The Rainbow & The Pokémon Master (1236)

[Blue Saturday]

I will say not putting Ho-Oh in this episode made no sense but we did get that in PM2019's last episode I remembered so no biggie actually.

 

[BladexFade]

I can't believe that Ash's journey in Pokémon has finally come to an end after all these years! It's been an incredible adventure, filled with countless memorable moments, battles, and friendships. From the early days in Kanto to the most recent regions, Ash's determination and love for Pokémon has inspired a whole generation of fans. Personally, I enjoyed this episode, and I don't want Ash's story to end.

Also, it's interesting to see that Ash doesn't view becoming the Pokémon World Champion as the culmination of his journey. By embracing the mindset of a challenger, he emphasizes the importance of ongoing growth and self-improvement. This perspective showcases Ash's unwavering enthusiasm and passion for Pokemon. I love it.

 

[Pokeshipper_]

I want to say goodbye to Ash here.

He was my heart, my light and my soul when I was in the dark and I couldn't breathe.

Thanks for the memories I made with Ash, Misty, Brock and all the other companions. I will miss them so much.

Next time... a new beginning!

 

[BlueLight]

Pokemon is a kodmo anime so i'm not surprised that the shipping stuff didnt have a proper ending.

Good though. Because, at least, those non-sensical wars in the forums have come to an abrupt (and sad) end. Better not to expect anything more now that Ash's gone and the new series is about to begin.

 

[Yce288]

Good though. Because, at least, those non-sensical wars in the forums have come to an abrupt (and sad) end. Better not to expect anything more now that Ash's gone and the new series is about to begin.

Lets see how the anime staff will deal with the remakes of Black and White and X&Y when they come out, will they only show Pokemon from Gen 5 or Gen 6 or will they also bring characters back that are related to Gen 5 or Gen 6.

 

[KukuiFanatic501]

Now that I saw the final episode, I can gather my send off thoughts.

First the episode itself. For a series finale type episode to end an era, I found it…pretty anticlimactic in a way? And of course emotional since it’s Ashs final episode (for now at least). Somewhat bad but overall good to me. So mixed feelings

I am kinda disappointed that there was no tangible end to Ashs journey and as to what a Pokémon Master is, and can certainly understand those who are frustrated with this ending. But at the same time, I definitely get the message they wanted to send and I’m fine with it ultimately. Staying true to the essence that a Pokémon trainers journey is an endless adventure, with there always being something new to see, new experiences and becoming better than the person you were the day before. Same thing goes true with being a Pokémon Master. Ash and Pikachus journeys will always continue in the Pokémon world, but we, the audience, are no longer companions of those journeys. At least for now. Pretty thematic and poetic IMO

But of course other great moments in the episode too

-Pidgeot coming back after 2 decades and now being an official Ashmon again instead of a reserve

-Team Rocket coming back together for one last blast off, vowing to follow Ash and Pikachu forever in their attempts to capture it, seals the deal on both sides being together for the full ride

-Tracey respect; didn’t see that coming but man was it enjoyable to see

-Delia having a nice role in the episode and getting Ash new shoes was great

-Wished Hoho would’ve appeared when the rainbow did but it came at the end of Journeys before so I guess it’s not too big of an issue

-Misty and Brock’s goodbyes, actually, I kind of liked; they may SEEM lackluster, but it makes sense and I like the way they did it; in the OG series, we had no idea on whether or not we would ever see Misty or Brock again, we didn’t know Brock was coming in Hoenn or if and when Misty would cameo, so their initial goodbye had an immense sense of finality to it; here, Ash knows he’s going to go on as many new adventures and journeys as possible, so he knows he’ll see Misty and Brock again, so the goodbyes between them here are left casual to compliment that.

-Type wild. Just Type Wild

Overall a fantastic episode. Could’ve been better, but glad on what we got to end this amazing journey together.

So, before the episode begins, what was your first impression of Ash? And how did it change over the past 25 years?

Honestly speaking, I’ve always liked Ash. Maybe I didn’t know it for sure when I first saw him as a toddler compared to how I view him now of course, but I’ve always held Ash to such a high standard as my childhood hero.

Say what you want about him, but as a Pokémon protagonist and character in general, he’s realistic and relatable. Sure in the beginning, he came off rash, very impulsive and at times was annoying. He was just starting his journey out, so all of those things were to be expected out of him for a long time. But he was the definition of underdog during these days, and that’s one of the things I love most about Ash and relate to. Someone who’s not privileged or as fortunate as others or seen as the golden star to look at (his rivalry with Gary at the time reflecting this exactly, Gary being the favorited and Ash being the one looked down on, by a lot) and gets where he is through hard work and strong wills. A great example for kids to follow, and someone I definitely always thought of when I went through hard times.

