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I love the Pokémon series, and have been a fan of it since the very beginning when it first arrived in North America. For me, Gen 1 was the best one with the many games that were released, and the Pokémon anime series was a big part of my childhood. But over the years, I've fallen off the wagon of Pokémon fandom, even though I still have a great appreciation for how massive the franchise has become over the decades. We have many more species than the original 151 Pokémon that started everything, and many aspects of the Pokémon games have gotten more complex, with more new things in the latest entry of the series, Pokémon Legends: Z-A for the Nintendo Switch 2. But despite me stepping back from Pokémon for a long time, there's one thing that would pull me back into the world of Pokémon in a big way, just as it would many others who have grown up alongside the franchise. The games have often referenced the Pokémon anime series at various times, with some homages being more overt than others. But even now, none of the classic or new Pokémon games have truly adopted any major parts of the anime into their experiences. Some characters may be similar to what I've seen in the anime, but it's usually the games that were the inspiration first, not the other way around. But if something like Pokémon Legends: Z-A were to have more things from the anime included in some way, I would quickly pick it up for my Switch 2. Here's why I want to see more of the Pokémon anime become a bigger part of the video game series going forward. Beyond just the references We need side quests and more Something that nearly all the Pokémon games have done over the years is reference the anime series in small ways. They never actually adapt any plot lines or backstories that were seen in the Pokémon anime series, no matter how popular it was in and outside of Japan. Often, the anime would be given a nod from trainers having a similar lineup of Pokémon for battles, small items would be in locations with key characters, or some of the designs for various NPCs would be similar to what the anime had. But frequently, these would be things that the anime would take inspiration from when crafting the stories for each episode, not so much the other way around. The closest that the games got to actually doing something like this was with the release of Pokémon Yellow Version, which not only allowed players to name their character Ash, but gave them a Pikachu to start out with, mimicking what the anime series had done with Ask Ketchum. What I have wanted to see for years are different side quests that are direct inspirations from the things seen in the anime. This could be some of the minor characters that show up in certain towns or locations that players travel through that match up with their anime counterparts, but allow the player's character to go through a similar scenario. While they don't need to be exact duplicates of what the anime had, keeping them in the same spirit of what the anime had done be ideal, especially for Pokémon fans who love watching the anime series and following its events over a long time. Side quests would be the best approach to this, rather than having an entire main storyline for a specific game, which would allow for a new story to be the focus alongside the fan service from everything else. One example of something like this I've wanted to see done is the inclusion of the Squirtle Squad. Anyone that's seen the episodes where they appear in the anime knows how fun and goofy things can get, as well as how Ask gets his own Squirtle for his team. The Squirtle Squad is a group of misfit Squirtles that end up becoming heroes at the end of the episode when they appear, becoming honorary firefighters for a nearby town. Their popularity among fans has turned them into memes, and even became referenced in Pokémon spin-off games that include nods to their famous sunglasses. Something like this is both fun and wholesome, but also offers a lot of opportunity for battles and an interesting side quest to pursue in the games. Much like any other event that takes place whenever a player enters a new town or location, the Squirtle Squad could be comical foils for the player, and eventually allies in some way. Bringing in Ash Ketchum The reason why many got into the series But if there's something that really should be included more in the Pokémon games, it's the character of Ash Ketchum. Most of the time, it often feels like the Pokémon games are in an entirely different setting than the Pokémon anime, even though there are many examples of references to it throughout the series. It's almost as if the developers of each Pokémon game don't want to have the anime overshadow the video games themselves, but still want to capitalize on the popularity of the anime series with fans. But in truth, it's long past due that the games included Ask Ketchum in a major way that is more than a light or obscure and vague reference. He's the reason why so many kids got into the series back in the 90s, and eventually grew up being fans of the series years later. There are only two times in any of the video games where Ash Ketchum appears to be openly referenced in a way that seems obvious to fans of the anime. One is during the trial given by Acerola in Pokémon Sun and Moon, where an image of Ash himself with Pikachu can be found in the Thirfty Megamart. It's the only time that Ash is ever seen in the mainline Pokémon series of games. The other reference also comes from Pokémon Sun and Moon with the inclusion of a Greninja that is sent to the player, along with a note that is possibly from Ash himself. The Pokémon obtained is called Ash's Greninja, and sports similar moves that are seen in the episodes of the anime where it appears. Other games in the series have homages and references to things associated with Ash, like a Pikachu having the same move set from the anime, but these are the only two that fans have found that are overtly about Ash himself actually being in the games. What's to stop a new game like Pokémon Legends: Z-A having a moment where Ash Ketchum appears to the player? While the main focus should always be on the adventure of the player in each new generation, it wouldn't hurt to finally team up with Ash Ketchum for some sort of small adventure where his Pokémon journey and my own could coincide. Whether it's something like stopping Team Rocket from doing a terrible thing to trainers, or solving a mystery that happens to bring us together in some way, fans would love to meet up with Ash in the games. With so much of the anime series being focused on the battles in the Pokémon world, it would make total sense if we could finally get the chance to battle alongside or against Ash himself. Regardless of how it's done, Ash is a major part of the Pokémon franchise that should have a stronger presence in the games themselves. An argument could be made that without the Pokémon anime appearing on television outside of Japan, many people probably wouldn't have become fans of the games. A lot of that is due to how fans connected with Ash Ketchum and his journey through the Pokémon world. And then there are the movies Other parts the games just ignore Another part of the popularity of Pokémon as a franchise are the theatrical film releases that were massive in the 90s. The first Pokémon movie to release was such a big deal, and followed up by a sequel, both of which were released in theaters and were promoted everywhere. Poke-mania was a very real thing for kids like me, growing up in the middle of the series' best years. But even with how big many of the anime films were for fans of Pokémon, the games themselves still ignore them. Fans can point out many references to aspects of the movies in different games, which are usually obscure or out of plain sight most of the time. But things like characters and story threads are not included in the games whatsoever, much in the same way the Pokémon anime series gets ignored. Many legendary Pokémon and some key locations tied to them are included in the games, like Entei, Raikou, Suicune, and many others; but their backstories are completely different. The same goes for other Pokémon that were big with the first generation and became the focal point of an entire movie, specifically Mewtwo and Mew. It would be very interesting to go through scenarios in newer Pokémon games that loosely adapted or took me on a journey that feels just as epic as what I watched in the films. There's a lot of untapped potential to draw from those anime movie releases that were big with the fandom, most of which still play the games as well. With how much the series has evolved up to the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, this should be something explored by the games more often. With the advent of downloadable content or expansions to newer games, what's to stop Pokémon developers from making something that pulls from those anime films? Another anime series that pulls direct inspiration from the offshoot films into their games is the Dragon Ball series. There have been multiple games that focus on the main arcs of the series itself, but still manage to find side quests and extra missions that include parts of the movies, despite some of them not being viewed as canonical to the main anime. They don't overshadow the main parts of the game, but they provide a lot of fan service and nostalgia for those who have seen them. This is an approach that Pokémon games can do as well, since there's a lot of room for extra content that could be inspired by Pokémon anime movies, while keeping the integrity of the main story from the games. Those Pokémon films are significant to the relevance of the series, and shouldn't be completely ignored. Combining everything in the Pokémon world
