Pikachu and Ash say goodbye to the Pokémon world

January 2023 will mark the end of an era in the Pokémon world.

It has been confirmed that trainer Ash Ketchum and Pokêmon Pikachu will be leaving the show for good and are finally retiring after 25 years.

The anime has captured the imagination of young and old alike from all over the world. The Pokêmon franchise began as a game for the Nintendo GameBoy in 1996, and has since evolved.

Aside from continuing to be one of the highest-selling video game franchises, Pokêmon also has a trading card game, a live action movie, books, comics, music, games, and an anime television series. From a simple game, it has even ventured into the real world with Pokemon Go, a mobile game that uses geolocation and augmented reality to place the characters in real world locations. Players can actually experience being Pokémon trainers themselves alnd set out to collect their own Pokémons. To date, there are over a thousand variations of Pokémons.

It was in 1997 that beloved 10-year-old Pokêmon trainer Ash first made his debut on television. In the Japanese version, he was named Satoshi after the Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri and voiced by Rika Matsumoto. For the English version, he was voiced by Veronica Taylor and by 1998, by Sarah Natochenny. 

Ash has made his mark on everyone who loved Pokémon.

“No matter what lies beyond his final chapter, he’ll live forever in the hearts of many generations to come,” declared the voice actor. “I’ll keep him present for all of us in every way I can.”

Since the beginning. Ash has served as the face of Pokémon. The anime series followed his adventures as he battled to become the World Champion and top Pokémon trainer in Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series. Since Ash has already won the Pokémon World Coronation Series, perhaps it’s time for other trainers to rise to the forefront. 

Come January 2023, Ash is set to be seen in his last 11 episodes. With Ash is fan favorite Pokémon Pikachu, who will likewise join Ash in retirement. The two are expected to reunite with Brock, Misty, Gary, and Team Rocket for their final adventure.

This doesn’t mean that the Pokémon world will cease to exist. On the contrary, a new series is about to begin. 

“An all-new Pokémon series has been announced,” Pokémon tweeted last December 16, 2022.

“Join 2 new characters and 3 Paldea starter Pokémon as they adventure through the Pokémon world! Plus, commemmorate Ash’s journey with special episodes concluding Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series,” they announced. “Coming soom in 2023 and beyond!”

The new storyline will be based off the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet video games. Many Nintendo Switch fans will be familiar with this, as Scarlet and Violet have already sold over 10 million copies since their November release.

The new trainers are Liko and Roy, and they will be joined by Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly — three starter Pokémons from the Paldea region.

"It will represent everything (fans) love about Pokemon animation, including action, adventure, friendship and Pokemon," promised Pokémon makers.