Pokémon Horizons General Discussion/Speculation Thread

[Hidden Mew]

I still highly doubt that Riko is Ash's daughter. Nothing about the mini series gives off the impression that it will lead to a huge time skip with Ash married with children. I can't say that it's impossible, but I don't think that they'd go that far with this change. I don't think it would be necessary when they can just have a new character unrelated to Ash as the main lead.

I also don't really see the appeal of having Riko and Roy around for multiple generations. Obviously, it's too early to say for certain when we don't know anything about them or see what their plans are for this series, but I think that keeping them around for multiple series would just cause the same kind of problems people had with Ash as the main lead for decades. I think it would make more sense for any new protagonist to last only for one series instead.

 

[nickdt]

I think that if Riko is Ashs daughter that she’ll stay for several generations… unless she beats Ash immediately

She isn't, cuz here is the thing


They need Ash (And by extenstion the TRio) to make the occasional cameo.

 

[cricketlaxwolvesbandy]

She isn't, cuz here is the thing


They need Ash (And by extenstion the TRio) to make the occasional cameo.

Oh yeah of course

 

[MarshiyanMisutaa]

I was very doubtful of "Satoshi's daughter" theory until I remembered that Yokai Watch just did that exact plot few years ago: They replaced anime's 11 years old main character with his (and his crush's) daughter in the sequel show.

 

[DuskAstral]

I was very doubtful of "Satoshi's daughter" theory until I remembered that Yokai Watch just did that exact plot few years ago: They replaced anime's 11 years old main character with his (and his crush's) daughter in the sequel show.

Pokémon and Yo-kai Watch are two different series.
Just because something was in one of them doesn't mean it will be the same in the other.

 

[nickdt]

I was very doubtful of "Satoshi's daughter" theory until I remembered that Yokai Watch just did that exact plot few years ago: They replaced anime's 11 years old main character with his (and his crush's) daughter in the sequel show.

With the difference being that Yo-Kai Watch never made it past Japan in terms of popularity. There is also a huge difference in 11 years as a main character and 25 years old.

 

[MarshiyanMisutaa]

Pokémon and Yo-kai Watch are two different series. Just because something was in one of them doesn't mean it will be the same in the other.

Um. What kind of an argument is that? I know they are pretty different from each other, but they still have the same target audience. So, point is that theory is not unlikely as I first assumed.

With the difference being that Yo-Kai Watch never made it past Japan in terms of popularity.

How is that relevant?

There is also a huge difference in 11 years as a main character and 25 years old.

How is that relevant?

 

[DuskAstral]

Um. What kind of an argument is that? I know they are pretty different from each other, but they still have the same target audience. So, point is that theory is not unlikely as I first assumed.

Same age target doesn't mean everything has to be the same.
The creators of Pokémon have the right to take a different path and not create kinship between the old and the new MC.

 

[nickdt]

Um. What kind of an argument is that? I know they are pretty different from each other, but they still have the same target audience. So, point is that theory is not unlikely as I first assumed.

How is that relevant?

How is that relevant?

A 25 year old character has had more time gaining popularity and as such is harder to age up.

Pokemon making it past Japan in terms of popularity and Yo-Kai hasn't, not even to speak about Ash literally having been the face of the franchise, makes it virtually impossible to age him up... because of marketing reasons. While Ash might not feature prominently in the anime anymore, he still needs to keep the occasional cameo's in order for Pokemon to still gain that Pikachu merchandise sales in order. There is also the problem that some Pokemon wouldn't have become as popular as they are if Ash wouldn't have caught them, which is especially evident in Greninja (As one of the example, since other examples might be base stages of some Pokemon like Mudkip and Piplup, due to their anime portrayals), since i don't see people talking about Greninja, while i do see them talking about Ash-Greninja, but its also seen in the Pokemon owned by his travel companions. The anime has had a big impact on some of Pokemons popularity and Pikachu is one of them. I feel like if it wouldn't have been the mascot and the anime's main Pokemon... it wouldn't have become as popular as is... cuz at the end of the day... it might just have been seen as a generic electric mouse.

