Pokemon’s Ash Ketchum is one of the few animated characters that have become a household name over the past few decades. With fans constantly talking about upcoming anime episodes ornewPokemonmovies, it is not all too surprising for one particular aficionado to discover, and share, oldPokemonconcept art that reveals what Ash Ketchum’s design would have looked like before he was first introduced to the public.
Ash made his first TV appearance in Japan in 1997, with the anime coming to Western shores in 1998. Fans will fondly recall meeting the newbiePokemontrainer, and hisinfamous rival Gary Oak, as they are introduced to Pikachu and the concept of thePokemonuniverse for the first time. Since then, the anime has aired over 1,100 episodes, and shown over 2o movies, with spin-off series released here and there. As such a prolific series with a huge global audience, Ash being central to thePokemonanime has made his looks and character very well-known and loved across generations.
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In the Twitter thread, another fan provided some rough translations of the Japanese commentary on the concept art. According to Superqami (@Superqami), the team had gone through several discussions before deciding on what to use for Ash Ketchum’s final design in thePokemonanime. Some of the options included using the lightning logo and moving it around, and using an upside-down triangle, which reminded the team of a computer button.
This is not the first time that the spotlight has been put on Ash Ketchum and his iconic hat. The hat has been seen making an appearance in therecentPokemon SwordandShieldvideo game. And this is probably not the last time fans will obsess over Ash’s headgear. With thePokemonhat’s design having changed throughout the anime series, fans may someday see some of the concept art designs live and actually being put to use in the future.
