Pokemon's Ash Ketchum finally becomes world's top trainer after 25 years
He swore he would be the very best, and Ash Ketchum is nothing if not a man of his word.
After 25 years of hard graft, the Pokémon trainer has finally become the top trainer and official Pokémon world champion.
The Pokémon team made the announcement fans thought would never come on Friday 11 November, following the latest episode of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series.
Ash and his pal Pikachu can finally put their feet up, after completing their life goal of becoming the very best, like no one ever was — a goal he's been working towards since 1997.
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In the new episode, which aired in Japan today, Ash and Pikachu win the Masters Eight Tournament of the Pokémon World Coronation Series.
Ash and his team were really put to the test, facing off against the some of the world's most highly-skilled trainers, but they came out the other side victorious.
The perpetual 10-year-old had Pokémon like Dragonite, Gengar, Lucario, Sirfetch’d, and Dracovish on his side, but in the end Pikachu was the last one standing.
Pokémon fans will know that Ash has been a champion before, but it was only after defeating raining champion Leon that he could call himself the world champion.
Announcing Ash's victory, Taito Okiura, the vice president of marketing for The Pokémon Company International stated: "Ash Ketchum’s determination and perseverance to achieve his goal of becoming the world’s top Pokémon Trainer over the course of 25 seasons represents the very best of what it means to be a Trainer.
"We cannot wait to celebrate this moment with Pokémon fans when the newest season of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series and this adventure-defining episode air around the world in the coming year. This is a season fans won’t want to miss!"
So what's next for Ash and the Pokémon legacy?
Following the most recent episode of Ultimate Journeys, there are now only three episodes left in the series in Japan.
While there is no word on how the series will wrap, the final episode title 'Pokémon - I'm Glad I Got To Meet You' has sparked speculation that this could be the end of Ash's journey.
Thankfully, those watching in the US and the UK won't have to say goodbye as soon, with the series airing on Netflix a few weeks later than Japan.
Pokémon Ultimate Journeys is available to stream on Netflix in the US, with the English-language version of Ash’s victory set to stream later this year.
Topics: Pokemon, Gaming, Film and TV
Ali Condon