Summary
A longtimePokemonanime fan took to social media to share the pattern they noticed with all the Fire-type starters who became part of Ash Ketchum’s teams throughout the series. Though thePokemonanime featured critters of many types, each listed Fire-type starter was either adopted by Ash or abandoned and abused by other trainers before joining him.
In both thePokemonanime and the mainline series of games,Fire-type Pokemon are known for being powerhousesthat can take down Grass, Bug, and Ice types with relative ease. But by the same token, Fire Pokemon have glaring weaknesses to Water attacks, including rainstorms that can cause damage to the exposed flame on a Charmander’s tail. Ergo, Fire Pokemon are powerful glass cannons when used by skilled trainers, or can become completely disobedient liabilities for novice trainers to deal with. Though Ash struggled with Charizard early on in his career, his trust in his Pokemon won out, which led the 10-year-old trainer to glory as an eventualPokemonWorld Champion.
WhilePikachu and other notable Pokemon have been staplesin Ash’s squads throughout thePokemonseries, one fan shared the sad pattern with his Fire-type starters. A Reddit user named Freedom1993 shared that each of Ash’s fire starters were adopted by him, but some were abused and abandoned beforehand. Both Ash’s Charmander and Tepig were abandoned by their former trainers due to a preconceived weakness. Ash’s Cyndaquil, which later became a Quilava, was the target of a Pokemon thief and likely would’ve suffered a terrible fate. Ash’s Incineroar, when it was a Litten, was raised by an elderly Stoutland in the wild.
Finally, Ash’s Chimchar was notoriously abandoned and abused by Paul, anotorious rival who saw Pokemon as toolsand berated anyone who crossed him. In short, Paul was considered a perfect foil to all that Ash stood for. However, Ash never gave up on the troubled Chimchar, and when it evolved into Infernape, it overcame its past trauma and defeated Paul’s Electivire in the Lilly of the Valley tournament. In response to the pattern noted by Freedom1993, somePokemonfans used a fitting proverb for the situation; “When you abandon a Fire, it always turns to Ash.”
Even though Ash Ketchum’s time as the lead protagonist of thePokemonanime ended withthe arrival ofPokemon Horizons, he and his Pokemon teams still resonate with fans old and new. What else fans will discover about the kid from Pallet Town remains to be seen.
Pokemon
Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, films, manga, merchandise, music, and more.