So its not only the Japanese fanbase you have to take into account with... its also the rest of the world and because of its popularity... the new anime might do well in Japan... but might flop in the rest of the world because of no more Ash.

 

[Kurolegacy]

I was very doubtful of "Satoshi's daughter" theory until I remembered that Yokai Watch just did that exact plot few years ago: They replaced anime's 11 years old main character with his (and his crush's) daughter in the sequel show.

Difference there is that Yokai Watch, in spite of its comedic element had the plot point that Nate had a crush on Katie who, at least in the first game, was the female PC. Don’t know if the anime ever went anywhere with it before the sequel series but there was that bit.

Plus, that sequel series proved to be unpopular so I don’t see Pokémon following them especially when they shifted their gears away from similarities to Yokai Watch years ago.

 

[Vengeful Ghost]

I still highly doubt that Riko is Ash's daughter. Nothing about the mini series gives off the impression that it will lead to a huge time skip with Ash married with children. I can't say that it's impossible, but I don't think that they'd go that far with this change. I don't think it would be necessary when they can just have a new character unrelated to Ash as the main lead.

I also don't really see the appeal of having Riko and Roy around for multiple generations. Obviously, it's too early to say for certain when we don't know anything about them or see what their plans are for this series, but I think that keeping them around for multiple series would just cause the same kind of problems people had with Ash as the main lead for decades. I think it would make more sense for any new protagonist to last only for one series instead.

I don’t see the appeal of having Liko be Ash’s daughter because that carries greater implications for the universe at large. It’s not just Ash and whoever gets with him aging up. It’s the whole planet. That would mean there would be an overhaul of the setting which draws the audience away from the main characters and to the old characters, wondering what they’ve been doing in the 20+ year time skip; or we could end up with a static setting which makes me wonder what was the point of a time skip in the first place.

 

[Broseph08]

IMO I don't think Ash really needs to make cameos. If they're going to have new protagonists, it's best for a completely fresh start. The first episode can have the lead watching Ash vs. Leon on TV but after that, I don't think they need to include Ash here and there.

Unless, the ratings completely tank but imo if that happens, they are just as likely to consider whether it's even worth having a weekly Pokemon anime anymore

 

[Mew2]

There are advantages and disadvantages to both Riko being Ash's daughter, as well as her not being Ash's daughter.

For the advantages of Riko being Ash's daughter, the main one is that it provides a concrete connection to the previous series with Ash. Ash is an iconic character for the franchise, with Pikachu also being the franchise's mascot. It will also give more of a reason for Ash and Pikachu to cameo more often as well since they could have him keeping track of her journey. Ash has been around for a long time so having Riko being directly related to Ash may help keep some viewers and help them to give the new animé a chance. Also, if written well, there are many places the animé could go, especially with a family dynamic.

The disadvantages of Riko being Ash's daughter are that if the animé does poorly, the animé is SOL. They won't be able to go back in time without it looking like a reboot and it will be difficult for them to continue where Ash left off at the end of Journeys; not impossible, but tougher than it would be if there was no timeskip and knowledge that Ash eventually will have a daughter. There is also the issue of other animés that have had descendants of the previous series' main characters, like Yokai Watch and Naruto to Boruto, that have been poorly received so if the writing is poor, it will be magnified. Also, if she were Ash's daughter, whoever's ship did not sail would probably not be happy, assuming Ash even gets together with one of the Pokégirls and isn't married to someone completely new.

Now, for the advantages of Riko not being Ash's daughter; and these are quite simple. It provides the writers with more freedom for the animé, as well as a safety net should the animé fail. There are a lot of things the animé can do if Ash is merely a mythical hero or a mentor, rather than a family member for Riko, or even Roy and they won't be as bogged down by past history, or bogged down at all if it's a completely new continuity. Also, if the animé does, indeed, fail, they can far more easily revert it back to being an Ash animé without having to jump through too many hoops, compared to if Riko were, indeed, Ash's daughter.

