expectations for him among fans, which would be shattered once he gets reset in the follow sagas.

Way better than having near-to-zero expectations for the next leagues, because now losses at the main regional competitions (at every stage) have become very predictable and tiresome. A win could at least restore some "hope", and in the other hand Ash will continue his journey like many said ("I have more to learn", "i want to see another bunch of regions and Pokemon", "I want at least take down one of E4", etc.).

The only good thing is... at least we have a final in 20 years, so there is a very sloooooooooooooow "progression" after...all.
 

04n70n10

Well-Known Member
Lol... so he won't win in another 20 years lol.
Well, I'm more optimistic, at this slowpoke rate we have to take into account at least one regression and another loss at the final , so... just... 2025 (...maybe) Lol

Seeing a final was at least something in hindsight, but if I think that they really underused the potential of E4 in all of these years... writers still love their "comfort zones" too much.
 

Leonhart

Imagineer
I do wonder if him winning a League and losing to the Four Heavenly Kings right afterward is really preferred since I get the feeling that most fans would be furious to witness him getting knocked down a peg so soon after his monumental achievement.
 

Mew2

Team Rocket's Enemy
I do wonder if him winning a League and losing to the Four Heavenly Kings right afterward is really preferred since I get the feeling that most fans would be furious to witness him getting knocked down a peg so soon after his monumental achievement.

I think most fans would not be too unhappy with him losing to the first Elite Four he battles after winning a League. The huge monkey on Ash's back right now is that he has yet to win a League. If he wins one, that will be a momentous occasion for the animé series, regardless of whether or not he loses to the first Elite Four challenger he faces after winning the League.
 

Shooti

Uber Trainer
I don't know but for some reason I think people in production are bound to make Ash lose until the end of the series. I don't watch anime anymore so have no idea how S&M stuff works like trial captains and all. But, for me Ash can still continue to explore other regions even if he wins a regional league and defeats even the E-4.

Even if they can't show Ash winning the main event of the anime for some inexplicable reasons, there is nothing stopping them from creating an alternate ending, one where he wins the league. The most recent movies showed us that creating a separate canon series of the same show with altered events is not a problem for them. Why not have 3-4 special episodes in alternate universe where Ash wins the league ? As an ardent follower of the anime, it is very important for me to know how it would be concluded. I know, it is purely an advertisement these days but surely other methods exist where people involved in the anime production can show Ash finally attaining his goal.
 

Frozocrone

Miraculous!
Wouldn't make a lick of difference. They retired Gary as a trainer.

Yet off the back off a Battle Frontier victory, he lost to Gary, completely undermining his achievements.

Probably make up some ''still have a long way to go" excuse to discredit the league win.
 

Yuugis Black Magician

Namaikina Imouto
Satoshi would then lose in the first round of the Champion League. Then next time he'd lose in the second round.

Eventually he'd maybe earn his way into a National League and lose in the first round of that.
 

Leonhart

Imagineer
Shooti said:
But, for me Ash can still continue to explore other regions even if he wins a regional league and defeats even the E-4.

He could and it seems like an easy route to take, yet the writers for whatever reason haven't done this and they'd rather have Satoshi lose than give him a major League victory.
 

Pikachu Fan Number Nine

Don't Mess wit Texas
It would end his story. I want Ash to win his next league and be retired from the anime afterward (though the next protagonist can have a Pikachu too, in order to keep that Pokemon in the anime).

I will always not care for the Orange League victory, as I consider it the "NIT of Pokemon Leagues" (only college basketball fans know what I mean by that).
 

Leonhart

Imagineer
Pikachu Fan Number Nine said:
I will always not care for the Orange League victory, as I consider it the "NIT of Pokemon Leagues" (only college basketball fans know what I mean by that).

Most fans don't think highly of that League, and for good reason. It wasn't even a tournament, and even though its Champion was the toughest opponent Satoshi had faced up to that point, Yuuji was nowhere near as strong as people like Shirona.
 

LilligantLewis

Bonnie stan
It would end his story. I want Ash to win his next league and be retired from the anime afterward (though the next protagonist can have a Pikachu too, in order to keep that Pokemon in the anime).

I will always not care for the Orange League victory, as I consider it the "NIT of Pokemon Leagues" (only college basketball fans know what I mean by that).
I would say it's closer to the Davis Cup (tennis) than NIT. In Davis Cup, top players are allowed to compete, but a lot don't. Same thing with Orange League. Anybody could have entered, including any of the top trainers Ash has faced in other regions, but they didn't. On the other hand with NIT, the top teams are guaranteed to not be competing. It's not even like they could if they wanted to. NIT is officially a second-tier tournament with teams that were rejected from the NCAA tournament. Orange League/Davis Cup can have top players if they wanted to. That's why I think the Davis Cup of Pokémon leagues is more likely.
 

