After 25 years of adventures, encounters and battles, Ash Ketchum has finally realized his life’s dream of becoming the best Pokémon Trainer in the world by winning the World Coronation Eight Masters Tournament.
Too often accustomed to defeat since the beginning of the animated series Pokémon, Sacha Ketchum had taken a first step in 2019 with obtaining the title of the very first League Master of the Alola region. Three years later, the Pokémon Trainer from Bourg-Palette becomes World Champion in the latest episode of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys which aired in Japan last week and should be available later worldwide.
Taito Okiura, Vice President of Marketing at The Pokémon Company International, said:
Ash Ketchum’s determination and perseverance over 25 seasons to achieve his goal of becoming the best Pokémon Trainer in the world is the perfect example of what it means to be a Pokémon Trainer.
Sacha Ketchum, the new Monarch of the World Coronation Tournament
In the Pokémon Ultimate Journeys anime series, the World Coronation Eight-Master Tournament is a global championship that brings together the best trainers from all regions, including former champions like the fearsome Cynthia and others like Iris, Pierre Richard, and Peter . After crushing the competition with a team of Pikachu, Lucario, Hydragon, Ectoplasma, Dragonite and Palarticho to reach the final, Ash Ketchum found himself facing Tarak, the Master of the Pokémon League of Galar.
The match ended with an intense clash between Pikachu and Tarak’s Charizard. This outcome is fitting, given that Pikachu is Ash’s only Pokémon that has accompanied him throughout his 25-year journey. A great way to close the loop.
The end of Sacha Ketchum’s crazy adventures in Pokémon?
Sacha Ketchum becoming World Champion is a significant turning point in popular culture and licensing. While The Pokémon Company hasn’t announced plans for a new Pokémon anime series with a new protagonist, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating on the networks. For them, Ash’s journey may well be coming to an end with Pokémon Ultimate Journeys.