Does Ash age?

[Misty]

Okay, let's get away from the clubs for a bit and discuss an old question.

The anime, at least in the dub, has made passing references to time -

One year passed at the Viridian Gym
Two years passed at the Pichu Bros short
"Years" passed between the first Misty Hoso and the Orange Islands.

This would indicate that, since the Orange Islands occurred after The Battle of the Badge, at least 3 years have passed between the first ep(where Ash was 10) and the beginning of Hoenn. So, in theory, Ash is AT LEAST 13 - he may be older, but we have no evidence to support that.

But is he really? Many are familiar with the Bart Simpson syndrome - where some cartoon characters don't age. On the other hand, some do in fact age.

I think he does age. Why? It seems fairly apparent that Hoenn's Ash looks quite a bit different from Kanto/Johto's Ash. His physical appearance is now more befitting of a teenager, unlike his older one, which is more befitting a ten-year-old.

 

[Sharpshooter]

Well since the Japanese make no attempt to indicate what his actual age his, perhaps it's best we leave the issue at rest and just take him for what he his. That's how I look at anyway. If they wanted to let us know his age they'd tell us.

We know he's gotten more mature with his training, but he still has boyish tendencies and still has little interest in girls to be a considered a growing teenager IMO. I think he's sort of meant to be ageless to be honest, since it gives the show an excuse go on for much longer (with his countless journey's etc).

I never bother questioning his age, he's just.....Ash!

 

[Sachie]

I think he does age and I refuse to believe that he is ageless. The very idea just makes me mad. Really he looks like a teenager so I take him as one.

 

[MondoTR]

Can someone (toto) post pics from Ash from Kanto and Hoenn? Cause he looks the same from what I've seen, other than his clothes. So a comparison would be nice.

Anyways, yeah, I go with the at least 13 thing.

 

[Sachie]

 

[Pie]

There's one - rather, two - characters that I offer as proof that no one ages on the show, or, if they do, they do it at an extremely slow rate: Brock's youngest siblings, the twins.

When he left, they were toddlers. When he returned, they were still toddlers. When we see them again in the flashback during the recent Mt. Moon episode, they are, yes, still toddlers. And this is saying nothing for the rest of Brock's siblings! So, unless Brock's family has discovered some sort of youth potion...

 

[FabuVinny]

Ash's face has matured between the two pictures. He has definately grown up a bit, but that does not mean he is an older age. As we don't know much about the Pokémon World, it could be that they grow slower and go up an age every four years, or something like that! That would explain why they are allowed to travel alone at such a young age.

Here are Brock's siblings:

"Showdown in Pewter City"

"A Family That Battles Together Stays Together"

"Mt. Moon! With Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable"

Actually, looking at the twins, they have aged a little bit - at about the same rate as Ash - so it would seem that the characters do age, just very, very slowly.

 

[Pie]

Great! So that means in like 100 years the cast will be adults.

 

[Misty]

Ash's face has matured between the two pictures. He has definately grown up a bit, but that does not mean he is an older age. As we don't know much about the Pokémon World, it could be that they grow slower and go up an age every four years, or something like that! That would explain why they are allowed to travel alone at such a young age.

That's kind of a far-out suggestion, but I can't immediately disprove it...

 

[MondoTR]

As we don't know much about the Pokémon World, it could be that they grow slower and go up an age every four years, or something like that!

Digimon, Digital Monsters.


Brock's siblings need new clothes.

Anyways, he does look different in those two pics.

 

[FabuVinny]

Part of it could be the animation style. I noticed that on the third Misty housou.

 

[Zeta]

Well, comicbook characters age one year for every four real ones. That ratio seems to apply to Pokemon as well . . .

 

[Alabaster.j.cat]

When Ash started his journey, in the first episode wasnt he 10?

 

[Misty]

Yes, he was 10, as I noted in the first post.

 

[FabuVinny]

He was 10 in episode 1, and May was 10 in AG episode 1. That's all we know for sure.

Didn't Pokémon.com say that the characters don't age?

 

[Misty]

That's probably just American hogwash.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I know in MPJ there was a reference to the characters not aging, but that's the comics.

 

[Misty]

Yeah, the anime is a different continuum.

On the comic thing - is that just one year of time = 4 years of comics?

 

[Alabaster.j.cat]

*Sorry about the extremely dumb question earlier*

I think/ always thought that Ash never aged. As with most other Anime/ Animated Series. Even if he does age, it has been nothing major.

 

[Sharpshooter]

They'll logically concentrate on ageing his character as oppose to his appearance, since he never actually grows.