ThePokemonanime has been going strong alongside the popular games since shortly after the initial titles were released in 1996, and both the games and anime continue in tandem today. OnePokemonfan has noted that Ash Ketchum’s lengthy run of being excluded fromPokemonvideo games is coming to an end with his character model debut inPokemon Masters EX.
Ash Ketchum has been the protagonist of thePokemonanime and movies since the first episode aired in 1997, and he remains the main character in the ongoingPokemon Journeys. ThePokemonhero has undergone several changes over the years, but despite all of these adjustments, he has been exempt fromPokemongames other than one title that represented the character as an image rather than a character model. This was with the N64sPokemon Puzzle Leaguethat was released in 2000, which usedPokemonanime art to reflect Ash Ketchum, butPokemon Master EXwill be the first to use an official character model.
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Twitter user Akilvers was one of the first to notice that the addition of the Ash Ketchum character model inPokemon Masters EXends thePokemonmain character’s lengthy record of not being featured inPokemongames. The firstPokemontitles focused on aPokemontrainer named Red, who became one of the final challenges ofPokemon Gold and Silver, but Ash Ketchum was never a prominent or even side character in any titles in the series. Akilvers noted that this means Ash Ketchum isn’t going to be an “Easter egg, hint, or letter” like he has been in otherPokemongames likePokemon X and YorPokemon Sun and Moon.
Pokemon Masters EXplayers can havePokemoncharacter Ash Ketchumjoin their battles as a sync pair, and he will have Pokemon that will be familiar to fans of the anime. Ash Ketchum has been introduced toPokemon Masters EXthrough multiversal methods similar to how Sinnoh was drastically changed into the Hisui region inPokemon Legends: Arceus, and he joins the likes of other sync pair heroes like Dawn, Ethan, Hilbert, and more. It’s currently unclear how major of a role Ash Ketchum will play inPokemon Masters EX, but given that he’ll be acting as a sync pair, it’s likely thatPokemonfans will only see him battle other trainers as he may in the anime.
AlthoughPokemon YellowandPokemon Let’s Go Pickachu and EeveeSwitch games follow a similar story to the one that folds out in earlyPokemonanime seasons, these games also neglect to center on Ash Ketchum. OnePokemonfan responding to Akilvers noted that Team Rocket’s Jessie and James received properPokemonvideo game character models about 24 years before Ash Ketchum, highlighting just how manyPokemongames have been released without thePokemonanime protagonistincluded. While it has been decades since thePokemonanime debuted, manyPokemon Masters EXfans expressed surprise at his addition to the game’s roster, with one speculating that Ash will be replaced as the leadPokemonanime character in the future.
Pokemon Masters EXis available on Android and iOS devices.
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