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Should Ash have an actual love interest?

A lot of people would be upset if Ash had a crush on a girl and/or vice versa. Especially Misty, May, or Dawn fans. Meh - We don't need to have him have a girl for a love interest... XDD. I suggest give Ash a love interest who is a boy LOL. now everybody's happy
Holy omg I wrote this years ago and Anourshipping is going on strong XD
 
Well for now anyway, Serena could very well leave by November and then it was all for nothing. :p
 
Nah. I personally love seeing shippers stumble over themselves, but giving Ash an actual love interest would be too explosive even for me. If it ever does happen then I'll be taking to the bomb shelters.
 
No. I don't. Ash is just a kid, on a journey to become the very best. I don't think he'll want to focus on anything but his friends, and battling till he actually becomes the champion. And at that point, I see his journey ending, since it has been a journey all about the new adventures he has and the new friends he makes. Ash doesn't need to have a love interest during the series.
 
Ash can have a love interest, though not now. He is just a little kid. (Oops, Iris fan:p) Okay, not little; he has shown signs of maturity in the XY series, but he is still a kid. Maybe, if he grows into a teenager sometime (highly unlikely; that boy is cursed to never age!)
 
at the moment it wouldn't work but in a fan fiction I was thinking of writing with a slightly older ash he and misty start to realize they might have romantic feelings for each other after seeing the new girl and their rival getting close
 
I mean sure there was Misty, May, Dawn, and now Iris, but they weren't(aren't) established love interests. They're more of just very close friends to Ash - there's nothing that actually sets those characters as being potential love interests.

So should Ash ever have a love interest in the anime? Or is that just not permissible since the anime is mainly about Ash and his experiences with Pokemon as well as his experiences as a Pokemon trainer?
Yes, He Should be with Serena.
 
I think that if that were to happen, it would create a huge eruption in the fanbase (as said before) and, along with this, Pokemon would lose a lot of it's younger boy fans. This is probably why it hasn't been approached. It would quite simply be too sudden for such a dense boy as Ash, and especially the show itself. Maybe, if they brought it on slowly, it would eventually form into something that might actually work.
 
if they were to do a love storyline they would have to work hard if ash's current maturity it's hard buy that he would completely understand his feelings making it seem forced rather than natural progression
 
The short answer is no, he should not. And he likely never will.

Understand, the reason is neither personal nor subjective--the forces at work here are merchandising/franchise-related. Ash's character is the archetypal "mascot series protagonist" personality. All series from Digimon to Beyblade to Youkai Watch feature high-energy, strong-willed youth like Ash. Why? Because he's someone the target audience can immediately relate to.

Like the average Japanese boy around his age, he (1) has a largely absent paternal unit and homemaker mother, (2) hired help around the house (represented by Mimey), (3) older mentors, (4) a few male friends around his age, but is generally alone. That being said, ten-year-old Japanese boys have widely different interests from and few interactions with their female peers.

Now ask yourself: does a ten-year-old boy want anything to do with girls? No, of course not. Why, then, would writers bother to introduce something like romance into their protagonist's affairs when doing so would do nothing for the immediate target demographic or promote merchandise sales? The focal draw of the series is the creatures themselves: Ash is just a secure constant in the never-ending story, one who provides a vehicle that children need in order to more easily place themselves in a world of make-believe.

Also, about the unusual qualities of the XY and Serena's character as well: Serena is Kalosian, and as many of you know, Kalos is based off of France. She is the second female companion (after Iris) who is of foreign origin and upbringing. The French are known for their pronounced amorous tendencies. Unfortunately, Japanese have concrete preconceived notions of how foreigners should be. Honestly, it's a matter of writing what you know for the production staff: if that means a slightly precocious companion who's predisposed to romantic thinking, then that's that.
 
LOL, they already did it. Serena and XY. And that's about as far as they can push romance on the show with a main character who never ends (like Ash).

So we've already seen it.
 
