Pokemon's Ash Ketchum Finally Became The Very Best (Like No One Ever Was) After 25 Years

If you know anything about the "Pokemon" cartoons, it's probably that Ash Ketchum (Rica Matsumoto/Veronica Taylor) has only wanted one thing for the entirety of the flagship anime series: to be the very best. Heck, it's literally the opening line of the original theme song from the series, a song that's legitimately just about how Ash needs to catch every single one of the pocket monsters in the ever-expanding collection of the creatures.

In fact, Ash has been chasing the same goal throughout "Pokemon" for an astounding 25 years. Through thick and thin and with an always growing and changing roster of monsters in his six battle slots (via IGN), Ash and his best friend Pikachu have been steadfastly aiming for the top while fighting off Team Rocket and helping out those in need since many of us were Ash's age ourselves. Well, it would appear that all of that hard work has finally paid off for the "Pokemon" protagonist, as Ash has finally achieved his goal.

As announced on the official Pokemon Twitter account, in the latest episode of "Pokemon Ultimate Journeys," Ash Ketchum has finally become the world's greatest Pokemon trainer after defeating Leon. It was a tense match, with all of Ash's monsters defeated except for Pikachu and a much stronger Charizard as the opponent standing between Ash and victory. However, like Rocky, Pikachu is all heart, and that passion allowed him to prevail in the final moments of the match.

From a thematic standpoint, it actually makes a lot of sense that a Charizard was Ash's final opponent before becoming a Pokemon master, as his own Charizard was probably the first real wall he hit as a trainer. The disobedient creature had little respect for Ash and, for a long time, wouldn't even follow his commands. This makes the fact that one of Ash's first Pokemon, Pikachu, ended up defeating the monster seem especially fitting.

Though Ash has been at the top of the podium before, this competition being between masters from all regions made this victory particularly palpable. With Ash finally achieving his goal, though, that might put a bigger target on his back than ever. Since trainers have already eagerly challenged him in the past, they'll likely be coming for the crown more recklessly than ever now. Still, if you're out there chasing a dream and it hasn't been 25 years yet, maybe you can still get there, just like Ash finally did in "Pokemon Ultimate Journeys."