Ash Ketchum - Worst Protagonist Ever

So it's no secret that as a child, I was pretty much obsessed with Pokemon. I had the video game, I watched the show, and I even knew the rules to the trading card game. Even today, it remains a prime example of a solid turn-based RPG, with limitless character combinations and a huge focus on strategy. But Ash Ketchum, the main character in the TV show, is a horrible character, probably even the worst character I've seen on a TV show. There are many reasons for this, and it's best to start with a comparison.

If you've played the original games (red and blue), you'll know that the main character, Red, is actually really cool and manages to accomplish a lot in his time as a Pokemon trainer. He collects potentially dozens of Pokemon, fights countless powerful trainers, works his way up to the top to become the most famous trainer of all time, and even dismantles an evil crime syndicate. Ash accomplishes nothing. Throughout his time in the region of Kanto (the region in the original game generation), he collects a total of 6 pokemon, most of which aren't actually captured, but who choose to come with him, he never achieves any fame at all, actually losing the final fight on Indigo Plateau, and most of the badges he "earns" are actually just given to him by people because they feel sorry for him. Take Brock for example. Ash cheats in the fight, then decides to forfeit. Seeing his honesty and desire to be good, Brock gives him the badge. Now how about Sabrina, the psychic master? She gives him a badge because he makes her laugh. That's it. No matter the fact that her powers could crush him like an insect, she decides to give him a free pass because he allowed her to reconnect with her sense of humor (which isn't that good anyway seeing as how all you have to do to make her laugh is make funny faces). Did I also mention that Team Rocket, the crime syndicate thoroughly destroyed by Red in the games, is not only left intact throughout the show, but is actually thriving? Nice one, Ash.

As if all that wasn't enough, Ash has a horrible back story, especially when compared to the back stories of his traveling companions. Brock? He was abandoned by his father and forced to take care of his siblings, despite wanting to go out in the world and make his fortune. After his father returned, he had a valid reason for breaking free of that life. Misty was overshadowed by her sisters and so had to make a name for herself independently of them. She also had a valid reason to want to get out there. Ash, on the other hand, wants to be a famous Pokemon trainer simply because he likes watching it on TV and thinks it's cool. Maybe the reason he's never really accomplished anything is because he has no real motivation.

But I'm probably being too hard on Ash. To tell the truth, he probably has an extremely low IQ. It always seems like it takes an extremely long time for him to grasp any concept beyond what's right in front of him, and even that can be difficult for him. For example, his nemeses, Team Rocket, usually appear in disguise when they first meet him in an episode, and those disguises are usually so bad that any other person is able to see right through them. Ash, however, remains oblivious and usually falls right into their trap. It's also really difficult for him to grasp simple concepts, such as not realizing the true identity of Sabrina's father despite the fact that he knew everything about her and her family, and claimed to have known her all her life. Ash insisted that he was simply the family's photographer. Finally, Ash has no knowledge of Pokemon in general, including those that he trains. It was a surprise to him that his favorite Pokemon, Pikachu, is able to use speed to gain an advantage in battle. You'd think someone who wants to be a Pokemon master would at least read up on their abilities, but I guess he's too cool to sit down and read a book.

The latter two traits about Ash help hammer in this final nail in the coffin that is his character - his total blandness. I don't know what the creators were thinking when they wrote Ash. The show isn't devoid of fleshed-out characters. Like I said before, Brock and Misty, his two best friends, seemed to have been written by different people because they actually have back stories, emotions, and drives that made it seem like someone gave a care when they wrote them. Ash, however, is the biggest Mary Sue I've ever seen in a show, as if he were simply an attempt by the writers to try to appeal to the lowest common denominator, therefore lacking any depth or character. He's essentially the Bud Light of cartoon characters. According to the show's creators, Ash is supposed to be a child version of Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of the Pokemon franchise. If that's how he was as a kid, I'm glad I didn't know him.

So there you have it. This has been a character analysis of Ash Ketchum, the protagonist of the Pokemon TV show. Definitely one of the worst protagonists of all time, and someone who the writers should probably have taken more time to craft.