However, there are also some disadvantages to Riko not being Ash's daughter. The main one is that this is a great jumping off point for anyone who may be tired of the animé and has no real interest in the new characters. There is nothing that would connect this series with the series' of old, at least not strongly since Ash would no longer be the main character, assuming he would be in it at all. Let's not forget that, as mentioned before, Ash is an iconic character for the Pokémon franchise, with Pikachu being the mascot. With no connection to Ash and maybe even Pikachu, there is little reason for older viewers to stay if the animé isn't of good quality. And I would say that the animé would have to be of higher quality than Journeys was for what audience is left to remain, as well as grab hold of new viewers since even new viewers would have heard of Ash and with streaming and Youtube, will have access to seeing old episodes of Pokémon. And given that with each passing season, the number of viewers seems to decrease, the animé needs all of the viewers it can get, old and new alike.

 

[Enzo]

I also don't really see the appeal of having Riko and Roy around for multiple generations. Obviously, it's too early to say for certain when we don't know anything about them or see what their plans are for this series, but I think that keeping them around for multiple series would just cause the same kind of problems people had with Ash as the main lead for decades. I think it would make more sense for any new protagonist to last only for one series instead.

I've spoken about this before, but I firmly believe a lot of the issues people have/had with Ash and the anime in general is due to a simple thing: the sheer majority of them aren't "Ash problems" and are in reality "Perma-MC problems", something a lot of people failed to notice, imo. Making Riko or Roy or anyone else a new perma-mc would just be "repackaged Ash" and it would be virtually pointless because it just wouldn't fix anything long-term.

 

[Adelon]

Pokémon and Yo-kai Watch are two different series.
Just because something was in one of them doesn't mean it will be the same in the other.

They are similar genres and target the same demographic in Japan. And they've copied aspects of each other.

As an example, Rotom Dex (especially in the anime) was likely inspired by Whisper who has some sort of pokedex like thing I've forgotten the name of for yokai.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

They are similar genres and target the same demographic in Japan. And they've copied aspects of each other.

As an example, Rotom Dex (especially in the anime) was likely inspired by Whisper who has some sort of pokedex like thing I've forgotten the name of for yokai.

I'm not sure where I heard it, so I'm not 100% sure if it's true, but I recall hearing that SM was not based on that anime. Only their comedic tones are similar.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

Only their comedic tones are similar.

I think that was what I heard too.

 

[Daren]

I've spoken about this before, but I firmly believe a lot of the issues people have/had with Ash and the anime in general is due to a simple thing: the sheer majority of them aren't "Ash problems" and are in reality "Perma-MC problems", something a lot of people failed to notice, imo. Making Riko or Roy or anyone else a new perma-mc would just be "repackaged Ash" and it would be virtually pointless because it just wouldn't fix anything long-term.

Yep. Every time I saw people latch onto some other random person as a better protagonist I thought "you'll turn against them the second they lose a league and reset their progress in the next series".
The only reasonable ways I can think of to avoid that would be to either get new protagonist every series or to stop adapting the games and do something entirely new for the plot.

Edit: I think the best evidence that it isn't an "Ash problem" is that people complained about him for literally the opposite reason during the original series; that he won too much for a team of unevolved Pokémon and was overpowered.

 

[DuskAstral]

They are similar genres and target the same demographic in Japan. And they've copied aspects of each other.

As an example, Rotom Dex (especially in the anime) was likely inspired by Whisper who has some sort of pokedex like thing I've forgotten the name of for yokai.

I just think that the arguments for or against a theory should be based only on the universe that the theory concerns, not on other anime.

 

[Poke Trey]

Think it's just the similarities and coincidences.