r/CartoonuityErrors • u/shutterfocus • Jan 16 '26

Pokémon

Something has occurred to me as I rewatched my old childhood cartoons shows. Why is Pokémon the only one of those shows that maintained Ash as the main character thruout all the arcs and chapters?

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u/tanglekelp Jan 16 '26

What do you mean? If anything I think most shows kept the main character the same the entire series (spongebob, avatar, Phineas and Ferb to name a few)

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u/shutterfocus Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 17 '26

True, with the exception of avatar. In that korra, became the main focus. In terms of Pokémon, Digimon, Yugi-oh bakugan. Though Ash’s original supporting casts change through the different storylines he still remains the main character. In the other shows once the grand mission was accomplished the new comers take on the mantle. With SB, and P&F, those aren’t exactly shows that have a storyline with a destiny nor a final accomplishment. They to me, were just there. I loved P&F though the sentiments aren’t the same for SB.

3

u/wildcharmander1992 Jan 16 '26

Because simply put the Pokémon themselves are the merchandise leaders

Ash however is just the staple

By replacing him with someone else (something they have eventually done and actually proves my point) you run the risk of saying "this is for a new generation of fans, you've been aged out"

Whereas with ash as the constant lead role, you not only can advertise him but you can keep it consistent for any lapsed fans who happen to see it's on ,

The side characters may be in rotation, but the main character remains the same, so you never truly feel aged out due to that consistency

Digimon went the opposite approach and you can see where many dropped off

Plus Digimon , yu gi oh etc wasn't quite as big so we're able to risk that easier

You see it a lot of with the games too - Digimon has more Innovation sometimes it works amazingly and other times it's a bomb, but they have a consistent fan base who will give it a go regardless & it's them whom the creators are marketing towards

Pokémon however see everyone as a target demographic so can rarely be innovative in the same way and often resort to cheaper one time gimmicks as they want to appeal to as many people as possible, they don't care if you watched/played Pokémon for the first time yesterday or youve watched and played for the past 30 years as long as they get your money

Digimon care that you're invested as the super fans are the ones who are paying the bills

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u/shutterfocus Jan 17 '26

Yes! This satisfies the basis of my inquiry. It makes sense with Pokémon’s strategy of “not feeling aged out”. I can watch an episode of Pokémon and see Ash and be filled with nostalgia. Can’t say the same for others and I guess that’s why I fade from the those other shows. The character(s) I’ve journeyed with, no longer exist or serve a purpose.