Ashton Ketchum

Well-Known Member
Well, in my opinion - Ash's departure from the post of the protagonist open the possibility for a variety of constructs stories in later sagas. And for some new characters some constructs will be more appropriate than - the school for Ash. It can be serious, it can be comedy, it can be adventure, it can be anything.
 

Yuugis Black Magician

Namaikina Imouto
It'd send Satoshi to a higher plane in his career, higher than he probably should at ten, unless the series wants to depict him as a genius. The Regional Leagues are just that, Regional Leagues. What about Champion Leagues (only for those who previously won the Regional League), Japanese Nation League (only for those who have won the Champion League), Asian Continental League or World League? That sort of system could easily be incorporated into the Pokemon League tournaments.
 

Apslup

Feelin' Fine.
I don't really see much happening if Ash wins the League. He'll still be the main character (he's way too popular and iconic to replace and it would probably get a mostly negative reaction) and he probably get recognized from time-to-time (the only time I can remember Ash getting recognized by somebody is when Max recognized him from the Johto League at the start of AG).

Apart from that, I don't see much happening with Ash if he does win a League (though I doubt he will win the Alola League even though I want him to because he will probably get cucked by Hau or Galdion).
 

LilligantLewis

Bonnie stan
probably get cucked by Hau or Galdion).
the league rival has never been a game character. It's always been an anime OC. Ritchie, Harrison, Tyson, Tobias, Cameron, Alain

hence why I don't believe Hau, Gladion, Kiawe, or Professor Kukui will be the one to beat him.

I know over the years of the anime there have been a lot of patterns that have been broken, so don't think I'm stating this as a be-all-end-all. However, I do think it holds some water.
 

Shadao

Aim to be a Pokémon Master
Satoshi only continues his adventure should he ever find an opponent stronger than him. That is what convinces him there's still more road to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master. Note that after the Orange League and Battle Frontier, Ash loses to his classic rival, Gary Oak, shortly before he goes to the next region. Gary is not here to steal victories from him; rather to remind Ash he's not the absolute best yet.

It's like Goku in the Dragon Ball series. Goku may have become one of the most powerful fighters in the universe and possibly multiverse. But his long-time, undying wish to find opponents stronger than him. In fact, it can easily be argued that Goku doesn't want to be the best fighter of all time because that would mean he would have no more adventures and challenges left to conquer. Victory is boring for him.

Ash is the same thing. It's the journey that counts and his goal is far more ambitious than any League victories he can achieved. If I had to guess as to why the writers doesn't want Ash to win Leagues (yet), it's because they themselves assumed that Ash winning the League would put them into a corner due to game formula. However, Sun and Moon does show that the old formula can be broken and Ash doesn't really need justification to continue his adventure. Honestly, sometimes I suspect that Ash only lost the Kalos League to deconstruct the whole process of the Pokémon League through Alain. Because really, what did Alain gain from becoming the winner of the Kalos Conference? A trophy and position? Those became worthless during the Team Flare crisis. The knowledge that he's the most powerful trainer of the Kalos region who overcame all his rivals and obstacles? In aftermath, Alain admits that he still feels inferior to Ash.

That is the irony. Despite only gaining second place, Ash is treated as if he won the League in the end with all the newbie trainers look up to him.

I would laugh if Ash wins the newly created Alola League and it's treated as no big deal for him.
 

LilligantLewis

Bonnie stan
If anything he could have won the Johto league and Hoenn starting off with him as an experienced trainer teaching May would have made more sense.
Nah, that would have been too early for him to win a league. Imo the first time it made sense for him to win a league was Sinnoh
 

Yuugis Black Magician

Namaikina Imouto
In retrospect now it is because the anime has gone on so long, but when Johto was originally going on people thought it was possible, because back then Ash only lost one league, won the Orange league, and back then we had no clue the writers were going to continually have Ash lose every league forever. You have to remember what the anime was in the OS, people didn't think it would go on forever back then.

Besides that, Ash winning the Hoenn league would have been done too if Ash Vs. Tyson was the finals and Ash won. Would have made sense as well, because as a league winner he would have been invited to challenge the Battle Frontier. Instead it seemed Ash just got lucky when Scott invited him to challenge the Battle Frontier, because Ash only made it to the Top 8 back then and still wasn't anything that special.

Once we got to DP however, then it became obvious the writers were going to screw over Ash forever. Between Tobias with legendaries, Cameron being an idiot, then Alan having plot armor, etc...now Ash just loses every league for ridiculous reasons and plot armor. At least the Kanto/Johto/Hoenn league losses felt reasonable.

It's not up to 'the writers' to decide the plot. The series director does and more often than not with big franchise series their hands are tied.

Besides, the Takuto, Kotetsu and Alan loses were all great. Kotetsu beating Satoshi with only five Pokemon is both hilarious and logical considering Satoshi's team at the time and his decisions made during the battle. Takuto was basically everyone saying "This is the best way we can compliment Satoshi after winning such a great match."
 
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