Choice between continuing the anime or a final season with your favorite character

[DiamondClass]

In different pokemon forums there are recent threads about fans wanting old characters to return or cameo in the show. It made me think that one of the reasons people still keep up with the anime is that they wish to eventually see their favorite character come back in some capacity. In a way it's hope that still keeps them in the show for many years.

If there was a choice between having your favorite character return full time to the show for its final season, lets say near the end of 6th gen and lasting 3 years. Or allowing the show to continue for many more generation, without any old characters ever returning. Which of these two outcomes would you pick?

[Caseydia]

I rather them just do chronicals for each character. Just because they aren't with Ash doesn't mean they can't get stories.

[DiamondClass]

I rather them just do chronicals for each character. Just because they aren't with Ash doesn't mean they can't get stories.

Assuming that things like chronicles would not happen either.

[An00bis]

There's no one I'd be particularly excited to see for a season.

[Zorocario]

I have been waiting for I don't know how long to see Ash go back for Pidgeot. Anyway, I honestly would like to see Ash travel alone for a while.

[CyberCubed]

I'd rather Ash's story finally wrap up but I don't really care who Ash's travel companions are in the last season.

If it ended with BW with Iris and Cilan I'd be perfectly fine.

[Steelrush]

I'd prefer that the anime stay alive for as long as it could, regardless of what character is in it. However, another opinion I have is that they should give Ash's story a rest (not forever, of course), and keep the anime going with someone new for a while until the fans get tired of that.

[DawnBoy]

I'd like to see Dawn return for the final season. I don't really want the anime to go much longer, it's starting to get boring and repetitive.

[Bluelatios*]

In different pokemon forums there are recent threads about fans wanting old characters to return or cameo in the show. It made me think that one of the reasons people still keep up with the anime is that they wish to eventually see their favorite character come back in some capacity. In a way it's hope that still keeps them in the show for many years.

If there was a choice between having your favorite character return full time to the show for its final season, lets say near the end of 6th gen and lasting 3 years. Or allowing the show to continue for many more generation, without any old characters ever returning. Which of these two outcomes would you pick?

I voted but let me clarify that I am picking door number 3; Let the show continue for many many generations WITH some old characters. They need a balance between the audiences they appeal to, otherwise future generations will continue the same. The system of "new characters every time" will ironically become old.

[Ver-mont]

I'd like to see Ash's story being concluded and a new protagonist taking his place.

That way the anime can go on for more generations and Ash doesn't need to become a rookie again or to lose in every single major League competition he enters.

Of course, that's extremely unlikely to happen.

[Platinum fan.]

Ugh. Would a second series be a option? No? Because that is what I would choose, a second series having nothing to do with Ash whatsoever. I would love the idea of a main character who's goal was not to be a Pokemon Master and simply battles because he or she is forced into it and slowly begins to enjoy battles or something like that. Anything over what's going on right now. I don't care who Ash's final sidekicks of the show are anymore. I use to but now I don't care. I have no desire to see any of the old characters back on the main cast full time again because they can only go backwards not forwards.

[Mandi.]

Neither.. because I know my favorite character is gone.
And the show needs to end so don't continue with it please.

(:

[00poke_maniac]

I'd have to say continuing the anime. I mean, even if I don't watch the series anymore by that time, I'd still feel empty to see the show end. :/

[Angel~]

Neither! Please end the anime already.

[Ash&Pikachu-Fan]

I chose, "Have the anime continue for as long as possible for many generations." 'cause I enjoy watching the anime, every week or so and looking forward to new episodes to come.

[pokemon fan 132]

There is lot of true in what OP said. People would be surprised how many fans out there are sticking to show mostly because they have hope that their favorites will return(whether its Misty, May, Brock etc).

But honestly instead of choosing between ending anime or go straight to last season bringing fan favorite why not have both?
Pokemon continuing to air and older characters being reused in future generations for certain time periods?

Its quite common practice in other anime such as "Bakugan", "Inazuma Eleven Go", "Naruto" etc which aside from adding new characters keep older ones relevant in some form bringing them for specific stories, influencing growth of current cast while growing further themselves remaining updated. Very popular approach and its much better than what we have with pokemon leaving many great characters forgotten.

Rotation definitely has potential to work in pokemon anime if its given a try. That way we would still get new characters , but fans would also be given opportunity to see their favorite characters from past in action again updated,refreshed and developed more taking them in new directions.
As such i believe most people will be a lot more interested into pokemon if aside from new companions, characters they grew to like became relevant again returning to main cast for smaller periods when their return would help benefit their own story, and advance current one.

Such concept would soil ground for pokemon series becoming more appealing to wider group of people keeping viewers loyal toward anime, since it makes them invest in cast starting to care with story becoming imbued with better continuity with that number only increasing more when new people starts watching such show spreading out its popularity.

In long running show like pokemon to maintain viewers interest and loyalty its desirable to try out innovative ideas and different approach and this could be well invested money in longer run imo.

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That being said if anime had to end approaching to last season, character i feel deserve to return to main cast the most is Misty never receiving proper closure with many things in her story having room to be done more.
In my opinion it would be great if she could return for a season persay with length of Orange Islands or Battle Frontier. That would give us opportunity that Misty infiltrates within new group being interesting to see how she would interact with new characters always adding extra spark with her multicolored personality, along with allowing to tie up loose ends in story getting more development.

So yes i wish writers bring her back at some point, because there was so many things unanswered not only with water master goal for which gym isn't enough,but also with past, ambitions and various other aspects of Misty character which are left unfinished and i miss that unmistakable dynamic and lively interaction she was famous for.

