Pokemon Journeys introduced the fandom to a new main character named Goh who accompanies Ash on his travels through all eight regions. The newcomer's trainer style, however, contradicts several fundamental elements of the canon, and not all fans are happy.

Goh epitomizes the "Gotta catch 'em all" slogan, as he aims to collect as many Pokémon as possible on his adventures to find the legendary Mew. His methods of catching these creatures, however, do not include battling them first, which has left many fans unsatisfied with his character design. There appears to be too much influence by the Pokemon Go game in the creation of the Pokemon Journeys storyline. Outside of this, most fans have three main reasons why they don't accept Goh in the series.

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Gotta Catch 'em All

Goh's Pokemon COllection Grows at an Alarming Rate
Not much gets in the way of Goh as he expands his Pokemon Collection.

The sheer volumes caught by Goh speaks less of his skills as a trainer and instead insinuates that maybe Pokemon are not as strong as viewers once believed, and Legendaries are not so far out of reach. Since its release in 1996, a battle needed to occur or trust earned by the trainer before a wild Pokemon could be captured. But in Goh's case, these rules seem to not apply. Furthermore, capturing a Legendary type was viewed as a massive task, even for Ash, and yet in episode 53, the newcomer accomplishes it with ease when he takes Suicune home.

The focus seems to be on the amount of Pokemon that Goh can accumulate and strays from the familiar theme of friendship, as he is rarely seen interacting with his prized collection afterward. Goh's goal of collecting Pokemon seemingly superseded the need to form meaningful relationships with these critters, which takes some joy out of the show. Fans miss the days of getting to know the Pokemon's individual personalities better or watching their progress as they train.

Goh And Scorbunny

Goh Abandons Scorebunny more than once
Goh can't seem to stop breaking poor Scorebunny's heart

The effortlessness with which Goh's collection grows is arguably the most troublesome element of his character design. No logic or reasoning is given as to why he does not seem challenged by the process of becoming a Pokemon Master, or why battling is not required in his case. A simple addition of making him use Quick Balls would, at least, make more sense.

Goh first shows his lack of heart in Pokemon Journeys episode five, after Scorbunny adventures across the treacherous Wild Area only to be rejected by the trainer, who had his sights set on Mew. It was as if Scorbunny had to prove his worth before being captured. Later on in episode twenty-two, he attempts to leave Raboot (Scorbunny) in Hoenn, and again it is Raboot who has to make the effort to maintain their relationship. Having caught 80 Pokemon so far, it does not seem likely that he forms relationships with them individually. The impression is that he is stockpiling them like any other inanimate collectible, instead of treating them as beloved "pets" like Ash does.

Related: Pokémon Journeys: How Pokémon Grew Up With Its Audience

Goh steals Grookey

Goh stole Grookey from Team Rocket
Never before has a Trainer been able to capture a Pokemon that already belonged to someone else.

Die-hard fans were most disturbed by episode fifty-nine of Pokemon Journeys, where the capture of Grookey makes a bold statement. For the first time in twenty-four seasons, Ash does not have any of the three starters. The fact that Goh is the one to capture Grookey is evidence enough for most fans that Ash is being phased out as the lead character. He is also, however, labeled a "thief" since Grookey actually belonged to Jessie from Team Rocket.

Capturing Grookey for himself even though he belonged to Jessie goes against the moral code of Pokemon training, regardless of the situation. There have been several incidents in the past where negligent trainers were confronted, Charmander for example, but breaking their trainer's Pokeball to gain freedom was never presented as an option.

Goh Still Has Some Fans

Ash-and-Goh

Sentimental fans, however, are comforted by the return to the basis of the series - "Gotta catch 'em all." Where Ash seems to have gone off track, Goh is making the effort to capture as many types of critters as he can. Some community members speculate that his avoidance of conflict is a personality trait that stems from the abandonment he faced as a child, and therefore he finds an alternative way to catch Pokemon.

Besides, whether viewers are fans of Goh or not, it is refreshing to be presented with a male side-kick who does more than just cook, clean, and dish out advice. Goh is a well-rounded character with an emotional backstory that not all fans hate.

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