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UPDATE - We have a more nuanced translation that reads a bit differently. Thanks to PushDustIn for reaching out!

You can find our original report on this story below.


Pokémon Co. rocked the world last week when they revealed that the Pokémon anime as we know it is coming to an end. Ash would see his journey come to a close, paving the way for an all-new series in early 2023. We’ve seen English voice actors for Ash comment on the situation, but it’s the statement from Ash’s Japanese voice actor that’s most interesting.

Over in Japan, Ash has been portrayed from the start by Rika Matsumoto. Following the news of Ash’s series coming to an end, Matsumoto took to Twitter with the following statement.

“Ash’s been an ever-reliable presence in our hearts ever since he set off from Pallet Town. It’s a promise. We’ll always be together! Ash still has more adventures ahead of him. To be continued.”

[Rika Matsumoto]

That statement has left Pokémon fans buzzing. Is it nothing more than wishful thinking, or will we really see more of Ash in the future? Matsumoto isn’t elaborating on her statement, so I guess we’ll just have to keep our fingers and toes crossed!

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Comments (3)

ngamer01

1+ y ago

Outside possible special OVAs and maybe a future guest appearance on occasion, there's still the continuity reboot Ash available. It's just the matter of when TPC authorizes a fourth movie for the continuity reboot movie series.

It's also possible for OG Ash to actually get an expanded role in the mainline Pokemon games now (besides Pokemon Masters since there's been teases of Red wanting to battle Ash in Masters). This is provided if GameFREAK/TPC doesn't consider Ash's appearance in Masters as only a non-canon guest appearance.

Edited 2 times

the_crimson_lure

1+ y ago

I think it's naive to assume this is really the end of Ash's cartoon run.

The 2 new protagonists scream temporary break. The "Ash isn't here!" angle is most definitely to drum up buzz.
No one has stated "Ash isn't showing up anymore."
Just that he's not in the next season.

I wouldn't be surprised if these 2 new protagonists end up becoming the next travelling companions of Ash's after their initial story arc concludes.
(Cue the "Ash is back!!" articles all-around the internet.)


hawk

1+ y ago

Yeah, Ash will be back. It'll be a big event. It'll happen multiple times. He may even come back permanently as a mentor character.