>>716004838
I actually really like him losing in gen 4. It made the world feel big, and like characters with teams like what you get in the games are common at the highest level of the pokemon world. It set up perfectly for a hard fought victory in gen 5. Then gen 5 did not take that set up, and killed the last 4 generations of character development. Ash was a character you could be attached to and cheer for at the end of gen 4, and when he wasn't fixed at the start of gen 6, it showed that he was never coming back. He became a worthless mascot.

Gen 5 onward is when he started becoming a token character in the movies. I'm watching through the gen 7 anime right now, and it further highlights it by being really good but weighed down by Ash.

Also, I have way too many images of ash crossdressing. I need more normal art to balance it.