One aspect of the epic farewell tour the TV show has in store for its star trainer is Ishizuka’s voice return to the Pokemon anime. Several of Ash’s previous travelling companions, including his initial party with Brock and Misty, have been confirmed to appear in the final episodes. The Pokemon Company has also hinted at Ash reuniting with numerous of his previous Pokemon, with the long-awaited reunion with his Butterfree being confirmed. The new Ash-less Pokemon anime is expected to premiere early next year, with Ash getting 11 additional episodes as the main character.
The Pokemon anime’s goodbye to its long-running main character comes as the franchise’s newest entrants have garnered great popularity. Following their release, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet broke sales records, becoming the fastest-selling Nintendo games of all time. Scarlet and Violet were revealed to have sold 10 million copies in the first three days of their release. Pokemon seems to be entering a new age with the Paldea area, with Scarlet and Violet shifting the games towards an open-world concept and the anime moving away from Ash.
