28th March 2023

After 25 years, Ash and Pikachu's Pokemon adventure comes to an end

(Source: Ash and Pikachu, centre, The Pokémon Company)

After 25 years and 1232 episodes worth of adventures later, the Pokémon anime last week said goodbye to Ash Ketchum and Pikachu as the main characters. On 25th March 2023, was the last episode of their epic journey and this was bound to equally low-key delight and annoy fans.

It's crazy to think that the ambitious 10-year-old Ash and his electric mouse companion Pikachu have been a key part of many childhoods. The show first debuted on Japanese screens on April 1st 1997, followed by the English dub premiering in September 1998.

(Source: Ash, Pikachu and Prof Oak, centre, The Pokémon Company 1997)

This was no surprise to the fans as their end was announced in December last year. After taking on the title of the 'world’s strongest trainer' by winning the world championships, Ash finally achieved his goal of becoming ‘the very best’.

With the announcement in December, there was little room left to carry on their story. Producers announced that there would be an 11-part series to wrap up Ash and Pikachu’s storyline, before introducing a new anime with different leads that'll launch in Japan next month.

The final part of the series saw Ash reunite with his original travelling companions Misty and Brock, but for the final episode, the two departed at the start, leaving Ash and Pikachu to return home to Pallet Town.

There, he bumped into his old rival Gary Oak who then prompted him to consider if his recent victory had made him the ‘Pokémon Master’ he’d longed to be when he started his ambitious journey.

Meanwhile, the show’s equally long-running villainous trio Jessie, James and Meowth were stuck working the kitchens at Team Rocket headquarters. They had split up as a trio after another failed attempt at capturing Pikachu but that never stopped their scheming.

Plotting separately to capture Pikachu yet again, the three came across their prey in a forest, where they captured Pikachu and planned their mistake (typical of them).

Long-time fans were left surprised, as Ash and Pikachu were rescued by his Pidgeot. Pidegeot has been unseen for 24 years. Pidgeot’s return just highlighted the series' longevity.

The overall conclusion of Ash and Pikachu's story was pretty bland, but one embracing the consistent theme throughout the entire series.

Ash and Pikachu were caught in a rainstorm where the two hid under a tree surrounded by a hoard of wild Pokémon. Ash decided that he’d achieved his Pokémon Master goal by befriending so many Pokemon during his journeys.

After 25 years, a new adventure begins, with a newly reunited Team Rocket following behind. Only this time, we won’t be following Ash and Pikachu as we have new stars in the spotlight.

The new anime, Pokémon Horizons, is inspired by the recent video games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet