Pokemon anime still running with Ash as the main

[precita]

Why exactly is Ash still around after 15 years? They got rid of Misty a decade ago and never looked back, and Brock finally left the show last year. The original trio never saw the light of day since the end of Johto, so why not retire Ash himself and start with a new hero?

Bringing in May was their first experiment with a new game hero as a main, so I don't see why they didn't do the same with Ash.

You could argue Ash is marketable and well known, well you could say the same for Misty and Brock and they're long gone. I think it would be easier for the anime to start off fresh with a new cast, rather than sticking to the same continuity for 15 years.

 

[Toastie]

I think it would be interesting if Ash won the league and then became the Brock type character, helping out a new protagonist, but it'll never happen.
Ash is the main character. At the start of every saga, his character development is 'reset' and we get to see him develop once again. That won't change. Ash is like link in Zelda - it would be weird without him and he's never going to leave.

 

[Satoren]

The fact is that they have tried replacing Ash with a new protagonist. That attempt resulted in The Legend of Thunder, May, Dawn and to a lesser extent, Lyra. While they were fairly popular in their respective rights (enough for people to debate who was better even) people still preferred Ash and Pikachu. Even if those two girls were to start gym battling (and Dawn technically did at one point) Ash and Pikachu are simply too popular for them to be contenders. They're one of the defining marks of the franchise. Like Mario and Sonic to their own, Ash and even moreso Pikachu are the poster boys of the Pokemon Franchise.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

What RX said. It's that goddamn Pikachu. Even if you replaced Ash with some new kid with a Pikachu, it still won't be THAT goddamn Pikachu.

At least you can take a small bit of comfort in the fact that Ash has been replaced by a braindead fuck who doesn't even remember the basics of Pokemon Training and yet looks similar enough to the original Ash with the exception of his eye color.

Oh wait. They're trying to pass that off as Ash too. Nevermind.

Incidentaly, Precita, have you ever made even ONE post that isn't whining about why Ash is still around? >>; Seriously, kid, it's getting old. Quit it.

 

[precita]

The various specials they made prove that Ash doesn't have to be in every animated Pokemon product ever. And while I understand why a Pikachu has to be in the show, this never stopped them from giving the same pokemon to new characters. Did May not have a Bulbasaur and Squirtle? Did Dawn not have a Cyndaquil? Why can't they do something like that? Its not like their pokemon were exactly the same as Ash's.

And while we know Misty wasn't important enough to keep, and neither was Brock for that matter, you can still say every other main character was marketable during their run and they were dropped. Kids watching Pokemon today do not even know what the, "original trio" was. Misty's been gone for so long that she has become a total non-entity.

Why do you think the writers have gotten rid of all the other original series characters? They cannot do the same for Ash when kids today have not even seen any of his earlier adventures?

 

[Carmen Lopez]

I used to be one of those people who was all for getting rid of Ash (not that I would ever complain if they actually did do it). Overtime however, I've softened quite a bit xD My biggest problem with Ash in the Black and White saga is not the fact that he's the main protagonist, but that they effectively erased his experience in the DP saga by making him utterly stupid which Stel mentioned in his post. It's just gotten annoying because Ash isn't a newbie trainer anymore. It also proves that while they're trying to maintain older players of the games, they really aren't trying that hard with the anime. I would love to see Ash in the role of a mentor to a younger person even while he continues to challenge gyms or even train to defeat the champion of a region.

DP made me like the anime again, but I refuse to watch Black and White until the series improves. I was really excited about the reboot, but it just seems like a dull, moronic, and boring rehash yet again. I just wish that Ash would have a role that reflected his experiences. The anime just isn't for us older people it seems xD

PS: Also I can't wait to see a female protagonist bar Misty that I actually like.

 

[Sem]

Animated specials are just that. Specials. They're not meant to substitute the main show. They tried a series without Ash in it. Pokemon Chronicles. See how well that did? See how we continue to receive new episodes? Wait...

It really does just prove that while other characters are popular and marketable, they are no where near as popular as Ash. No other character has or ever will be as popular as Ash - aside from Pikachu himself, and you can't have one without the other. You can give other characters Pokemon Ash has had, but you can't just make a new protagonist and just give him/her a Pikachu. When that happens you can kiss goodbye to the series. Other Pokemon are also not as popular as Pikachu. Pikachu is an icon the world over. Pikachu is a household name. Someone could have NO IDEA what the other 650+ Pokemon are, but they will recognize Pikachu.

There would essentially be no Pokemon Anime without Ash. It would end up being an entirely different show altogether. And the reason they're not doing it is because most people are happy with how it is right now. People like Ash. That's why Chronicles is dead, and why characters like Brock and Dawn get specials - they don't need more than that. Ash, however, is the plot of the series. The series revolves around him becoming a Pokemon Master, and while it's not repeated as often as it used to be, it is still the focus of the show. Behind every subplot in the series, the main backbone is the plot of Ash achieving his dream.

How many people name their in-game character's Ash? More than you'd think. Ash is named after Satoshi Tajiri, the father of the franchise, the reason we all live and breathe. Ash is the embodiment of the "catch em' all" slogan. Ash was the one doing what we all wished we could when we were little and watching the show.

So what if the new generation has no idea who Misty is? So what? So what if they haven't seen the first season, which is irrelevant anyway, since they continue to market the original show, and even offer episodes online. You can go on the official Pokemon website right now and watch old episodes. And kids today WILL go on the official website, as well as sort themselves into the many online Pokemon Communities, where they will hear about the old shows as well. It will be impossible for them not to know the old show exists.

So really your point is entirely moot right now. Newer fans do know about the oh so holy original trinity. What I'm wondering is why you continue watching a show you only have bad things to say about. Seriously.

 

[KoL]

The anime sucks anyway, who cares right?

Honestly, I don't think the new seasons are any worse than the first one. For me personally, I just moved on from it once I started to dislike it - in a sense I "grew out" of it after a while, since it is undoubtedly aimed at a young audience, or at least an audience considerably younger than 23.

I stopped watching it when I got fed up of it Precita, maybe you should do the same.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

In any case, beyond Precita's incessant and pointless whining, this thread has fuckall discussion value. I'm locking this, and if I see one more whine, I swear to zog, there will be armblades.