Would the show be better if the characters aged?

[Yoshi1001]

All right, time to get down to business. We all know the characters aren't physically any older than when the show started. So, the real question is, would the show be any better if the characters did actually age? How would the show be different? What would the writers be able to do that they can't do now?

 

[JB88]

*shifty eyes* I wonder where this thread sprouted from...

Age is a big thing when it comes to the human species. But considering this to be a kids show, I don't know what the writers would do really, with people currently complaining to let them age. So much we fuss about, would the writers do such a thing? That's the question I'd like to pose.

 

[PDL]

Considering that the anime's target demographic are kids that are around the main characters ages, it wouldn't make sense at all to "age" the characters and have the target audience no longer able relate to them.

Pokémon is primarly targeted to children, it only make sense to have main character of the popular anime be children.

 

[Torgetsu Kon]

One reason why I don't think it's a good idea to age the characters is this. It's inspiring to little kids for them to hear a kid Ash's age say "I'm gonna be a Pokemon Master!" But, say if Ash did age, and he was around 30, then for him to be yelling that to everyone would be creepy, sad, and, in a weird way, hilarious.

 

[Cybersai]

It doesn't matter as much. They've at least made Ash more mature as the show went on to show he's not still that clueless kid he was back in Kanto.

The change of status quo has worked wonders for the show. As people brought up before, Ash used to be the rookie with Misty and Brock looking after him. Then Ash moved into the "experienced trainer" role and May, Max and Dawn all essentially became the new "rookies."

I love the fact that they bring in new characters because it also helps make it apparent that Ash has matured.

 

[Nomura]

Honestly, I really don't mind either way. The thing is, do you guys remember when he went back to Viridian for the first time, or in the 3rd movie when he and Pikachu had their aniversary? I do, and according to Ash himself, years had passed. Now, this is most likely the fault of the dubbed version, but just the fact that they did that kind of annoys me.

Anyway, I'm more of a fan of Timeskips. I'd much rather Ash end his journey and then we see him doing something as an older guy at the very end of it all.

 

[Aestivate]

I'd like for the characters to age because time/space is a continuum, even if the writers don't like it.

Physically it's impossible Satoshi, Haruka, and Hikari are the same age but there you are.

 

[GuitarHero]

I think its more important that the characters age mentally, rather than physically. As Scott85 said before, Ash has matured much since he first started, the same could be said for May by the end of her run or even Dawn right now. The point is, I think its more important to see this kind of growth rather than the characters actually getting older.

 

[Rhyperior]

As Nomura have said, I actually remember that in a special ep where Pichu appear for the first time, Ash celebrate for the first anniversary of meeting with Pikachu. So I'm sure that the character will age but it will be rarely mentioned.So I'm pretty sure that after a few yrs we will see Max becoming a trainer.

 

[PKMN_Veteran]

Time seems to have halted in the series. I myself don't really care if the characters age or not as long as they have some sort of development character-wise. If they wanted the group to be older, it would probably end up being in a sequel of sorts were time has passed, sorta in similar fashion to Naruto and the Shippuden series.

 

[Snake Bandage]

I can't buy that Ash is still ten when May is ten. And I can't buy that they're BOTH ten when Dawn is ten. And so on and so forth. It just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Cybersai]

Well, Ash, May and Dawn have never repeated their ages in any eps since their first ep, so at least the writers give the illusion that they're older without not exactly saying it.

 

[Kasumi]

I'd have liked them to age, but if it ends up like that Pokesho comic PDL once linked in a thread, it would be creepy as heck. An aging ration would be best, I think. But that's only my opinion.

 

[Brago]

I can't buy that Ash is still ten when May is ten. And I can't buy that they're BOTH ten when Dawn is ten. And so on and so forth. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Seriously, May is ten?!!!! Well, I won't say anything that would be rude, though i guess you all know what i've got in mind and it might have been said plenty of times... (after all, maybe the drawers managed to target both young kids and old teeenagers...)

 

[Snake Bandage]

Jesus Christ please don't start talking about May's chest again, this is disturbing.

 

[MetaRobo]

I chuckle at the haters that claim that Ash is 20 assuming that the show passes in realtime despite it airing only 22 minutes of the journey every week. Age doesn't matter in cartoons, but I'm assuming that every league is held annually and thus every saga is one year.

And about the "arbitrary age 10", I'm convinced that humans in the Pokemon world become teenagers earlier than real-world humans, because how else can you explain having some 10-year-old go off into the world by themselves training big bad creatures?

 

[JB88]

It doesn't matter as much. They've at least made Ash more mature as the show went on to show he's not still that clueless kid he was back in Kanto.

The change of status quo has worked wonders for the show. As people brought up before, Ash used to be the rookie with Misty and Brock looking after him. Then Ash moved into the "experienced trainer" role and May, Max and Dawn all essentially became the new "rookies."

I love the fact that they bring in new characters because it also helps make it apparent that Ash has matured.

But I still can't help but notice that there's something wrong with this equation. With Ash's "maturity", how does it work through not aging? It's so nerve-wracking.

at least the writers give the illusion that they're older without not exactly saying it.

Poor excuse.

I think its more important that the characters age mentally, rather than physically.

So are you suggesting that the only way they "age" is by their mental capacities increasing? It is an odd way to look at it.

I'd have liked them to age, but if it ends up like that Pokesho comic PDL once linked in a thread, it would be creepy as heck.

If you're thinking the same comic that I am, then I agree. But even if the writers were thinking of aging, this would certainly not be the case, it would be degrading in many ways.

And about the "arbitrary age 10", I'm convinced that humans in the Pokemon world become teenagers earlier than real-world humans

This brings the case that the Pokemon world is not the same as ours, if their age rate is different than ours. For a fiction, it is a plausible answer.

 

[Brago]

Jesus Christ please don't start talking about May's chest again, this is disturbing.

I know, and i won't allow myself to talk about it. Since i'm new here, i guess that subject was discussed several times and is done.

But, I have a question: how do you know ash is still ten, and not 12 or 13? I mean, his body hasn't changed, but he seems more mature, so is it that bad if he doesn't have a starting moustache?

 

[JB88]

But, I have a question: how do you know ash is still ten, and not 12 or 13? I mean, his body hasn't changed, but he seems more mature

Because he still "looks" ten, regardless of the animation? This is based on the claim that they age mentally.

 

[MetaRobo]

I know, and i won't allow myself to talk about it. Since i'm new here, i guess that subject was discussed several times and is done.

Any discussion on that topic tends to degenerate into a bunch of wall banger moments, so we know that we shouldn't go there.

Mind you, Ash doesn't exactly look 10 either. People at that age tend to be shorter in height, for one thing.