Summary
After over 20 years at the helm of thePokemonanimated series, it was heart-wrenching for many fans to see Ash and Pikachu go for good, as they had been the face of the show for the longest time. The pair’s story was at its highest after winning the biggest tournament in thePokemonseries, and if there was ever a time tosay goodbye to Ash and Pikachuit was then and there, as hard as it was. With the animated series moving on with new protagonists and critters, there’s a chance that Ash and Pikachu’s departure fromPokemonwill have repercussions on the games, starting as early as Gen 10.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s The Teal Mask DLCis on its way, likely coming in a matter of weeks, and then Gen 9 will get another chapter added to its narrative with The Indigo Disk releasing sometime in winter 2023. Nothing is set in stone for the future of the series right now, but the August Pokemon Presents show could reveal more about what’s to come, such as Gen 5 remakes or aPokemon Legends Unovagame. Still, Gen 10 is most probably coming in a couple of years or more, and it could break a series-long tradition following in the animated series' footsteps.
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Ash and Pikachu’s Retirement Could Mean No Pikachu in Gen 10 Pokemon Games
New mainlinePokemongames typically come with their own set of critters originating from that particular region, including regional forms as well as entirely new species. This is a staple of the series, even though some generations have added fewer critters than others. What follows is that the Pokedex grew exponentially, and with it, the team had to face increasingly harder challenges, with the biggest one being creating unique and functioning 3D models for all the critters in every new title in the series.
This is the main reason behind theNational Pokedex controversythat sparked all the way back whenPokemon Sword and Shieldlaunched, as Gen 8 was the first time in the series when players couldn’t actually catch them all. Only a few hundred critters made the cut in the base game, which made the launch of Gen 8 games all the more troubled, but more were eventually added through the Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra DLCs.Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s base game also features just 400 critters out of over one thousand, and it too came with its set of controversies.
With Gen 10 likely cutting multiple species from its Regional Pokedex, there’s a chance thatAsh and Pikachu’s departure from thePokemonanimecould mark the end of a longstanding tradition that sees Pikachu and its evolutionary line available in every mainline game. Considering that the anime moved into a different direction with its cast, it’s not far-fetched to believe that the video game series could do something similar, to the point that the base game in Gen 10 could have no Pichu, Pikachu, or Raichu in it. This doesn’t mean thatPokemonis ready to let go of its mascot, but it could be seen as a nice change of pace to make do without it in one game.
There’s also a chance that, if Game Freak were to actually skip Pikachu’s evolutionary line in Gen 10, it could still be added back to the game through DLC - which seems to be the new model for the franchise after Gen 8’s success. Not having Pikachu and friends show up in a mainlinePokemongame would be a radical change from the series' past, but one could argue that maybe this would be good for a more diverse representation in terms of Pokemon.Gen 10Pokemongamesare likely a ways off, but they would be the first mainline titles after Ash and Pikachu’s retirement, and it’s unclear how this might affect them - if at all.
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