In December 2022, Pokémon announced that Ash and Pikachu’s journey in the Pokémon animated series is coming to an end – closing off 25 years of adventure for the 10-year-old protagonist.

Ash started his Pokémon journey on April 1, 1997 when the anime first aired in Japan, and in December 1997, the series was released in The United States. Over the past 25 years, Pokémon fans have watched Ash and his partner Pikachu explore the world of Pokémon on his journey to become a Pokémon Master.

Ash’s dream of becoming a Pokémon Master came true on November 11, 2022, when “Enter The Champion!”, episode 132 of “Pokémon Journeys” aired. This is an episode that anyone that has ever liked Pokemon should watch, where the protagonist won his Pokémon battle against Leon, the long-time reigning champion. This victory crowned Ash as the World Champion and finally, he was the Pokémon Master he was longing to be!

Pokémon also announced that the final episode of “Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series” will air in Japan on January 13th, 2023, though the date for the English release date has yet to be announced.

You can follow Ash’s final journey by watching “Pokémon Journeys” on Netflix. In this series, Ash and his Pokémon are joined by Goh, a Pokémon trainer who wants to catch every type of Pokémon there is. The pair travel across the world of Pokémon building their Pokédex, training their team, and battling other trainers (including some familiar faces).

The question now is “What’s next for the Pokémon animated series?” With the news of Ash’s departure, Pokémon released that the new series, placed in the Paldea region, will feature two new protagonists going out on their Pokémon adventure.

Watch the trailer for the final part of “Pokémon Ultimate Journeys” and the teaser for the new series below:

Ash’s journey with Pikachu has not yet come to an end, so be sure to catch up on all of the episodes and send off everyone’s favorite Pokémon Master the right way.