[BlueDragonfangirl]

I'd rather them continue as long as possible, as long as Ash still remains the main character I will continue to watch.

[dirkac]

I honestly believe they should've destroyed Ash by the end of the OS, and in Advanced, went with Brendan/May/Wally as main. Then Lucas/Dawn/Barry, and then Ethan/Lyra/Kris/Silver in filler Johto arc.

BW Should have had Cheren as main IMO, with Bianca/Hilbert/Hida/N appear as Rivals :P

B2W2 season (not yet existing) should IMO have Nate/Rosa/Hugh as main.


This way it isn't just some complete hyperactive, rash idiot as main for 7 regions. Instead some quirky (Hoenn), formal (Sinnoh) and unique (BW) characters, not just the same, annoying "Ash".

... God I despise Ash.

[dman_dustin]

I honestly believe they should've destroyed Ash by the end of the OS, and in Advanced, went with Brendan/May/Wally as main. Then Lucas/Dawn/Barry, and then Ethan/Lyra/Kris/Silver in filler Johto arc.

BW Should have had Cheren as main IMO, with Bianca/Hilbert/Hida/N appear as Rivals :P

B2W2 season (not yet existing) should IMO have Nate/Rosa/Hugh as main.


This way it isn't just some complete hyperactive, rash idiot as main for 7 regions. Instead some quirky (Hoenn), formal (Sinnoh) and unique (BW) characters, not just the same, annoying "Ash".

... God I despise Ash.

Pokémon could never work like that.

Pokémon has to have a single protagonist that pretty much goes to every single generation. It's not right for a protagonist, to be cheated out of the new Pokémon that come out.

Which is why Ash should never be replaced.

[Mew2]

Pokémon could never work like that.

Pokémon has to have a single protagonist that pretty much goes to every single generation. It's not right for a protagonist, to be cheated out of the new Pokémon that come out.

Which is why Ash should never be replaced.

Why not? It works great in Pokémon Special. I think that it could be done in the animé, too. I'd like Ash to finish his Unova adventure and, assuming he does not win the Unova League (and it doesn't look like he will), he could finish by taking on the Kanto League once more and winning that, just to show that he can win a league.

[tomboyTrainer305]

I'll rather have the show continue no matter on what region Ash's at...I don't mind the other characters but I want to continue watching b/c of Ash and Pikachu only...:P

[dirkac]

Pokémon could never work like that.

Pokémon has to have a single protagonist that pretty much goes to every single generation. It's not right for a protagonist, to be cheated out of the new Pokémon that come out.

Which is why Ash should never be replaced.

The only reason you s is because you're used to it, if they went with mine, and someone were to say that Ash should have stayed, the response would be the same, saying that it wouldn't work out.

And I can tell you like Ash. Ash is ok, but in all honesty, I hate him only because he was so outplayed.

It would also work out fine, Pokéspe works, the games work. And the Animé is about promoting the games, and the way they're doing it now is promoting games that came out like 15 years ago by keeping the same, highly overrated character in.

And it's also just old, as we all now Ash will never win the Pokémon League, and because of that, he's hogging the spotlight, while characters like Brendan, Lucas and Kris are basically nonexistant outside of cameos.

[dman_dustin]

The only reason you s is because you're used to it, if they went with mine, and someone were to say that Ash should have stayed, the response would be the same, saying that it wouldn't work out.

You could argue that, but-

Unless they wanted to screw Ash over, because the Indigo series was not well done, had he been replaced it would've been stupid.

Ash continued to journey to the next generation because it made sense. Completely creating a brand new series, mostly unrelated to the last series, only works for shows like Digimon, because well for one thing they are digital monsters, in the real world and there are many ways to address that situation. Like the 3rd series, where the first 2 series was a cartoon or something.

Pokémon are real creatures, so if you were going to create an anime, it depends on you want to create the anime.

The anime is about goals/adventure/etc.

I remember that the only reason the anime continued after 1st generation WAS because it was so popular, otherwise the anime would've ended, period. No new series, no nothing.

From that point, Ash and Pikachu became the face of the anime.

Pokémon isn't a digimon, or Yu-gi-oh show, it's more like a Dragonball show, or a Naruto show or something like that, only without the aging.

Focusing on at least the same character throughout the show. Speaking of Dragonball, I'd like it if there was a brand new series with no familiar characters. But that won't work because Dragonball is specifically about Goku. Even as the series ended, Goku was still the main focus.

That's what Pokémon became.

Plus again it doesn't make sense.

I wouldn't mind if there was other series of Pokémon playing. A mystery dungeon series, a Pokémon chronicle series like we had.

But the main series could never work without Ash and Pikachu, because that series is about HIS adventures throughout the entire Pokémon world to try and become a Pokémon master.

You could argue what you're arguing. But that argument can be applied to anything.

"Link can never be replaced"

Oh you're only saying that because you're used to it. If Link was replaced by someone else in every game, you'd be used to that.

That particular argument wears thin, eventually.

[Caseydia]

Continuing the anime until it is finally over is better than everyone's selfish nogastic needs. I've learn to let characters ago including Ash along time ago. If the show ends, I'll be sad but I have a life, so it won't be the end of the world.

[dman_dustin]

including Ash along time ago.

I would never be able to let go.

Because I'd be so pissed that Ash isn't catching any of these brand new Pokémon.

I would never be able to see Ash, working for his goal at being a Pokémon master, never be able to see him battling again.

And on top of that, Ash's story would probably be screwed over (Gym Leader, Okay I'll be Pallet Town's Gym Leader).

So I'm fine with the series continuing so long Ash is still the main character.