After 20 years of journey and friendship, Ash Ketchup and Pikachu, the protagonists of the Pokémon anime series, have decided to step away from their iconic roles. The news was revealed during last week’s Jump Fest, leaving fans wondering what the future holds for the beloved characters. In this article, we will explore what the Pokémon Company has planned in this new era without Ash and Pikachu.

While recently’s Dive Fest included some major news in the anime world for Shōnen series brand-new and old, possibly the biggest statement in the medium was the reveal that Ash Ketchup and Pikachu were seeking to retire as the lead characters of Pokémon’s anime. Prior to the dynamic duo leaves the precious series as the stars, Pokémon is aiming to commemorate their long journey by means of extra anime episodes, in addition to a unique entry called Pocket Monsters: The Far Off Blue Sky which arrives just in time for the holidays as a present to pocket monster fans.

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The official statement for the upcoming episode dropping later on today checks out as such from Pokémon’s website:

To celebrate Pokémon’s animated series’ twenty-five-year history, a special episode called Pocket Beast: The Far Off Blue Sky will air on Friday, December 23rd, 2022. We have actually called upon staff from the initial 1997 series to provide us Ash and Pikachu’s regular, big day in a unique episode that’s perfect for the last broadcast of the year.

Goodbye Ash

The production personnel likewise confirmed some of the developers that helmed this task including director Kunihiko Guyana, screenplay writer Shoji Connemara, character designers Saudi CHI’Ishim and Shula Masada, as well as musician Shinji Miyazaki.

The Authorities Twitter Represent Pokémon’s anime series likewise shared brand-new images from the upcoming special which will act as the television show’s final entry for 2022 following the earth-shattering news that Ash and Pikachu’s period as the series leads would be waning:

Are you unfortunate to see Ash and Pikachu lastly leave the series after their twenty-plus-year history? Do you think Like might be related to Ketchup according to the popular fan theory? Do not hesitate to let us know in the comments or strike me up straight on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Pokémon.

Though Ash and Pikachu might be leaving the series as the stars of the program, 2 brand-new fitness instructors are set to take the check Like and Roy. While a couple of details have actually been exposed about these new trainers so far, a popular theory is that the female fitness instructor Like may just be the child of Ash in the future, sporting a hairpin that looks quite familiar to the logo that Ketchup uses on his hat.