The Meaning of "Pokémon Master"

As Ash and I had discussed, Ash had some thoughts about what it is that makes up his goal of wanting to be a Pokémon Master in the final moments of his anime appearance. It's a goal that is familiar for all fans of Pokémon, and it may be considered to be a goal that's broad in scope and meaning depending on the person. Because of this, and as part of the "finale" coverage for the anime, I thought I'd include this discussion for the benefit of every Pokémon fan, including me, to determine our individual goals to become a Pokémon Master.

Now, Ash's goal of becoming a Pokémon Master is rather simple, especially after having thought about it (spoiler alert for those who have not seen the relevant episode). It is to become friends with Pokémon everywhere. I personally consider this goal to be noble and universal besides being simple, especially in contrast to his major achievement just before this point. In fact, Ash gave the implication that the achievement is more a "byproduct" of the goal rather than the goal itself, which is yet to be achieved. In a way, Ash realizes the simplest things matter the most, and this is perhaps the simplest (but no simpler) form of the goal.

That then leads to my goal for the same objective. It may be considered similar to Ash's goal in the simplicity of its scope and meaning, but a little more expansive. I want to create good relationships with as many Pokémon fans as possible, who would be the "proxy" to the Pokémon species they are so intimately connected with - and by my experience, their species connections are as diverse as the fans themselves are diverse. I want to take advantage of this fact and connect with them and their Pokémon (that they like) in much the same ways that Ash would with other Pokémon.

For others, their Pokémon Master goals indeed might be very different based on what they like about Pokémon - a fact I know very well, since what they like about Pokémon might not be as expansive as yet other people or even me. Considering this fact, I would say that they have to determine what they like about Pokémon and why and how that came to be, and that would factor into their own goal as a Pokémon Master. It's the same way as it is for people in the world of Pokémon; they all don't have necessarily the same interests, and their goals would be different as a result.

It's been more than a quarter century since Pokémon and even its anime first appeared, and I'm sure that the goal of becoming a Pokémon Master has been on the minds of fans since that time, but they haven't necessarily thought about it that much. Now that Ash has parted ways with the anime (and stated his own Pokémon Master goal), fans can now also have the opportunity to think about their own goal for that and how that might be achieved, if that hasn't already occurred. They'll surely press on for that, just like Ash surely will.

One year ago: Loot from Pokémon Festival Jakarta

Two years ago: Pokémon and the "Metaverse"

Three years ago: Let's Talk About Homes and the Place to Be

Four years ago: Cosplay: Cosplay on the Street

Five years ago: Peace

Six years ago: Suspending My Disbelief

Seven years ago: Ash, Satoshi, or... Ali?