Summary

• The Pokémon anime series has tackled the subject of death, with the Sun & Moon episode "One Journey Ends, Another Begins..." handling it expertly.
• The episode uses visual metaphors and the reactions of adult characters to address the topic of death without explicitly showing it.
• Ash s Litten through the grieving process, eventually helping it come to with Stoutland's absence and inviting it to his team.

For casual fans of Pokémon's anime, it may come as a shock to learn that the series hasn't shied away from death quite as much as it seems, with several episodes of the series focusing on death, either on the part of the human or the Pokémon, depending on the story. However, no episode of Pokémon has managed to tackle the subject quite as expertly as Sun & Moon's did.

In the poignantly titled episode "One Journey Ends, Another Begins...", a wild Litten which Ash has been befriending comes to him in desperate need of help. Litten lives with a dog Pokémon known as Stoutland under a bridge, but it seems Stoutland isn't feeling well, having difficulty breathing. Ash helps Litten get Stoutland to the Pokémon Center, but Nurse Joy says it's not hurt, or sick, it's just... old.

Ash agrees to stay with Stoutland and Litten over the night at the Pokémon Center, but soon finds that the two have escaped. Meowth, who has also been following this situation, confronts Ash, and tells him to never give up on Litten before vanishing.

Stoutland's Death is Handled in Exactly the Right Way

Litten and Stoutland return to their home under the bridge, and Litten resumes practicing Fire Fang, which Stoutland had been trying to teach it, but is still struggling to master it. As Stoutland falls asleep, Litten curls up with it, and has a dream where Stoutland leaves it. Litten awakens in the morning to find that Stoutland has vanished. It searches the island, but there's no sign of Stoutland anywhere, and it begins to rain as Litten cries out in loneliness. Ash and Professor Kukui arrive, but all the Professor can do is apologize.

While the episode doesn't show death or dying, the story stands strong by making the message clear via visual metaphor (such as the tree slowly losing leaves) and the reactions of adult characters like Kukui and Nurse Joy. There's a lot of dia this episode which is concealed from the audience, likely to avoid using the term "death," but older viewers will surely recognize what's being said from the context. Both Ash and Meowth try, in their own ways, to cheer Litten up, but there's only so much one can do in such a situation.

Ash spends a lot of time with Litten through the worst of it, until Litten sees an image of Stoutland in the clouds behind a rainbow as the rain clears up. Finally understanding what has happened, Litten says goodbye and comes to with Stoutland's absence. Ash invites Litten to his team, which Litten accepts after a battle, where it successfully uses Fire Fang. Meowth recognizes that Litten being with Ash is for the best, even if it means that he and Litten may be enemies in the future.

The episode expertly covers the grieving process, and shows how those around you can you in even the darkest of times. It's an excellent moment of maturity from Ash as well, dealing with the issue far better than most his age would. This episode gives Litten one of the most tragic origins among Ash's Pokémon, making it as memorable as his first encounter with Charmander. Even in the Pokémon world, death is a part of life, and while it may hurt, one must come to with the situation and move on, for ever greater adventures surely lie ahead.

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