Over the years, seeing and growing up with Ash and Pikachu allowed them to be super influential over my life and childhood. Not to get too personal about myself, but I didn’t have the easiest time growing up. No father around, not being the closest with my family as the “introverted lone wolf”, was an outcast during a lot of my school years, used to get bullied a lot and had a lot of trouble making what I could consider real friendships back then. Out of all my younger years, most of it was to myself. Pokémon has always been one of the biggest passions in my life that would be an escape for me, where I could just be a kid and not have to worry about anything else. It’s also been what helped me finally make the friends that, decades later, I still have to this day. Pokemons been a central core of not just some of my closest friendships but my whole life, Ash and Pikachu helped immensely with that by getting to see all of their adventures, all of their struggles and all of their greatest moments as a dedicated fan of the anime who’s been with them since the beginning. Ash has always been that one example for me to follow on never giving up on your goals or what you believe in. That no matter what anyone says, no matter what difficulties you may face, you always give 110% behind everything you do and never give up on that, and that slowly but surely, you would reach it. Staying true to yourself.

It would be an understatement to say Ash and Pikachu changed my life in a lot of ways and that’s something I’m always gonna be grateful for them for. Love him or hate him, Ash is surely my biggest childhood hero. Thank you so much for an amazing 25 years Ash and Pikachu. You guys shaped not only my life, but the lives of many generations of people and brought many amazing moments that we’ll never forget!! I’m glad to have met you and I hope sincerely that we meet again someday

Even if the new series is a complete failure, it's extremely unlikely Ash will return as protagonist. They will just replace the protagonists for new ones. In fact, they likely replace the protagonists even if the new series is a success (they wouldn't want another case like Ash).

IIRC, there was already an interview done not too long ago where it was said that Ash returning in some capacity in the future is an open possibility, so it doesn’t seem impossible in fairness. Especially if series like Dragon Ball can indeed do the same.

And really, let us think about for a second as to why they are now ending Ash's journey with us. What could possibly prompt the showrunners to retire Ash when he could theoretically have infinite adventures?

Oh that's right, he became the strongest trainer in existence and now there's no one on top of him. How could Ash top that achievement in the future? And that's when you realize that our time with Ash has come to an end.

I mean in fairness, I don’t necessarily agree with this specific take since I found the whole premise of the PWC to be very flawed the moment Scarlet and Violet got announced and Paldea, a 9th region with champions (multiple ones at that) and trainers and Pokémon appearing out of nowhere, didn’t take place in the championship. As well as whatever regions we get for Gen 10, Gen 11, Gen 12 and so on and so forth for as long as Pokemon continues as a franchise.

I get where you’re coming from and agree with most of what you said besides this. Especially if Horizons is revealed to be in the same universe but no mention of the PWC having been done.

Does anyone else remember how people would say stuff like "this is just another step to becoming a Pokemon Master" every time Ash did something? Like, people would say that beating Leon was a step to becoming a Pokemon Master, but could never tell you how. Surprise surprise, now battling has absolutely nothing to do with this goal lmao. Anyways, it was obvious that "Pokemon Master" was never a real thing, and was only a way to pretend as if Ash had a reason for his never-ending journey.

I'm just glad he's gone.

https://imgur.com/b7bNg0W

And it’s **** like this and people like you that really makes me hate the Pokémon fandom sometimes. Like, seriously, if you have this much dislike for a direction it’s going on, how about just stop watching?

The constant hate watching and complaining are getting annoying for us actual fans who are trying to enjoy the ending. You may not like it, but don’t ruin it for other people.

 

[Ash Ketchum!]

it felt like that Kalos was supposed to be the finale for Ash and the idea was changed at some point

There's no indication of this, at least anymore so than Johto or Sinnoh.

 

[Cetra]

I mean in fairness, I don’t necessarily agree with this specific take since I found the whole premise of the PWC to be very flawed the moment Scarlet and Violet got announced and Paldea, a 9th region with champions (multiple ones at that) and trainers and Pokémon appearing out of nowhere, didn’t take place in the championship. As well as whatever regions we get for Gen 10, Gen 11, Gen 12 and so on and so forth for as long as Pokemon continues as a franchise.

The anime was never really consistent in terms of logical thinking when it came to the existence of more than what is currently visited. We literally had Bill within the first 20 episodes tell us "well, uh, yeah, we know so far that there are 150 Pokémon but there are surely many more" when he did not even know what a Dragonite was and it made no sense that people even knew of the 150 because it included Mewtwo. But that is not even the most absurd thing. The absurdity of just saying "we know 150 Pokémon" makes no sense in retrospective as well as retroactively because the other regions obviously existed in that world and that they would only have found the Kanto ones is a ridiculous thought.

