The Pokémon anime starring Ash Ketchum ended almost two years ago, and even now, fans can't help but speculate about Ash's eventual return to the series. If Ash is to make a comeback, though, there's one thing that has to happen: he needs to be aged up.

Pokémon Horizons has been going strong for a while now, and it's found its legs and started running. The new series is much more story-oriented than the original series was and is moving at a good clip, meaning that there hasn't been any need to bring back Ash just to give the show a boost. Liko and Roy are strong enough protagonists to carry their story, and fans still get their regular dose of Pikachu from Captain Pikachu. That said, though, many fans would welcome the reappearance of Ash in some capacity, even if he risks overshadowing the new heroes.

Ash Must Have Aged When We See Him Again

Ash's Appearance Should Reflect His Experience

The idea of aging up Ash Ketchum is a popular one within the fandom; many hoped that Ash's final episode would show an aged-up Ash in the future, still out there training years later, but that wasn't the case. The reason for the series' reluctance to let Ash age is due to a fear that he will no longer be as relatable to the show's target demographic, but that's a ridiculous fear; other anime series, like Naruto, and most famously, Dragon Ball, had no problems with aging their protagonists, and if anything, became more popular as a result. When most people think of Goku, it's his adult form they think of, not his child form.

Ash has remained his ten-year-old self for over 25 years, and many fans, even before his departure was announced, felt it was time for a change. If Ash is to make an appearance in Horizons, or perhaps some other anime project in the future (like a Pokémon movie), then that feeling will still hold true. Ash will have been gone for a fairly long period of time, and it would be a bit disappointing to see him exactly as fans left him years ago. If only to reflect the time that has ed, Ash should be aged up and redesigned for any new appearances he might make.

Pokémon wasn't afraid to age up Ash's video game counterpart, Red, for example. Red appears as the protagonist of Red and Blue, as the final optional boss of Gold and Silver, in the Pokémon World Tournament of Black 2 and White 2, and finally in Sun and Moon, as a 20-something adult. Red and his rival, Blue, appear as adults in the Battle Tree in Alola, the first time any Pokémon protagonist had been shown to age substantially. If Red can be allowed to age, then so can Ash.

Ash Can Be Any Age, So Long As He's Older

Ash Doesn't Need to Be An Adult in a Reappearance

While many fans would like to see Ash aged all the way up to adult status like Red, there's no reason that has to be the case. Ash could age as little as two years and still show significant differences from his ten-year-old self. There certainly wouldn't be any harm in making him as old as Brock was at the start of the series, roughly 15 years old. What actually needs to be shown is simply that Ash has grown and changed during his time out of focus, and 5 years would show that just as well as 10 or 15 years.

Unfortunately, this seems to be a feeling that's only shared among fans; the producers of Pokémon have indicated in the past that if Ash is to appear again, expect him to be the same ten-year-old that we've known and loved for the last 25 years. It's a frustrating idea, but it's not written in stone; the producers can (and should) reconsider their stance on Ash's age. After all, if Ash reappears, he won't be the protagonist anymore, so him being particularly relatable to the audience isn't as big of an issue as it once was.

Put simply, viewers need some indication that Ash has been exploring and growing stronger even through his time offscreen, and the easiest way to do that is to have Ash age physically. This also puts Ash in a position to mentor Liko and Roy, should he appear in Horizons, and offers the ability to attract new audiences if he should reappear in a movie. If Ash is to have anything more than a simple cameo, then Pokémon must age him up.