With the ending to Ash's Journey having been released and widely appreciated by many fans of the Pokemon community, many are as excited to see the new adventures of Loko and Roy in the new upcoming series Pokemon: Horizons. While the fans themselves have a lot of interest in the show, and the new protagonists have promise as the focus of the show along with their new professor; Ash Ketchum remains a constant in every ones mind as the quintessential protagonist of Pokemon for 25 years. After all, for nearly 9 generations Ash has always been the main character we followed throughout his journeys, since the very start of the Indigo League in Kanto all the way up to his world-champion victory in Pokemon Journeys. With the end of his journey, many might become melancholic to have to see Ash go and shed the role of main character. However, considering his massive importance in the heart of fans, it is most likely that he will make an appearance in Pokemon Horizon in the near future. Whether Ash will make a cameo or not is a debated topic among the fanbase, and one that bears a bit of exploration.
Pokemon as a series always started off with a simple premise. Usually in the world of Pokemon, a 10-year-old kid chooses to go on an adventure after picking his first starter, and battles other trainers' Pokemon while building up their team to become a Pokemon Master. Ash Ketchum is the biggest example, and the earliest character to have had this dream from the very first episode of the Pokemon anime. What made him special was that his starter turned out to be a Pikachu rather than the three starter Pokémon Charmander, Bulbasaur, or Squirtle. For 25 years he has been the main character, and while his journey has ended as well as his role in the spotlight, it is still up for debate and theorizing whether Ash will ever make an appearance again in the near future or not. It bears a bit of understanding in the beginning why this precedent could happen.
Familiarity And Nostalgia
The first reason to consider why Pokemon: Horizons would consider bringing back Ash as a cameo along with Loko and Roy is simply due to nostalgia as well as the ability to appeal to the older generation to watch the new show. The series itself has had multiple times when characters from previous generations and different shows in the series have made later appearances whether as Cameo's or characters with episodes dedicated to the closure of their arc. Misty and Brock are famous examples, along with Paul (debatably Ash's strongest and best rival) who returned into the spotlight of Pokemon Journeys since his last appearance in the Sinnoh Region. It doesn't seem unlikely for Ash to have the same treatment either later on in the series, as he is a character that needs to be saved and held close to the chest in a sense.
Loko and Roy's journey is most likely to take center stage in the first place, so if Ash were to get a cameo appearance and some involvement in the story, it won't be for a long while until Loko and Roy have established themselves as competent trainers or likable characters in the eyes of the audience. Still, it's also easily possible that Ash won't be used as a cameo ever and that he will have moved on from being the main character and relegated to having fully been removed from Pokemon as a whole. The possibility could be a matter of dedicating more time to Loko and Roy's story to establish a different narrative that isn't founded or reliant on nostalgia as a whole.
Why This Matters
It is no secret that Ash has entrenched himself as the character everybody thinks about when Pokemon is mentioned. While many could say they have had frustrating moments with his character, many more will admit to saying that his character is what made the Pokemon TV show so memorable and successful for as long as it was. Now with Loko and Roy taking center stage, it seems that Ash becoming a cameo or a side character will feel at first jarring to many fans or even perhaps more hype-inducing in the future. Still, with all the information provided, why does it matter if Ash comes back as a cameo or not in the next series?
The reason for why this matters is a simple one at its core, as much as many fans seem to wonder. Ash's final episode ended on his best note, and we have found a brilliant ending spot for his journey considering his greatest victory as world champion in Pokemon Journeys. Ash's journey is over, and therefore the franchise can choose to remove him from the spotlight altogether to focus on a fresh perspective as well as fresh new characters that many have been asking for before. The potential to move onto better things, different changes in the formula as well as a change in tone and focus for the story seems to be the direction that Pokemon Horizons seems to be taking. Even so, It's still too early to make a statement whether Ash will make an appearance or not. The fans simply have to wait until Pokemon Horizons premiered and for further announcements.