LOL, they already did it. Serena and XY. And that's about as far as they can push romance on the show with a main character who never ends (like Ash).

So we've already seen it.

Are you a shipper NOW?
 
Whether it fits Ash's character I'd say is up in the air, especially if the flanderization (i.e. understanding the idea of mating in Bye Bye Butterfree, but didn't understand terms like couple or dating in BW) was toned down, but I'd say objecting to such on that merit is at least something I can understand.

But other arguments or objections I don't get especially in a fantasy adventure series or that it completely disrespects the marketing intent. My take:

Didn't at least one of the creators once state that, for all intents and purposes, they prefer if "romance" and "Pokémon" aren't used in the same sentence?

I definitely don't think so. Ash having a love interest would completely take away from the focus of the show. It's different if a side character or someone not quite on the same level of importance of Ash (i.e. May) has a love interest because since they're not in the total spotlight of the show, but Ash having a love interest would be ridiculous.people who wish Ash had a love interest.

I'd still say the show has had a pretty fair amount of CotD who had a romance subplot for a show that shouldn't even use Pokémon and romance in the same sentence. Plus:

1. Countless time from Misty to possibly any Alolan girls have a ship tease moment whether it's a bone for the fans or the writers indulge in shipping.

2. All of those Brock crushes in Kanto and later Johto-DP and Sun & Moon when he appears.

3. Tracy's sketching of various girls during the Orange Island episodes.

4. Bonnie looking for a wife for her brother.

5. Even Kukui's relationship with Burnet getting focus in Sun and Moon.

Maybe if these elements were absent or the recurring stuff was reduced to happening 25% of the time, I'd respect the editorial claims that "Romance in Pokémon is bad, m'kay, so, if you want Romance in Pokémon, you're bad, m'kay":LOL:

Especially when as early as as Holiday at Aopulco/Beauty and the Beach the anime has no trouble with fanservice episodes or moments where the underage girls are sexualized (with pervy scenes like an old man saying they'd be fun in 8 years). Kind of getting mixed messages here.

I mean considering how even anime with an older lead tends to shy away with actual relationships, I tend to think the writers and editorials are stuck in that idea that "getting together with a crush is the end of life, and your girlfriend/fiance/wife is a ball and chain".

If Ash was a bit older like around Red's age which would be in his teens, then yes. But since he's not, then no. He's much too young if you were to look at it from a mature point of view.

Might make sense if talking about a sitcom or show ditching the fantasy elements, with something like Pokémon or say Avatar The Last Airbender I think it's big double standard. For get the cute creatures or superpowers for a moment.

It's wrong to want a ten year old to have a calm, loving and consensual relationship with their crush, but it's okay the be excited at the prospect that they are facing a crime organization or Firebending tyrant with a Hitler complex who is willing to kill them?

I mean it's the kind of thing that might be fun to watch and fantasize about. But lets be honest. To a teen, adult or even kid who's an early bloomer, a relationship with someone you love or crush on can be potentially pleasant.

Can't imagine a kid being excited to be in the company of a criminal/tyrant with murderous intent in the real world.

So yeah, if Ash should be able to take on a criminal organization, I don't see why having a date with (insert your love interest here) is unreasonable.


I mean I can respect if people just don't want to see such a thing in fiction with a child lead, but I guess I feel like it helps if one just says "I don't like it" over claiming it's unrealistic in a fantasy/adventure show or that romance is non-existent.


Edit: Also, also, I tend to regard stereotypes as the broken clock to take heed of twice, but not treating as the final law on how gender or ages influence our thinking. But playing devil's advocacy, when it comes to Ash and how boys at the age of ten find girls icky:

  1. Yeah he seemed taken by Misty's festival garb in Ghost of Maiden's Peak.
  2. Three times has he been kissed. And neither has he went into the "Aww gross, cooties" reaction.

So yeah, agree to disagree and all that, but at least one should concede when the opinions/claims are contradicted by facts.
 
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