What do you think of Ash and Gary's friendship

[PorcelainVulpix]

I so wish that Gary had been Ash's new partner instead of Go. The new series could've worked just as well if it had taken place in Pallet Town and followed Ash and Gary's adventures.

I still don’t understand why they didn’t do this, I’ve been saying this from the start. Don’t get me wrong, I actually like Go, but they could have easily used Gary in place of Go. I’m assuming they chose not to because Gary had already caught so many Pokémon in Kanto but I still feel like they could have found ways around that.

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

It's become nonexistent to me. Poor Gary was pushed aside just like any other regional rival despite him lasting a bit longer.

 

[Leonhart]

The fact that Gary became a researcher with any indication felt not real

While it's true that his decision to become a researcher sort of came out of nowhere in the anime, I think we were meant to assume that he was following in Okido-hakase's footsteps. What bothered me about his change in goal is that he was impeccable as a trainer, so watching him leave that behind to start a new goal was irksome. One thing that Satoshi has over Shigeru is that he has always stuck to his goal no matter what.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

As much as I like Gary and I wouldn't be opposed to him being promoted to companion, I wouldn't want him on Go's place.

Probably unpopular opinion here but I like Go and I'm completly fine with his character.

 

[Zoruagible]

I so wish that Gary had been Ash's new partner instead of Go. The new series could've worked just as well if it had taken place in Pallet Town and followed Ash and Gary's adventures.

Not to mention Gary's an experienced battler so him getting powerful stuff from Raids would actually make sense. Unlike with Go....

 

[EmberFireTrainer]

Not to mention Gary's an experienced battler so him getting powerful stuff from Raids would actually make sense. Unlike with Go....

Come to think of it, Ash and Gary teaming up / traveling together through out the series would be interesting and entertaining no doubt. It could offer an opportunity to mention the backstory of their friendship, maybe even how they met before there trainer days. Also, a series with Ash and Gary traveling together would definitely be entertaining just as long as Gary's still Gary and has some of his attitude to keep Ash on edge.

 

[Zoruagible]

Come to think of it, Ash and Gary teaming up / traveling together through out the series would be interesting and entertaining no doubt. It could offer an opportunity to mention the backstory of their friendship, maybe even how they met before there trainer days. Also, a series with Ash and Gary traveling together would definitely be entertaining just as long as Gary's still Gary and has some of his attitude to keep Ash on edge.

His attitude is what would make things truly entertaining. Not to mention we'd see Oak and Delia more, and Pallet Town could get expanded upon more as whenever we're there all we ever really see is Ash's house and Oak's lab.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

Just for the sake of trivia, Ash and Gary did become travel buddies in the end of the "Dengeki Pikachu" manga (known here as Electrical Adventures of Pikachu).

Such a fun pokémon manga. Shame its odds of getting a new chance outside Japan (and maybe even a reprint/revival) there are all because of its author being known as doing... Some niche stuff that's too controversial to be associated with a kids' brand.

 

[Leonhart]

Come to think of it, Ash and Gary teaming up / traveling together through out the series would be interesting and entertaining no doubt. It could offer an opportunity to mention the backstory of their friendship, maybe even how they met before there trainer days. Also, a series with Ash and Gary traveling together would definitely be entertaining just as long as Gary's still Gary and has some of his attitude to keep Ash on edge.

As much fun as it would've been to see Satoshi and Shigeru travel together, I don't think that we'd learn more about their past interactions given that the anime as a whole doesn't like to focus much on Satoshi's early childhood.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

Ash's childhood is shrouded on mystery. We've got few glimpses of it on the show and on Takeshi Shudo's novels but other than that, not much.

 

[SerenaRulez]

Ash's childhood is shrouded on mystery. We've got few glimpses of it on the show and on Takeshi Shudo's novels but other than that, not much.

True and maybe it's time that the show starts expanding on his past as a younger kid and Gary could easily be the start of that expansion into Ash's past.

 

[Leonhart]

Ash's childhood is shrouded on mystery. We've got few glimpses of it on the show and on Takeshi Shudo's novels but other than that, not much.

Did those novels ever mention anything regarding Satoshi's friendship with Shigeru? Because if they did, then I wouldn't have minded some of that information making it into the main series.

 

[Bortgreen]

I can’t get over how the anime kinda dropped showing Gary becoming a professor and like generations later Pokémon introduces a character who’s interested in studying Pokémon who’s grandparent is a professor and they themselves end up becoming one

It's like how there was that episode about studying pokémon at school and then Ash goes to one almost 20 years later

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

It's like how there was that episode about studying pokémon at school and then Ash goes to one almost 20 years later

Nonsense. It took 7 minutes for him to decide to go to school after the first one he went to. If if had been 20 years, we would already be following his son's(?) journey...if he did learn how to elope.

 

[Deleted member 384931]

His childhood was strange.

 

[squashthatapple]

Ash and Gary’s friendship is interesting, but a tad underdeveloped. I really liked how Gary slowly was starting to earn more respect from Ash, although I would have liked to see more of that. Gary’s friendliness towards Ash as well is a nice change of pace as well.

However, the whole Pokéball plot is contrived and actually makes no sense in terms of continuity, showing that it was just shoehorned in. While I respect the decision the writers were going for, the execution was a bit off. I think a more natural buildup for the two rivals along with a few more instances of them showing their growing respect for one another would have made it better. But now, it’s fine. I like it and it’s a satisfying ending to their bitter (if you want to call it that, haha) rivalry in the beginning.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

Did those novels ever mention anything regarding Satoshi's friendship with Shigeru? Because if they did, then I wouldn't have minded some of that information making it into the main series.

They don't go much over it in the part with Ash's and Gary's meeting on episode 1. Closest is the novel pulling the uses of "kun" suffixes right down to Gary kind of forcing (indirectly) to be addressed as "Shigeru-kun" (I tell you, it'd be weird seeing Matsumoto's Ash ever calling someone's name with a "-kun" in the end)

Other than that, the novels touch a bit about how Ash's school like was. Basically, he used to be bullied, but tended to be the kind of kid who'd report it to teachers and stuff (I really related with that one haha) and then the novels would mention Delia normally talking to the bullies' parents (also noting she was somewhat respected in Pallet).

Shudo ends up noticing the bullying eventually stopped and Ash kind of became a bit more mischeavous.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I think the reason Ash’s childhood never comes up in the anime is simply because it isn’t that relevant for the most part. The show is focused on Ash in the present day and having flashbacks to his childhood just doesn’t fit into the show’s dynamic for the most part. Pikachu’s past in its own episode explained a bit about Pikachu’s history before it met Ash but that was mainly because we literally knew nothing about its life before Prof. Oak obtained it. Ash’s past is hinted a few times by Delia in a few episodes and we know he was always a bit goofy as a kid in the few flashbacks that we do see such as in Light, Camerupt, Action! In the OS, Gary teased Ash but it was never as mean spirited as it could have been. He just knew how to push Ash’s buttons.

 

[jaden767]

The Camerupt episode made it look like Ash and Gary spent some time together as kids so I wonder what changed that made them rivals in the 1st place because even in the 1st episode we got the idea that Ash and Gary were already at odds with each other.

 

[Ignition]

The Camerupt episode made it look like Ash and Gary spent some time together as kids so I wonder what changed that made them rivals in the 1st place because even in the 1st episode we got the idea that Ash and Gary were already at odds with each other.

Wasn’t the broken Pokéball the cause of their rivalry?