So yeah, I agree with you. But the anime did not do that for the first time.

 

[KukuiFanatic501]

That's hardly a reference when Ash didn't even mention Piplup directly lol. And while Ash does mention reserves, none of them make an appearance.

I'm talking about past companion returns, his old Pokemon, heck Ash never even tells his XY companions about his journey in past regions.

Ironically, May and Max meeting Serena off screen and Alexa meeting Brock when tagging along with Cilan are the only forms of continuity with past gens XY ever got, and not even during XY

The anime was never really consistent in terms of logical thinking when it came to the existence of more than what is currently visited. We literally had Bill within the first 20 episodes tell us "well, uh, yeah, we know so far that there are 150 Pokémon but there are surely many more" when he did not even know what a Dragonite was and it made no sense that people even knew of the 150 because it included Mewtwo. But that is not even the most absurd thing. The absurdity of just saying "we know 150 Pokémon" makes no sense in retrospective as well as retroactively because the other regions obviously existed in that world and that they would only have found the Kanto ones is a ridiculous thought.

So yeah, I agree with you. But the anime did not do that for the first time.

Oh no I 100% agree this wasn’t the first time the anime did this, and probably won’t be the last depending on how Horizons is done

My point mainly was about how using this to supplement the argument Ash can’t continue onward on his journey was a very awkward decision because of the fact that we know as long as Pokemon continues as a franchise, characters, regions and Pokémon that had nothing to do with this supposed culmination of his journey, a journey that’s still continuing off screen, will appear and make the point of this send off, while an enjoyable send off, just questionable.

If you ask me personally, they should’ve either just made the PWC instead into a large tournament between the regions we know existed so far and Ash just aimed to conquer the ones he didn’t win in sans Alola, or they should’ve waited until the pen ultimate end of Pokémon as we know it to do something like a World Championships so that retiring him would make a lot more sense logistically (unless there are actual plans of having Ash return in the future at some point, then it justifies this to an extent)

Hell, funnily enough, one could argue Roy’s upcoming goal in Horizons to battle legendaries could’ve been a next step for Ash while Liko does what she aims to do lol.

But eh. Not the best execution either way but what we got for a (temporary?) send off was still enjoyable.

 

[TomRC121991]

With Ash gone what will happened to him?

 

[KyleK]

Ironically, May and Max meeting Serena off screen and Alexa meeting Brock when tagging along with Cilan are the only forms of continuity with past gens XY ever got, and not even during XY

There's also an episode during which Clemont and Bonnie meet Cilan. But that episode wasn't aired outside of Japan.

The Ultimate Duo! Clemont and Cilan!! - Pokémon X & Y

The Ultimate Duo! Clemont and Cilan!! in Pokémon X & Y. Details all happenings and Pokémon appearances in the episode

www.serebii.net

 

[Cetra]

With Ash gone what will happened to him?

He walks into the next few game regions until we meet him again, preferably with Pikachu first so we can think "OH MY GOD ... is-is that ....?!"

 

[NeoDude-5000]

Well I just watched the episode and I got to say, I still can't believe its all over. Ash has been a part of my life since the show started. He has been my role model. He was my hero. He was the one made people want to follow their dreams and not give up, myself included. And he was also the guy who made me into a Pokemon fan. Without the anime I would not have been into Pokemon.

So after 26 years it is time for me to part ways with Ash. Its been incredible ride through the world of Pokemon. Many encounters. Battles fought. Friends made. Places been. Many trials and tribulations. One big adventure.

Thank you Ash Ketchum. I hope we meet again.



And also Pidgeot came back in the end! I knew he didn't forget!

 

[KukuiFanatic501]

There's also an episode during which Clemont and Bonnie meet Cilan. But that episode wasn't aired outside of Japan.

The Ultimate Duo! Clemont and Cilan!! - Pokémon X & Y

The Ultimate Duo! Clemont and Cilan!! in Pokémon X & Y. Details all happenings and Pokémon appearances in the episode

www.serebii.net

Oh wow I forgot this happened lol. Yeah this too

 

[Alolan Glaceon]

As I mentioned earlier, I am after replaying 11 episodes of Ash's adventure summary, before I go to them, I will first reminisce about how it was before. I started watching Pokemons in 2000 on my native TV with dubbing, which is why I knew the English dubbing of the first series, then Ash was a really rude trainer and if you let kids see him now, I don't know if they would like him. When I was a child, I loved Charmander and I really wanted it to be Ash's strongest Pokemon, the first generation itself impressed me even though there were a lot of mistakes and the graphics, well, I won't judge it because then the animation was on a different level than now. Over the years, I met many characters and Pokemon that I liked, the worst part for me was parting with friends or Pokemon that Ash left then. It was the same with the leagues, as a kid I still believed that Ash would finally win the league and become the greatest one. Back then, Sinnoh had all these qualities. Cynthia was the perfect champion, someone who won the hearts of fans, later it was a bit like Kalos, but the final itself was very controversial and debatable. I remember that after the 6th generation, I stopped believing that anything would win, but Alola appeared and changed everything so far.

