Pokemon Anime Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions relating to the Pokemon anime.

What is the Pokemon Anime?
Pokemon (Pocket Monsters) is a series of video games created by Satoshi Tajiri based around the adventure of a young male or female Pokemon Trainer (the player characters) who set out to try and become the region's Champion. The Pokemon anime series is based off the games in order to promote them further. The anime series follows the adventures of a boy named Ash Ketchum (Satoshi) from Pallet Town (Masara Town) with his trusted companion Pikachu as he aims to become a Pokemon Master.

Why doesn't the anime follow Pokemon Adventures?
The anime was created before Pokemon Adventures and as a result does not follow the manga's story.

How old is Ash? Is he still 10 years old?
Ash is 10 years old. This was reconfirmed by the narrator at the beginning of the Japanese debut of the series Pokemon Best Wishes.

What gender is Ash's Pikachu?
Pikachu's gender is 100% confirmed male.

When will Ash become a Pokemon Master? Will he age or be replaced?
According to former Director and current storyboard artist Masamitsu Hidaka, if Ash does become a Pokemon Master it would signify the end of the series. It was also stated he won't be replaced nor would he ever age.

How old are the other main characters?
The only main character confirmed to be older than Ash is Brock (Takeshi) who is 15. Misty (Kasumi), May (Haruka) and Dawn (Hikari) are also aged 10, Tracey Sketchit (Kenji) doesn't have a revealed age and Max (Masato) is 7. The ages of Iris and Cilan (Dent) are currently unknown.

What is a Pokemon Master?
The term has not yet been explained in the anime at this point.

When will the anime end?
It is unknown when the anime will end. Most fans believe it will happen when the games are stop being made.

Will Misty ever return as a main character?
According to Masamitsu Hidaka, she will not return as a main character.

Who is Ash's father?
Ash's father is currently a Pokemon Trainer who is traveling on his own. It is unknown if he'll ever appear though.

Why did the English voices change?
In 2006, 4Kids Entertainment lost the dubbing rights to the anime and the English dub is now handled by The Pokemon Company International (TPCI). The voice actors were replaced cos they couldn't work on the new dub due to contract reasons, however several 4Kids voice actors have since had roles in the new dub.

How long was the Kanto, Orange Islands & Johto saga?
The Kanto saga took place between "Pokemon - I Choose You!" (EP001) and "Pallet Party Panic" (EP081). Orange Islands took place between "A Scare In The Air" (EP082) and "The Rivalry Revival" (EP116) while Johto took place between "Don't Touch That 'Dile" (EP117) and "Hoenn Alone" (EP274).

What happened to the GS Ball?
The GS Ball was used as a plot device to get Ash to go to Johto. The writers originally intended for Celebi to be in the GS Ball but dropped the idea and instead put Celebi as the star of the fourth movie.

How long was the Hoenn & Kanto Battle Frontier saga?
The Hoenn saga took place between "Get The Show On The Road!" (EP275/AG001) and "Pasta La Vista!" (EP419/AG145) when the 4Kids dub ended. The Kanto Battle Frontier saga started with "Fear Factor Phony" (EP420/AG146) and concluded with "Home Is Where The Start Is" (EP466/AG192).

How long was the Sinnoh saga?
The Sinnoh saga began with "Following A Maiden's Voyage" (EP467/DP001) and ended with "Memories Are Made Of Bliss" (EP657/DP191).

How long was the Unova saga?
The Unova saga began on September 23, 2010 in Japan with the episode "In The Shadow Of Zekrom!" (EP658/BW001) while the English premiere was on February 12, 2011 as part of a double episode special.

What happened to Brock?
Brock is no longer on the main cast in Best Wishes. After Diamond & Pearl he decided to return to Pewter City and work on becoming a Pokemon Doctor.