For over twenty years, the Pokémon anime has accompanied us with many adventures, some comedies and other series. During this long journey through the various regions we have seen the arrival of many new creatures and many secrets, but the greatest will always remain the age of Ash Ketchum. How old is the protagonist really?
Let’s start with an official statement: when the Pokémon Sun and Moon anime arrived, it was officially announced that Ash was ten years old. Then there was the testimony of Kunihiko Yuyama, who stated that “Ash is forever 10 years old” and that this time has not passed since the beginning of the adventure. Everything resolved then? It could be that some references to the passage of time were not given during the first series of the Pokémon anime.
Let’s imagine that this Yuyama declaration doesn’t exist and let’s try again to summarize how old Ash would be without all of the resets imposed by production. We know that Ash left Pallet Town with Pikachu after 10 years, 10 months and 10 days, almost 11 years old. In between feature films and series, we also know that the Pokémon Leagues happen annually and that a few months have to be added for events like the Orange Islands and Battle Park.
If we look at the various dates in the series, which is also partially confirmed by a sentence from Ash who says that he has trained Pokémon in Pokémon XY for many years, we know that during this final series Ash is sixteen and a half years old. Very far from the eternal ten years, which however always remain officially confirmed in order to favor a protagonist who is always young and childish and is suitable for the age goal of the anime.