New Pokémon Movie Will Discuss Ash Ketchum's Father | Game Rant
Despite being only 10 years old, Ash Ketchum is easily one of the most seasoned Pokémon trainers out there. The Pokémon anime has been running since 1997, and since the very beginning, Ash has been traveling around various lands without any sort of parental supervision. While his mother does appear from time to time, his father has never shown his face or even been meaningfully referenced, leading to heavy speculation about why he's not around.
Fans have assumed, based on small dialogue moments, that Ash's father left on a Pokémon training journey of his own. This was eventually confirmed by a storyboard artist in an interview about the show, and while many characters have been pointed to as possible suspects, no meaningful evidence has ever been provided about where he is and what he's like.
As it turns out, that may be about to change. An upcoming film, Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, is set to heavily feature themes of father/son relationships, and so the director has seen fit to touch on the long-ignored subject of Ash's dad. The film will star Zarude and Koko, a human and Pokémon with a strong parent/child bond, and naturally, that brings up some memories for everyone's favorite Pokémon trainer.
During an interview, director Tetsuo Yajima discussed how becoming a father had changed his perspective, and led him to the decision to finally give some solid backstory to the mysterious father figure. As of right now, however, exact details are being kept close to the vest. Yajima explained that Ash's personality is heavily influenced by his father, and at one point during the movie Ash exclaims "watching [Koko and Zarude] reminds me of times with my dad."
In the first look teaser of the film, Zarude can be seen acting highly protective of Koko, and protecting him from danger. That, plus the fact that Pokémon is a very family-friendly show, seems to indicate that Ash's father is a fairly caring and compassionate person, and his absence is more a product of circumstance rather than harmful neglect.
Whether there'll actually be any significant details as to where he's been since Ash departed is up for debate. As interesting as it would be to get the full story of where he's been and why, the movie seems more focused on the more immediate plot revolving around Zarude and Koko. Still, it's an interesting tidbit to look forward to regarding a character who has been quite conspicuous by their absence, and should give fans all they need to continue their ongoing speculations.
Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle will release in 2021.
Source: Crunchyroll
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December 26, 2020
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