The timeline in « Pokemon Journeys »?

[Jez]

It's wonderful to see a lot of old characters in "Pokemon Journeys", but how does the Timeline work in this series? When Ash started his journey he was 10 years old, he traveled with Iris, Dawn and the old pokegroups , fight in a lot of arena and became Alola champion before meeting Goh, he went to Alola's school and the baby of Kukui was born and is at least 4 months old …. and all of this in less than 1 year because Ash is officially still 10 years old now…

No matter how hard I think about it, I can't explain it to myself or give me a headcanon. How does the length of time work in the Pokemon world? One year counts as 20 years in our universe? A pregnancy does not count 9 months? The babies/toddlers grow as fast as Pokemon evolutions and then stop growing for several years at age of 10 ??? I’m so curious to know your point of view and headcanons about this?

 

[Rockapheller]

There is an official statement about it that I remember reading back then. I don't have a source sadly, but maybe somebody else does. The question was reflected during the run of AG series, someone asking if Ash was still 10 years old during that time. The official answer to this question was that Ash is a ten-year-old icon (or something along these lines), and they give the example of Mickey Mouse, which despite of passing years, never ages. So one can safely assume that the way timeline works in the Pokémon anime is inexplicable, simply because writers don't give too much thought about it.

 

[Emmy]

"Pokémon or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying about Continuity and Love the Chaos".

 

[Hidden Mew]

Time in the Pokemon anime has never made any sense to begin with. Ash is still a ten year old boy despite going through multiple journeys through various regions. Professor Burnet giving birth and her child being a young infant while Ash is still ten makes no sense and I love it. It just makes the nonsensical timeline more apparent.

 

[Daren]

I've said it before; if we don't see a ten year old Max showing up to battle ten year old Ash with his Ralts in the series finale we should all be deeply disappointed.

Of course you could all just do what I do and assume Ash is a vampire. It explains absolutely everything.

 

[Keith]

It's simple. Ash is meant to be timeless

 

[Hydrogenium]

I'm glad that Ash is still ten years old - it would be strange to see teenage Ash or adult Ash (and mice don't live for long time and Pikachu is a mouse)...

So I don't care. The fact that time passes differently in the Pokémon world is not so curious since it's the world where animals controlling water fire or electricity can live in a tiny ball...

 

[Neo Blaze]

There is at least one instance that suggests a full year has passed: in Pikachu & Pichu, Ash and Pikachu celebrate their one year anniversary of being together, so naturally that would mean Ash is at least 11 years old. Of course, the canon status of that Pikachu short can be debated. There have been other instances of several months passing, Kukui and Burnet's child being a recent example, but also explicit mentions of several months ("the Pokémon League will be in X months").

But honestly, it's best to just not give it much thought. The writers clearly intend to tell the stories they want to tell without being restricted by some sort of official timeline, and I'm fine with that. You can come up with all kind of wacky headcanon theories about how time passes differently in the Pokémon anime world or whatever, but those always end up being silly in my opinion, especially when the writers don't give the passing of time that much thought to begin with. It's best to just go with the flow.

 

[Galactic_V]

I really don't think we should play Pokemon by the real world's time flow rules. I like to consider it taking place in a floating timeline similar to the Simpsons or Family Guy, where some characters age when it's necessary, but others just don't for whatever reason there is.

I remember this discussion going ever since AG\DP, when people kept saying Satoshi was at least 14, but then came BW and its reveal that he was still 10 in the first episode lol All in all, we're not supposed to think too hard on it.

 

[Greninjaman]

Of course, if each region had it's own protagonist, this would not be a problem at all.

 

[jbmasta]

I've said it before; if we don't see a ten year old Max showing up to battle ten year old Ash with his Ralts in the series finale we should all be deeply disappointed.

Of course you could all just do what I do and assume Ash is a vampire. It explains absolutely everything.

Ash has a portrait in the attic (and a far less hedonistic lifestyle than prolific subject of such a portrait), or the human characters in the pokemon world don't age unless they contract plotrelevantitis.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

Maybe it’s not real world aging but more like Pokémon evolution.

 

[DawningWinds]

Dialga got bored of being in charge of an entirely constant, linear timeline. Made a nonsensical mess instead.

 

[El Squibbonator]

Obviously a year in the Pokemon world is longer than one in our own.

 

[Glitchipedia]

By paying close attention to the in-universe seasonal cycle, one can determine that at least eight years should have passed between the start of the original series and the end of Sun & Moon. The characters appearing not to age, and any official statements that they don't, is pure marketing which I believe we are free to ignore if we so choose. That's my perspective and I'm sticking to it.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

By paying close attention to the in-universe seasonal cycle, one can determine that at least eight years should have passed between the start of the original series and the end of Sun & Moon. The characters appearing not to age, and any official statements that they don't, is pure marketing which I believe we are free to ignore if we so choose. That's my perspective and I'm sticking to it.

Like Aroush Halapsian still being drawn like she’s 11 even though she’s in her twenties.

 

[Blob]

By paying close attention to the in-universe seasonal cycle, one can determine that at least eight years should have passed between the start of the original series and the end of Sun & Moon. The characters appearing not to age, and any official statements that they don't, is pure marketing which I believe we are free to ignore if we so choose. That's my perspective and I'm sticking to it.

I think aging is different in the Pokémon universe to ours anyway. Maybe years are longer and days are shorter. Additionally, in Pokemon Conquest the characters can evolve, so maybe age is more of a level system in the anime.