He’s needed to be the perfect for a really very long time, however perpetual child/two-and-a-half-decade-long skilled Pokémon battler Ash Ketchum is, in the end, an official Pokémon world champion.

The information, revealed by the Pokémon Company this morning, comes because the conclusion of the newest episode of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys aired in Japan at present, “The Finals IV: Partner.” After a troublesome battle between Ash and Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Leon—referred to as Satoshi and Dande in Japan, respectively—and an interruption from the legendary Pokémon Eternatus, the younger boy from Pallet Town emerged triumphant within the Masters Eight Tournament of the Pokémon World Coronation Series. Ash was left with, in fact, simply his Pikachu standing—from a group containing the electric mouse alongside Dragonite, Gengar, Lucario, Sirfetch’d, and Dracovish—lastly taking out Leon’s Charizard to cinch the win.

Although Ash has been a Pokémon champion earlier than, it was solely very lately, in the course of the occasions of the Pokémon Sun and Moon anime, the place he turned the Alola area’s first Pokémon League winner in his first League win for the reason that anime began. But defeating Leon now makes him a world champion, the very best accolade for a coach within the Pokémon world. He is, arguably, now the Pokémon Master he’s longed to be for the reason that day he began his journey again in 1997.

So the place does Ash, and the Pokémon anime, go from right here? While the English-language dub of Ultimate Journeys will proceed airing for some time within the U.S. and UK, there’s simply three extra episodes left to air in Japan. The last episode of the sequence, “Pokémon! I’m Glad I Got to Meet You!” is a play on the title of the very first episode of the Pokémon anime, “Pokémon – I Choose You!”, and has result in hypothesis that both Ash/Satoshi’s time because the anime’s main protagonist is over, or that the long-running Pokémon anime may finish altogether. Regardless of what occurs, the Pokémon Company is remaining tight-lipped.

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“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,” Taito Okiura, vice chairman of selling for the Pokémon Company International, stated in a press launch accompanying the episode. “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!”

Pokémon Ultimate Journeys airs completely on Netflix within the U.S., with the English-language Ash’s tournament-winning match set to stream there later this yr.

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