Fans who were upset when it was announced that Ash would be leaving the Pokemon anime may be happy to know that he could end up coming back. A new interview with the Pokemon anime's director has indicated that it may not be the last time fans get to see the eternal 10-year-old.Pokemon fans were shocked recently when two huge shake-ups occurred in the decades-long series. Ash finally became a Pokemon Master after all these years of trying, and it was also announced that he would no longer be the main character of the show. As the anime has been wrapping up his story, those who have been watching the show for years or grew up with it have been surprised and upset to see the icon's journey come to an end.In an interview with the Japanese publication Otomedia, translated by Twitter user DogasusBackpack, Pokemon anime director Kunihiko Yuyama spoke about Ash's adventure in the anime. While much of the interview focused on recent episodes and specials of the show, he also mentioned that "we might see Satoshi [Ash] again somewhere in the future." The director also described Ash as being forever ten years old, so if Ash makes a new appearance, it's unlikely that he will have aged. This probably indicates that the rumors regarding the new Pokemon protagonist being Ash's child are false.
This news will likely come as a big relief to fans who worried that Ash would never be seen again in the Pokemon anime. However, many others likely suspected that something like this would happen. Even Pokemon that left Ash's party early on in the series or Pokemon trainer companions who departed his group have often made appearances in later episodes, reuniting with their old friend. While refreshing the formula the Pokemon anime has had for decades might be overdue, slamming the door on the original protagonist entirely would be an odd choice for the show.
While Ash is taking a step down from the anime, that doesn't mean that he won't be seen anywhere else. The iconic Pokemon trainer has previously made appearances in Pokemon GO and Pokemon Masters EX. His scenario of meeting Pikachu as his starter has also been represented in a few games, like Pokemon Yellow and Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu. It seems likely that these tributes will continue to appear over the years. Whether fans are watching the anime or playing games, there's a good chance that they'll see Ash again, sooner or later.