inside Pokémon anime, Ash is often accused of being a character who doesn’t grow or learn from his mistakes. However, his eventual victory over rival Gary in the original series proves that Ash has indeed matured quite a bit over the course of his Pokémon adventures. Although Ash’s journey is long, it is one filled with true growth.
In the first Pokémon anime, Ash behaves like a child. He whines, complains, and fights with Misty, just as one would expect of a ten-year-old boy. He doesn’t accept his losses amicably, especially when it comes to his main Pokémon rival Gary Oak. Gary, admittedly rather silly at first, is always looking to piss Ash off, whether it’s by choosing the Pokémon he wants to be the starter or showing off his impressive collection of Pokémon badges when Ash almost no. No matter what Ash did, Gary would always support him, and it would drive Ash crazy. In fact, a lot of Ash’s initial motivation was just to beat Gary, even in areas that didn’t matter, such as the size of the Pokémon. That also applies to battles, right up to Ash’s match with Gary in the Johto Federation Silver Conference.
Ash proves his maturity in character after defeating Gary
Over 250 episodes of the series, Ash and Gary have a dramatic match in the Silver Conference, both making it to the sweet Sixteenth, beating hundreds of others. The battle itself showcased the full skill of both coaches, using a rare 6v6 format. Ash fights his Tauros, Muk, Heracross, Charizard, Bayleef, and Snorlax (a rare battle without Pikachu). It was all due to Gary’s Blastoise versus Ash’s Charizard, and despite being at a typing disadvantage, Ash won thanks to his unusual strategies. Ash celebrates his victory, naturally, but that’s when he surprises. Instead of gloating over Gary and pacifying it, Ash and Gary have a quiet conversation that night, and Gary admits that Ash won fairly and that he will cheer Ash from the sidelines in the round. Next, resume childhood friendships.
Ash from the first part of the anime certainly wouldn’t have reacted that way. He loves to gloat at the time and will probably wince along with insults. But over 250 episodes have passed and Ash has really matured in that time. He has learned to fight fairly, no longer crushing inexperienced trainers with his high level Charizard. He’s learned to get along with Misty, and he’s even starting to understand Gary better, as Gary himself is a bit more mature. By the time of the Silver Conference, he was able to accept his loss, and Gary was in fact considering pursuing a career in Pokémon research like his grandfather, Professor Oak. While Ash’s growth may have been slow and uneven during that time, this scene proves that he’s matured. In fact, Ash’s maturity is the reason some people find him “boring” in the later seasons – he doesn’t act like he did in the beginning of the anime.
Given that the Silver Conference represents the end of the original Pokémon series with Misty and Brock, acknowledging Ash’s maturity with this win, even if he doesn’t make it to the entire convention, is a bit of a stretch. big topic. It starts with Ash versus Gary who seem to hate each other in Pokémonand it ends with Ash fighting Gary, once again friends.