One of thePokémonanime’s biggest criticisms for a long time was how it would yank Ash’s chain, allowing him to get so close to winning a championship, only to pull it away from him in the end. While frustrating for fans at the time, with the series now complete, this big criticism may actually be one of the series' secret strengths.
It’s fair to say thatPokémonis the story of Ash’s long and arduous journey to the top. From a nobody in Pallet Town who couldn’t even get a traditional starter to the world champion, Ash has seen it all over the years. He’s no boring invincible protagonist; Ash loses, and loses a lot compared to most anime heroes.
But the big difference between these losses and setbacks lies in the character of Ash himself. While other heroes may have moments of doubt and feeling worthless,Ash possesses a persistent spirit that no one can break down.
Pokémon Honors Not Talent, But Hard Work and Perseverance
While Talent Plays a Role, It Means Nothing Without the Will to See It Through
Ash begins his journey as perhaps one of the most ill-equipped Pokémon trainers of all time, literally dragging Pikachu on a rope and handling him with rubber kitchen gloves (for what little good that did). It’s clear immediately that Ash doesn’t have any kind of special talent for interacting with Pokémon.
Everything Ash learns and puts to work over his journey is down to experience. In the beginning, Ash knows almost nothing and relies heavily on Brock and Misty, both more experienced, to help him stay on track. But Ash doesn’t rely on them forever; he really does learn and grow a lot, and eventually is in the position of being the mentor to May.
Through his experiences, Ash discovers that dealing with Pokémon can be a tricky endeavor and that while Pokémon share commonalities, no two are exactly alike, even from the same species. Over time, though, Ash begins to understand how to approach wild Pokémon and is often able to convince them to trust him to help.
Throughout the first season, Ash does often look for the easy way out;he asks Blaine for a gym badgeafter running off Team Rocket, knowing this could get him out of a difficult gym challenge based on past experience. This culminates in his use of Charizard at the League tournament, where it lays down and causes him to be disqualified.
Ash is sad about this, of course, but never for a moment does he consider giving up.In fact, he rapidly discovers his next goal and sets out with enthusiasm, unbothered by his loss, but still having learned from it. Everything he’s accumulated helps to up his game in the Orange Islands and manage to win a trophy for himself.
Over the Course of the Series, Ash Steadily Improves (With One Exception)
Ash Almost Always Improves His Tournament Ranking
In the Indigo League, his first championship, Ash reached the top 16, an impressive achievement for a newcomer. In Johto, he moves up to finishing in the top 8, and matches that again with a top 8 finish in Hoenn. By Sinnoh, Ash makes it to the semi-finals and ranks top 4, but then dips down again, back to the top 8 in Unova.
In Kalos, Ash made it to the finals in a thrilling match that pitted him againstshort-term spinoff protagonist Alain. And, of course, after finishing as a runner-up, Ash went on to Alola and managed to win the whole thing, coming in first and becoming the region’s first champion.
There’s a consistent pattern of progress being made each time Ash challenges a region’s Pokémon League tournament.With one exception, Ash always at least ties his previous performance, and often improves his ranking. For a ten-year-old who’s still pretty fresh to the scene, that’s some truly incredible progress.
It might’ve made sense to see Ash backslide a bit after the Unova league, but he doesn’t let his lower ranking affect him that strongly. Ash simply gathers his strength and tries again, and immediately follows that up with a runner-up finish. Had Ash been discouraged or quit in Unova, he’d never have known how close he was to winning.
Pokémon’s Themes of Perseverance Set It Apart from Other Similar Series
Ash Stands Out Among Anime Heroes For Never Giving Up
While a great many series have tried to copyPokémon’s success over the years, few of them have been able to do so to any significant extent. Even taking a broader look at anime heroes with big goals, likeNarutoorMy Hero Academia’s Deku, who are often known for their perseverance to achieve their goals, Ash stands out.
These kinds of heroes may encounter major setbacks and threats, which can force them to rethink their goals and how dedicated they are. While Ash is reflective about his losses, he never lets these failures get him down or cause him to doubt. Ash wasn’t even entrusted with a nine-tailed fox’s chakra, or the power of the #1 hero, for that matter.
Being determined to achieve a goal at any cost is an anime staple, butAsh proves it doesn’t take dramatic, heroic stands that risk death to meet a goal. Ash understands the difficulty of his obstacles and trains regularly to overcome them, and continues to persist in striving for them even in the face of failure.
Ash’s ultimate victory and crowning as world champion is proof that perseverance and dedication to a goal can see even the most unlikely of goals come true.
Ash is the everyman of the anime world; no powers (well, he has Aura power) and no great destiny, except for what he makes for himself. Ash’s ultimate victory and crowning as world champion is proof that perseverance and dedication to a goal can see even the most unlikely of goals come true.
ThePokémonanime is an icon, even among long-running anime, and ultimately, it tells the story of an ordinary boy from Pallet Town, who had no reason to believe he would succeed, becoming the world’s best. Ash’s slow but steady journey to the top was the reward for hard work and perseverance, and it may be the most realistic take on becoming “number one” ever.