The Pokemon he used on Travels were the best he could have. Sirfretch'd a regional pokemon that embodied Ash's spirit and was chivalrous and had an arsenal of interesting techniques Dracvoish - a fossil who remembers Aeodactyl his first debut? There was a huge threat and that's what Ash got a pokemon. Gengar, - one of the most popular and very strong ghosts associated with Agatha from elite 4 and more, finally Aah became friends with Haunter, so the room is perfect. Dragonite - Draka's ace from the orange islands and this large pokemon from the lighthouse. In the 1st generation, Dragonite was almost like a legend, a very powerful and unbeatable Pokemon. Drake must have been proud to see what Pokemon Ash used. Lucario - Ever since I watched Lucario and Mysterious Mew I wanted Ash to get him, he was the perfect partner for him, many episodes confirmed that. Unfortunately, in the 4th generation, Inferanape took this place and in the 6th, Greninja, which had Battle Bond. These Pokemon have been trained continuously and the experiences of the 7 regions have made them so strong.

The series itself that crowned Ash's adventure could have been much better. On the plus side, we can see how he and his Pokemon are strong, they don't pout, they don't do stupid things. Let's look at Beedril or Spearow, or Pokemon with whom Ash did not have good contact and now he knew how to behave, you can see the maturity brought from so many regions. The episode with Clian, I was hoping that the rest of the episodes with the heroes would be similar to him, but unfortunately it wasn't, although Bannete also kept the level. It's possible that they didn't give others because they had a problem with voice actors and unfortunately it could backfire, but I feel happy last episode is quite calm and thought-provoking who is this pokemon master? Ash will definitely not be friends with everyone, but in fact he will be constantly traveling because there will always be something new, other masters who are adults have also experienced a lot of adventures. The episode when Pikachu splits reminds me of Diantha's words, they were also separated and tender more, there are a lot of PPideots like that and his attack on Team Rocket is revenge for what they did during the Kanro League. It really was very nice .. Personally, I'm happy with the series and Ash's adventures, unfortunately, at least for now, we won't see him, but I believe that we will meet someday. Thank you Ash and Pikachu

 

[KukuiFanatic501]

Well I just watched the episode and I got to say, I still can't believe its all over. Ash has been a part of my life since the show started. He has been my role model. He was my hero. He was the one made people want to follow their dreams and not give up, myself included. And he was also the guy who made me into a Pokemon fan. Without the anime I would not have been into Pokemon.

So after 26 years it is time for me to part ways with Ash. Its been incredible ride through the world of Pokemon. Many encounters. Battles fought. Friends made. Places been. Many trials and tribulations. One big adventure.

Thank you Ash Ketchum. I hope we meet again.



And also Pidgeot came back in the end! I knew he didn't forget!

I know what you mean. I’m 23 now and got into Pokémon during the youngest of years. It’s crazy that icons who were my role models then and now as an adult, outlived me my entire time on this earth and shaped several generations of peoples lives. Legendary.

Ash and Pikachu are definitely my biggest childhood heroes by a far margin

 

[ShuckFam]

Also, why did Pidgeot have 6ix9ine's hairstyle? It made it hard for me to properly enjoy the reunion.

 

[ShuckFam]

Well, I also wanted to thank all of you for being here, even the ones I argued with, after all it was many years of talking about anime

A new era is coming, some things will change but we watch the end of Ash at least... So regardless of our differences we were all here because we care about this anime, we are still part of the same team even if it sounds sooooo corny

We're still beefing! No matter how you try to sweet talk me!!!!!

 

[Ragnarok4]

We're still beefing! No matter how you try to sweet talk me!!!!!

you don't count anyway, goodbye.

 

[ShuckFam]

I have some issues with this episode that I just remembered. The bathtub scene NEEDS to be banned in the dub! What if a kid owns one of these and tries to recreate the scene where Ash gets shocked by Pikachu in the bathtub because they seen it on tv and it wasn't very effective on Ash?

Also, does Pikachu have to nuzzle every Pokemon it sees? That ain't cute, you're invading the safe spaces of less tactile Pokemon.