The Pokémon anime has had nearly two years since Ash Ketchum left the series to make room for a new cast. The anime's fandom is still divided, however: has Pokémon Horizons managed to find its feet and grow into something worthy of Ash's legacy, or is the new series simply not measuring up?

When it was first announced that Ash would be departing the series, fan reaction was mixed. While there were certainly plenty who were ready for a change, there's also a sizable segment of the fanbase, particularly among older fans, who simply couldn't imagine a Pokémon anime without Ash. Ash had been there since 1997, after all, and despite the periodic facelifts and all the traveling, it was still ultimately the same Ash and Pikachu as those early days. Some of these fans were willing to give Horizons a fair shake, but others rejected it outright for one simple reason: No Ash, no watch.

Has Ash's Departure Been Good for the Anime?

Liko And Roy Had Big Shoes to Fill

It's known from the Game Freak Teraleak that Pokémon execs were already eyeing Ash for replacement due to lower viewership than hoped for throughout Journeys and even back to Sun & Moon. The reasons they provided in their internal discussion centered on Ash being an increasingly difficult character for new viewers (children) to relate to, which led to the lower ratings. It's somewhat understandable, as once Ash became a champion, he could no longer convincingly fill the role of the newbie just starting out on his journey. This was patched up with companions who were new, like Goh, but that can only go so far.

It was immediately clear that whatever followed Pokémon Journeys was going to need to be pretty different. If the series kept the same formula of collecting badges and challenging League tournaments, but merely changed protagonists, there would surely be complaints as to why a change of protagonists was needed at all. Such a hypothetical protagonist would constantly be measured up against Ash and would no doubt be found lacking by Ketchum devotees.

In that sense, replacing Ash was the only move available. Starting from scratch with new heroes who had very different goals from those of Ash would alleviate the problem of relatability, and offer a new perspective on the Pokémon world. Horizons has chosen a very different sort of story, as it follows Liko and Roy on a quest to accomplish a very specific goal: unravel the mystery of Liko's pendant, and reclaim the Black Rayquaza. This freed the writers from the restrictions of the previous formula, while still allowing them to fall back on some common ideas, such as one-off episodes featuring a particular Pokémon species.

Ultimately, It's Important to : Pokémon is For Kids

The Anime's Target Demographic Remains the Youth

Common complaints from long-time fans about Horizons are focused on how Liko and Roy manage to get out of situations using relatively weak Pokémon, that the world isn't being explored as thoroughly as it was in Ash's time, and that the villains are too ineffectual. Ironically, nearly all these complaints can just as easily be turned against Ash's era of the anime. By game standards, Pikachu is a weak Pokémon, and yet that never stopped him from defeating everything up to and including Legendary Pokémon with simple Thunderbolts. And, of course, there are few anime villains as ineffectual as Team Rocket, even if one discounts Jessie and James.

The one critique which holds some weight is the idea that the world isn't being as thoroughly explored. It's true that the Galar and Paldea regions have been featured far less than any other regions, but that's been in favor of a more globetrotting adventure, that takes Liko and Roy to all corners of the Pokémon world. So far, the Rising Volt Tacklers have been to Kanto, Paldea, Galar, Kitakami, and Johto, as well as a few unknown locations. There's nothing inherently wrong with this approach; it's just different from how (most of) the anime operated before.

Pokémon Horizons is telling a fundamentally different type of story than Ash's, and it's understandable that it wouldn't necessarily appeal to everyone who watched Ash all these years. But, ultimately, it doesn't need to. To succeed, Horizons need only appeal to its target demographic, which is children under the age of 10. The series is of good enough quality to be watched by adults, of course, but at the end of the day, it's still for kids. As far as ratings go, Horizons has done at least as well as Journeys, so the series hasn't suffered from Ash's loss.

Pokémon Horizons may not be setting records, but the new anime has done just fine for itself, and with time and distance from Ash, it may well be regarded as a great series one day.