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Do you think Journeys is Ash's Swan Song?

I don't think so.

Its literally to late to replace Ash, since he is the face of the franchise and considering Pikachu is the mascot, another new protagonist will have a Pikachu as well. The new protag most likely gets the majority of the mons Ash also has, because those are popular.

Replacing Ash, also means replacing Team Rocket, which in essence, is replacing five established main characters instead of one and Jessie and James are just as much the faces of the franchise Ash is, same with Meowth being the anime's secondary mascot.
 
Pokemon without Ash is like DB without Goku or Naruto without... Naruto, or OPM without Saitama and so on. You can't replace the literal face of the anime.

There's no way they'll drop him, at most they'll give him a role like Naruto does to Boruto. Imposing, strong and ever present, and at the same time paving the way for another protagonist.
 
A series centered around tag tournaments where he's paired with a new protagonist is the only thing that wouldn't feel like "been there, done that." I know that some people are hoping for a return to the standard formula, but I don't see that happening after SM and PM.
Who knows....
 
For the life of me, I can't figure out what they could possibly do with Ash's character if he either wins or loses the PWC. There's almost literally nothing they can do with him that would be as satisfying unless they reboot the series.

Raditz_DBZ_Ep_02_002.png
 
Even if Ash is not removed I could see him being demoted to a mentor or secondary character. I've suggested before that Gou might be intended as his replacement--he's not tied to a specific mainline game, he has a goal they can keep running forever quite easily (even the director compared his quest for Mew to Ash's "become a Master" goal), and he's getting heavy focus compared to even Dawn. Maybe instead of the old system of a consistent main character doing battles with temporary companions doing other things we'll have temporary companions focused on that with the main character being captured focused.

Add the sudden revelation that Ash seems to be missing from a main episode for the first time (or even just with no lines but silent cameo) has me even more suspicious, especially with Gou seemingly getting a Pikachu soon.
Definitely sounds like a signal of some sort to me.

A series that is centered around tag tournaments where he's paired with a new protagonist is the only thing that wouldn't feel like "been there, done that." I know that some people are hoping for a return to the standard formula, but I don't see that happening after SM and PM.
Yeah, that's the thing. Not doing a Gym quest made a lot of sense for Sun and Moon because of the games, but Sword/Shield games are screaming for one but it isn't happening.
Plus going from a world championship to another Gym quest is a lot less subtle a downgrade for the protagonist than some leagues having a higher level of competition than others.
I know in a lot of ways the show isn't making Ash's advancement consistent but it has been there. Him having a fully evolved psuedo or a Mythical would have seemed unthinkable back even in AG.

I am not saying I am sure any of these are certain, obviously, but things are getting weird and I think some people are dismissing the idea a bit too quickly.
 
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No.

But I can see the series becoming less Ash-centric. I would not be surprised if they revisit the school setting from SM in the future, but expand on it. Maybe for the next series Ash enters a Battle Academy?
 
There's going to be an episode where Ash is full blown absent, along with Gou possibly catching a Pikachu for himself. It's possible that Gou might take over as the anime's new main protagonist after Journeys.
 
I still don’t think Ash will ever be replaced. Ash and Pikachu are the faces of the anime and represent everything Pokémon is about. He’s the perfect main character for something about Pokémon.

Even if Ash wins or loses the PWC, it’s possible the next games will introduce something completely different. Or, since the anime is getting a bit looser from the game story, the writers can make something new up that is somewhat connected to the main story but allows for more flexibility.
 
I still don’t think Ash will ever be replaced. Ash and Pikachu are the faces of the anime and represent everything Pokémon is about. He’s the perfect main character for something about Pokémon.

Even if Ash wins or loses the PWC, it’s possible the next games will introduce something completely different. Or, since the anime is getting a bit looser from the game story, the writers can make something new up that is somewhat connected to the main story but allows for more flexibility.
Despite this, I think that there is something fishy going on, as Ash is completely absent in one episode and Gou might be catching his very own Pikachu. Sure, it's not confirmed that they are going to replace Ash with Gou as the lead, but it is a possibility.
 
There is also a chance that there is no next new series and that the next region transitions into the series like Johto. They could easily have Ash beat Leon and then lose in the next round and then have him compete in the PWC again.
 
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