Pokémon anime confirms what Ash plans to do now he's the Champion

It’s the beginning of the end. The first of Ash’s final episodes as the protagonist of the Pokémon anime series has now aired, which means it’s not long to go before we have to say goodbye.

Currently, it’s not known if Ash will return in the new season of the anime in some fashion when that kicks off, but he’ll definitely be passing the main role on to two new protagonists. While it’s lovely to think that he finally achieved his goal of being the very best like no one ever was (even if it took him 25 years to get there), it’s weird to imagine the Pokémon series without him at its centre.

Take a look at the trailer for Ash’s final episodes below.

His sendoff will feature cameos from familiar faces like Misty, Brock and Gary Oak, so if you thought you were going to get away with watching without shedding nostalgic, sentimental tears, think again (the recent appearance of Ash’s Butterfree should have warned you on that front).

As reported by ComicBook, the first of the final episodes has also confirmed Ash’s future plans. What does an eternal 10-year-old lad do once he’s cemented himself as the world’s strongest trainer? While you might expect that the answer would just be to catch ‘em all, it sounds like he has other ideas.

Speaking to Professor Oak in the episode, Ash’s mum explains that he’s not really got a huge goal in mind, but that he wants to make more friends. It’s easy to forget that despite literal decades passing since the start of his adventure, he is still a young kid, so it makes sense that he’s not suddenly studying to become a Pokémon professor or something like that. And hey, he’s been working incredibly hard lately - he definitely deserves a break.

Who knows how this could change in the future - I’m still hoping that the new season might take place after a time skip so that we can finally see him grow up. For now though, more friends it is - who can blame him for wanting a gentle sendoff?