When the first Pokemon show started all the way back in 1997, we were introduced to a ten-year-old boy named Ash, who set out on an adventure to become the best Pokemon trainer in all the land. Now, after 23 years have passed and many more shows, games, and movies have come out, Ash… is still a ten-year-old boy who is out on an adventure to become the best Pokemon trainer. We’ve all grown up Ash, why haven’t you? There are several different theories that have been formulated to explain why Ash has never gotten any older, despite having gone on countless adventures over a span of many years.
Related:15 Things That Make No Sense About The Pokémon Universe (And 10 Fan Theories That Do)
The Coma Theory
This is perhaps one of the most popular theories for explaining Ash’s agelessness. Towards the beginning of the first series, Ash gets electrocuted by Pikachu and also crashes his bike. It is speculated that what happened is, because of the electrocution or the crash, Ash slipped into a coma. The coma would not only explain why Ash never ages (because he is basically living in a dream world throughout the entire series), but it also explains why there are Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys in every region who look the same and share the same names.
Not only that, but has it ever occurred to you that it’s strange that all these young children are sent out into the world at ten years old to become Pokemon trainers, all while their parents are always seemingly absent? This makes perfect sense for the world in Ash’s head.
Fans have gone so far as to explain the symbolism behind all the main characters. For example, Giovanni represents Ash’s father and is evil in the show because he was never in the picture for Ash in life. Likewise, Brock represents Ash’s sexuality, which is why Brock never actually gets with any of the females he is lusting after (since Ash knew barely anything about sex).
via DeviantArt
The Ho-Oh Theory
The legend says that if you are one of the luckiest people in existence to lay your eyes on a Ho-Oh, you are granted eternal happiness. As we all know, Ash sees a Ho-Oh flying through the sky early in the series. What better way for a ten-year-old to be eternally happy than to remain a ten-year-old trying to become the greatest Pokemon master for all of time? No bills, jobs, or obligations outside of your dream. When you think about it, this could be the most logical explanation since it’s not too difficult to imagine this as a route of lasting happiness!
The Death Theory
Remember that time in The Tower of Terror episode where a chandelier fell on Ash and Pikachu? Haunter pulls their souls from their bodies after that, and they become ghosts. While it’s true that by the end of the episode Ash and Pikachu’s ghosts return to their bodies, it could now be the case that they are possessing their own bodies as ghosts. If you’ve already died and left your body once, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched to think that maybe after that event, you would not age anymore.
